In an interview at the weekend, the actor Stephen Graham said that British television misrepresents what it’s like to be working class in this country. “It’s very condescending,” he said, pinpointing TV’s “Ooh, look at the poor!” habit of portraying working-class life as one long, grim struggle. “Things can be hard, but there’s also a lot of laughter. My childhood was full of it.”
His words struck a chord. I’ve been banging on for years about the fact that television has forgotten, thanks to the way that it’s now almost monocultural, how hilarious working-class people are. When I was a kid, extended family made our house feel like a stop on a never-ending stand-up tour. Great aunts, uncles, cousins, each brought their own brand of humour that would just fill up our living room. We would laugh so much. Being teased by adults and learning how to hold your own was just part of growing up.
