MovieChat Forums > Jam & Jerusalem (2006) Discussion > Changed name of program in US to 'Clatte...

Changed name of program in US to 'Clatterford'

posted 17 years ago by randommovies2002
4 replies | jump to latest

What does everyone think about the way they changed the name in the US? I wish they hadn't. And frankly, I find it at least a little bit insulting that they assumed we wouldn't know what J&J refers to.

Obviously, if we watch BBCA we have some experience with programming and films from the UK. Obviously, we are at least a little familiar with English culture. We're not numpties, lol!

[–] RaRaRasputeen 17 years ago

we know that- sorry, that was the reply i gave to someone who asked on here but only because they genuinely didnt know why it was called that and it was the only thing i could think of.

didnt mean to offend :)

[–] randommovies2002 17 years ago

Oh, I wasn't referring to anything I read on IMDb at all. :-)

I'm just a bit miffed at BBCA for assuming they needed to change the name! :-)

[–] poordogabone-1 17 years ago

I put it down to one of two reasons. Either BBCA thought it was being PC for Americans by removing what it saw as a religious reference in the title, or they are clueless as to the fact that American Anglophiles usually have a decent UK vocabulary. Either way, it's an insult to American audiences.

[–] Helena727 7 years ago

I find it at least a little bit insulting that they assumed we wouldn't know what J&J refers to.

(I know, I know -- it's nearly 10 years later and you won't see my reply. But it's for anyone else who happens upon the thread.)

I would cautiously say that the name change was motivated by a desire to pull in a greater number of Americans -- those who *don't* know that phrase, or those who are less inclined to look up an unknown term. In other words, the name change probably wouldn't alienate anyone who's more familiar with BrE but might help pull in viewers who aren't. So perhaps we shouldn't assume that the name change = "All Americans, even those in our target audience, are idiots."

Some (perhaps a lot of) shows created in other languages are renamed for English-speaking audiences (recent ex.: Y Gwyll is Welsh for The Dusk, but in the UK and US the show is called Hinterland), and one could argue that there are enough differences between AmE and BrE to consider them not quite the same language. (I have a reasonably large BrE vocab -- I've been reading literature from the UK / watching UK imports for 40 years, plus I spent a year in London -- yet I'd not heard the term jam and Jerusalem until the show came out.)

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