Kevin McCloud accused of making ‘poverty porn’
January 27th, 2010 | by awinston |Kevin McCloud, presenter of Grand Designs and the Stirling Prize, has managed to annoy the Indian authorities with his latest TV programme…
Indian authorities are more than a little upset that his show ”Slumming It” had been pitched as a serious look at the architecture of Mumbai but turned out to be about life in the infamous Dharavi slum, complete with dead rats and toxic waste.
So upset, in fact, that they are preparing to lodge an official complaint with TV regulator Ofcom, according to The Telegraph.
We thought it would be about the architecture of Mumbai but it was only about slums, nothing else. He was showing dirty sewage and dead rats, children playing amongst rubbish and people living in these small rooms. He never talked about architecture at all.
“This was poverty porn made to get ratings, and we are upset,” a source told the paper.
According to the source the original proposal from the programme-makers said: ”Kevin McCloud’s passions are buildings and people and he will explore the architecture of Mumbai… Maharashtrian, British, Gothic and post-modern.”
“When the production company applied, they said the name of the documentary was going to be Grand Designs. They said it was part of a ‘celebration of all things India’ and that he would look at different kinds of architecture. He didn’t do any of this.
“”Only occasionally did he mention the community spirit and the low crime rate and the fact that rubbish is recycled there.
“”People forget that this nation is 60 years old. We are a young nation and it’s not easy to bring 300 million people out of poverty just like that.”"
India is notoriously touchy about its portrayal in the media, and has also traditionally been wary of allowing TV and newspaper reporters unfettered access to its slums. Even journalists visiting the country on holiday have to sign a statement promising not to report anything.
But perhaps India is crediting McCloud with more influence than he really has. After all, McCloud hasn’t exactly managed to boost the ratings for Brtian’s biggest architecture prize recently. And it is highly unlikely that his two-part Channel 4 programme reached a wider audience than the multi-Oscar winning Slumdog Millionaire which surely had far more impact on India’s reputation among tourists.
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2 Responses to “Kevin McCloud accused of making ‘poverty porn’”
By H Dhokia on Jan 28, 2010 | Reply
Whilst it is true that he commented on some positives such as the community spirit existing in pockets of these slums and briefly touched upon what has been done before to alleviate the slum problems, it was actually billed as an Architecturally oriented programme. So we were rather disappointed that we did not see what Kevin Mcloud’s suggestions or solutions would be. I would have preferred to see a programme slightly more politically charged as well, to name and shame the authorities and other interest groups who want to see it razed but are by and large motivated only by profit. In that respect it would serve to perform a much needed social function.
By Iqbal Aalam on Jan 28, 2010 | Reply
I am not certain why Indian authorities are so worried. I watched the programme with great interest and I thought that Kevin was on the whole very complimentary to the communities and their courage and organization they displayed in some tough conditions. In fact he wondered if some buildings deserved preservation orders.
I hope Indian authorities note the points Kevin was raising attempting to keep the best these communities offer as an example to the rest of the world.