If you had the dubious pleasure of watching Mary Portas last night on her channel four infotainment show, hoping for an objective view of the state of Margate town centre, and offering a remedy , then you would have been disappointed. Mary Portas wanted to help Margate, blimey thank God she and her colleagues at Optomen TV and Channel four didn't want to give us a good kicking!
Instead of an adult analysis we got, I thought, the shocking story of how virtually a whole town had been mean to the tough business consultant and her not insubstantial global media company.
Just what were Optomen Television and Mary Portas intentions with last nights awful programme, I actually thought having watched last weeks Open Episode "Mary Queen of the High Street", that the marketing guru, had some commonsense and positive purpose, still within about five minutes of the programme starting, Otomen Television thought that one Margate pedestrians comment was so insightful that it was necessary to broadcast it twice inside the first five minutes, and what was this pearl of wisdom? "Margate is Shit" just to add a more positive note, before ten minutes is completed Mary informs us that "there's all the drug dealing at the top of the multistory car park" before she embarks on a stroll down the top of the High Street.
At which point, I thought Crikey if the films going to be this negative, perhaps the film makers ought to divert to the car park, qualify the remark, and blimey, if this was the mood of the production crew, maybe they ought to see what was on offer. As far as I'm aware much of Mill Lane car park is occupied by council officers, an although strange things occur in the council, I'm sure officers, aren't snorting cocaine on the roof top, are they?
I was struck with how Mary, appeared unconcerned with much else, than her own importance, maybe it's me but there seemed to be a lot of I this and I that in the commentary, and not a small bit of exaggerated drama and slick cutting reinforcing Mary as wonder women marketing guru and Margate er Shi.........
Finally it seemed strange not to have included those Margate team members, who had worked so hard for Margate, not to have been featured but as I understand it they were not willing to be shoe horned into confidentiality agreements.
PS Click here for a background to Optomen TV's earlier Margate programme, and yes I know that I'm all I this and I that but I'm not a team player and I don't think Mary Portas is.
This is the 6th Thanet blog I've read on the programme, and not one of them mentions that lovely old boy who runs the shop at the harbour and what fun he had... which just about sums up the negative local attitude!
ReplyDeleteSays professional media bod.
DeleteGood luck to Margate and yes the old boy and the lady in the flower shop.
Unfortunately apart from the sloppy sentimentally, it was a pity queen of slops had to promote the brown town image
How about writing something positive about the area Richard? Now there's a challenge!
DeleteAny programme that opens with Arlington House greeting arrivals at Margate Station can never recover. Neither can our wonderful town until this monstrosity is completely made-over, destroyed or, replaced with a super supermarket. Arlington House is our 'elephant in the room' and it is owned by the local authority and leased to a shower of con artists who ignore their leaseholder's responsibilities. Unless, of course, you know better?
ReplyDeleteAnd the person now threatening legal action against the programme is largely responsible for it remaining derelict!
DeleteI did not see any of the Mary Portas programmes so I am unfit to comment on them. I am mindful of the fact that C4 did not come to Margate for any reason of altruism, nor to make a factual documentary. They came to make a TV Reality Show. Reality shows are formed by skilled selective editing, fake jeopardy and by producer laid traps into which the punters stumble. It all makes good TV, if you like that sort of thing. I suggest that Margate needs the guidance of TV savvy PR person who is capable of manipulating the manipulators.
ReplyDeleteThe regeneration of Margate Old Town is an excellent example of what can be done when local people care. I hope the same can be done in Ramsgate, one day.
I feel that Thanet has a general paranoia and that she wanted to help.It makes for comfortable t.v.Certainly last weeks Cornwall makeover was fairly jolly.I think there is a handout culture in margate,so when someone comes along wanting to get people into shape the attitude of Margates townfolk was telling.This also is the same with the Turner contemporary,the "what am I getting out of this?" attitude instead of seeing it as a positive help in kickstarting regeneration.
ReplyDelete