I have just come across something very interesting indeed. I didn’t watch much TV last night, but this morning I found a reference to a program which aired last night on BBC Three which had my old friend/associate Kate Caryer in it. Of course I decided to check it out, and what I found was actually rather stunning. Kirkmoore is a short, twenty minute comedy set in a college for disabled young people. It’s about four or five kids with disabilities, going around their town getting into various situations. While I wouldn’t call it unfunny, the humour can get a bit stretched at times, and too reliant on bodily fluids. On the other hand, it’s great to see a program like this on television: it was unafraid to present disabled young people as young people, with their ambitions, desires and rivalries. Indeed, I think I recognised a few traits in people I actually know reflected in the characters. I thought it was very encouraging to see disability and the lives of disabled people being addressed so openly with such humour, after being hidden for so long.

My only gripe is that it was just a short, stand alone program: by the end, I felt the need for more and wondering whether there were any more episodes. I could see this developing into a full, serialised sitcom, and certainly hope it does. Although her review in the Guardian was slightly negative and critical – it’s the Guardian, after all – Lucy Webster writes “It’s a pity that the half-hour episode is a one-off. The characters are well-drawn and likable, and with a little more space to breathe their stories could really have brought young disabled people’s experiences to life.” As for Katie, her part was more or less a cameo, but it was nonetheless great to see her, as a communication aid user, onscreen.