Comment: People Like Us

TALL TALES: Footage of foreboding looking flats proliferated in the first
episode of BBC3's People Like Us.

DID you know that the country's best businessmen and women got where they are today by repeatedly walking over London's Millennium Bridge. They wear sharp suits and an expression which suggests either grim resolve or a serious case of constipation. They like similes about predatory animals...
That's certainly the impression you might get if you took BBC's The Apprentice to heart. Fortunately few people accept the puffed up candidates, with their shaky grasp of how percentages work, as a true reflection of Britain's white collar workforce.
So should we really be all that worried about People Like Us, the new "documentary" that debuted on BBC3 last week? Surely the viewers will realise that the series is hardly representative of life on council estates?
Unfortunately, as shows like Benefit Street have demonstrated, some sections of the media are rather too eager to seize on the idea that crime and unemployment are endemic in inner-city areas. So when a production company arrive looking for the locals most likely to stoke controversy, it's an absolute gift. Here suddenly are a dozen or so individuals whose behaviour, or in some cases misbehaviour, is perfect propaganda for those with an obvious agenda. "Looking for a reason to carve up the welfare state," they snarl. "Look no further..."
What was most notable about People Like Us, particularly for those who were local, is that the makers clearly struggled to find enough suitable subjects on an estate with a population of over 12,000 people. So while the advert may have declared "Welcome to Chelmsley Wood", in actual fact large parts of the opening episode took in the adjacent areas of Tile Cross, Shard End, Kingshurst and Castle Bromwich.
The opening montage would have been fantastic for anyone who owns the Michelin Spotter's Guide to deprivation. Graffiti - check. Foreboding blocks of flat - check. Yoofs roaming the streets - check.
There was admittedly something along the lines of a disclaimer buried in the voice-over. Mention of a multi-million pound regeneration project and the fact that crime was in actual fact falling in the area. There was even some footage of some pots of plants being carried onto the estate. But after that the focus was mostly on controversy and woe. And let's face it, that's the stuff that will be remembered by Daily Mail columnists and disgusted Twitter users.
And there in lies the problem. People Like Us is only going to reinforce stereotypes and negative perceptions of an area where in actual fact most people obey the law, help each other out and go to work.