The Doll Queue

Karina Patfield

The Doll Queue

Karina Patfield

School of Humanities and Social Science

Research output: Other contribution

Abstract

A blackout poem using text taken from the Panorama episode From Cradle to Grave: Broken Promises, aired in January 1996. It featured me, as a single pregnant 17-year-old, framing me (amongst other vulnerable people) as a benefits scrounger; an “undeserving” “parasite” of “the new underclass.” In response to a complaint I made to the BBC about the editorial framing, they responded that it “is not a question of disowning historical output, but rather of recognising the limits of what can fairly and practicably be established concerning the events around how a programme was made in 1996,” and “the relevant test in this instance would be the standards at the time of broadcast, reflecting the language, attitudes, and debate of the era, rather than those of today, making it difficult to comment in more detail on what you describe as the ethical considerations.”

Panorama, B. B. C. (1996, Summer 1). From Cradle to Grave: Broken Promises. IMDB. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2174198/

Original language	English
Type	Hybrid poem published in Coastlines Review
Media of output	online
Publisher	Coastlines Review
Number of pages	10
Publication status	Published - 29 Jul 2026

Keywords

poetry
Archival and photographic research
class
poverty
welfare benefits
autoethnography
representation

Access to Document

https://coastlinesreview.org/issues/one/the-doll-queue

Cite this

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title = "The Doll Queue",

abstract = "A blackout poem using text taken from the Panorama episode From Cradle to Grave: Broken Promises, aired in January 1996. It featured me, as a single pregnant 17-year-old, framing me (amongst other vulnerable people) as a benefits scrounger; an {\textquotedblleft}undeserving{\textquotedblright} {\textquotedblleft}parasite{\textquotedblright} of {\textquotedblleft}the new underclass.{\textquotedblright} In response to a complaint I made to the BBC about the editorial framing, they responded that it {\textquotedblleft}is not a question of disowning historical output, but rather of recognising the limits of what can fairly and practicably be established concerning the events around how a programme was made in 1996,{\textquotedblright} and {\textquotedblleft}the relevant test in this instance would be the standards at the time of broadcast, reflecting the language, attitudes, and debate of the era, rather than those of today, making it difficult to comment in more detail on what you describe as the ethical considerations.{\textquotedblright} Panorama, B. B. C. (1996, Summer 1). From Cradle to Grave: Broken Promises. IMDB. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2174198/ ",

keywords = "poetry, Archival and photographic research, class, poverty, welfare benefits, autoethnography, representation",

author = "Karina Patfield",

year = "2026",

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day = "29",

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publisher = "Coastlines Review",

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N2 - A blackout poem using text taken from the Panorama episode From Cradle to Grave: Broken Promises, aired in January 1996. It featured me, as a single pregnant 17-year-old, framing me (amongst other vulnerable people) as a benefits scrounger; an “undeserving” “parasite” of “the new underclass.” In response to a complaint I made to the BBC about the editorial framing, they responded that it “is not a question of disowning historical output, but rather of recognising the limits of what can fairly and practicably be established concerning the events around how a programme was made in 1996,” and “the relevant test in this instance would be the standards at the time of broadcast, reflecting the language, attitudes, and debate of the era, rather than those of today, making it difficult to comment in more detail on what you describe as the ethical considerations.” Panorama, B. B. C. (1996, Summer 1). From Cradle to Grave: Broken Promises. IMDB. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2174198/

AB - A blackout poem using text taken from the Panorama episode From Cradle to Grave: Broken Promises, aired in January 1996. It featured me, as a single pregnant 17-year-old, framing me (amongst other vulnerable people) as a benefits scrounger; an “undeserving” “parasite” of “the new underclass.” In response to a complaint I made to the BBC about the editorial framing, they responded that it “is not a question of disowning historical output, but rather of recognising the limits of what can fairly and practicably be established concerning the events around how a programme was made in 1996,” and “the relevant test in this instance would be the standards at the time of broadcast, reflecting the language, attitudes, and debate of the era, rather than those of today, making it difficult to comment in more detail on what you describe as the ethical considerations.” Panorama, B. B. C. (1996, Summer 1). From Cradle to Grave: Broken Promises. IMDB. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2174198/

KW - poetry

KW - Archival and photographic research

KW - class

KW - poverty

KW - welfare benefits

KW - autoethnography

KW - representation

M3 - Other contribution

PB - Coastlines Review

ER -

The Doll Queue

Abstract

Keywords

Access to Document

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