Yorkshire Stereotypes

After London, Yorkshire is the most recognizable place in the United Kingdom due to the countless movies and television shows based around it.

The stereotypical person from Yorkshire is seen as someone who is proud of his or her county and regional identity. They tend to be portrayed, as someone who is tight fisted when it comes to money, tends to be stubborn and rather argumentative. Dialect tends to be abbreviated for example nowt is the equivalent to nothing.In terms of setting the location is either rural with rolling hills as a backdrop, which tends to be more so in TV, or a gritty industrial setting to reflect the industry.The attire the characters wear, stereotypically are flat caps and whippet and general attire, which alludes rural living.Social status of a Yorkshire stereotype in terms of the medias representation is that of a working class background, working in either a rural or urban setting. The jobs tend to be either farm based or factory work.

Yorkshire TV/Film

Jane Eyre – From 1994 is a film adaptation of Charlotte Bronte’s classic 1847 novel.

Kes – Is a British film directed by Ken Loach released in 1969. It’s based around the novel A Kestrel for a Knave written by Barry Hines in 1968. The film is focussed upon Billy Casper, who has little hope in life beyond becoming a coal miner; to make matters worse he is also exposed to bullying at school and at home.

Railway Children – Is a 1970’s British drama film, which is centred around the novel by E Nesbit. The Director Lionel Jeffries used Keighley and Worth Valley Railway as some of the backdrop.

Wuthering Heights - a gothic novel, and the only novel by Emily Brontë. The name of the novel comes from the Yorkshire manor on the moors on which the story centers (as an adjective, wuthering is a Yorkshire word referring to turbulent weather). The narrative tells the tale of the all-encompassing and passionate, yet thwarted, love between Heathcliff and Catherine Earnshaw, and how this unresolved passion eventually destroys them and many around them.

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Heartbeat - Is an ITV drama which is set in Yorkshire in the 1960s, the show follows the local police force as they solve crime. The setting for this drama is the North York Moors and it tends to be the backdrop scenery for most episodes. Towns and cities such as Leeds, York and Sheffield have also been used.

Emmerdale - Which is also referred to as Emerdale Farm, is an acclaimed soap that appears on ITV since 1972. It is set in West Yorkshire and was created by Kevin Laffan

Last Of The Summer Wine - Set and filmed in and around Holmfirth, West Yorkshire, England and centres around a trio of old men whose line-up has changed over the years. Its also praised for its positive portrayal of older people

Yorkshire TV Decline

There are several reasons for why television in Yorkshire may be declining. Firstly with the current economic crisis money is tight this is one of the reasons for why television in Yorkshire may be on the decline. An example of this would be ITV. If there were to be a decline in Television shows in Yorkshire it would most probably be due to effects of the recession. ITV would cause a ‘killer blow’ to Yorkshires production sector.Its been said that ITV are looking at nationalizing the network production in the North of the country. As part of a major cost cutting operation.The major terrestrial broadcaster is to announce a severe job cut, with around 500 staff expected to depart. As well as this they will be reducing their £1 billion a year programming budget to cut costs, as it seeks to tackle a £2.6 billion pension fund and manage debts in the worst recession for over a decade.However there will be several shows, which will be saved during the move. It has been confirmed that both Heartbeat and The Royal will stay.

I Didn’t Know You Cared Comparison

Is a sitcom which depicts the awful Bradon family, an extended Northern Clan who are struggling with the miseries of family life. The program was broadcast between 1975 and 1979 in which four series where screened, equaling a total of 27 episodes. It starred Liz Smith, Robin Bailey and John Corner. It was written by Peter Tinniswood and was both produced and directed by Bernard Thompson. The idea for the sitcom came from the book ‘ A Touch Of The Devil’ who were also written by Tinniswood.

There’s miserable pessimist Uncle Mort, his sharp-tongued sister Annie who is constantly arguing with husband Les, their laid-back son Carter and his not so laid-back fiancé Pat, and finally old Uncle Stavely who carries his friend’s ashes around his neck in a box and only enters the constant bickering with a cry of "I ‘eard that! Pardon?".

Sitcom.co.ukIn certain aspects this sitcom can be compared to Last Of The Summer Wine, The main comparison that I find can be made is that the male characters tend to be more easy going and in it for themselves. On both of the sitcoms the males are portrayed as slight jokers more in Last Of The Summer Wine though. Women tend to taken more seriously. There is also a sense of binary opposition, the males in Last Of the….. tend to be mischievous to impress their female counterparts where as the males in I Didn’t Know You Cared avoid women to have some peace on their own which in turn gets them into trouble.

A very clear comparison can be made between the tow though, as well as them both been set in a rural Yorkshire backdrop they are both centered around an aged cast. Therefore they only tend to appeal to an older generation due to the style of comedy used.

In terms of the characters the dress sense is very similar and follows the stereotype in, with tweed and flat caps. Expanding on the theme of stereotypes further the accents are also fitting to the backdrop.

Finally both of the sitcoms show a positive outlook on an ageing population.