Televising history: 1995- 2010

Since the 1990s non-fiction history programming has flourished on British and other national television. This interdisciplinary project asks how do we get the kinds of television histories we do, and why. Starting with the relationship between the academy and media professionals, through commissioning and programme making, the study will explore the often competing professional discourses about how to 'do' history. Key sub-genres will be identified and analysis will examine how historical meanings are achieved. A small scale user study will be conducted in an educational context to explore the kinds of knowledge produced about the past.