Eddie Redmayne Describes his Role in ‘The Danish Girl’ as a “Mistake”
In a recent interview with The Times, ahead of his starring role in Cabaret at the Playhouse Theatre, Eddie Redmayne has expressed regret over his Academy Award-nominated performance in The Danish Girl (2015). Redmayne starred as Danish painter Lili Elbe, a trans woman, a role he describes as a “mistake”, despite his “best intentions”.
Transgender representation on-screen has come a long way since 2015. Sam Feder’s 2020 documentary Disclosure: Trans Lives on Screen (available on Netflix) received significant acclaim for its moving exploration of harmful stereotypes and poor casting decisions throughout American cinema history. Television programmes are also increasingly casting trans and non-binary actors to play trans and non-binary characters – including Hunter Schafer in HBO’s coming-of-age drama Euphoria, Michaela Jaé Rodriguez and Indya Moore in Netflix’s Pose, and Season Three Stand-Out Dua Caleh in Sex Education.
Audiences are also becoming increasingly conscious of transgender representation on-screen. An investigation conducted by media regulator Ofcom, released in September 2021, found that attitudes towards transphobia had shifted, with the majority of TV-viewers finding deliberate misgendering (using the incorrect pronouns, or referring to someone as the wrong gender) or “deadnaming” (using someone’s pre-transition name) highly offensive.
“Once-in-a-generation” Upgrade for BARB
Another week, another news story about viewing figures!
For the first time, BARB (or the Broadcasters’ Audience Research Board) can now examine viewing habits across broadcast TV, broadcast video-on-demand (such as All 4 or ITV Player), subscription-on-demand services (such as Netflix), advertising-based video-on-demand (such as IMDb TV) and video-sharing platforms like YouTube.
This “once-in-a-generation upgrade” is made possible by the introduction of new meter technology which measures internet usage within participating homes. This method means that platforms like Netflix and YouTube do not have to actively participate in BARB for their viewing figures to be recorded – a huge change, considering how secretive these platforms have traditionally been.
Reporting only began on November 29th, but BARB have already released a number of statistics – including that Netflix reaches one-third of people aged over four in the UK each week. You can read more here.
Super League Moves to Channel 4
For the first time in the competition’s 25-year history, the 2022 Super League will be broadcast live on Channel 4, marking the end of Sky’s exclusive broadcast rights. A new broadcast arrangement with Sky Sports left the Super League looking to secure a secondary deal with another channel, as their reduced income from Sky resulted in clubs receiving significantly less funding.
Channel 4 have agreed to broadcast ten matches, including two end-of-season play-offs, beginning with Warrington versus Leeds on Saturday 12 February. The Super League achieved record viewing figures in 2021, and these are expected to rise in 2020, thanks to this new partnership. Super League chairman Ken Davy has stated that he hopes that this new partnership will “continue to serve our current fans, as well as attract many new fans to the sport.”
4Studio, Maltesers, and Comic Relief Team Up for Mums’ Mental Health
4Studio have teamed up with Maltesers to release Late Night Feed, a one-off comedy special starring comedians Ellie Taylor, Athena Kugblenu and Jess Fostekew. The warm and authentic short film explores the mental health challenges of being a new mum, and what family and friends can do to support the new mums in their lives. The film was first released on Channel 4’s YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram first, and shorter edits will be used to form a linear TV ad as part of a broader campaign.
Maltesers have chosen mums’ mental health as their focus for their annual fundraising campaign for Comic Relief – a partnership that has now lasted for 10 years.
More than 1 in 10 women develop a mental illness during pregnancy or within the first year after having a baby. In a statement released on the Comic Relief website, Maltesers have declared: “Together, we recognise that work is needed to help overcome the shame and stigma that can be wrongfully attached to maternal mental health issues, and to help women access the support they need.”
Author: Ruby Hann - Broadcast Graduate
Ruby works as on Team Broadcast as their Graduate. She's thrilled that her all of her years of watching telly and going to the cinema have finally paid off.
