If satire is what closes on Wednesday night then Channel Four is taking a bit of a punt by presenting "Babylon" as satire on an already self - parodic institution that has been satirised so many times before that there can scarcely be an aspect of it that has escaped the corrosive pens of the smug circle of media types who write for a relatively small onanistic clique of other smug media types,Students' Union members and Guardian readers . We are used to seeing the Met as an organisation of racist,misogynistic bullying,violent lying homophobes - that's non - negotiable for the metropolitan elite and those with axes to grind. Now for the first time we see the bosses portrayed as craven media whores led by a psychopath with anger management issues. Ho Ho - very satirical. And coppers swear a lot - good Lord,I would never have guessed. One of the basic precepts of satire,one would have thought,is that it should be funny.Here,"Babylon" fails miserably.There are a few pathetically unfunny lines that would have been rejected in a Christmas Cracker factory and some of Mr J.Nesbit's dialogue might just have been written by Mr B.Elton and Mr R.Curtis on a day they were staring idly out of the window looking for inspiration,but mostly it's pretty plodding - and that represents the standard of wit on display I'm afraid. Mr Nesbit is such a pantomime villain that one almost expects him to disappear in a puff of smoke to the "Ooohs" and "Aaahs" of the audience. The ladies and gentlemen of our highly - esteemed Press,guardians that they are of Free Speech are also predictably beasted. So there's nothing new there,either. The relationship between coppers and journalists has always been contentious,even when "Press Bureau" was the only department of the Met permitted to deal with the media,and there will always be those on both sides who are happy - nay,anxious - to subvert due process for a few quid.With the "News International" debacle still limping on there can be few who are unaware that those particular arms of the Establishment remain happily intertwined. So it's yesterday's news that "Babylon" is re - hashing. Hardly the cutting - edge satire it purports to be. Still,it will probably win some award voted for by the same smug elite that produced it in the first place so that they can all stagger home feeling good about themselves. Let's hope they don't get stopped by Old Bill on the way.
Review of Babylon
