{"id":12973,"date":"2013-04-04T10:29:07","date_gmt":"2013-04-04T09:29:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.badreputation.org.uk\/?p=12973"},"modified":"2013-04-04T13:49:59","modified_gmt":"2013-04-04T12:49:59","slug":"strychnine-and-stereotypes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/badreputation.org.uk\/2013\/04\/04\/strychnine-and-stereotypes\/","title":{"rendered":"Strychnine and Stereotypes: Older Women in TV Murder Mysteries"},"content":{"rendered":"

Won’t you have another cucumber sandwich? Why, I don’t know what you mean, they taste just fine to me…<\/p>\n

I love the clich\u00e9s of twee British TV murder mysteries – the village fete, the teacup switch, the gunshot in the dark room \u2013 but what I like best is the presence of lots of fantastic old ladies, a group which are underrepresented in nearly every other type of television genre.<\/p>\n

In 1999, people over 60 made up 21 percent of the UK population, but just 7 percent of the television population (source<\/a>) and in 2012 a BBC report (PDF)<\/a> flagged the absence of older women on TV as a major problem.<\/p>\n

I’ve said in another post<\/a> that for the most part in popular culture, old women are given one of just two identities: dear old biddy or evil crone. In Twee British Murder there is a greater range of stereotypes to be found, although the biddy\/crone dichotomy is still there. Through by no means a comprehensive list, I’ve identified five overlapping Twee British Murder character options for older women.<\/p>\n

1) The Help<\/h2>\n
\"Rosalie<\/a>

Rosalie Williams as Mrs Hudson. Image: Granada<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

An army of elderly female housekeepers, cooks, nurses, cleaners and secretaries form a vital part of the machinery of Twee British Murder.<\/p>\n

Although they are rarely the killer, and tend to be only incidental victims (when they Know Too Much, for example) they have a vital dramatic function, especially as witnesses.<\/p>\n

The cook remembers that someone different from usual offered to take the breakfast tray up to her mistress, the former nanny recalls a crucial detail from a suspect’s past…<\/p>\n

It’s these long-suffering souls that make up the bulk of body-finders too, although they’re almost always questioned and dismissed with no further contribution except looking anxious.<\/p>\n

But why are the servants and employees so swiftly ruled out? This 1928 article, 20 Rules for Writing Detective Fiction<\/strong><\/a>, states that:<\/p>\n

A servant must not be chosen by the author as the culprit. This is begging a noble question. It is a too easy solution. The culprit must be a decidedly worth-while person \u2014 one that wouldn’t ordinarily come under suspicion.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Of course! Servants are a bunch of crims already: making one of them the murderer would be TOO OBVIOUS.<\/p>\n

Moving on. An atypical member of this category is Sherlock Holmes’ tolerant landlady, Mrs Hudson. This is from The Adventure of the Dying Detective<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

The landlady stood in the deepest awe of him and never dared to interfere with him, however outrageous his proceedings might seem. She was fond of him, too, for he had a remarkable gentleness and courtesy in his dealings with women.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I am a little obsessed with the 1980s Granada series<\/a> starring Jeremy Brett<\/a> as Holmes. In this series, Mrs Hudson (played by Rosalie Williams) is an important part of the small ‘family’ which surrounds the detective. Here’s one of my favourite Mrs Hudson moments, from The Cardboard Box<\/strong>, at 4:40mins in:<\/p>\n