The Classic British Telefantasy Guide is derived from the second edition of The Guinness Book of Classic British TV with various corrections and a revised introduction to bring it up to date. It was written when the Internet barely existed, and at a time when few books had been published on the subject. This is, however, by no means a new or completely revised version of the original material - too much time has passed, and if we were to start reworking and correcting the text now, it would probably never be finished! Instead, Classic British Telefantasy is an electronic reprint of some of the authors' earliest work, repacked for a new format and, perhaps, a new age.
Between the nineteenth century and the mid-twentieth century television transformed from an idea to an institution. In Gender and Early Television, Sarah Arnold traces women's relationship to the new medium of television across this period in the UK and USA. She argues that women played a crucial role in its development both as producers and as audiences long before the 'golden age' of television in the 1950s. Beginning with the emergence of media entertainment in the mid-nineteenth century and culminating in the rise of the post-war television industries, Arnold claims that, all along the way, women had a stake in television. As keen consumers of media, women also helped promote television to the public by performing as 'television girls'. Women worked as directors, producers, technical crew and announcers. It seemed that television was open to women. However, as Arnold shows, the increasing professionalisation of television resulted in the segregation of roles. Production became the sphere of men and consumption the sphere of women. While this binary has largely informed women's role in television, through her analysis, Arnold argues that it has not always been the case.
More than any other series, THE AVENGERS typified the Swinging Sixties - beginning in 1961 with Patrick Macnee starring with Ian Hendry in a grainy, realistic spy thriller, and ending in 1969 with Macnee and the glamorous Linda Thorson blasting off into space in a surreal episode appropriately entitled 'Bizarre'. Meanwhile we had seen the memorable Honor Blackman and Diana Rigg in roles unusually progressive for British television. THE NEW AVENGERS in the mid-seventies reflected changing times but retained the essence of the show - as Macnee returned to play alongside another strong, independent heroine in the form of Joanna Lumley's Purdey. And then there was the film... THE AVENGERS DOSSIER is a uniquely comprehensive yet humorous survey of all the show's incarnations. As well as a remarkably detailed episode guide to both series - even covering the kinkiness factor and champagne count in both - this volume gives behind the scenes insights and revelations about every aspect of the programme. The film and its production are examined, and critical essays look at the history behind the cult.
'Open your mind to extreme possibilities' Scully's desire to be recognised as 'a medical doctor', ooze, mouthfuls of difficult dialogue and the tendency for characters not to make it through the pre-titles sequence were just a few of the tragically underexamined elements of THE X-FILES phenomenon - until the first edition of this book. Now the authors take their study of televisions weirdest show through to the end of series five, and THE X-FILES movie. X-TREME POSSIBILITIES presents a unique analysis of the programme that transformed US television. While sometimes witty and light-hearted, this volume is also a serious study of the elements that made the show such a success. As well as a detailed episode guide of the first five seasons, the book pieces together the nature of the series' Conspiracy - and attempts to discover just what the truth is. Never before has THE X-FILES been put under such focused, affectionate and bizarre scrutiny. Please note this new release of the second edition has not been updated.
Although it started as a British television show with a small but devoted fan base, Doctor Who has grown in popularity and now appeals to audiences around the world. In the fifty-year history of the program, Doctor Who’s producers and scriptwriters have drawn on a dizzying array of literary sources and inspirations. Elements from Homer, classic literature, gothic horror, swashbucklers, Jacobean revenge tragedies, Orwellian dystopias, Westerns, and the novels of Agatha Christie and Evelyn Waugh have all been woven into the fabric of the series. One famous storyline from the mid-1970s was rooted in the Victoriana of authors like H. Rider Haggard and Arthur Conan Doyle, and another was a virtual remake of Anthony Hope’s The Prisoner of Zenda—with robots! In Doctor Who and the Art of Adaptation: Fifty Years of Storytelling, Marcus Harmes looks at the show’s frequent exploration of other sources to create memorable episodes. Harmes observes that adaptation in Doctor Who is not just a matter of transferring literary works to the screen, but of bringing a diversity of texts into dialogue with the established mythology of the series as well as with longstanding science fiction tropes. In this process, original stories are not just resituated, but transformed into new works. Harmes considers what this approach reveals about adaptation, television production, the art of storytelling, and the long-term success and cultural resonance enjoyed by Doctor Who. Doctor Who and the Art of Adaptation will be of interest to students of literature and television alike, and to scholars interested in adaptation studies. It will also appeal to fans of the series interested in tracing the deep cultural roots of television’s longest-running and most literate science-fiction adventure.
