The Age of Static

How TV Explains Modern Britain

Phil Harrison

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English

Melville House UK
22 October 2020

Television; History; Popular culture; Bargains

From Big Brother to Downton Abbey; from Detectorists to Top Gear and from The Apprentice to Adam Curtis, the recent history of British TV can be read as both a struggle with the past and a series of signposts towards the future. How can modern Britain awaken from its nostalgic small-screen dreams and face the future? Brexit Island feels a long way from Craggy Island, and there's no obvious route at hand. Perhaps, to move forwards, we first need to retrace our steps You can tell a lot about British society by its television. More than any other country, Britain still gets a sense of itself from the output of its national broadcasters. So what can we learn from the TV of the last two decades? Beginning in 2000, this book explores the televisual contours of Britain, via five themed chapters: Britain's identity crisis; property and the class system; 'banter' and political correctness; the role of the BBC; and the impact of reality TV on politics. Over this period, Britain has become more divided, more fractious and less certain of its place in the world. What did Jamie's School Dinners tell us about our perceptions of the working classes? What does our love of Downton Abbey say about the national psyche under duress? And how did Top Gear help to ignite Britain's culture wars?

By: Phil Harrison
Imprint: Melville House UK
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 198mm, Width: 129mm,
ISBN: 9781911545521
ISBN 10: 1911545523
Pages: 240
Publication Date: 22 October 2020
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Unspecified

Reviews for The Age of Static: How TV Explains Modern Britain

'TV critic Harrison digs into our recent past to consider how the programmes we watch impact our lives. Wide-ranging, witty and very well informed.' The i