Two Feet in the Grave
Eagerly awaited by many in the death industry and its attendant commentators—the croaking classes?—was Richard Wilson’s Two Feet in the Grave on BBC last night.
It marks an encouraging evolution in the media’s handling of death and dying away from fixations with wackiness—way out coffins, seriously outrageous funeral songs—to a considered survey of the development, in an increasingly secular and individualistic society, of new death rituals.
There are strengths—sequences behind the scenes at the crem and the hospital mortuary. There are weaknesses. We visit Jane Austen’s cottage where people are dumping ashes furtively on flowerbeds, but this is not placed in the broader context of ashes scattering. We spend ages at Sheila Dicks’ embalming school without learning just how invasive embalming is, and we spend another age with Glennys Howarth looking at post mortem photos from long ago. This is a custom still awaiting revival (I’m all for it).
But we spend only fleeting moments in a natural burial ground with Ken West. Natural burial is of far greater interest to people than post mortem photography. Environmental arguments against cremation are urgent. This was a serious imbalance.
For all that, it was good to see some of the great and the good. Carl Marlow had his say, and the blessed Paul Sinclair. And there’s no arguing with the programme’s conclusion: talking about death takes away its sting and enhances a love of life.
Yes, it’s worth an hour of your time. Natural burialists will have their hour another day.
Find it here.
posted by Charles Cowling at
16:37
3 Comments:
I thought this was a fantastic programme. It gives a much needed view of the processes, admittedly not in as much detail as I would have wished but still a good introduction to the death to disposal process. I was lucky enough to spend about a year working with the embalmer Jason King, (www.necromorphous.com)gives you more information. He really is an incredible professional and his level of knowledge in the subject is incredible. He is incredibly caring in his work. Was good to see what he is now up to. Well done!
I agree. It was a useful programme and natural burial will have its hour another day. Would love to hear your comments on last night's programme 'The British Way of Death. Natural Burial was mentioned on it too. It was on BBC4 at 7.30pm
I welcome all documentaries that encourage the viewer to contemplate their own mortality and to widen their knowledge of funeral options.
That said, this was an unbalanced programme. Post-mortem photography fascinates some academics but it is an area of no great interest to the 21st century public at large. One of its potential uses in debate nowadays is to be part of a framework for the exploration as to how there came to be a dramatic shift from openness about death in the Victorian era to the “taboo” status which prevailed throughout most of the 20th century. Sadly, this was not explored in Two Feet in the Grave and in consequence the act of such photography received undue attention.
And, why was so much unquestioning time devoted to embalming? With the exception of certain very specific instances embalming is a fraud perpetrated against whomsoever pays the undertaker’s bill.
It is a shame that the production team seemed unable to decide whether Richard Wilson should be on a personal discovery or simply a celebrity presenter selected by virtue of his comedic connection with the subject. It’s also a great pity that they had not taken note of the excellent Michael Beattie film Sorry for Your Trouble which was screened by the BBC, but only in Northern Ireland.
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