Oscar Branning, portrayed by Pierre Counihan-Boullier, in ‘Eastenders’, has to be one of TV’s most problematic characters in decades. Oversexed and manipulative, he represents the bisexual representation problem. In fact, he embodies it. Flitting between two lovers, Jasmine and Josh, who both happen to be twins, he goes to one- or both- of them whenContinue reading “The Oscar Problem”
Category Archives: Society
From The List Archive
Live Review: A Girl And a Gun Taking pot shots at potboilers Share: Author: Lorna Irvine Taking pot shots at potboilers Louise Orwin’s funny yet trenchant show, A Girl and a Gun, exists in a hinterland where the good girl (in white) is every bit as damaging and pernicious as the femme fatale (in red) andContinue reading “From The List Archive”
Lucifer Over Perthshire: Sabrina Carpenter
Can you smell it? The sweet scent of capitalism. Sabrina Carpenter can. She would do anything for money. Yet another Disney gal gone bad, Ms Carpenter continues the trajectory of what the lascivious, prurient tabloids call the “she’s all grown up now” column, whereby it’s legitimate to openly ogle at young women, because, after all,Continue reading “Lucifer Over Perthshire: Sabrina Carpenter”
The Generation X Problem
There has been a lot of discourse lately on us, the forgotten generation. We’re Generation X, late forties- mid fifties. We grew up with landlines, power cuts, Yuppies, Kylie in ‘Neighbours’, and the “me first” hedonism of Thatcherism and Reaganomics. We were only just becoming computer- literate and mobile phones were but a distant dreamContinue reading “The Generation X Problem”
Arab Strap Are Fighting…The Seven Signs of Ageing
Rejoice! For arch Falkirk indie satirists Arab Strap are back, and on fighting form. The new single, ‘Glamour Magick’, is excellent, taking a pop at quick -fix solutions for the truly vain and vacuous. It’s a nice antidote to the uptake in cosmetic surgery, weight loss jags and skin remedies across the world. Trust AidanContinue reading “Arab Strap Are Fighting…The Seven Signs of Ageing”
It’s All A Bit Rainbow Rhythms
‘Peep Show’ created by Jesse Armstrong and Sam Bain, was always brilliant for capturing the zeitgeist. Now, looking back, it’s an accurate time capsule, and we can remember exactly where we were when Mark and Jez were making total dicks of themselves with their latest unsuitable crush, or ridiculous scheme. One episode, though, remains goldContinue reading “It’s All A Bit Rainbow Rhythms”
Social Media Is The Latest Scapegoat
Sir Keir Starmer has followed Australia and today implemented a blanket ban on social media for anyone under the age of sixteen. A group of parents who had lost their children spearheaded the campaign. Whilst I obviously feel for the families who lost their children, social media is not the issue- there are many problemsContinue reading “Social Media Is The Latest Scapegoat”
TV Review: Tip Toe
“Leo, you’re queer in 2026. You’re a political act”. So says Melba, portrayed by Paul Rhys with fire and pathos in Russell T Davies’ new drama, set around the LGBTQ+ bars in Manchester’s famous Canal Street. He’s addressing friend Leo (Alan Cumming) a proprietor of Spit and Polish club, who can’t understand why he’s justContinue reading “TV Review: Tip Toe”
Theatre Review: Educating Rita, Dundee Rep Theatre
Dundee Rep Theatre, May 28th, 2026. In a week that saw a bitter row erupt within the BBC regarding men taking on women’s stories (four hundred female writers signed an open letter against Jeff Pope doing a dramatisation of Sarah Everard’s murder) questions still remain about the authorship of female experience. But there’s no suchContinue reading “Theatre Review: Educating Rita, Dundee Rep Theatre”
Big Bogan Energy!
There’s something really heartening about the term bogan being used as a positive, finally. For too long, Australian and Kiwi working-class people, as with “chavs” in England and “neds” in Scotland, have been characterised as uncouth, stupid and a menace to society at large. Stereotypes persisted, of drinking, vandalism, prison tattoos and mullets, and notContinue reading “Big Bogan Energy!”
