This pioneering book provides detailed analysis of scenes from nine British television dramas produced between 1954 and 2001. Taking dinner table scenes as a recurring motif, the study analyses changes in televisual style with reference to production practices, technology, aesthetic preferences, and social and institutional change.
Contents List of Illustrations Acknowledgements Introduction 1. Nineteen Eighty-Four (BBC, 1954) 2. Coronation Street (ITV, 1960) 3. The Bond (BBC1, 1965) 4. Upstairs Downstairs (ITV, 1971) 5. Bar Mitzvah Boy (BBC1, 1976) 6. Middlemarch (BBC2, 1994) 7. This Life (BBC2, 1996) 8. Births, Marriages and Deaths (BBC2, 1999) 9. Teachers (Channel 4, 2001) Conclusion Appendix 1: Select Glossary of Technical Terms Appendix 2: Average Shot Lengths Notes and References Bibliography Index