When the left’s right

Most of the criticism of the Beeb comes from the right, but not all of it. Nick Cohen’s piece in Standpoint is a good critique of its drama and particularly the appalling Bonekickers:

“As a matter of course, BBC writers have blamed crimes against humanity perpetrated by the enemies of the West on the “root cause” of Western provocation. Occasionally, but more frequently than the casual viewer might appreciate, they have gone a step further and presented the atrocities of totalitarianism as the atrocities of the West,” he notes.

“For whatever reason, the BBC still had the brass neck to show fanatically racist white Christian sectarians beheading a moderate Muslim, when nowhere in the world are white Christians, fanatically racist or otherwise, beheading Muslims.”

Mostly, though, it’s worth reading just to be reminded of the reviews Bonekickers received: “Mind-bogglingly dreadful,” said The Guardian. “Rubbish,” said The Times. The authors have the right to fail, said the man from The Independent, but “I’m not sure that it was wise of them to exercise it so vigorously”.

Hat-tip to deegee in the comments