Le séminaire ‘Popular culture, politics and identity in Britain’ accueille pour sa dernière séance de l’année Nicole Cloarec (Université de Rennes), qui présentera ses réflexions autour de « Revisiting ‘Little Britain’ in Don’t Forget the Driver (BBC 2019) », le jeudi 11 avril de 14h30 à 16h30 en L148.
Lien (si en visio) : https://bbb-ens.univ-rennes2.fr/gl/hai-0ol-1za-v0z
This talk aims at examining recent trends in British cinema and high-end television through the prism of Brexit. Rather than a watershed, Brexit is significant in so far as it has exacerbated recurrent issues and trends in an industry that has known significant upheavals in recent years. Indeed, it is striking to note that Brexit prolongs and revives questions about national identity and what British popular film culture could mean. In this respect, the term Brexit has been used as a lose critical framework that applies to any production engaging with the thematic concerns of the debate, either reflecting the divided nature of the so-called “United” Kingdom or upholding national narratives and myths that celebrate a nostalgic vision of a glorious past. The mini-series Don’t Forget the Driver (BBC 2019) is one such work which was perceived through the prism of the referendum, as testifies the headline of London-based lifestyle magazine The Jackal: “The Brexit show we need right now.” However, it also imparts a message of inclusiveness and tolerance that could seem simplistic and bromidic, were it not for the restrained film making and the derisive tone that the series adopts.