'Must We Wait 'Til Doomsday?': The Making And Mauling Of Churchill's People (BBC1, 1974-75)

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Bibliographische Detailangaben
Beteiligte: Williams, John
In: Historical journal of film, radio and television, 37, 2017, 1
Medientyp: Artikel, E-Artikel

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ISSN: 0143-9685
veröffentlicht in: Historical journal of film, radio and television
Sprache: Englisch
Kollektion: OLC SSG Medien- / Kommunikationswissenschaft
OLC SSG Geschichte
OLC SSG Zeitgeschichte
OLC SSG Film / Theater
Inhaltsangabe

In 1974, the lofty ambition of a BBC drama producer to manufacture a 'prestige' international hit along the lines of Elizabeth R (BBC2, 1971) came unstuck. In this case study, the authors consider the plight of Churchill's People (BBC1, 1974-75) during a time of economic strife in the UK and industrial unrest at the BBC, and ask how a series which combined so many skilled writers, directors and actors could result in such a poorly received end product. Churchill's People is also placed in a wider context to assess its 'neglected' status, the authors drawing parallels with other historical drama of the era. The series' qualification for being 'forgotten' is considered in relation to its struggle in the ratings against strong competition, the 'blacking out' by unions of production at the BBC for eight weeks and the subsequent pressures on transmission times, prompting the authors' consideration of a more qualified definition of 'lost' drama, i.e. the drama projects which were remounted, reduced or abandoned altogether during 1974.