The series Mind Your Language is a British sitcom broadcasted on London Weekend Television from 1977 to 1986. It was written by Vince Powell. The comedy shows an English-for-foreigners class, taught by Mr. Brown – a man with a passion for teaching although not very successful at getting his point across. The class consists of students of many nations, which makes communication between them and the teacher problematic, yet, at the same time, hilarious. But what makes watching the comedy so much fun?
The element of the sitcom that makes it funny is, of course, the language barrier. The person who struggles the most with it is Juan, a Spanish student. Juan doesn’t know any English at the beginning of the course – he only responds to everyone in Spanish and often doesn’t understand the teacher’s questions. Juan`s main help is Giovanni, a student from Italy, who translates Mr. Browns` questions to Italian, a language which Juan understands. Ali and Ranjeets constant fight picking with each other over their nationalities and traditions adds silliness to the scenes. The little misunderstandings, constant jokes and wording mistakes fill the shows with humour.
Conversely, all of the pupils in Mind Your Language are shown really stereotypically, which might be problematic for some viewers. To name a few, the portrayal of the French girl, Danielle, is overly sexualised and every student tries to flirt with her. The way she behaves doesn’t reflect the way women normally behave in class or anywhere else. Another student, whose personality is entirely based on popular beliefs, is Chung Su-Lee from China. She is depicted as a typical Chinese communist and her only truth is what “chairman Mao says”. When asked any question, Chung Su-Lee takes out her classic communist book and reads a paragraph of what “the Leader” said. It’s controversial and exaggerated – but doesn’t everyone laugh at controversy from time to time?
To sum up, Vince Powell did a wonderful job with the scenario and screenplay. The humour in Mind Your Language is simple and easy to understand; however, it is pretty clear why the show received negative reviews when first broadcasted. Regardless of all the racist and sexist comments, ultimately, Mind Your Language is a great show to relax to after a stressful day at school or during a boring weekend. The portrayal of Mr. Brown, the principal Ms. Courtney, Anna, Giovanni – it all adds to the show’s silliness and makes it a timeless sitcom with plenty of funny, yet sometimes tactless allegories to various nations of the world.
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