- Written by David Lynch
- Pennsylvania State House Reporter
Ministers want depictions of Cornwall to be realistic rather than idealistic
Ministers want TV programs to show the “real Cornwall” rather than “advertisements for second home owners”.
St Austell and Newquay MP Steve Double made the remarks on Monday during a debate on the Media Bill, which aims to update broadcasting laws.
Cornish MP George Eustice suggested that Cornwall, as a national minority, should be featured more on the BBC.
The BBC said it was committed to accurately conveying Cornwall’s “unique” heritage.
Mr Double pointed to the growing interest in Cornish culture and history, following the success of TV shows such as BBC’s Poldark.
But he said the program should “show the real Cornwall and tell the story of our history, heritage and culture”.
“What we don’t want is a show that just presents an idealistic picture postcard of Cornwall, an advertisement for more second-home owners.”
He insisted more could be done to reflect Cornwall in TV and radio programmes.
BBC period drama Poldark was filmed in Cornwall and finished in 2019
Mr Eustace agreed, saying the BBC’s recognition of Cornwall’s special status could mean a change in the public broadcaster’s “approach to local radio”.
“At the moment we’re just treating it like any other older part of Britain,” he said.
Cornish people were recognized as a national minority by the government in 2014, with the aim of giving special protection to their regional identity.
A BBC spokesperson said: “Cornwall has an important and unique cultural heritage and the BBC is committed to ensuring this is accurately portrayed in our content.”
They pointed out that the BBC had commissioned the first Cornish language (Kernewek) program for BBC iPlayer, written and produced by Cornish filmmakers.
They also announced that Radio Cornwall’s Ad Naudd (Cornwall News) will be moved to the Friday prime breakfast slot and that the organization will work with Screen Cornwall and Cornwall Council to develop the next generation of local talent. He said he supports it.
Speaking about one of the challenges facing county residents, a spokesperson said: “We cover Cornwall’s housing issues from many different angles and are committed to fair and impartial coverage of the issue.” .
During Monday’s debate, Culture Minister Julia López confirmed that culture and heritage are “directly addressed” in the latest public service mandate for television.
This means Ofcom needs to ensure that public broadcasting reflects different regions across the UK, she said.