Factual Entertainment on British Television: The Midlands TV Research Group's '8-9 Project'

Charlotte Brunsdon; Catherine Johnson; Helen Wheatley; Rachel Moseley

doi:10.1177/136754940100400102

Factual Entertainment on British Television: The Midlands TV Research Group's '8-9 Project'

Charlotte Brunsdon, Catherine Johnson, Helen Wheatley, Rachel Moseley

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

122 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

This article reports on a collective project by the Midlands Television Research Group into the changing character of weekday evening programming in the 1990s on British terrestrial television between 8.00 and 9.00. Over the decade, there has been a growth in ‘factual entertainment’ and a decrease in analytic documentary, situation comedy and variety. Factual entertainment comprises hybrid genres such as ‘docu-soaps’, CCTV footage-based programmes and lifestyle and make-over programmes. Each of the four sections engages with one aspect of the scheduling in the slot. Rachel Moseley discusses the gendering of the slot, focusing on BBC’s Naked Chef, Jamie Oliver. Catherine Johnson discusses pets, vets and children in documentary programmes. Helen Wheatley looks at the treatment of ‘real crime’ in the slot and Charlotte Brunsdon discusses historical antecedents to some of the lifestyle programmes.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	29-62
Number of pages	33
Journal	European Journal of Cultural Studies
Volume	4
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1177/136754940100400102
Publication status	Published - 1 Feb 2001
Externally published	Yes

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title = "Factual Entertainment on British Television: The Midlands TV Research Group's '8-9 Project'",

abstract = "This article reports on a collective project by the Midlands Television Research Group into the changing character of weekday evening programming in the 1990s on British terrestrial television between 8.00 and 9.00. Over the decade, there has been a growth in {\textquoteleft}factual entertainment{\textquoteright} and a decrease in analytic documentary, situation comedy and variety. Factual entertainment comprises hybrid genres such as {\textquoteleft}docu-soaps{\textquoteright}, CCTV footage-based programmes and lifestyle and make-over programmes. Each of the four sections engages with one aspect of the scheduling in the slot. Rachel Moseley discusses the gendering of the slot, focusing on BBC{\textquoteright}s Naked Chef, Jamie Oliver. Catherine Johnson discusses pets, vets and children in documentary programmes. Helen Wheatley looks at the treatment of {\textquoteleft}real crime{\textquoteright} in the slot and Charlotte Brunsdon discusses historical antecedents to some of the lifestyle programmes.",

keywords = "british television, factual entertainment, lifestyle, ordinary, public service broadcasting,, Scheduling",

author = "Charlotte Brunsdon and Catherine Johnson and Helen Wheatley and Rachel Moseley",

note = "Republished as part of the journal's Twentieth Anniversary Special Issue Dossier on Television, which republished the journal's most popular articles: https://journals.sagepub.com/page/ecs/collections/television",

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AU - Johnson, Catherine

AU - Wheatley, Helen

AU - Moseley, Rachel

N1 - Republished as part of the journal's Twentieth Anniversary Special Issue Dossier on Television, which republished the journal's most popular articles: https://journals.sagepub.com/page/ecs/collections/television

PY - 2001/2/1

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N2 - This article reports on a collective project by the Midlands Television Research Group into the changing character of weekday evening programming in the 1990s on British terrestrial television between 8.00 and 9.00. Over the decade, there has been a growth in ‘factual entertainment’ and a decrease in analytic documentary, situation comedy and variety. Factual entertainment comprises hybrid genres such as ‘docu-soaps’, CCTV footage-based programmes and lifestyle and make-over programmes. Each of the four sections engages with one aspect of the scheduling in the slot. Rachel Moseley discusses the gendering of the slot, focusing on BBC’s Naked Chef, Jamie Oliver. Catherine Johnson discusses pets, vets and children in documentary programmes. Helen Wheatley looks at the treatment of ‘real crime’ in the slot and Charlotte Brunsdon discusses historical antecedents to some of the lifestyle programmes.

AB - This article reports on a collective project by the Midlands Television Research Group into the changing character of weekday evening programming in the 1990s on British terrestrial television between 8.00 and 9.00. Over the decade, there has been a growth in ‘factual entertainment’ and a decrease in analytic documentary, situation comedy and variety. Factual entertainment comprises hybrid genres such as ‘docu-soaps’, CCTV footage-based programmes and lifestyle and make-over programmes. Each of the four sections engages with one aspect of the scheduling in the slot. Rachel Moseley discusses the gendering of the slot, focusing on BBC’s Naked Chef, Jamie Oliver. Catherine Johnson discusses pets, vets and children in documentary programmes. Helen Wheatley looks at the treatment of ‘real crime’ in the slot and Charlotte Brunsdon discusses historical antecedents to some of the lifestyle programmes.

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KW - factual entertainment

KW - lifestyle

KW - ordinary

KW - public service broadcasting,

KW - Scheduling

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ER -

Factual Entertainment on British Television: The Midlands TV Research Group's '8-9 Project'

Abstract

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