The English Harem

How do you make polygamy within Islamic relationships in Britain appear socially acceptable? Easy. Art Malik.

Or so it should be... However, it doesn't work like that. This movie is about as subtle as a blow from a sledgehammer. It proceeds on the assumption that all it would take to make the abhorrent appear palatable is for an Oriental-looking gentleman, evidently monied, with an upper- class English accent, to open doors for ladies at the right moment.

It also tries to pull off some neat tricks, including having the working classes quaffing champagne at the gentrification of London, and the demolition of a housing block! It all seems to work out. It turns out, all the viewer needs to be 'educated' about is that everyone who resisted the encroachment of the 'new' ways (polygamy, being forced out of one's own neighbourhood, etc.) is simply backward, and needs to accept the Brave New World.

Bravo, Art Malik! Supremely patronising, politicised nonsense.

(This film was broadcast at 9pm on 27/12/05 on ITV1) At a time when hostility and prejudice towards Muslims and Islam is at an all time high I was frankly appalled by such a film being given air time, in fact prime time, on a mainstream television channel. This programme is utterly ridiculous in nature, bears no resemblance to the lives of normal practising Muslims and is full of untruths and sensationalism. Exactly what sort of audience ITV wants to entertain with this I am not sure... the BNP perhaps? It is obvious that the producers of this show have no real understanding of Islam and the many millions of people in Britian and around the world who practise it. It is also obvious that no attempt was made to even research the subject. Even in the most biased of news reports or the most right wing tabloids it is hard to find misrepresentation of Muslims matching this level. The star character, while claiming to be Muslim, doesn't pray, drinks alcohol, practises group sex - as was on more than one occasion implied, and is strictly "haram" (forbidden) in Islam - while his wives seem to be portrayed as little more than sex objects. Polygamous marriages, while not the culture in the west and obviously controversial, are rarely undertaken by practising Muslims and, when they are, are NOT done purely for physical gratification but for a number of more socially important reasons (usually involving children, financial support of women, etc). The show deliberately takes a complex issue and twists it for the purpose of sensationalism. The theme of society being prejudiced toward the family is a very thin veil for a programme that does nothing but promote such prejudice. If this drama had not been so inflammatory I would wonder why it was even on television, let alone in a prime slot... the plot and dialogue are laughable, the characters pure two-dimensional clichés. It smells like a dodgy low-budget B film, produced quickly just to fill a bit of free space, yet takes a 9pm slot in a Christmas period.

Complete and utter rubbish!! Trying to understand the purpose behind this trash?? If it was education about Islam, then it was certainly a very false and distorted attempt. The guy is drinking and having group sex but very practising when it comes to the 4 wives rule because that's what it's all about...seriously! No doubt people like that exist who cherry pick what suits them, but it was clear that not much research had gone into the actual issue of polygamy . The strict laws and regulations about practising polygamy is not explored because no doubt it would have taken all the juice out of this project. This no doubt only serves to widen the misconceptions that non-muslims may have about Islam and such controversial (even in the Islamic world) issues or perhaps the aim was to just misguide even more. The storyline was so weak, felt like the writer was writing for the sake of writing. If the purpose was just wasting time in the name of entertainment then it served its purpose. Guess Martine McCutcheon couldn't get any other good roles to play so she had to settle for this rubbish. Not much research had even gone into the Iranian culture either which by the way is different to the Arabian culture of deserts, sand etc. How can I get back the two hours that I wasted on this garbage??

The English Harem is a light, funny, moving drama, that will have you laughing one moment, and in tears the next. It follows Tracy, who lives with an Eastern fantasy, and lives in a dream world, she meets a man, who becomes her boss, she's intrigued by his harem.

I loved it, the performances are wonderful, Art Malik in particular, but the real success comes from the sheer loveliness and delicacy of Martine McCutcheon, I really wish she'd been more prolific, she's wonderful, feminine, sincere, beautiful, with an enigmatic smile. She's a delight to watch.

Don't read too much into the Islam slant, it's not a heavy religious based drama, it's just light hearted tale of love and escapism. There are some moments of racism, but those behind it are shown for the cowards they really are.

Loved it, 9/10.

hi i absolutely love good movies, dramas and soaps. whilst on the internet looking at a website i seen something about the English Harem. seeing that Art Malik was in it made me really want to watch it. when it finally aired on our screens i was so happy because i hadn't seen Art on TV since he left Holby City. as sat for two hours watching this it made me realise that some people can be very racist and not appreciate other religious views (e.g Sam being allowed up to 4 wives.) Art and Martine played their roles brilliantly and with passion that shows what good actors they really are and i wish them all the best in what ever they do next.

Emma Crowe