Channel 4’s new pre-watershed show will feature nudity – right or wrong?
This summer, Channel 4 will be airing a new series before the 9pm watershed which will feature nude models who’ll be posing for artists to draw and paint, both in the studio and for viewers at home.
The show, entitled Life Class: Today’s Nude, “hopes to promote a return to elementary skills of drawing and painting, and spark a revival of more traditional, figurative art” according to Channel 4.
The show is initially scheduled to be aired in a 6pm slot and will feature both male and female full-frontal nudity, which is sure to draw complaints from viewers who deem it inappropriate for that time slot, but what do you think? Is it too early to show nude bodies all over the shop or is it ok in the name of ‘art’?
The five-part series is scheduled to be broadcast in July and will encourage viewers to “sketch along at home while an expert in the corner of the screen offers advice.”
Alan Kane, the artist who came up with the idea for the programme said, “Because it is educational and non-sexualised nudity, Channel 4 didn’t have any concerns with it at all…”
However, John Beyer, the director of the broadcasting standards group Mediawatch-UK has rather a different opinion and he reckons that Channel 4 have “an obsession with sex and nudity” while the Conservative chairman of the Culture Select Committee, John Whittingdale, said he “wouldn’t object” to the show being aired before 9pm given that it’s in an “educational context” and avoids “gratuitous titillation”.
But is that exactly what it’s going to be??
Let us know what you think and whether or not you think it’s ok to show this programme so early in the evening.
Chat about this on the Unreality TV Forum »
Loading ...
It is worth remembering that censorious attitudes towards the body result in harm and that most of that harm is to children and young people. It is not coincidence that the countries with the worst hang ups about the body have ten times the teenage pregnancy and teenage abortion rates of the most open. Every time a programme such as this is censored in encourages the attitudes that result in the UK having such absolutely appalling record compared to other European countries. Children don’t have any problem with nudity so are we really going to continue hiding adult hang ups behind a smokescreen of mistaken concern for children?
Hmmmmm, I caught about 20 seconds of this programme whilst on a lunch break today (approx 12.45) complete with full front nudity of a male, I immediately turned it over in disgust and shock that this was able to be transmitted.
Completely unnecessary airing – should of been pixelated.
Shocking stuff for that time of day.
I have been painting and drawing now for 9 years and have enjoyed the first three progammes and benefited from the artists comments especially Maggie Hamlin I have drawn along with them and fell that the amount of time allowed for this is excellent. Will the artists drawings and the nude models themselves be shown. While 12.30 is a good time for me most of us cook at 6pm or commute. I am retired and totally unphased by the body but after a career in the health service was very used to naked form