The Evolution of the Television Play and the Establishment of Channel 4

Please note the following is adapted from my dissertation on the television play and its role in the development of the British film industry, from 2006. ———————————-     Drama has always held an important and prestigious place in television schedules, and for nearly forty years this status was exemplified by the single play. This chapter will trace the development of the single play in … Continue reading The Evolution of the Television Play and the Establishment of Channel 4

An Analysis of Leigh’s ‘Meantime’ and ‘Naked’

Please note the following is adapted from my dissertation on the television play and its role in the development of the British film industry, from 2006. 1. MEANTIME (1983)     Meantime was the first film Mike Leigh made with the newly established Channel Four, a creative partnership which would result in a further five feature films for cinematic distribution over the next fourteen years, … Continue reading An Analysis of Leigh’s ‘Meantime’ and ‘Naked’

The Careers of Mike Leigh and Ken Loach

Please note the following is taken from my dissertation (dated 2006) on the television play and its role in the development of the British film industry.     Ken Loach and Mike Leigh represent two of Britain’s most dedicated and long-standing filmmakers. Numerous other directors of their generation, coming from similar roots in television drama, have left Britain for Hollywood – Alan Parker has had … Continue reading The Careers of Mike Leigh and Ken Loach

‘Britishness’ and British Film in the 1980s and ‘90s

   The 1980s and 1990s were a time of rapid social change; as class barriers shifted, attitudes evolved – towards class, but also towards the different nationalities that make up Britain. Devolution of power to the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly in the late 1990s was an important step in undermining what Peter J. Taylor called ‘the English presumption’ – the automatic equation of ‘British’ … Continue reading ‘Britishness’ and British Film in the 1980s and ‘90s