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Channel 5 is being widely criticised today for its decision to show a documentary about benefit claimants who are refusing to watch the Queen’s funeral during the Queen’s funeral.
After almost every single television channel opted to show back-to-back funeral coverage, and other shows related to the life of the Queen, Channel 5 has bucked the trend by choosing to air a new documentary about the sorts of people who aren’t watching the Queen’s funeral.
Channel 5 spokesperson Simon Williams told us, “Channel 5 is an essential voice in the national conversation, and so we felt we had to recognise that not everyone will be watching the funeral. And what better way to highlight that fact than by demonising a group of those people who also happen to be poverty-stricken?
“On today of all days, it’s important to remember our important role in stigmatising marginalised groups across society, and what better way to do that than by focussing on poor people who are also ignoring the Queen’s funeral.
“Yes, we are well aware of the irony that anyone watching our show won’t be watching the funeral either, but we believe this TV show will be a viral hit and millions of you will watch it on catch-up in the coming week.
“If we’ve learned anything in the last few years of programming, it’s that you absolutely love it when we make a show about a group of people to which you can feel superior in every single way.
“You’re very welcome.”
