This is the first book to examine an outstanding decade of British television drama. The 1980s witnessed a series of changes and innovation in television, in which a fourth channel was established, studio production largely gave way to location filming, and programmes reflected key political events. In this fascinating collection of twelve essays, the innovative programmes of the period are analysed and placed within their social and political contexts. The writers analyse programmes as di
List of Illustrations; Acknowledgements; Notes on the Contributors; Foreword DAVID ROSE; Introduction George W. Brandt; 1. Talking Heads: A Bed Among the Lentils (Alan Bennett) Albert Hunt; 2. Brookside: Damon's YTS Comes to an End (Barry Woodward) Vera Gottleib; 3. Yes, Prime Minister: The Ministerial Broadcast John Adams; 4. Inspector Morse: The Last Enemy (Peter Buckman) Richard Sparks; 5. Edge of Darkness (Troy Kennedy Martin) Andrew Lavender; 6. Boys from the Blackstuff (Alan Bleasdale) Bob Millington; 7. Tumbledown (Charles Wood) and The Falklands Play (Ian Curteis) Geoffrey Reeves; 8. Four Days in July (Mike Leigh) Paul Clements; 9. Tutti Frutti (John Byrne) Hugh Herbert; 10. The Jewel in the Crown (Paul Scott-Ken Taylor) George W. Brandt; 11. The Life and Loves of a She-Devil (Fay Weldon-Ted Whitehead) Liz Bird and Jo Eliot; 12. The Singing Detective (Dennis Potter) Joost Hunningher; Appendix 1. Programmes on Videotape; Appendix 2. The Independent Broadcasting Authority/Independent Television Commission Research Papers; Select Bibliography.
