Style in British Television Drama

Cooke''s pioneering book discusses changes in televisual style in British television drama from the 1950s to the early 21st century. Taking dinner table scenes as a recurring motif, each chapter analyses the construction of the scene in terms of camerawork, editing, dialogue and performance, exploring how decisions made by the director and members of the production team contribute to the narrative meaning of the scene. The scenes analysed come from single plays, series and serials, including Nineteen Eighty-Four, Coronation Street, Middlemarch, This Life and Teachers. Accompanied by frame grabs to illustrate the analysis, each drama is discussed in relation to changes in production practices, technology, aesthetic preferences, and social and institutional change. Written in a clear and accessible style, the book is pertinent for anyone interested in how British television drama has changed, stylistically, from the live era of the 1950s to the fast-paced, high-tech dramas of the 2000s.