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Came across this article on a story line in The Archers. This is a long running UK Radio series.
The story line is about a builder who holds 3 English guys as effective slaves for his business. Makes him exceptionally competitive so he gets plenty of business and a lot of happy clients.
The story wasn't a hypothetical. The programs researchers had found plenty of evidence of such modern day slavery. Something to think about.
When characters in The Archers discuss feeding their horses, you assume they are talking about taking hay out to their livestock, so it is perplexing to discover that these “horses” thrive on pizza, cigarettes and beer.
The more casual listener might have formed the impression that divorced builder Philip Moss was a mild-mannered, middle-aged birdwatcher who never says anything interesting. It has been startling to learn that he is in fact an evil gangmaster. Over the past year, Philip has acquired three slaves, who have been working unpaid on his construction projects. In muttered conversations with his son, he refers to them as “horses”, talking approvingly about one who is placid and easy to manage, and praising another who is strong as an ox.
'A peculiarly English epic': the weird genius of The Archers
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The speed of Philip’s transformation from a boringly reliable benign figure, mostly known for his love of extravagant Christmas lights, into a hardened, modern-day slaver who speaks in a dehumanising way about his workers has slightly stretched credibility. But the programme’s writers hope that the plot will force its 5 million listeners to examine their own fondness for suspiciously cheap products and cut-price labour.
www.theguardian.com
The story line is about a builder who holds 3 English guys as effective slaves for his business. Makes him exceptionally competitive so he gets plenty of business and a lot of happy clients.
The story wasn't a hypothetical. The programs researchers had found plenty of evidence of such modern day slavery. Something to think about.
When characters in The Archers discuss feeding their horses, you assume they are talking about taking hay out to their livestock, so it is perplexing to discover that these “horses” thrive on pizza, cigarettes and beer.
The more casual listener might have formed the impression that divorced builder Philip Moss was a mild-mannered, middle-aged birdwatcher who never says anything interesting. It has been startling to learn that he is in fact an evil gangmaster. Over the past year, Philip has acquired three slaves, who have been working unpaid on his construction projects. In muttered conversations with his son, he refers to them as “horses”, talking approvingly about one who is placid and easy to manage, and praising another who is strong as an ox.
'A peculiarly English epic': the weird genius of The Archers
Read more
The speed of Philip’s transformation from a boringly reliable benign figure, mostly known for his love of extravagant Christmas lights, into a hardened, modern-day slaver who speaks in a dehumanising way about his workers has slightly stretched credibility. But the programme’s writers hope that the plot will force its 5 million listeners to examine their own fondness for suspiciously cheap products and cut-price labour.
Modern slavery in The Archers: how credible is its latest shocking plotline?
When Ambridge builder Philip Moss turned out to be a gangmaster – employing homeless Britons as unpaid workers – some thought it a plot twist too far. But the radio soap had done its homework
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