Storm over TV show punt

By Cathy Reay

Disabled personalities and the United Kingdom Disabled People’s Council (UKDPC) have spoken out after an independent production company suggested creating a television programme in which non-disabled celebrities have to live with fake disabilities”.

The suggestion was made in an email from the production company to UKDPC which has been seen by Disability Now. The company said it was “developing a programme in which celebrities have to live like people with various disabilities”.

The email went on to ask, “if there are disabilities we could artificially create for a week for them to get a small glimpse of what life is like”.

James Beddard (pictured), actor, director and playwright, said: “The idea that inheriting an impairment for a week will give an insight into living with a disability is at best, ridiculous, and at worst incredibly offensive. Perhaps, I should 'black up' or put a couple of balloons on my chest to get an idea of being black or a woman. The concept that we are defined by our disability perpetuates the myths and discriminations that continue to marginalise us.”

Theo Blackmore, Disability LIB Project Co-ordinator at UKDPC, said: “My initial reaction to this was one of disbelief. A better reality programme would involve filming ‘ordinary’ disabled people doing ‘ordinary’ things, showing the social model in action/inaction. The production company didn’t seem interested.”

Actor Luke Hamill said: “Ultimately it’s only scratching the surface. It’s like going on holiday, you experience the culture but you’re not part of it. There’s nothing heroic in being disabled so why should it be heroic that celebrities are imitating us?”

However Julie Fernandez, actress and model, was not so upset by the concept: “As I get older I tend to think whatever it takes to get the able-bodied environment to see what it’s like for disabled people should be done,” she said.

“But celebrities have no power and no relevance. If they’re going to do a show like this they should think about making it more serious; why not ministers who can change policies?”

The person from the company who sent the original email did not wish to comment formally when we contacted her. However she did say, “This was just an idea, it is not going to be made.” She also appeared to indicate that the idea may have been pitched to the BBC.