Miriam Margolyes: 'I now admire Australian bogans'
Miriam Margolyes: 'I now admire Australian bogans'
Image source, Getty Images
In a new documentary, actress-turned-presenter Miriam Margolyes explores whether Australia's fabled classless society is mythical or can defend its claim to be the land of 'fair go'. She talks to Gary Nunn from London.
Margolyes, true to her candid form, insists she had never met a "bogan" in her life - and that she never didn't want to either.
"I was guilty of snobbery, of despising them," she confesses in her documentary, Australia Unmasked.
After spending time with a self-confessed autistic 'bogan' - a familiar Aussie for a rude person of low social status - Margolyes discovered a new empathy.
"When I make these documentaries, I just open up to the people I meet. And I get what they want to give me", he said. she told the BBC. "I was surprised at how much I really enjoyed my time with the bogans."
They exhibit, says Margolyes, the distinctly Australian trait of larrikinism. "In how much fun they have. They made me laugh, and I got quite fond of the bogans after doing burnouts in cars with them!"
'Bogan' is a controversial slang word. Its British counterpart - 'chav' - has long been accused of revealing mocking class hatred. , but begs for politeness.
In a new documentary, actress-turned-presenter Miriam Margolyes explores whether Australia's fabled classless society is mythical or can defend its claim to be the land of 'fair go'. She talks to Gary Nunn from London.
Margolyes, true to her candid form, insists she had never met a "bogan" in her life - and that she never didn't want to either.
"I was guilty of snobbery, of despising them," she confesses in her documentary, Australia Unmasked.
After spending time with a self-confessed autistic 'bogan' - a familiar Aussie for a rude person of low social status - Margolyes discovered a new empathy.
"When I make these documentaries, I just open up to the people I meet. And I get what they want to give me", he said. she told the BBC. "I was surprised at how much I really enjoyed my time with the bogans."
They exhibit, says Margolyes, the distinctly Australian trait of larrikinism. "In how much fun they have. They made me laugh, and I got quite fond of the bogans after doing burnouts in cars with them!"
'Bogan' is a controversial slang word. Its British counterpart - 'chav' - has long been accused of revealing mocking class hatred. , but begs for politeness.
Image source, Getty Images
