Entertaining Television The BBC and Popular Television Culture in the 1950s
, by Holmes, SuNote: Supplemental materials are not guaranteed with Rental or Used book purchases.
- ISBN: 9780719077913 | 0719077915
- Cover: Hardcover
- Copyright: 9/1/2008
This book challenges the idea that the BBC in the 1950s was elitist and 'staid,' upholding Reithian values in a paternalistic, even patronizing way. By focusing on a number of (often controversial) program case studies--such as the soap opera, the quiz/ game show, the 'problem' show and programs dealing with celebrity culture--Su Holmes demonstrates how BBC television surprisingly explored popular interests and desires. She also uncovers a number of remarkable connections with programs and topics at the forefront of television today, ranging from talk shows and 'Reality TV' to our contemporary obsession with celebrity. The book is iconclastic, percipient and grounded in archival research, and will be of use to anyone studying television history.