The growth of television in quantity and diversity provides further examples of demonization of certain sectors of society. Jones (2011, p.122) “ ‘Chavtainment’ has reinforced the mainstream view of working-class individuals as bigoted, slothful, aggressive people who cannot look after themselves, let alone their children.” Middle-class media often appears to choose to satirize working-class people as stupid, unworthy people Jones (2011, p.2) “How has hatred of working-class people become so socially acceptable? Privately educated, multi-millionaire comedians dress up as chavs for our amusement.”
Examples of ‘class-ism’ on British TV include the Jeremy Kyle Show. This format centres around Kyles (host) attempts to resolve family issues and disputes. These are often related to drug abuse, sex indiscretions, and other behavioural problems. Kyles guests are almost exclusively working class British people. Not dissimilarly David Walliams and Matt Lucas’ creation, Little Britain often featured prejudiced depictions of working-class teenagers. By contrast however, iconic soap opera Coronation Street has always been viewed as a part of the broadcast media that has set out to champion the values of working-class Britons since its creation nearly 60 years ago.
Jeremy Kyle’s show, though, is also hugely popular, but adopts and presents a relentless image of British working class dysfunctionality. Hall (2013, p.248) “It facilitates the ‘binding’ or bonding together of all of Us who are ‘normal’ into one ‘imagined community’; and it sends into symbolic exile of Them – ‘the Others’ – who are in some way different – ‘beyond the pale’.
In a similar fashion, the Channel 4 series created by comics Matt Lucas and David Walliams follows a familiar set of demonization tactics. Jones provides an ample description of Lucas’s creation Jones (2011, p.127) “Pollard is presented as a grotesque working-class teenage single mother who is sexually promiscuous, unable to string a sentence together, and has a very bad attitude problem”
Interestingly the creators of the show have never seen their Vicky Pollard character as controversial. Matt Lucas – content that Pollard isn’t feeding this negative stereotype Lucas (2007, p.230) “the thing about Vicky is: she’s a winner. She’s strong. She’s always in charge of the situation. She turns everything that happens in her life to her own advantage”. Lucas goes on to state that as long as his depiction is humorous then that suffices as success in his eyes Lucas (2007, p.230).
However, despite the ever growing examples on TV of demonization of the working class, one main stay of the British media, Coronation Street has always maintained its strident showcasing of working class life in England. John Sutherland for the Guardian writes how Corrie still maintains its Northern stronghold of viewers Sutherland (2018, ‘Behind the scenes on the Coronation Street set’) “All the frontline characters speak east Lancs. Not quite ‘eeh-bah-gum’ but alien to the larger audience ear. Who in Kensington watches Corrie, bacon buttie and brew in hand? There are occasional Lapsang Souchong jokes in the programme making the point.” He is alluding to the idea that the soap clearly is depicting working class social-realism and glorifying it to its audience rather than showing its characters as feckless or undesirable that other mainstream media outlets are keen to show.