The US sitcom Speechless is one of a groundswell of recent television shows with a disabled main character. Special on Netflix and Jerk on BBC3 were created by and star actors with cerebral palsy, while Don’t Forget the Driver on BBC 2, also has a central character with the condition. All are billed are comedies, although the latter is frequently very dark. It… Continue reading British drabness vs American glamour
Tag: Speechless
Visually countering the complexly embodied disabled character
Watching three recent comedies which feature characters with disabilities, I notice a similarity in the techniques which seek to address a mainstream, able-bodied tension around the disabled body. Speechless is an ABC sitcom about a white family with a teenage son – J.J - with cerebral palsy, who needs an aide to communicate. Kenneth, his aide, whom… Continue reading Visually countering the complexly embodied disabled character
Humour in the Arts 