Jonathan Creek Clue of the Savants Thumb Transgender Review

[Ice Maiden]

Jonathan The Creek Clue of the Savant's Thumb Transgender Review

Jonathan Creek
'The Clue of the Savant's Thumb'
Easter Special
01/04/2013
BBC ONE


David Renwick'S scruffy sleuth returns in this Easter whodunit genre special with a trans character.

So what was it about?

Well I could go into the issues like how come such a lovely property in the opening sequence is so easily accessible by just 'wandering in' all those years later - the vandals would have got their first and stripped it.

Or the 'Young Ones' Nigel Planer and Rik Mayall reunion seemed a bit too much of a distraction, sadly Rik is type cast as comedy actor and I just didn't buy into his serious face like any moment he was going to jump up and thrust his hips and go, "woof!" "Woof!" In this he played a copy of 'Ironside'

Joanna Lumley plays, well? Joanna Lumley. I think the roles that made her like 'The New Avengers' and of course 'AB FAB' I preferred as she could be 'someone else'.

Sometimes its nice to have fresh blood when the BBC does not have to worry about advertisers and ratings in the same way commercial television does - they should take risks. And this is where there was an opportunity.

Fresh opportunities for transpeople. I mean the actor was not exactly 'challenged' by the script and anyone reading this very review could have stood there and said it. So what was the point? Other than to be 'naughty' and say something rude about transpeople keeping their genitals in a jar and looking like blokes, and generally just coming across a creepy molesters. Well this character was an annoying sh*t. I couldn't think of a worse example short of Jimmy Savile standing there to present our community on national television. But that was likely the whole point.

There was NO pleasing this guy - I use the term advisedly - the character was written to be a pain. One of those people who everyone would just despair at being approached by.

"Oh no not that couple, they are here! Lets go in the kitchen!"

However, the more I research the whole issue of casting and the sheer lack of trans actors stepping forwards, the more it dawns on me that it will take some HUGE gesture and 'cost' by someone like the BBC to go out and find the trans actors we need, and even possibly train them for TV work - from the stage AMDRAM they maybe used to atm.

In this episode...

Jonathan is at a drinks party reminiscing and there is a couple opposite.

Franklin (Nigel 'Young Ones' Planer ) - "It is good for us all to metamorphose and move on..."

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Jack - "I was Born a Man!"

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Polly - (Sarah 'smack the pony' Alexander)"Exactly. Mustn't forget it's Jack and Davina's anniversary today.So many congratulations to you both!

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Jonathan (Raises his glass) - "To the lucky husband and his lovely wife, where's he taking you after this? Anywhere exciting?"

[Pregnant pause]

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Jonathan - [Whispers to his partner Polly] What?!

Jack's wife Davina (Louise Yates) - "I'm sorry it's all this he and husband and wife..."

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Jack (Robert Styles) - "It's OK darling I am sure he understands. A few years ago Jonathan I had some identity issues with my gender, we discussed it we resolved it. I was Jeffery Hyde I am now Jacqueline, it's done, we've moved on, we are very happy,"

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Polly - "So great when people can work these things out!"

Jonathan - "So what are you saying that you?..."

Jack - "That we both made what was the mature decision... And in case you are wondering I got to keep all my male genitalia!"

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Jonathan - "Oh?! Right!???!...

Jack - I keep it (penis and testicles) in a jar in my production office! You know what it is like, pairs of shoes you do not wear any more that you just can't bear to throw away!

Jonathan - "And the name I suppose?! Jack-a-lin appropriate with your identity issues. Jekyll and Hyde?!!!"

[Bet the writer was well smug at this moment on his laptop - ohhhhh thats clever... I am so smug].

Jack - How do you mean exactly?

He is distracted and they walk off. Perhaps to go through the same introductions with every other group at the party! Fortunately we were spared that.

[END]

Jack makes another appearance at the end when reviewing some video footage they have. Trying to be more like a James Bond Villain then anything else.

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They pushed the boat out and bought the character a scarf for this scene

I just didn't see the point of this character. A bolt on (no pun intended) to prop up a dull party script rather than an integral part of it.

