The Classic Serial on Television and Radio

by Robert Giddings, Keith Selby

Overview

The classic serial, invented by BBC Radio Drama sixty years ago, survived and adapted itself to television, the arrival of colour and the global market in what has become a flood of classics with all channels competing for ratings and overseas sales. This richly detailed book traces these developments and analyses the genre's response to social, economic, technical and cultural changes, which have re-shaped it into the form we recognise today. The book contains considerable interview material with performers and media professionals.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780333713884
Publisher:	Palgrave Macmillan UK
Publication date:	02/14/2001
Edition description:	2001
Pages:	241
Product dimensions:	5.51(w) x 8.50(h) x (d)

About the Author

ROBERT GIDDINGS is the author of many books and articles and he has written for radio and television and contributed to such radio and TV programmes as Bookshelf, Kaleidoscope, and The Late Show.

KEITH SELBY is an author. He previously taught at universities, colleges and in adult education. He has published fiction and poetry, has contributed many monographs, articles and reviews in Britain and the USA, and has produced and directed several educational video programmes.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements List of Illustrations Introduction Definitions, Early History: The Classic Drama Serial The 1970s: Signs of Change The Blockbusters The Nineties: Renaissance of the Classic Serial The Pride and Prejudice Factor The Pride and Prejudice Effect: A Promising Future for the Past Boz Rides Again, and This is Where We Came In The Albatross which was Really a Phoenix Select Bibliography Index

Editorial Reviews

While teaching English, media, and communication and researching and writing Giddings (culture and communication, Bournemouth U.) and writer Selby realized that nearly no work had been done on the broadcast classic serial as a genre. Primarily a BBC phenomenon, such serials dramatize classic novels, usually of the Victorian or Edwardian period, keeping as close to the original as possible. It began in radio before World War II, and was well established there before moving to television. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Booknews

'...highly recommended...' - Choice

From the Publisher