TELEVISION BRIEFING / The sins of wage
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.LAST September Sima Ray quit the security of her job as a BBC radio journalist, pocketed four weeks' dole money and went in search of low-paid work in the North-west. 'Undercover', tonight's CUTTING EDGE (9pm C4), is the result of her secret mission with a hidden camera: the diary of a badly-paid shop assistant, laundrywoman and office cleaner. This kind of Candid Camera film-making, pioneered by World in Action, throws up questions of ethics (what about her co- workers' consent?), but it elicits far more revealing responses than a 'conventional' documentary would do. Managers are shown to be either contemptuous or ignorant of minimum-wage legislation - which is hardly surprising when only one in a thousand of the North-west's firms found guilty of paying below the legal minimum in 1991 was punished. A nice touch has Ray listening to John Major telling how he is going to 'close down the something- for-nothing society'. Welcome to the all-for-very-little society.
In BONJOUR LA CLASSE (8.30pm BBC1), a sitcom by Colin's Sandwich creators Paul Smith and Terry Kyan, Nigel Planer manages to play the berk without attracting any sympathy. His Laurence Didcott is the new French teacher at a minor public school, an idea that should have stayed on the drawing board.
(Photograph omitted)
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments