British and French Television Drama

A comparative study of the politics and production processes of television drama in France and in Britain during a formative historical moment for communication systems. This juxtaposition reveals surprising similarities in the intentions and achievements of practitioners in this expanding television field in Britain and France during the 1950s and 1960s.

The post WW2 era marked a substantial shift in socio-political structures and organisation in both countries within a context of change and possibilities for innovative approaches. This study reveals internal struggles within the French and British institutions controlling broadcasting as crucial determinants in the background decision making which constitutes the focus of the study. Analysis of those events indicates how creative initiatives with a social class perspective can penetrate the threads of communication control in a new system, prior to the consolidation of all the determinants of prevalent bureaucratic structures.

This book foregrounds how socially conscious communication practitioners deployed methods intended to retain control of style and meaning in productions in the face of management scepticism and, in some cases, direct interference. The text draws upon oral history contributions plus research documentation and archive material from within the Institutions. Case studies are presented across national and cultural boundaries. These are reinforced by authentic voices and testimonies from personal interviews which I carried out with directors and writers in both Britain and France.

The book provides a unique insight into active engagement, and socio/political judgements used by writers, editors, producers, and directors in reaching out to what was a rapidly expanding audience.