This collection is a wide-ranging exploration of contemporary British television drama and its representations of social class. Through early studio-set plays, soap operas and period drama, the volume demonstrates how class provides a bridge across multiple genres and traditions of television drama. The authors trace this thematic emphasis into the present day, offering fascinating new insights into the national conversation around class and identity in Britain today. The chapters engage with a range of topics including authorial explorations of Stephen Poliakoff and Jimmy McGovern, case studies of television performers Maxine Peake and Jimmy Nail, and discussions of the sitcom genre and animation form. This book offers new perspectives on popular British television shows such as
Goodnight Sweetheart and
Footballers Wives, and analysis of more recent series such as
Peaky Blinders and
This is England.
1. Introduction (David Forrest and Beth Johnson).- Part I: Authorship and Class - 2. Beth Johnson (The University of Leeds) This is England: Authorship, Critical Contexts and Class Telly.- 3. David Forrest (The University of Sheffield) Jimmy McGoverns The Street and the Politics of Everyday Life.- 4. Stephen Harper (The University of Portsmouth) - High-flyers, Hooligans and Helpmates: Images of Social Class in the Television Dramas of Stephen Poliakoff.- Part II: Institutions and Structures of Class - 5. Paul Elliott (University of Worcester) - Through Class Darkly: Class in the British TV Noir.- 6. Felicity Colman and David James (Manchester Metropolitan University) - Military Class: Hearts and Minds on the Domestic Screen.- 7. Gill Jamieson (University of the West of Scotland) - Creating a Level Playing Field: Honest Endeavour Together!: Social Mobility, Entrepreneurialism and Class in ls¸
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