As Seen on Screen

The 9th of November will see 25 years since the Disability Discrimination Act was passed into law.  The landmark ruling paved the way for the Equality Act 2010, which protects disabled people against discrimination and ensures businesses adapt to suit their needs.  For example, companies must ensure adequate parking for wheelchair accessible vehicles on their premises.  To mark the historic anniversary, the BBC will be broadcasting a range of programming centred around disability, including CripTales, a six-part series curated by actor, Mat Fraser and shown on BBC Four.

Empowering People

Mat is a familiar face on our screens, with high-profile roles on Silent Witness, American Horror Story and His Dark Materials.  He has phocomelia, an upper limb deformity, resulting from his mother being given the drug, Thalidomide while pregnant.  Growing up in the 70s, Mat didn’t often see anyone like him in the media.  While representation in the industry has since greatly increased, Mat feels that even today disabled actors still struggle to land ‘serious’ roles in television drama so, when the opportunity to be a part of CripTales arose, he jumped at the chance.

Mat said: “At that time, television seemed to reinforce the notion that we pretty much didn’t exist, or, when we did, it was generally pitiful.”

Giving Disability A Voice

CripTales is a series of six short films, all written, directed and performed by people who have a disability.  Each film tells a story in the form of a monologue describing a life-changing moment in a person’s life.  While the stories are mostly fictional, they’re all based on factual research or lived experience, giving an authentic voice to the community.  Mat also wants to make a point by using the term ‘crip’.  He recognises that it was once derogatory, but he now sees it as reclaimed and empowering.

Mat explained: “Crip is a reclaimed word of self-empowerment and disability pride. It’s free of pity, charity or tragedy, and was taken up by the disability rights movement in the 1980s.  It was the title that I and the other participants wanted.”

Challenging Assumptions

Mat wrote and performed his own story for CripTales, called ‘Audition’.  In it, he recounts the many auditions he has attended during the 20 years of his acting career.  Some are challenging, some are funny, some are downright ridiculous, but many have sadly uncovered the industry’s prejudice towards disability.  CripTales gives an intimate glimpse into the lives of people living with a disability while challenging viewers’ perceptions and asking some difficult questions.  It’s certainly not to be missed.

CripTales is available to watch on BBC iPlayer now.