This episode of A Touch Of Frost features the character of Billy, a young man with Down's Syndrome.
The clip shows a lot about how people with disabilities are portrayed and how they are viewed as by society.
The clip illustrates that people look down on those with a disability -which is shown by using a lot of high angle camera shots, making the viewer feel that the character of Billy has less power and control over the situation, and shows he has a lower status in society. Billy is also treated like a child as the detective talks down to him, causing the viewer to feel sympathetic toward him as he is treated differently.
Another example of him being treated differently is the detective stating that he is "mentally sub-normal" which clearly shows that some of the other characters treat him differently as he is not seen as "normal."
Billy is also seen as vulnerable as Frost looks sinister with his darkened silhouette in the foreground and Billy sitting down with a higher angle over the shoulder shot, making him look a lot smaller and more innocent. This again creates a lot of sympathy from the audience.
However, the clip shows that Billy is untrustworthy as he appears to change his story when being questioned, and when that is put together with the fact he stated that he hadn't "done anything wrong" after he was chased down by police at night in the woods suggest that he has something to hide, make the audience feel uneasy about him as a character.
This clip featuring a disabled character does mainly conform to the idea that people should feel pity to characters that do have disabilities, and makes Billy seem vulnerable and helpless - which is how they are stereo typically seen. And yet, it manages to play on the idea of his innocence by making him seem more involved in the crime than previously thought - challenging typical views of people with disabilities.
