Representations of South London through South Side Story On BBC3

South Side Story is a scripted reality series broadcast on BBC3. The series follows a group of young people living in South London Trying to make a career in the music and entertainment industries.

The Series is mainly based in the South London borough of Brixton; which became synonymous around the world as one of the main locations for the London riots. Through out the programs in the series there seems to be an Instagram–like filter added to cutaway shots of a bustling time-lapsed London this gives the shots used a almost Photoshoped like effect making London and in particular Brixton seem like a less threatening and intimidating place than that has been shown in the media previously.

The series seems to be mainly targeted toward a younger audience of similar ages as the featured characters. South Side Story, unlike other scripted reality television series, has a strong musical element to it. Within the series the characters burst into song at crucial moments in the story expressing their feelings over the situation they are experiencing.  It is very hard not to compare this element of the series to the American television series Glee, where the characters are of similar ages, with similar aspirations and deal with their emotional situations through song in the same way as the characters in South Side Story. These strong similarities between the two series give the characters in South Side Story a more clean cut and less threatening image than what is normally shown else where in the media of young people in urban London.  The fact that all the characters in the series seem to have high aspirations and dreams for them selves and are working hard to reach those goals gives them a almost role model like representation to the audience with a hope of showing them that no matter where they come from they can achieve their dream too.

Over all the representations of the chancers and the area of Brixton in the series seem to be a counter argument to the general moral panics and prejudices in society towards South London youth.  Where as a general representations of South London youth from more working class areas such as Brixton have more negatives connotations towards them with the majority of mainstream news and media coverage being for negative incidents, South Side Story provides the audience with a representation of South London youth that challenges the dominant ideologies among society.

Alice Davies

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408 Words