the responder

• About - S


  "The Responder" is a crime drama TV series written by ex-police & officer Tony Schumacher, starring Martin Freeman. It was released on the 24th of January 2022.

  
  

  
  

  The Responder follows Chris Carson, a crisis-stricken and morally compromised urgent response officer, as he navigates the challenges and pressures of his job.
• Contemporary issues - S

  -crime media often discusses societal issues such as systemic injustice, political corruption, racism and socioeconomic disparities.

  
  

  - crime stories sometimes humanise victims and criminals, shedding light on their experiences, motivations, and struggles
• Popularity of crime dramas - S

  the crime genre remains highly popular due to the intriguing narrative, character driven storylines, exploration of morality, suspense and tension, and real-world relevance.

  
  

  
  

  Black Lives Matter movement has brought attention to police corruption and encouraged a change to how the police are represented in media.
• Marco - R


  -The troubled teen stereotype

  -Seems to be familiar with the police as well as drugs and drug addicts in the area

  -He's only 18 and has a child
• Rookie cop - R

  -Morally good and desperate to be right

  -Subverts to police stereotypes as she is a black woman

  -Very naive about the police - believes they're all good (ignorant to the fact that police have flaws as well)
• Chris - R


  -He represents police

  -Stereotypically police are meant to be good, calm and fair

  -Chris subverts to stereotypes by saying 'I'm going to kill you' when he gets overwhelmed

  -The distorted, blurry editing when he gets overwhelmed shows that he has flaws
• Carl - R


  -Typical criminal/drug dealer

  -Quite hostile towards others and persistent in getting what he wants

  -Subverts to this by showing his family (he hugs his daughter) which makes him seem more human
• City - R


  -A very urban/rundown city

  -Violence and drugs shown in opening credits

  -View of city with lots of lights and buildings

  -Rubbish and graffiti in a dimly lit area
• Chris' mum - R

  -She fills the traditional role of a female - being the mother figure who i holds the family together

  -Encourages Chris to go to more therapy sessions

  -Very patient with Chris - telling him 'it's fine
• stereotypes of women - R

  -She is not stereotypically feminine

  -She's involved in drug dealing and is a drug addict which is typically associated with men

  -She is very independent
• Toxic masculinity - R


  -He doesn't want to go to therapy as it's 'not for him' and it's not viewed as manly to talk about your feelings

  -Chris hides his emotions ('I'm fine' etc)

  -Chris denies that he cried and is laughed at by his female colleague

  HOWEVER he tells the boy who lost his grandma to let it out, showing that it's okay for boys to cry
• Theme of family - R


  •Chris goes to therapy so he can improve his family life

  -Old woman found dead and her grandson is devastated

  -Even Carl has a family he looks after
• Opening shot - L

  -Close up shot of Chris' face

  -Therapist's office

  -Dark, foreboding, non-diegetic sounds

  -Chris describes himself as wanting to be good
• Denotations and connotations of opening sequence - L

  -Dark, rainy urban landscape

  -Overlapping sounds and messy montages of crimes and gangs (reflecting Chris' state of mind and a sense of chaos)

  -Slow motion effects at the end - connoting a sense of dread
• The lighting - L


  Dark lighting = intensity/difficulty

  Warm lighting = family/comfort/security
• Social and political issues - L

  -Respect for the police whilst also acknowledging that police have flaws and are human

  -Messages of drug abuse, understanding that addicts are victims

  
  

  -bardic function6 of family being important
• Neale - L


  -Conforms to the crime genre (e.g. action, tough police etc)

  -Has differences by showing Chris as being vulnerable

  
  

  genre = crime drama

  sub-genre = police corruption
• Levi Strauss - L

  -Typical cop shows have a clear binary opposition between who's good and who's bad

  -Chris is both good and bad

  -Clear villain characters are established but 'good' characters aren't made clear
• Postmodernism - L


  -Simulation of real-life drug crime and corrupt authority

  -Hyperreality = Audience can't tell the difference between the

  represented reality in the Responder and the actual reality
• Myths - L


  Myth that police officers are always good but the responer debunks this myth by showing that police are complex people (both good and bad)
• Target audiences reached - A


  It was distributed globally across Europe, Canada, North America, 42 and parts of Africa through online streaming services such as Britbox.

  - People shared their ideas on the show across Twitter - global engagement.
• Constructed the audience - A

  Ad campaign resulted in the show becoming the most talked about the show on television and receiving major critical acclaim with five-star reviews across the board.

  
  

  - the series was carefully positioned to ensure audiences were aware of it's authenticity and originality.
• What does it reinforce - A

  Mean world syndrome
• How may oppose - A

  -Lower-working class people

  -Afro-carribean cultures

  -They typically experience more bad police interactions, therefore won't have sympathy for Chris

  -Police brutality is prevalent at the moment
• Produced by


  Dancing Ledge Productions
• BBC and a PSB - I


  the BBC must provide programming that shows a range of different representations of different ethnic groups, social groups, political, etc.

  
  

  Must be impartial and accurate
• Hesmondhalgh - I


  Work across a variety of different media platforms - The Responder") was distributed globally on online streaming services and trended on social media.

  
  

  - Focus on popular genres - the crime drama genre is hugely popular. The BBC has previously had successes with shows of a similar genre.

  
  

  - Controlled release schedule - the series premiered on BBC One on

  24 January 2022 and aired in Australia on 16 March 2022.