As Matt has confirmed on our News pages, the BBC has taken the decision to postpone transmission of the latest in its series of drama pilots, Dis/Connected.
Following a number of suicides of teenagers in and around the Bridgend area in South Wales, the Corporation has decided that, for now, they will not show this drama, which revolves around a group of people drawn together by the suicide of a teenage mutual friend, until a later date.
When the Madeleine McCann story broke and soaps such as Coronation Street changed storylines that weren’t particularly similar in the first place, I was critical of their stance (although Mark disagreed). However, here I think that the situation is very different. Media coverage of Madeleine’s disappearance — or the kidnapping of any child, real or fictional — is unlikely to increase the chance of other child abductions happening. However, research “strongly indicates that media representation can and does lead to copycat behaviour,” according to the Samaritans. This is especially the case with BBC Three’s target audience of young people, who the Samaritans say are those most likely to be influenced by media representations of suicide.
There will always be families who find the subject matter of Dis/Connected upsetting, of course: drama should not flinch from telling stories that strike at the heart of human emotions and tell of human frailties. Right now, though, as seventeen families struggle to come to terms with their loss, and when the media (both print and broadcast) have already been far too intrusive into their lives, I can respect the decision of Danny Cohen and his team to delay transmission.
The BBC Three listings page has already been updated to reflect the change in its schedule. The drama will be replaced by the documentary Born Survivors - Kizzy: Mum at 14.
- The Samaritans is available 24 hours on 08457 90 90 90.
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