Disabilty in TV Drama

Inbertweeners clip:

• The fact that the scene is situated in a park could be seen as a typical place to take someone disabled for an outing, although this does contrast with the fact that there are able bodies in the park to.
• Almost not acting normal themselves (social awkward)
• disabled throw
• comedy sound effect when the frizzby hits the disabled person. (camera angles also used to create humour)
• crying is made to make you feel sorry for her.
• typical stereotype of trying to help disabled people. immediately think they are stealing her frizzby.
• Her helper has to stand up for the disabled person, showing she isn't able to do it herself
• Language barrier between will and the carer
• Could be showing that someone from England doesn't want to look after the disabled person so they have to get a foreigner to do it.
• Realistic location, can relate to it. Natural lighting, very English.
• Lots of movement in the able bodies where as the disabled person is very still and doesn't move.

In his life 1991 study, Paul hunt identified 10 stereotypes that the media used to portray disabled people:

1. The disabled person as pitiable or pathetic
2. An object of curiosity or violence
3. Sinister or evil
4. The supper cripple
5. As atmosphere
6. Laughable
7. His/her own worst enemy
8. As a burden
9. As Non-sexual
10. Being unable to participate in daily life

Cast Offs

• Use of flashbacks helps you to identify with him and get to know his character and disability.
• He has no been disabled from birth, happened to him during his life.
• Father takes the piss out of him. not a good relationship.
• Trying to find himself again, trying to do the things he loves with his disability (basketball)
• The isolation or the island could show his isolation in his own life, island very different to an able boded show such as shipwrecked.
• island is very symbolic
• goes against how people normal treat disabled people as he is just left to get on with it himself
• Use of time laps to show the passing of time to show the audience its taking him along time to get there.
• The name of the show has meaning behind it to.

The sequence of the TV series 'Cast Offs' use flashbacks as a way of helping you to identify with the character and get to know about him and his disabilty. In the first flashback you see his dad messing about with his wheelchair showing that him and his dad may not have the best relationship as he is turning is disability into a joke. This is something that is seen as wrong in today society and because of this you begin to feel sorry for him straight away. Another thing you gather from the flashbacks is that he has not been disabled from birth as he is still trying to find himself, shown in his dialogue, for example "the old me, the new me, fuck me". You can aslo see from the flashbacks that he is trying to enjoy things from his 'old' life such as basketball  but the disability is clearly getting in the way of that.


When we first see the island its very dull and wet, not like your typical desert island that you would see in shows such as 'Shipwrecked' for more able bodies. The island is very isolated which could be symbolic with a disabled persons life as there life could aslo be as isolated as an island. Once landed, having to be helped out of the boats continues to show is inability to do almost anything. Dan is then left on a beach alone, Which goes against the way disabled people are treated in society as normally people will do anything they can to help them. Him being alone adds to the emotion behind it making you feel sorry and upset for him. As he makes his way away from the sea there is a use of 'time laps' showing the passing of time to let the audience know how long it take him to get anywhere.