Teen Undertaker

Charles 3 Comments

23 August 2010

The media loves death and funerals — wacky music, funky coffins, all that sort of stuff. Best of all, the media loves to find people working in the funeral industry who do not conform to the common conception of deathworker as inhabitant of a dark and terrifying otherworld. Normal people; people like us. Better still, people who are young. Best of the best, beautiful young women.

If the effect is to educate the public about the reality of funeral service, all well and good. Last week’s Channel 4 programme, Teen Undertaker, served this purpose pretty well, I believe. It follows two teen undertakers, Laura and Paul. It panders, yes, but it also reveals responsibly.

There’s one bit that made my eyebrows rise. I wonder if yours will, too.

Catch it on 4 oD here.

Category: Attitudes to dead bodies , Attitudes to death , funeral directors

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Nick Gandon

13 years ago

Quite a well put together programme, all said.

Shows that those in the trade are perfectly normal, likable people, with feelings and family.

Not so sure about what appeared to be a rather bumpy landing at one point though…

Kathryn Edwards

13 years ago

The bumpy landing was unfortunate, as was the omission to comment on it in a programme that otherwise was abundantly touchy-feely.

What splendid young people!

andrew plume

13 years ago

Charles – I’ve watched this decent documentary twice now – apart from said bumpy landing which made the funeral director wince, to say the least, I thought that it was an excellent short documentary – not the first that C4 have put together on the funeral industry over the past 10-15 years and hopefully not the last, they’ve all been of a high standard- great to see the focus being on the very deserved independent side of the profession