Miranda prep

I have chosen to analyse the audience pleasures of watching Miranda (BBC 1). I will give specific examples by close reference to episodes and by quotation.  

Miranda is mainstream family viewing, aimed at a target audience who would relate to middle class life. Miranda is a TV sitcom: socially inept Miranda always gets into awkward situations when working in her joke shop with best friend Stevie, being hounded by her pushy mother, and especially when she is around her crush Gary.

A comprehensive review of all four BBC TV channels by the governing trust (July 2014) found that BBC 1 could feel “middle class in focus and target audience" with Miranda cited as an example. They also found that the BBC is falling out of favour with younger people and BAME (black, Asian and minority ethnic viewers). The average age of BBC1 viewers is 59, compared with 56 in 2010/11. However, the character of Miranda is also quite like a big child as she is unmarried, always making a fool of herself and getting into trouble with her mother, so I think that audiences such as the teenage demographic  could relate to her. Audiences also relate to her relationship with her best friend Stevie because they often have childish banter which most friends can identify with.

Miranda offers the pleasures of the sitcom genre, such as characters that are recognizable that the audience can relate to, who are stereotypes. Miranda's mother, for example, is a stereotype of the upper class, an example is in the episode named 'Dog' in which Mirandas mother gives her a lesson in acting posh. Miranda's mother makes us laugh because she is constantly trying to marry Miranda off to anyone, this results in even more akward situations for Miranada which is very funny. Miranda's group of girl friends are stereotypes. For example, Stevie is a stereotype of the powerful working woman, she constantly has work on the mind and often gets angry at Miranda for no working. Her girl friends often make us laugh at Miranda, such as in the episode when her friends say that she is "probably off somewhere taking her clothes off." 
However, in many ways, Miranda is an anti-stereotype because she is quite tall compared to the stereotypical beautiful woman also she is very awkward in most social situations.   

There are many points of recognition for middle class audiences in the ways in which the sitcom addresses audience’s lifestyles, concerns and hopes, such as Miranda's conflict with her mother as when her mother is attempting to give her lessons in being posh and Miranda can't understand any of it. Another narrative strand that makes audiences relate to her is her trouble love life. To explain: she has a romantic interest in her friend named Gary whom is totally oblivious. However the audience might be able to relate to her exaggerated awkwardness. 

Each episode also features predictable running gags such as, for example, Stevie and Miranda's jokes about each others height.Miranda always manages to lose her clothing, such as in the episode when she is trying to impress a handsome man and gets locked in a dog park this leads to her trying to fit through the gate and reaching the conclusion that if she takes her shirt off she might be able to fit through. Stevie and Miranda always compete for boyfriends, such as the episode when the handsome man I referred to leaves his wallet in their shop which leads to the two of them fighting over him.Miranda always embarrasses her friends socially, such as when she is at a posh event and takes off her jumper making her shirt "slip off" as well.
The sitcom addresses audience’s lifestyles, concerns, hopes about relationships. Miranda always fails to explain her true feelings for Gary, such as when he has been offered a job in China and she can't tell him why she doesn't want him to go. She competes with, quarrels and makes up with Stevie, for example, when Stevie leaves her at the dog park which she has been locked in but when Miranda gets home Stevie and her make up. She gets scolded by her mother, such as in the episode when her mother says she needs to find a "husband"  

In most sitcoms, the audience is passive consumer but this show is filmed before a live studio audience. In addition, Miranda establishes a relationship with her audience by breaking the fourth wall She confides in us, the audience her feelings, saying:  things like "Hot"

For Blumler and Katz, audiences use media to gratify needs (the uses and gratifications model of audience behaviour). Miranda offers the pleasure of entertainment, escapism and diversion by making us laugh. In particular, both slapstick humour and verbal humour entertain us. Examples of these include when Miranda and Stevie are having a spaghetti eating competition and Miranda shoves Stevie off of her bar stool. Next when Miranda's friends say that she is probably off somewhere "taking off her clothes" when in fact she is behind
 Gary with her shirt of 


Audiences also like to relate to the characters in programmes;  I have shown that Miranda offers many points of recognition in its characters. It s also important that Miranda is a likeable character who does not hold grudges. For example, when she forgives Stevie for leaving her in the park at the end of the episode. Audiences pick programmes with actors that they know and like. It is also significant that Miranda Hart is a well-known.

Audiences tend to favour programmes that support their values and their sense of their own identity. Part of our sense of self is informed by making judgements about all sorts of people and things. This is also true of judgements we make about TV and film characters, and celebrities. The shows we watch, the stars we like can be an expression of our identities. One aspect of this type of gratification is known as value reinforcement. This is where we choose television programmes or newspapers that have similar beliefs to those we hold. Therefore, equally important is the upbeat, comic atmosphere of the show. Despite  set-backs such as some childish humour Miranda bounces back, for example, when she made Gary laugh with such humour.


Finally, audiences like to know what is going on in the world (surveillance). This relates to Maslow’s need for security. By keeping up to date with news about local and international events we feel we have the knowledge to avoid or deal with dangers. In a sitcom, the characters face all sorts of situations that we can experience vicariously, some of which are challenging, such as a self defence class.

In conclusion, ....