maybe of interest

Kidhaf · maybe of interest

_http://forum.disabledbiker.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=3962

Copy of an NABD related blog that may interest you....

Some years ago the NABD were approached by some people from the BBC who were involved in making the short film sections relating to different causes on Comic Relief day. They wanted a short piece about the NABD to include in the ‘Disabled People’ section of the programme.
We agreed to this and a dozen of us spent a long freezing-cold day filming in the Peak District for what was planned to be a thirty second piece of the five minute section to do with disabilities.

Some weeks later I had a call from the director saying that they were so pleased with the film and the positive image it portrayed of disabled people pro-actively helping each other that they were going to make it the lead two-minute feature of the disabilities section.
Obviously we were rather proud of this and happy to see the BBC moving away from the ‘pat the poor drooling cripple on the head’ type of image they had previously favoured when dealing with disability related charities. We wrote to all of our members and supporters and to the bike press encouraging people to support Comic Relief and to look out for our bit on the day.

The BBC sent me a video of the piece and our bit was set to the song “I Wasn’t Born to Follow” off the Easy Rider soundtrack. It was really impressive and showed disabled people reclaiming their independence and living life to the full (and looking cool doing it).

Then three days before Red Nose day I had another call from the BBC director saying “I’m really sorry about this Rick but we’ve had to edit the NABD piece out completely!” There had been a meeting to finalise the running order for Comic Relief and one of the presenters, a tenth rate media nobody called Emma Freud (daughter of the MP Clement Freud who’s only notable contribution to British society was a set of dog food adverts where he was up-staged by a baggy faced dog) had objected to our inclusion on the basis that “Comic Relief should not be associating itself with bikers” and the rest of them agreed so the piece was dropped.

It has pained me every year to see hundreds, if not thousands, of bikers getting involved in fund-raising for a charity that is controlled by people who so obviously despise bikers. I for one will never support such a cause in any shape or form and I urge all other bikers to take the same stand!

So please don’t send me any Red Nose related requests. As far as I’m concerned Comic Relief and the bigoted shite that control it can kiss my hairy arse!

Pooka

Wouldn't say they "obviously despise" bikers. If that were the case then they would never have filmed in the first place.

I would say that they have been swayed by the opinion of one and made a decision based on how the section of show might be taken by the general public as a whole. It's all about ratings at the end of the day when it comes down to the tv lords. I have joined a group on facebook about this and I beleive some people have complained to the BBC and also to the newspapers to try and highlight the discrimination against one section of the UK community. I would hazard a guess though that it might not give much sway. If the discrimiantion isnt highlighted properly this year then theres a full year to organise pickets outside studios where comic relief is being held and where cameras turn up to film for the TV shownight in question. Would make it much more harder for the TV folks who would have to edit loads of footage in order to hide the discrimination they have caused, not including the cost to do so.

Pooka

http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN...mic-relief-snubs-disabled-bikers/

This happened years ago. If anything was going to be done about it then it should have been done when it happened.

joecrx

i know , but if it happened today it would be a diferent story

SuziSteve

According to the MCN article, Comic Relief said Emma Freud had nothing to do with editing out the NABD item and it was probably not included because of air time.
I wouldn't have thought that Comic Relief or the BBC would have admitted to Rick Hulse that Emma Freud's views were the reason for the cut. It would be suicidal and surely, Rick would have used it at the time.

Perhaps Rick Hulse is still using the story to raise awareness of NABD and getting a little free publicity????