Teaching TV Drama
by Jeremy Points
Television drama plays a central role in television schedules and an almost unprecedented range of TV drama is now being broadcast on terrestrial, cable and satellite channels. TV dramas entertain us but also play an important role in shaping the way we perceive the world. This guide suggests different approaches to teaching the topic by referring to contemporary television drama in both Britain and America. It shows how you can explore television drama through the key media concepts of genre, narrative and representation while also uncovering the way institutions and audiences shape television drama.
Contents include:
- Introduction: Assessment context; What is TV drama and why study it; Schemes of work
- Background: Media issues; Timeline; TV drama conventions; Genres and subgenres
- Case studies: Crime drama; Bleak House; Spooks; Doctor Who; Shameless
About the Author
Jeremy Points is the Subject Officer for Film and Media Studies at the WJEC. He was formerly a Head of Media, Film and Communications at a sixth form college in Brighton, having taught and examined in the media and communications area since the later 1980s. He has written a study guide on American Beauty and articles on media and film, as well as training teachers.
Ordering Information
Cat.No. BR159 £24.95
Buy online from the BFI Filmstore or phone Palgrave Macmillan Orders on 01256 302866.
Download resources
This guide is supported by student worksheets and additional notes, please view a free sample worksheet (PDF).
To download the student handouts for Teaching TV Drama please login using the username and password issued when you purchased a copy of the teaching guide. This section also includes case studies and further activities for students.
Documents on this page are available in Adobe PDF, which requires Adobe's free reader.
If you are having trouble viewing PDFs, please consult our help page.