The single redeeming factor would be that there are transpeople who are not obviously 'femme' and this was all that rescued an otherwise poorly researched role.


Conclusion

I think the influence of Grayson Perry is here for all to see, from the voice, tone and accent of the character, to even the look-a-like face. After all, what other example do these writers who clearly understand nothing of trans issues draw on for their inspiration? Grayson is a BBC staple these days so I suspect the writer felt he couldn't fail in this instance. However, this is Grayson in male mode not female mode.

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Spot the difference?!

It was a very odd moment. I think the way Jack blurted out "I was born a man!" Seemed just absurd - Born Male surely? It also is a rather passive-aggressive way to manage other people, a bit like the shaking waiter pouring you hot tea. You are more nervous than he is and just want him to go away. He is ruining your day!

I mean, we all know transpeople would love to go to a dinner party tomorrow and open with that, "HEY EVERYONE I WAS A MAN!!!!" (I AM JOKING!).

Usually this can be used in a defence when a transperson is under threat, or why mention it at all - keep em' guessing. So for Jonathan to then get the pronouns wrong is quite acceptable - I think it would have been perfectly acceptable to have told Jack to f*ck off tbh LOL . So from a purely annoying git POV the actor played it well - if that was the intention?!

Jack self-identified as 'Jack' and the cast list back this up. The character or 'He' the actor was wearing rather ambiguous male attire (whatever that is these days) Spandau Ballet were more trans than this guy.

Wardrobe and hair really have tried to play this as a confusion, they have dressed the character in a way where the dress code leans either way. This to me is an orchestrated deception on the part of wardrobe and the director to play into the, Ohhhhhhh! Taa Dahhh!!!, 'Reveal' Moment the Telly so loves with our community...

I could have written that better, but hey what do I know?

OK SO TWO RATINGS HERE THIS IS FOR THE ACTUAL PROGRAMME AS A WHOLE
3/5 TZ Stars - Average.
THIS IS FOR THEIR TRANS CHARACTER 'EFFORT'.
1/5 TZ Stars - Poor!

If this is the BBC trying then lets pack up and go home now

About the Reviewer
viewtopic.php?f=44&t=30

[Christine]

It seems to me that the BBC's motivation has always been to be seen to be doing the right thing without actually doing it. None of this surprises me, sadly.

[Cassie]

I thought it was reasonably well done. I've been pushing for incidental trans characters for a while and this was one. A character who was obviously trans but who's transness was not relevant to the plot.

The question is how do you get such a character in? You have to show them to be trans otherwise there's little point. I thought the introduction scene was a little clumsy but the laugh was firmly on Jonathan. He had been seen by the audience to make an awful faux-pas and nobody else was laughing. I thought the genital "joke" was unnecessary and detracted from what would otherwise have been a good scene.

[Ice Maiden]

Well Cass this is the problem with dropping transpeople into programmes when they are not truly integral. It remeinds me of - oh we better have a racial minority - they did that too.

It took to the last year I think to get an Asian family in Midsummer - they then bolted one on as a pharmacist.

Unless his co-star is trans we will see more of this. The writer clearly has NO idea what they are talking about. And the joke Jekyllnhyde JacquelineHyde was a write backwards from that gag script.

I understand that way of writing, you create a good gag then build a scene around it to deliver it. Thats all this was. A joke...

There was something more sinister in the way Jack was shown than accepting there are people who do not 'pass' within the trans community. This was formulated and managed to make the person someone you simply didn't care about - and maybe one of the suspects, it is a murder mystery show after all.

The secret to good writing is that you care about the characters - Jack was written to be annoying and in the way to me.

I reckon right across the land people were pointing and saying - I'll bet 'HE' did it...

It might be on 'Gogglebox' this week I wonder if this will be mentioned or will Channel 4 edit any negativity said by the 'watchers' viewers in line with their MOU promises?
http://www.channel4.com/programmes/gogglebox
http://www.channel4.com/programmes/gogglebox/4od