Emily Howlett: How charities are offering something new to Deaf TV

Recently, I was involved in the production of a ground-breaking live phone-in. It was called ‘revolutionary’ and ‘a glimpse of the future’.

Featuring three well-known deaf actors and hosted by Daryl Jackson, with contributions from a live audience, the show was created by Andrew Palmer, of Cambridgeshire Deaf Association (CDA) click here for their Facebook page).

You can see the discussion below:

If you think you’ve been seeing the name ‘CDA’ a lot, I suggest you get used to it; throughout several lockdowns, their commitment to online, filmed BSL content has been amazing, and shows no sign (pun intended) of slowing down.There are ‘phone-ins’, a weekly football show, a weekly cooking show, a quiz, and more.

And CDA isn’t the only charity doing this. deafPLUS TV (click here for their Facebook page) has been running for over a year now, producing weekly episodes spanning cookery, current affairs, comedy, film reviews, football interviews, including specials on Christmas Eve and Boxing Day including an interview with Deaf footballer Jamie Clarke, so the BSL community felt there was something special for them during the festive break.

My involvement in the CDA phone-in was very, very small (I didn’t even put my massive face on the screen once). Lots of people were involved, and it was fantastic to see a group vision come to life.

Although there is always room for improvement, especially when you are perfecting something entirely new, like this, the quality and the content left a lot people… well, it left them shocked. (Or maybe ‘shook’, if you’re under the age of 25.)

Even as the show aired, comments started pouring in relating to the high quality of the filming, the great set design, the interesting and insightful comments from the host and his guests, everything.

The fact we had a live audience calling in through video link and taking part was particularly effective, and compared to a ‘radio show for the deaf’.

Mainstream companies and individuals were watching the show, both live and on catch-up, and feeling overwhelmed that such professional, watchable and educational content could be created by and for… deaf people?

Watch ‘Saturday Kitchen Live’ below:

You know what? I love that. Although it always makes me cross that people in the entertainment industries seem to expect and accept lower standards from and for deaf people, I want them to be stunned.

I want deaf audiences to watch and think “OH MY, finally, this is FOR ME!”

And I want hearing people to see what can be achieved. What can be expected, instead of astonishing.

I want mainstream directors and producers to realise we don’t need programmes that are dumbed down, or only focus on deaf issues – one of the most popular regular CDA programmes is the Football Phone-In which has naff all to do with being deaf, really.

We don’t need to scrape for funding that gives us 30 minutes of their precious mainstream television time, at some ungodly hour, to make content that is vaguely interesting, maybe.

We can talk about the things we want to talk about, and make the shows we want to watch. We don’t need to always fit a hearing funding stream ideal, we can just create our own stuff. And we can do it just as well as anybody in the mainstream. In fact, we do it better. Deaf people just look great on telly, we can’t help it. Side effects of deafness include being impossibly cute on camera.

So, yeah. I love what is happening over at CDA and deafPLUS. I hope that it will become part of an overall overhaul of the way mainstream media is created; part of developing a new structure where deaf professionals are included and appreciated at every stage. Writers, directors, producers, camera people, even the runners.

Usually I write these things and I tell you what I want, but I don’t have the answers to how we can make it happen. I just pose the problems and then… shut up.

This is different though. I know what we can do. It’s already started.

CDA and deafPLUS have the benefit of being charities devoted to improving the lives of deaf people. But, surely, we all have that too? As deaf people, who is better placed to improve our lives than us?

If I’m honest, I hope that the content being created by these charities acts as a massive challenge to everyone else, both deaf and hearing. A challenge to raise your game, as a creator or as a viewer.

Do better. Expect better. Be better.

This is a glimpse of the future, yes. But it will only become the future if we support each other, keep growing, keep going. If we shout about it when we see things we like, and keep creating opportunities for each other and our community, that’s it.

That’s how we get from a glimpse to a panoramic view.

Watch CDA programmes on Facebook by clicking here: https://www.facebook.com/watch/CambsDeaf/

Watch deafPLUS programmes on Facebook by clicking here:https://www.facebook.com/deafPLUSUK