Four gammons and a unicorn

[onceuponatimeinneverland]

This probably should go in radio addicts but ...

This was on radio 4 this afternoon (Tuesday). I listened to about 5 minutes and then had to change stations (I never do this!). Not only because it wasn't funny, but it also felt too soon to be making fun of the trans debate.

Did anyone listen?

Should I give it a go via sounds?

Interesting to start with but it shifted from being critical of those involved in cancellation, particularly the middle/upper classes who use minorities as objects to apply control, and then it turned its full attention into going after Right Wing media like GB News. Although the line "fascist TERF scum whore choke on my hairy balls" did catch my attention.

Might have to listen for that line alone!

Although the line "fascist TERF scum whore choke on my hairy balls" did catch my attention.

On Radio 4?!

I heard a couple of minutes early on. It appears almost as though someone in BBC drama/entertainment has been stashing away material to let loose on the unsuspecting public once it was possible to state that a trans woman was not a woman. First Jonathan Pie, now this...

It's a satire by someone involved in writing for The Skewer so robust speech is kind of in keeping with the brand.

Overall, it had a plague-on-all-your-houses vibe but criticism was weighted most towards Right-Wing media. An interesting ending though, it was pretty quick and you easily could miss it.

I caught the first 30 minutes of it while I was working, missed the ending.

I laughed quite loudly at some points, mostly in disbelief the BBC had gone there. But it was often quite a mirthless laugh, because it was too close to reality to be properly funny (especially in my situation - I have a nonbinary colleague who must have mentioned gender at least 6 times on the previous shift).

My takeaway thought at the time was that the "progressive left" felt like it was being played almost straight, having seen those sorts of snowball effects play out for myself, and "GB News" was more exaggerated. Yes there are elements of the progressive left that are unrealistic - I don't think even the "wokest" student does yoga. But I felt the portrayed right-wing obsession with zingers, stifled discussion and politically convenient lies was further from the truth. I don't really recognise this in the media outlets the BBC is satirising - you may disagree with the views expressed on the programmes, but they generally do stand up to robust debate unlike some other things I could mention. Perhaps the author was conflating the US and UK right, as is so often the case with left-wing critics.

That aside, I'm annoyed with the BBC. This drama clearly wasn't written and recorded overnight. It feels like cowardice that they've only aired it now, especially since they've spent so much time cheerleading the kind of behaviour the students display.

So mixed feelings overall but I think dramas like these are a step in the right direction. After all, the best way to declaw an idea is by having the public laugh at it.

I've just finished listening to this. I'm not quite sure what the message was: the main character starts off very left wing, makes a comment about how sport shouldn't be mixed sex and this triggers her decent to right wing, anti abortion news pundit. Probably aiming, as @nauticant says, for a plague on all your house vibe, but I did find that a bit illogical. Or maybe I'm having a bit of a sense of humour failure when it comes to this debate!