Jade: As Seen on TV, Tuesday 10pm, E4

Posted by Jane Murphy

It’s now two months since Jade Goody’s untimely death from cervical cancer, and a new series of Big Brother - the programme that made her famous - is just around the corner. So E4 obviously decided the time was right to round up a mishmash of talking heads and archive footage in an attempt to “understand the Jade Goody phenomenon”.

It wasn’t long before someone trotted out the old cliché: you either loved her or you hated her. But having run through the whole gamut of emotions - including pity, sadness, laughter and anger - while watching this whistle-stop reminder of her life on camera, I have to disagree. Sometimes I liked her - and sometimes I didn’t.

Still, the mere mention of Jade does seem to provoke extreme reactions in some people - as demonstrated in this instance by sneering journalist Rod Liddle and laugh-a-minute GMTV presenter John Stapleton. Liddle’s view? “Jade did what many people with limited intelligence would do, which is grab the fame that came along and assume it equated to some sort of success in life.”

Stapleton, meanwhile, took on the role of “slightly baffled member of the older generation” - presumably because Sir Michael Parkinson was unavailable. “She was of her age and it’s not an age I know anything about, nor wish to know anything about,” he claimed - which does beg the question of why he’s working for celebrity-obsessed GMTV.

To be fair, I can understand why people who don’t tune into Big Brother or subscribe to Heat or OK! may have found Jade’s celebrity status difficult to comprehend - particularly when press saturation turned the final weeks of her life into a reality show that everyone was forced to watch.

And indeed, there was something very unsavoury about watching OK!’s associate editor positively salivating with glee as he revealed in last night’s programme that coverage of Jade’s wedding, shortly before her death, sold more copies than any other celebrity nuptials.

But lest we forget, media coverage of Jade’s illness - and her willingness to speak out about it - has potentially saved thousands of lives. Take-up rates for cervical screening have gone up by 60% since news of her illness broke. It’s a lasting legacy, which will hopefully offer some comfort to Jade’s many friends and relatives who are still mourning her loss.

What’s your view on the Jade Goody phenomenon? Tell us here.

Picture: Channel 4

SEE ALSO:
Jade’s Wedding - our blogger’s view >>
Jade Goody’s life in pictures >>
More must-see reality TV >>

Comments

[Rebecca Latter]

Jade used the chance that she was given to create a good life for herself and her two georgeous sons. Many people are only jealous as they have not been given this chance and if she hadnt done all that she had done her boys would not have the life they are going to be able to have now and we all want the best for our children. My heart just goes out to her boys as the only thing she couldnt change for her boys is them being without her, but otherwise she did the best she could with what she had and god rest her soul and may her boys have the love, peace and the good healthy life that they deserve.

[HDTV]

I make u right Jean

[Jean Damp]

Like many, there were times when I liked Jade and times when I didn't but if she had not allowed the media coverage of her last few weeks/months she would have been hounded by cameras trying to sneak pictures of her whenever she left hospital or home. At least this way she did not have to battle with what can be very hostile media attention. We have all witnessed press hounding of many celebrities even when they are dying.