Challenging the “Neutrality” of Public Service in the 1960s: The Wednesday Plays of Tony Garnett and Ken Loach
Starting from the question of the BBC’s supposed social and political neutrality, the article examines a specific moment in the history of the Corporation, the 1960s, by focusing on an innovation in television production: a series of single plays (television dramas) called The Wednesday Play. The ar...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Centre de Recherche et d'Etudes en Civilisation Britannique
2020-12-01
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| Series: | Revue Française de Civilisation Britannique |
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| Online Access: | https://journals.openedition.org/rfcb/7542 |
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| author | Susannah O’Carroll |
| author_facet | Susannah O’Carroll |
| author_sort | Susannah O’Carroll |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Starting from the question of the BBC’s supposed social and political neutrality, the article examines a specific moment in the history of the Corporation, the 1960s, by focusing on an innovation in television production: a series of single plays (television dramas) called The Wednesday Play. The article examines the institutional origins of the series in relation to a critical assessment of the BBC in the Pilkington Report of 1962 and the subsequent broadening of the social origins of recruits in anticipation of the second public-service channel, BBC2. The article goes on to consider three emblematic plays, in order to illustrate both the potentialities and the problematic issues arising from mixing fictionality and veracity. Finally, the lasting social and political significance of these plays is assessed as a unique moment in the history of the BBC. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-b1babffd55c74f0d9c0ae16f3d1ac7e9 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 0248-9015 2429-4373 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2020-12-01 |
| publisher | Centre de Recherche et d'Etudes en Civilisation Britannique |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Revue Française de Civilisation Britannique |
| spelling | doaj-art-b1babffd55c74f0d9c0ae16f3d1ac7e92025-08-20T02:37:39ZengCentre de Recherche et d'Etudes en Civilisation BritanniqueRevue Française de Civilisation Britannique0248-90152429-43732020-12-0126110.4000/rfcb.7542Challenging the “Neutrality” of Public Service in the 1960s: The Wednesday Plays of Tony Garnett and Ken LoachSusannah O’CarrollStarting from the question of the BBC’s supposed social and political neutrality, the article examines a specific moment in the history of the Corporation, the 1960s, by focusing on an innovation in television production: a series of single plays (television dramas) called The Wednesday Play. The article examines the institutional origins of the series in relation to a critical assessment of the BBC in the Pilkington Report of 1962 and the subsequent broadening of the social origins of recruits in anticipation of the second public-service channel, BBC2. The article goes on to consider three emblematic plays, in order to illustrate both the potentialities and the problematic issues arising from mixing fictionality and veracity. Finally, the lasting social and political significance of these plays is assessed as a unique moment in the history of the BBC.https://journals.openedition.org/rfcb/7542BBCThe Wednesday PlayTony GarnettKen Loachdocumentary dramaCathy Come Home |
| spellingShingle | Susannah O’Carroll Challenging the “Neutrality” of Public Service in the 1960s: The Wednesday Plays of Tony Garnett and Ken Loach Revue Française de Civilisation Britannique BBC The Wednesday Play Tony Garnett Ken Loach documentary drama Cathy Come Home |
| title | Challenging the “Neutrality” of Public Service in the 1960s: The Wednesday Plays of Tony Garnett and Ken Loach |
| title_full | Challenging the “Neutrality” of Public Service in the 1960s: The Wednesday Plays of Tony Garnett and Ken Loach |
| title_fullStr | Challenging the “Neutrality” of Public Service in the 1960s: The Wednesday Plays of Tony Garnett and Ken Loach |
| title_full_unstemmed | Challenging the “Neutrality” of Public Service in the 1960s: The Wednesday Plays of Tony Garnett and Ken Loach |
| title_short | Challenging the “Neutrality” of Public Service in the 1960s: The Wednesday Plays of Tony Garnett and Ken Loach |
| title_sort | challenging the neutrality of public service in the 1960s the wednesday plays of tony garnett and ken loach |
| topic | BBC The Wednesday Play Tony Garnett Ken Loach documentary drama Cathy Come Home |
| url | https://journals.openedition.org/rfcb/7542 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT susannahocarroll challengingtheneutralityofpublicserviceinthe1960sthewednesdayplaysoftonygarnettandkenloach |