Shropshire Star

Peter Rhodes: Free to walk, free to die

Jay-walking, the Beeb's latest hero and a row over whitewash.

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Tom Burke as Cormoran Strike

MY brilliant new invention, the Rhodes Easy Topple Plinth, enabling controversial statues to be erected and flattened as political tastes change, has perished before it was even born. A number of readers point out that the ancient Romans erected statues of gods and politicians with heads which could be removed as you wished. Thus, today's Jupiter becomes tomorrow's Vulcan and presumably today's Farage could become tomorrow's Corbyn. Back to the drawing board.

TWO big questions hang over the Beeb's latest private-eye drama, Strike. Firstly, would it ever have made it into production if the "Robert Galbraith" who wrote the original novels had not been revealed as one J K Rowling? I doubt it.

SECONDLY, why on earth is everyone so keen to chat to the private detective, Cormoran Strike? Why would the investigating police officer even deign to meet Strike? Why would the murdered woman's driver blab? Why would the concierge at her flat take Strike on a guided tour of the exclusive apartments, including the residents' swimming pool - surely a sacking offence? Take it from me, as one who spent a career trying to get people to talk about awkward issues, it is never that easy.

I SUGGESTED a couple of days ago that new laws are needed to make pedestrians behave safely. It turns out to be an ancient argument. Back in 1942, the Autocar Handbook commented on "jay walking" laws in force in parts of Europe. But in Britain "much opposition has come from those who hold the ancient rights of the walker to be inviolable." Nothing has changed. In the name of our ancient liberties we are free to walk - and free to die.

I ADMIT that until this week I had never heard of Ed Skrein. I admit, too, that I had to read reports of his "whitewash" campaign several times before understanding what he was banging on about. In a nutshell, Mr Skrein, an actor, was expected to play Major Ben Daimo in a new film, Hellboy: Rise of the Blood Queen. Then he discovered that in the original Hellboy comics, Daimo (an entirely fictitious character) was of mixed-Asian heritage. After some protests from Asian activists, Skrein turned down the job, declaring: "I must do what I feel is right." For doing so, Skrein is a right-on hero. The Guardian hails his "inspiring protest against the invisibility of Asian people in the media." But the contradictions are endless.

HOW, for example, does Skrein's decision fit in with the modern and thoroughly enlightened trend for colour-blind casting when anyone of any colour can take any role? If we can't have a white Major Daimo, how can we even discuss Idris Elba becoming the first black James Bond? As for the alleged "invisibility of Asian people in the media," what about Bollywood and martial-arts movies which are full of Indian and Chinese stars? Would Ed Skrein turn down the part of Hamlet on the grounds that he is not Danish? If not, why not?

SO many questions. Indeed the only certain fact to emerge from this "whitewash" saga is that Ed Skrein is far more famous at the end of this week than he was at the beginning. Cynical? Moi?