Travellers

I stumbled in from work last night and found myself watching a programme about Travellers. My first reaction was ‘oh hell, another Gypsy wedding type malarky’. However BBC 1’s Travellers was an intriguing and poignant look at two different communities of Scottish Travellers. The programme is one of three being shown in the next few weeks. What was so captivating about this programme was the intimacy of the interviews and footage shown. Channel 4’s Gypsy Weddings seemed to be more about show and shock value, whereas this programme showed a more fragile and desperate community trying to cling on to their traditions. The scene showing two of the families camping on the Island of Isla, living harmoniously alongside locals, demonstarted the possibility of a future for Travelling families. However this was juxtaposed with the following scene showing them being handed eviction notices at another camp after a fight broke out with local youths. The ‘traveller community’ is something of a hot topic right now, particularly with the impending closure of Dale Farm, so it’s important to see a more human side of their lives being documented rather than the tabloid baiting public side shown in ‘Gypsy Weddings’.