【The Pursuit of Lust】

Ken Loach doesn't spare words when it comes to period dramas.

The The Pursuit of Lustsocially-conscious film director, whose latest I, Daniel Blake won the Palme D'Or at Cannes, criticised shows like Downton Abbeyor Poldarkfor indulging in "fake nostalgia".

"This rosy vision of the past, it's a choice broadcasters make,"he told Radio Times.

"Don't bother your heads with what's going on now, just wallow in fake nostalgia'. It's bad history, bad drama. It puts your brain to sleep."

Loach argued nostalgic dramas were "the opposite of what a good broadcaster should do, which is stimulate and invigorate... TV drama is like the picture on the Quality Street tin, but with less quality and nothing of the street".

Popular dramas on British TV include Downton Abbey, Victoria, Poldark, Call the Midwifeand War and Peace.

The filmmaker also attacked the BBC calling it a "rotten place for a director" and appealed to the the broadcaster to "diversify" so regions can make their own dramas.

“The BBC is very aware of its role in shaping people’s consciousness; this is the story you should hear about, these are the people worth listening to. It’s manipulative and deeply political.”

A BBC spokesperson responded to the accusations saying: “BBC News is independent and adheres to clear published editorial guidelines including on impartiality. The BBC is consistently rated the most trusted and accurate news provider by the majority of people in the UK.”

Ken Loach has a long relationship with the BBC, which in 1966 broadcast his landmark film Cathy Come Homewhich narrates the story of a family forced to descend into poverty and homelessness.

I, Daniel Blake was also made in partnership with BBC Films.

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