B323 Section B Media Topic: Television and/or Radio
comedy
Question
4 b): Discuss in detail how one programme offers audience pleasures. Give
examples from the programme.
I have chosen to analyse the
audience pleasures of watching Miranda (BBC 1). I will give
specific examples by close reference to episodes and by quotation.
Miranda is mainstream
family viewing, aimed at a target audience who would relate to middle class life. Miranda is a TV sitcom: socially inept Miranda always gets
into awkward situations when working in her joke shop with best friend Stevie,
being hounded by her pushy mother, and especially when she is around her crush
Gary.
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 single, middle aged women could relate to her.
Audiences also relate to her relationship with her best
friend Stevie because they call each other horrible names and aren’t very kind
to one another which is what best friends do. As well as that Stevie is a friend that compares herself with and one that she almost looks up to. Stevie seems to be popular opposite: petite, blonde, more conventionally attractive. Stevie thinks of herself as more successful socially and romantically, as she boastfully puts it, she has 'allure' whereas she dismisses Miranda as merely having 'wiles' when it comes to attracting men, as in series 1 episode 6. Miranda has to compete with Stevie for men, in fact, this is a running gag in many shows, such as Dog in which a man leaves his wallet in the shop and the contents suggest that he could be a potentially exciting date. The comedy arises here when both Stevie and Miranda buy dogs as 'wallet man' has a photo of a dog in his lost wallet. Stevie, who is tiny, buys a Great Dane while Miranda, who is 6 foot 1, buys a chihuaua. This results in slapstick comedy.
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 wears what stereotypical mothers wear, beaded
necklace, very formal outfit and very upright.
Miranda's mother makes us laugh
because she makes inappropriate jokes as well as saying unkind things to her
daughter.
Miranda's group of girl friends
are stereotypes. For example at lunch when they talk about how the fattening
foods sound lovely but they order a salad instead to watch their weight which
is what stereotypical girls do.
Her girlfriends often make us
laugh at Miranda, such as in the episode when her friends call Miranda
"Queen Kong"
However, in many ways, Miranda is
an anti-stereotype because she is very tall,
not very lady like and doesn’t dress very feminine.
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, when her mother is giving her
advice on what not to do and what to do when she goes to the social weekend
with the girls.
Another narrative strand that
makes audiences relate to her is her trouble love life. To explain: The whole
series is mainly based on Miranda’s non-existent love life and herself and her
mother trying to find a man who she could marry, the ideal man for Miranda is
Gary, however she cannot confess her feelings.
Each episode also features
predictable running gags such as, for example when
Miranda removes her clothing to fit through the gate and her girlfriends walk
by and say to Gary that Miranda is probably somewhere half naked right now.
Miranda always manages to lose
her clothing, such as in the episode when she gets stuck behind the gate in the
park and takes her clothes off thinking it will help her get through the gap.
Stevie and Miranda always compete
for boyfriends, such as the episode when a good looking man leaves his wallet
in their shop and they compete for his attention.
Miranda always embarrasses her
friends socially, such as at a social gathering when Miranda gets sweaty and
hot and therefore goes to take her jumper off but end up taking her top off as
well.
The sitcom addresses
audience’s lifestyles, concerns, hopes about relationships. Miranda always fails to explain
her true feelings for Gary, such as when Gary s moving to Hong Kong and Miranda
can’t tell him how she truly feels as she gets scared, when he eventually
listens as to what she has to say she gives up.
She competes with, quarrels and
makes up with Stevie, for example they agree that neither of them should have
the wallet guy they both fancied and Miranda comments on Stevie’s allure.
She gets scolded by her mother,
such as in the episode when her mother tells her how to act at social events.
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: "Recently in my life…”
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 kicks a waiters tray of
food into the air, Miranda always pushing Stevie to the ground, Miranda calling
Stevie her small friend.
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 on her allure and was expecting
Stevie to compliment back, however she doesn’t do so.
Audiences pick programmes with
actors that they know and like.
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 everyone being smaller boned and shorter, Miranda bounces back and embraces
her body as it is.
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 our peers judging us on how we look.
In conclusion, Miranda is a very
popular TV series as it is very comical as well as relatable for some people,
it teaches people lessons such as you shouldn’t care about other peoples
opinion for example if you want a lasagne for lunch instead of salad then have
a lasagne, don’t let people bring you down.
