David Mullen

I am just now watching the Panorama show on academy trusts and their performance and practice. The topic is of huge significance, and distressing to watch. The issues dealt with and seen on screen include illegal financial practice, violent student behaviours, staff under stress and academy operators' malpractice etc. Throughout the show, I have been distracted by the music embedded in the soundtrack. The intention seems to me to be to use music and sound effects to dramatise the content, to emphasise and stress the misbehaviours, and to emotionally involve viewers in their attitudes to what they see. I find this kind of presentation at odds with the seriousness of the content. The effect is to undermine the value of the content and any implications and views the programme might generates. The mental image I have is that of reading the Daily Mail with loud actual fanfares ringing in my ears. I personally find that this production practice decreases the impact of the programme. There is interference in this viewer's mind between the actuality that is being presented and the strength of this actuality as evidence for the messages that are implicit in the content. The topic of the academy trust within the education system is of vital importance, as are the topics one expects in Panorama programmes. The use of the word 'show' to refer to the episodes seems to me to demonstrate that the BBC is very likely mixing up its aims to entertain and to educate. I value both elements but not in this kind of mashup.