TV comedy like Chinese Burn reinforces stereotypes

A BBC pilot about Chinese women in London may tick diversity boxes, but offers no real breakthrough in how east Asian people are represented on screen.

What fun was BBC Three's new comedy Chinese Burn, a talented attempt to redefine the lives of young Chinese girls, in London, in the 21st century: gone are the subservient little maidens of old, replaced (naturally) with the sexy one, the geeky one, the rich, spoilt one. Never less than passionate, it still varies wildly in its successful nailing of targets, but does hit more than it misses, chiefly by confronting our own appalling stereotyping with wit, gumption and intelligence. More fun than actually funny, but an admirable wake-up call from that roiling superpower to those mired in the century-old land of H Rider Haggard.

Lead Balloon star claims he's been ripped off

The co-star of Jack Dee sitcom Lead Balloon claims he has been ripped off over the new BBC pilot Chinese Burn.

Sean Power previously worked with stars Yennis Cheung and Shin-Fei Ching developing a similar web series called Chinese Girls In London.

Review: Chinese Burn, BBC3

Somehow Chinese Burn, written by co-stars Cheung and Chen, manages to perpetuate stereotypes - the men tend to be pretty familiar jerks - while at the same time subvert them. I wonder if it would have been made in a pre-Fleabag world. It doesn't always feel quite as original as it thinks it is - Jackie's audition scene could have come from half a dozen past comedies - but it is good to see some fresh faces onscreen (as well as Felicity Montagu from Alan Partridge) and there's no denying that the half hour pilot zips by in a flash.

Behind-the-scenes on Chinese Burn

Shooting 30 pages of script in four days in busy locations across the capital was daunting. But we got to drink lots of boba tea.

New BBC comedy aiming to smash East Asian stereotypes

For anyone frustrated with the lack of authentic Asian characters on screen, new BBC comedy Chinese Burn might be the perfect remedy.

Chinese Burn review

As it stands, it might require some arm-twisting for Chinese Burn to go to series.

Chinese Burn preview

'Sweet, innocent, good at ping pong? Screw that!' The new show savaging Chinese stereotypes.