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Abstract
British television comedy has often ridiculed the complexities and characteristics of social class structures and identities. In recent years, poor white socially marginalised groups, now popularly referred to as “chavs”, have become a prevalent comedy target. One of the most popular and controversial television “comedy chavs” is Little Britain's fictional teenage single mother, Vicky Pollard. This article examines the representation of Vicky Pollard in light of contemporary widespread abuse of the white working class. Highlighting the polysemic and ambivalent nature of Vicky Pollard's representation, the article argues that whilst Little Britain's characterisation of Vicky Pollard largely contributes to contemporary widespread demonisation of the working class, there are moments within Little Britain when a more sympathetic tone towards the poor working class may be read, and where chav identities are used to ridicule the pretensions, superficiality, and falsity of middle-class identities. The article concludes that television comedy has been, and continues to be, a significant vehicle through which serious concerns, anxieties, and questions about social class and class identities are discursively constructed and contested.
Acknowledgements
Grateful thanks to Mike Pickering and Milly Williamson for useful comments on an earlier draft of the article, and to the two anonymous reviewers for their thoughtful suggestions.
Notes
1. Club Night was set in a working men's club in the North of England, and The Royle Family focuses on the life of the Royles, a working-class family living in Manchester.
2. Keeping Up Appearances follows the class struggles experienced by Hyacinth Bucket (which she insists is pronounced “Bouquet”) as she attempts to appear as a member of a higher social class than she actually is. Hancock's Half Hour starred Tony Hancock who played an exaggerated version of himself, Anthony Aloysius St John Hancock, an impoverished comedian waiting for success whilst struggling to survive. My Family is based around the life and relationships of a middle-class family, the Harpers, who live in Chiswick, London, headed by dentist Ben Harper and artist-gallery worker Susan Harper. Ever Decreasing Circles takes a satirical look at modern suburban life where Martin Bryces' organised and happy life is threatened when a new neighbour, Paul Ryman (who runs a successful hairdressing salon), moves into the cul-de-sac. The sketch show Harry Enfield and Chums included a diverse array of characters, including the Slobs Wayne and Waynetta – an unhygienic couple living on social security benefits. Absolutely Fabulous focuses on the female middle-class lifestyles and excess of Edina Monsoon, a 40-ish-year-old public relations executive, and her best friend Patsy.
3. The sitcom Only Fools and Horses was set in Peckham in London and followed the trials and tribulations of the Trotter family in their attempt to rise up the social ladder from their market-trader roots. The family included Derek “Del Boy” Trotter, his bother Rodney, their grandfather, and, in later episodes, their uncle. To the Manor Born was a sitcom centred on the love–hate relationship between upper-class Audrey Fforbes-Hamilton and Richard DeVere, a nouveau rich millionaire. When Audrey's husband dies she moves out of her manor house, which is bought by Richard. Drop the Dead Donkey, a sitcom, was set in the offices of “Globelink News”, a television news company, and tracked the battles between “Globelink” staff on one hand and its proprietors' deputy on the other over editorial standards and content.
4. After winning the 1959 election, Conservative prime minister Harold Macmillan announced that “the class war is over”. Almost 30 years later John Major's aim was to turn Britain into a classless society. Further, both Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair sought to break down class barriers (see Mount Citation2004).
5. “Chav” was 2004's word of the year (Burchill Citation2005). The etymology of the term is largely contested (Skeggs Citation2005). Some believe that the word is based on an old Romany/Gypsy word for child (Devereux Citation2007), a community that has experienced marginalisation and social exclusion (Hayward and Yar Citation2006), whereas other believe the word derives from a combination of characteristically lower-class names, Sharon and Trevor (Shar/vor) (see Nayak Citation2006).
9. Daniella Westbrook was voted Britain's Favourite Celebrity Chav in a Channel 4 poll (Channel 4 n.d.)
10. The first television series of Little Britain was broadcast on BBC's digital channel BBC Three in 2003. The second series was broadcast on BBC Three in October 2004, and repeated on BBC1 later in the same year. Series three was broadcast on BBC1 in November 2005.
11. Awards include the British Comedy Awards 2004 (for Best TV Comedy, People's Choice Award, and Best TV Comedy Actor – David Walliams), the British Comedy Awards 2005 (for Best Comedy Programme and the Ronnie Barker Writers' Award), National TV Awards 2005 (for Most Popular Comedy Programme), BAFTA 2005 (for Best Comedy Programme), and two Rose D'Or Awards.
12. Little Britain appears in the 2008 Guinness World Records as the DVD of the first two series sold 645,457 copies between March 2006 and 2007, making it the best-selling comedy DVD in the world (Dugan Citation2007).
13. The British sitcom Till Death Us Do Part focused on the Garnett family from the East End of London, headed by white working-class Alf Garnett.
14. Roseanne, an American sitcom, starring stand-up comedian Roseanne Barr, focused on the highs and lows of a working-class family living on limited finances.
15. The British sitcom Birds of a Feather follows the lives of sisters Sharon and Tracey who live together in Tracy's house in Chigwell, Essex, UK following the imprisonment of their husbands who were convicted of armed robbery.
