The news that Brian True-May ,the producer of Midsomer Murders is to leave the programme at the end of the present series,-the first with the "new John Nettles" is depressing. He has does an excellent job with a programme which may not line up with obsession for political correctness seen at the top of most of the UK's TV companies but is liked by many. The long running seriew is totally harmless other than to the Midsomer residents who get fewer by the week. It has no political or racial edge and sells well throughout the world to very diverse audiences.
The fact that True-May has had to apologise for his remarks about its lack of racial diversity is dismal as is the fact that he has left, presumably either becaue he has been pushed or he is so fed up with the storm in a teacup which has been blown out of all proportion that he has just decided "To hell with it" and can't be bothered to put up with further nonsense. He is clearly not a racist and was just expressing an honest opinion that the programme, being set in the location and era it is, doesn't require artificial tampering with.
The media made a big play of the statement that the programme was "one of the most disliked by ethnic communities." That seems to be a misrepresentation of the fact that it is "one of the least liked" . This is a very different thing, being passive rather than active. One would have hoped that the media understood the nuances of the English language better. In fact, even more dismally, they probably do but have chosen to portray the statistics in this less than neutral way. So much for fair play and so long for Brian True-May's career.
