the times | Saturday August 1 2020 2GM 17
News
Few recent shows have attracted great-
er acclaim than Mrs America, the star-
studded mini-series that reaches its
finale on BBC Two on Wednesday.
The drama winds back the clock to
the 1970s and the rise of Phyllis Schlafly,
a shrewd and ambitious conservative
activist who rallied a coalition of reac-
tionary housewives to thwart a land-
mark goal of the feminist movement:
the passing of the Equal Rights Amend-
ment (ERA).
Cate Blanchett plays Schlafly so
memorably that in April, when the
series was shown in the United States, a
reviewer for The New York Times sug-
gested that “her final scene, wordless
and devastating, might as well end with
Blanchett being handed an Emmy on-
screen”.
There is only one problem: Schlafly
wasn’t actually anywhere near as
important as Mrs America makes out,
comes to the struggle for women’s
rights.
Schlafly was a polarising figure for
decades. An ardent anti-communist
who wrote books on defence issues
before plunging into battle against the
“women’s libbers”, she was also an early
exponent of direct mail to finance polit-
ical campaigns and was widely seen asDon’t blame
us, says BBC,
as over-75s
pay up again
Andrew EllsonThe chairman of the BBC hits back at
the government today as millions of
older people are forced to start paying
for their TV licences for the first time in
more than 20 years.
Sir David Clementi points the finger
of blame at ministers for the decision to
charge over-75s £157.50 a year. Writing
for the Times website, he says: “It’s im-
portant to recognise that this change
has come about because the govern-
ment made a decision, in 2015, to stop
funding free TV licences for over-75s.”
In what appears to be a coded attack
on Oliver Dowden, the culture secre-
tary, he adds that “much of what has
been said [about the change] has been
misleading at best”. Last month, Mr
Dowden said the BBC had been given a
“generous” settlement and he regretted
that the corporation “couldn’t find the
efficiency savings” to avoid imposing
the charge on older viewers.
Sir David says that if the BBC had
taken on the full £745 million annual
cost of the previous scheme, “that is
equivalent to the combined annual
budget of BBC Two, BBC Four, the BBC
News Channel, the BBC Scotland
channel, Radio 5 Live plus some of our
local radio stations and more”.
The comments are likely to deepen
the rift between the government and
the BBC. About four million pensioners
will be liable to start paying the fee and
will face jail if they refuse.
The BBC says it is softening the blow
by allowing pensioners in receipt of
pension credit to continue to receive
the licence at no cost. They are being in-
vited to ask the BBC to waive the
charge. So far 450,000 have applied.
Some commentators believe the BBC
is planning revenge by encouraging
more pensioners to take up the benefit.
About a third of eligible pensioners do
not claim, saving the government bil-
lions a year. If the BBC encourages
take-up, the Treasury may find the de-
cision to stop subsidising licences for
the over-75s ends up costing it more.
Sir David Clementi, thetimes.co.ukMrs America’s ‘catfight theory’ is
denounced for trivialising women
according to the best known of the prin-
cipal characters depicted in the show.
Gloria Steinem, one of the most promi-
nent figures in modern feminism,
claimed this week that Schlafly, who
died in 2016, was really “only window
dressing” in the fight over the ERA.
The legislation’s true nemesis was the
insurance industry, which lobbied hard
for the power to keep charging women
more than men for worse coverage, and
the other “corporate forces that are still
making an extra $400 billion a year
from paying women of all races less
than white men for doing comparable
work”.
Writing in The Los Angeles Times Ms
Steinem, 86, argued that by misleading-
ly putting Schlafly at the centre of the
plot the writers and producers of Mrs
America had presented viewers with a
damaging “catfight theory of history”
that “not only lies about the past” but
would also have a “negative impact on
the present and the future” when ita key figure in the right-wing revival
after the Watergate investigation.
But according to Ms Steinem she did
not change one vote on the ERA. The
co-founder of Ms magazine said that
two years ago she was sent sample
scripts for Mrs America and asked if she
was interested in becoming involved
with the show, which had been com-
missioned by the American television
channel FX. She declined, saying: “Yes,
it’s good about Schlafly and her interest
in military policy, but it comes off as a
catfight rather than a battle between
the ERA and economic interests.”
