Police chief defends female roles in TV’S Bodyguard
ONE OF Scotland Yard’s most senior female officers has defended the portrayal of women in Bodyguard, insisting it is accurate and does not damage the fight for gender equality.
The hit BBC drama, written by Jed Mercurio, came under fire after critics suggested the large number of women depicted as holding senior positions was unrealistic.
As well as featuring a female Home Secretary, played by Keeley Hawes, Bodyguard also cast women in the roles of counter-terror chief, sharpshooter, bomb disposal expert and police commander.
In the latest broadside, Daisy Goodwin, the creator of ITV’S Victoria, said the promotion of so many female characters on screen did not accurately reflect the real world.
Writing in this week’s Radio Times, she said: “Splendid as the notion is that women are now seamlessly integrated into every aspect of authority, it is at best wishful thinking – and at worst undermines the fight for equality.”
But Dept Asst Commissioner Lucy D’orsi, who is one of Scotland Yard’s most senior officers, defended Bodyguard’s portrayal of women in policing.
She said that while the storylines in drama were far from accurate, seeing women in senior roles on screen would help inspire the next generation of female police leaders.
Ms D’orsi said: “Every day in the Met, women are running armed operations, surveillance operations, carrying firearms, supporting victims of crime and abuse, and leading the biggest police force in the country.
“To say women do not exist, or are not integrated, in these roles is unfair and fails to recognise the achievements of many of my female colleagues. Television dramas may not completely reflect ‘the world as it is’, but it is wrong to suggest that how gender is represented in Bodyguard is inaccurate.
Mercurio has dismissed criticism of Bodyguard, insisting it is “out of date” to focus on the number of women in positions of authority. He said: “It puzzles me that something I’m doing, which comes so naturally to me, seems so odd to other people. I think they’re wrong and I’m right.”