Big Brother

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-vii

   PDF

2. Introduction

   • Jonathan Bignell

   Pages 1-7

3. Genesis

   • Jonathan Bignell

   Pages 8-32

4. The World is Watching

   • Jonathan Bignell

   Pages 33-59

5. Reality TV

   • Jonathan Bignell

   Pages 60-87

6. Drama

   • Jonathan Bignell

   Pages 88-116

7. Surveillance

   • Jonathan Bignell

   Pages 117-143

8. Big Brother Culture

   • Jonathan Bignell

   Pages 144-170

9. Conclusion

   • Jonathan Bignell

   Pages 171-177

10. Back Matter

    Pages 178-189

    PDF

Jonathan Bignell presents a wide-ranging analysis of the television phenomenon of the early twenty-first century: Reality TV, exploring its cultural and political meanings, explaining the genesis of the form and its relationship to contemporary television production, and considering how it connects with, and breaks away from, factual and fictional conventions in television. Relationships with surveillance, celebrity and media culture are examined, leading to an appraisal of the directions that television culture is taking in the new century. His highly-readable style is accessible to readers at all levels of Culture and Media studies.

• media
• media culture
• media studies
• television
• media research

'Jonathan Bignell challenges traditional notions of the transnational flow of program material as he discusses reality television and deftly shows the links between reality television and the other television forms to which it is related as well as the genesis of the format in the new, multi-channel television environment. This book is a welcome addition to the study of reality television that will be accessible to undergraduate and graduate students in media studies and cultural criticism alike.' - Ronald J. Compesi, Professor, Broadcast and Electronic Communication Arts Department, San Francisco State University, USA

Jonathan Bignell is Professor of Television and Film at the University of Reading, UK. He works on the history and analysis of television, especially television drama in the UK and USA, using archival sources and the detailed analysis of programmes. Recent publications include An Introduction to Television Studies (3rd editon, 2012), Beckett on Screen: The Television Plays (2009) and A European Television History (co-edited with A. Fickers, 2008)

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