Ms Steinem co-authored the article
with Eleanor Smeal, 80, who served as
president of the National Organisation
for Women during the 1970s and 1980s
but is not depicted in Mrs America.
The show was nominated for ten
Emmy awards this week. Ms Steinem
and Ms Smeal called on the makers to
donate 10 per cent of its profits to the
campaign to have the ERA ratified now.Ben Hoyle Los Angeles
Cate Blanchett has been nominated for
an Emmy for her role as Phyllis SchlaflyDOMINIC LIPINSKI/PAAlan Parker,
genre-hopping
director, dies
Greg WilfordSir Alan Parker, the director of Mid-
night Express, Mississippi Burning, Fame
and Bugsy Malone, has died aged 76.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts
and Sciences said that he was an
“extraordinary talent”, adding: “His
work entertained us, connected us, and
gave us such a strong sense of time and
place... he will be greatly missed.”
Lord Puttnam, who produced some
of Sir Alan’s films, said: “Alan was my
oldest and closest friend, I was always in
awe of his talent. My life and those of
many others who loved and respected
him will never be the same again.”
Sir Alan started his career in adver-
tising as a copywriter and then wrote
and directed Cinzano adverts that fea-
tured Leonard Rossiter and Joan Col-
lins. In 2013 he received the Bafta Aca-
demy Fellowship Award, the body’s
highest honour. His works won 19 Baft-
as, ten Golden Globes and ten Oscars.
Obituary, pages 78-T
he red carpet was
not rolled out and
awards were
accepted from
home, but that did
not stop the stars dressing
up for a socially distanced
television Baftas last night
(Charlie Parker writes).
Actors and actresses wore
gowns and suits in their
gardens and living rooms as
the ceremony went virtual
for the first time. Jodie
Comer, 27, who plays
Villanelle the assassin in
the BBC thriller Killing Eve,
said that she swapped the
Royal Festival Hall for a
garden barbecue. The
leading actress nominee
was pictured with a glass of
champagne in a summer
dress as the event began.
Stephen Graham, a
leading actor nominee for
his part in Channel 4’s The
Virtues, posed in a paddling
pool wearing a suit jacket
and shorts, while Phoebe
Waller-Bridge dined on
vegan burgers with Sian
Clifford, her Fleabag co-
star, in a neighbour’s house.
The awards were
broadcast on BBC One
from behind closed doors
because of the pandemic,
with winners recordingtheir victory speeches and
sharing their reactions on
social media.
Richard Ayoade, the
writer and comedian, was
the master of ceremonies
and poked fun at the
“fizzing” atmosphere inside
the silent, empty BBC
studio in London, where
awards were announced.
Guest presenters included
Daisy Edgar-Jones and Paul
Mescal, the Normal People
stars, who were among the
few at the event in person.
Chernobyl was perhaps
the biggest winner of the
evening, making Bafta
history by scooping the
award for best mini-
series while its star
Jared Harris was
named best actor. The
wins add to the seven
Baftas that the Sky
Atlantic series
picked up last
month at the
organisation’s craft
awards, which
celebrate technical
achievement. The
nine Baftas make
it the most
awarded show in
a single year.
Glenda Jackson,
84, won the leadingactress award for her role
in Elizabeth is Missing.
The former MP
celebrated by enjoying
a glass of white wine
and “my last cigarette
of the day” before bed.
Naomi Ackie, 27,
was named best
supporting actress
for her role in TheEnd of the F***ing World on
Channel 4. The dark
comedy was also surprise
winner for best drama,
beating The Crown and
Chernobyl. Clifford won
best female performance in
a comedy for her role in
Fleabag, beating its creator
and star Waller-Bridge.
Strictly Come Dancing
won best entertainment
programme. Idris Elba
picked up the special award
in recognition of his
“exceptional career and his
commitment to
championing diversity”.Chernobyl is Bafta big
winner, by a distance
Jodie Comer made the most
of things at home; Paul Mescal
and Daisy Edgar-Jones, stars
of Normal People, stayed apart.
Sian Clifford and Chernobyl,
with Jared Harris, triumphed