History on British Television Constructing Nation, Nationality and Collective Memory

by Dillon, Robert

• ISBN13: 9780719080920
• ISBN10: 0719080924
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2010-07-01
• Publisher: Manchester University Press

Summary

History on British Televisionexplores the production and consumption of factual history programming on British television. The chronological development of Western historiography is compared to phases of British television history production, highlighting how progressive developments in social and cultural trends have shaped what we make of the past and what the past makes of us. Charting the rise and dominance of television history as a popular cultural form, the book examines how the past has become a model for citizenship, prioritising certain groups and classes, marginalizing others. Clearly defined chapters deal with the battle between the BBC and its commercial rivals to become the "voice of the nation." Engaging, informed and easy to read, the book is intended for researchers, teachers and students interested in television and historical studies, as well as readers keen to understand how collective memory, television and history have become a potent propaganda mixture of stylised myths reinforcing nationality, identity and citizenship.

Author Biography

Robert Dillon is an Honorary Research Fellow in the Department of History at Lancaster University.

Table of Contents

List of illustrations	p. ix
General editor's foreword	p. xi
Preface	p. xiii
Acknowledgements	p. xv
List of abbreviations	p. xvi
Introduction	p. 1
Whose past is it anyway?	p. 13
Post-war television and history: from sound to vision	p. 33
The making of a popular commodity	p. 54
Bringing the past alive	p. 74
Truth or drama: documentary history	p. 93
Characterising the past	p. 116
Britain as a warrior nation	p. 138
Presenting the past	p. 160
Nation, nationality and television history	p. 183
Bibliography	p. 205
Index of programme and series titles	p. 218
General index	p. 227
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