A petition urging Channel 4 to hold back from creating a new sitcom based during the Great Irish Famine has attracted over 31,000 signatures since it was started by Glasgow based Fairlie Gordon on New Years Day.
You can see the petition here.
The petition is targeted at Channel 4 who recently gave Dublin based Hugh Travers an open commission for a sitcom to write about any topic he decided. The 31 year old writer won acclaim for his award–winning radio play Lambo. Travers defended his work–in–progress saying “Well, they say ‘comedy equals tragedy plus time.’ I don’t want to do anything that denies the suffering that people went through, but Ireland has always been good at black humour. We’re kind of thinking of it as Shameless in famine Ireland.”
While the Famine looms large in the psyche of Irish people of all ages there is less understanding in Britain of the issues that caused what should have been an economic catastrophe become the worst famine in Irish history, seeing over one million people die of starvation while agricultural exports continued throughout the 1840s and 1850s. The collapse of Irish society at this time forced a further two million people to emigrate leaving the Irish population at around five million from its peak of around eight million before the Famine. This event was to start the migration of Irish people across the globe that continues to this day.
This highly sensitive issue may be turned into a sitcom and while there are many for whom this is in very bad taste; there is an argument of the ability of dark comedy to create a space to reflect on a truly horrific chapter of Irish history. Another Channel 4 sitcom comes to mind that helped Irish people in Britain and Ireland come to terms with a more recent but equally dark chapter of history. Many people were upset at the thoughts of Fr. Ted at one time but now it is a classic that has a special place in the hearts of many Irish and British alike.
30,000 signatures in 5 days says something though and that should not be brushed aside. Censorship should not be taken likely either though so whatever your thoughts on this subject please share them on our Facebook page and if you are against the idea of this sitcom and find it offensive you can find the petition here.