Thread by @cv_cev

Hi @bbccomedy.

We need to talk about the new @Dawn_French “comedy” series that implies that infection control is a joke.

This is a serious issue, particularly for Clinically Vulnerable people who remain at increased risk, and we are not laughing.
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In the first episode, a GP appears in a dramatic “protective outfit” and face shield, and we’re told it’s because “since Covid” they’ve developed “very, very, very bad health anxiety.”

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Then the doctor refuses to get close to the patient, barely touches a wrist, and incorrectly declares them dead.

It invites audiences to mock precautions (during the current flu wave) and suggests that doctors who take measures are less competent.

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Firstly:
If Covid was her concern, then a face shield, coveralls, and gloves are not appropriate protective measures.

She really needs an FFP3 mask (as modeled here at the UK Covid-19 Inquiry).

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Secondly:

During the height of the pandemic, even vulnerable doctors still did their jobs, under extreme pressure and risk, using appropriate PPE (where available, despite systemic challenges), and with professionalism.

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pulsetoday.co.uk/news/coronavir…

Plenty of people still need precautions now. Not because they are “hysterical,” but because one infection can result in serious consequences. Safety isn’t a punchline.

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And yes:

Real health anxiety exists and deserves compassion. But the scene weaponises “health anxiety” to ridicule precautions - harming people struggling with anxiety and people with genuine clinical vulnerability.

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The BBC took a long time to identify the blatant discrimination in 'Little Britain' and 'Come Fly with Me'.

Please ask:
Are you institutionally failing to recognise discrimination when the target is Clinically Vulnerable people?

- Fuelling stigma and denying safe care.
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Public service broadcasting should not be normalising contempt for basic protections - especially when respiratory infections are a real risk for many.

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We’re asking the BBC to:

• acknowledge the harm of this portrayal
• review editorial decisions around clinical vulnerability and IPC
• involve Clinically Vulnerable consultants
• stop using PPE in the context of "health anxiety"

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PLEASE complain to the BBC:

Can You Keep a Secret?
Series 1: Episode 1
7/1/26

This scene stigmatises Clinically Vulnerable people, misrepresents infection control as irrational, and undermines trust in healthcare.

Then reply here with “complained”.

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bbc.co.uk/contact/compla…