A comprehensive review of all four BBC TV channels by the governing trust (July 2014) found that BBC 1 could feel “middle class in focus and target audience" with Miranda cited as an example. They also found that the BBC is falling out of favour with younger people and BAME (black, Asian and minority ethnic viewers). The average age of BBC1 viewers is 59, compared with 56 in 2010/11. However, the character of Miranda is also quite like a big child as she is unmarried, always making a fool of herself and getting into trouble with her mother, so I think that audiences such as middle aged women from 25-35 years old could relate to her. Audiences also relate to her relationship with her best friend Stevie because this is a 'friendship' which involves constant witty banta being exchanged between the two. they constantly compete with each other to try to show who is the most attractive or desirable.
Miranda offers the pleasures of the sitcom genre, such as characters that are recognizable that the audience can relate to, who are stereotypes. Miranda's mother, for example, is a stiff, posh and very formal woman. she displays this by always wearing a blazer along with a nice dress and some pleasant jewellery. you can also tell by her accent.
Miranda's mother makes us laugh because of how different she is from her daughter. we see two completely different people who are forced to come into regular contact with each other due to them, being mother and daughter. these two extremes in personality clash and create some very funny situations and dialogue.
Miranda's group of girl friends are stereotypes. For example, you have the two good looking, nice friendly and socially respectable people who are friends with a less attractive and more awkward person (Miranda) who they take the mickey out of in a jokey way.
Her girl friends often make us laugh at Miranda, such as in the episode when her friends say "Hello Queen Kong"
However, in many ways, Miranda is an anti-stereotype because she does not fit the mould of so many of her friends and people telling her who she should be when she simply wants to stay who she is.
There are many points of recognition for middle class audiences in the ways in which the sitcom addresses audience’s lifestyles, concerns, hopes, such as Miranda's conflict with her mother as when Miranda wanted to attend a social event and her mother (at first reaction) said not to go and to pretend that they weren't related. this is because she knew Miranda would make a fool of herself and embarrass her mother.
Another narrative strand that makes audiences relate to her is her troubled love life. To explain: Miranda wants to find a husband. throughout all the series its about her finding a suitable husband by any means necessary. however we also see a hint at a relationship forming between Gary (the bar tender) and Miranda.
Each episode also features predictable running gags such as everyone knowing Miranda for losing her clothing in public and humiliating herself.
Miranda always manages to lose her clothing, such as in the episode when she attempts to slip through the gates of a park and decides that is she has no top on she would be able to fit through. of course she is wrong and ends up getting stuck with only her bra on.
Stevie and Miranda always compete for boyfriends, such as the episode when a man leaves their wallet in the shop and they buy dogs and go to self defence classes in order to get him to like them more.
Miranda always embarrasses her friends socially, such as when she socially laughs when everyone in a group does (not listening tot he conversation) and accidentally laughs when they say "its such a shame that he had to pass away".
The sitcom addresses audience’s lifestyles, concerns, hopes about relationships. Miranda always fails to explain her true feelings for Gary, such as when she tries to tell gary not to go to Hong Kong but gets too shy and pretends to tell him a funny joke; "the horse just galloped away"
She competes with, quarrels and makes up with Stevie, for example, they give up on a man and Miranda compliments her that she still has the "allure"
She gets scolded by her mother, such as in the episode when her mother tells her how to act at social events. this advice is used by Miranda back onto her mother when she tries to talk about her dads sexual relationship.
In most sitcoms, the audience is passive consumer but this show is filmed before a live studio audience. In addition, Miranda establishes a relationship with her audience by breaking the fourth wall. She confides in us, the audience her feelings, saying: "Keep it to yourself but...."
For Blumler and Katz, audiences use media to gratify needs (the uses and gratifications model of audience behaviour). Miranda offers the pleasure of entertainment, escapism and diversion by making us laugh. In particular, both slapstick humour and verbal humour entertain us. Examples of these include when Miranda constantly pushed stevie to the floor as she is so small, Miranda offers us a in site into her own misfortune which distracts us from our own along with showing us what her life is like and how we can relate to all the troubles she is going through.
Audiences also like to relate to the characters in programmes; I have shown that Miranda offers many points of recognition in its characters. It s also important that Miranda is a likeable character who does not hold grudges. For example, when she complimented stevie in a nice way and then set herself up for the same kind of compliment but does not receive one, she simply shrugs it off and makes a joke out of it.
Audiences pick programmes with actors that they know and like. It is also significant that Miranda Hart is a well-known and has access to lots of publicity. for example she went on the Graham Norton show to promote her new season or Miranda
Audiences tend to favour programmes that support their values and their sense of their own identity. Part of our sense of self is informed by making judgements about all sorts of people and things. This is also true of judgements we make about TV and film characters, and celebrities. The shows we watch, the stars we like can be an expression of our identities. One aspect of this type of gratification is known as value reinforcement. This is where we choose television programmes or newspapers that have similar beliefs to those we hold. Therefore, equally important is the upbeat, comic atmosphere of the show. Despite set-backs such as not everyone being as big boned and comically able as her Miranda bounces back, for example, she accommodates this and sometimes projects other relateable situations onto other characters so it is easier to relate.
Finally, audiences like to know what is going on in the world (surveillance). This relates to Maslow’s need for security. By keeping up to date with news about local and international events we feel we have the knowledge to avoid or deal with dangers. In a sitcom, the characters face all sorts of situations that we can experience vicariously, some of which are challenging, such as confronting a secret crush, dealing with very stubborn and mean people or simply knowing how to not get hurt by people who take the piss out of your figure and personality.
In conclusion Miranda teaches us many morels along with lessons which we can put into practice in our every day lives. these morels and lessons we can experience first hand with her as she tells us hows she's feeling about it and how she concurs it. we can observe, relate and use everything that Miranda does and that is why it was such a popular TV program, well that and being laugh out load funny of course.
Grade A You have tackled this thoroughly and are particularly strong on illustrating with examples.
ReplyDelete"witty banta"= banter
"Miranda offers us a in site "= offers us insight