Sensing the City Through Television »

How do fictional representations of the city contribute to our sense of identity?  Does this feed back into how we see cities and their cultures?

This in-depth analysis with five case studies provides the basis for a critique on the political, sociological and cultural implications of this strand of popular programming.  The book features:

Queer as Folk

The Cops

Holding On

Homicide-Life on the Street

Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City

Each programme is discussed in terms of structure, content, characterisation, and narrative, and each is placed within a specific ideological context.  The case studies represent a broad range of British and American cities and city sub-cultures, while the book draws on the author's exclusive interviews with Tony Garnett, Tony Marchant, and David Snodin.

The author further extends his analysis to investigate the intrinsic issues related to the implications of popular and high drama and culture.

As one of the first substantial investigations of the city in television drama, this book reflects and contributes to a growing general interest in the politics of representation.  This is suitable for accommodation into the popular academic courses on drama and film/media studies both as a textbook and for supplementary reading.

Sensing the City - Navigating a Journey

An Introduction

1     Policing the Imagination

       Tony Garnett's 'The Cops'

2     The City as a Site of Redemptive Struggle

       Tony Marchant's 'Holding On'

3     The Fabled City

       The San Francisco of Armistead Maupin's 'Tales of the City'

4     A Manchester Heterotopia?

       'Queer as Folk'

5     'Homicide - Life on the Street'

Sensing the City - Centres and Margins

A Conclusion.