Q.3 How far does Cuffs adapt police drama conventions to fit its family audience at 8 p.m. on BBC1?
In your answer you must
- state what conventions you could expect from most TV police drama
- analyse the programme's use of genre conventions, making sure that you cover the whole episode (not just the extract played in the exam). This means explaining all the crimes that occur in the episode and everything that the police have to deal with that may be upsetting for viewers.
- explain who the audience is for Cuffs
- explain how far the programme adapted conventions
- draw conclusions about how far the extract adapts the conventions of police drama to fit its scheduling and audience
Cuffs is able to adapt police drama conventions to fit its family audience at 8 p.m on BBC1 as it removes a portion of the realism from the series in order for it to remain 'child-friendly'. Ofcom define the watershed- the period between 5:30 am and 9 pm where things unsuitable for children are unable to be shown. As Cuffs is shown at 8 pm, it means that there is no swearing, no graphic violence or disturbing imagery. For example, you don't see any fatal injuries in the series; however in real life, this would be commonly seen by the police force. In the first episode, the scene where one of the men on the beach has another man in a headlock is as violent as it gets- which is not very violent. However, in real life, violence is common theme for the police when making arrests.
Another way that Cuffs adapts police drama convention to fits its family friendly audience is by adding in light- hearted jokes, to add humour to an otherwise serious genre. For example, in reality, breaking up a fight as a police officer would be quite a violent, serious thing. However, in Cuffs, the police officer breaks up a fight between a naked man and a (possibly quite drunk) man in an inflatable helmet. The people around the fight are laughing and recording as the police officer attempts to remain calm and hold onto his dignity. This overall adds in comedic value and lightens the mood of this scene.
In conclusion, Cuffs is adapted to fits its family friendly genre as it fits the suitable for children 5:30 am - 9:00 p.m hours and it also finds ways to lighten certain serious situations, for example by adding humour.
