Defending the WAC: All the things I haven’t (yet) written by Helen Wheatley

People following the last few weeks of the Critical Studies in Television blog will have seen my brilliant colleagues discussing the essential work that they have been able to do thanks to the…

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TV With an International Difference by Kim Akass

Those of you that have been reading CSTonline for a while will know that I have been in the USA for the past 6 years. I was employed (as an American TV scholar) to write a Master’s Programme in TV…

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MARION REIMERS, TV SPORTS STAR REPORTER by Toby Miller

Around the world, sports journalism is dominated by men. In 2018, Sky Sports in Britain recognized that: ‘At recent press conferences for the leading football clubs in the Premier League…

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DEFENDING THE WAC: Exploring Indian Cinema broadcast on British Analogue Television at the BBC Written Archives Centre by Dipali Das

In August 2022, I secured a slot at the BBC Written Archives Centre (WAC) in Caversham to look at the archives for Nai Zindagi Naya Jeevan (BBC1, 1968-1982). This was a groundbreaking programme…

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JUST (SOME OF) THE FACTS, PLEASE: IN SUPPORT OF ACCURACY IN TELEVISION by JZ Ferguson

Imagine, if you will, the following scene playing out on a television screen: A trial is underway in a courtroom. The defendant is being cross-examined by a sharp-dressed lawyer…

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‘Don’t Scratch My Soca’: Desmond’s and Music by Melissa Beattie

In a book chapter I recently had published (Beattie 2025) I discuss how seminal British sitcom Desmond’s (1989-1994, Channel 4) illustrates how barbershops function as both community anchors and as…

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Sexual Violence in Rivals: Updating the Bonkbuster for a post-#MeToo Television Audience: PART ONE by Julie Anne Taddeo

Warning: This article is divided into two parts but both have detailed descriptions of sexual violence in the book and TV series, Rivals. In episode one of the 2024 television period drama Rivals…

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JESSE WATTERS AND THE NEVER-ENDING CRISIS OF MASCULINITY by Andrew J. Salvati

This past March, Fox News personality Jesse Watters, who first came to fame as the pundit Bill O’Reilly’s ambush interview man, earned considerable mockery when he introduced his “rules for men” on…

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CfP: Edited Collection “State of the Nation Film and TV in Britain: Representations of the Social, Political, and Cultural Landscape”. Deadline: Aug 29, 2025

How might we illustrate, explore, and begin to define the ‘state of the nation’ film and television text? This edited collection, in collaboration with Intellect, invites consideration of these…

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CfP book chapter “Thinking about the Invincible Transmedia Franchise: Critical Essays”. Deadline: Aug 1, 2025

After Invincible’s fifteen-year run as a comics series (Image Comics/Skybound, 2003-18), creator Robert Kirkman and TV writer Simon Racioppa pitched an adaptation to Amazon Prime Video.

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CfP: Participations special issue on SVODs, audiences and democracy in Europe. Deadline: Sept 30, 2025.

The European audiovisual landscape is complex, with a huge variety of content providers and a traditionally strong public service. While only about 10% of all European providers feature public…

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Virgin Island: A Disconnected Spectacle by Poppy Irwin

“It’s like putting two insects together in a jar and seeing what happens…” (Hill, 2014: 3). When we are asked to define reality television this is often the analogy that comes to mind…

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SPORTING RIGHTS—OR WRONGS? by TOBY MILLER

Edward G Robinson’s gangster Johnny Rocco in Key Largo (John Huston, 1948) seems uncertain when asked by Humphrey Bogart and Lionel Barrymore’s sequestered characters what he wants.

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SIX MYTHS THAT UNDERMINE THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HIGHER EDUCATION AND THE UK SCREEN INDUSTRIES: A PROVOCATION BY RICHARD WALLIS AND CHRISTA VAN RAALTE

Richard Wallis and Christa van Raalte argue for greater honesty and pragmatism in addressing the talent pipeline.

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Governance in Crisis: Governance Podcast Part 2 by David Levente Palatinus and Elke Weissmann

In this second podcast, David and Elke are looking at Governance in Crisis – as governance that is troubled but also governance in a period of crisis. We examine the issue of crisis itself and what…

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THE INTIMACY REVOLUTION: HEARTSTOPPER AND ITS IMPACT ON QUEER STORYTELLING BY ENES AKDAĞ

Disclaimer: This blog post is derived from the research presented at the 9th International Visual Methods Conference, at Istanbul, Turkey. Despite notable increases in LGBTQ+ representation across…

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Good Night, and Good Luck (CNN, 7 June, 2025) by Kim Akass

I first started writing this blog some weeks ago after I was lucky enough to be invited along to a review performance of the Broadway stage play, Good Night, and Good Luck. Thanks to my friendship…

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DOES VIEWING ORDER MATTER? RANDALL AND HOPKIRK (REASSESSED) BY JZ FERGUSON

Should a series be watched in production, broadcast, or some other order? Most viewers will never consider this question, only turning their minds to the order in which episodes are aired or queued up…

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‘THE JEDI SAY I CAN’T EXIST’: COLONISATION, CRITIQUE AND THE ACOLYTE by Melissa Beattie

The Star Wars franchise is perhaps best known for its rather Manichean outlook on good and evil as expressed through the ‘Dark (evil) Side’ and ‘Light (good) Side’ of the Force (similar to 气, qi…

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CfP: Symposium “What’s class got to do with it? Rethinking TV from the inside out”. Sept 19, 2025 @ The University of Leeds (UK). Deadline: July 4, 2025.

The AHRC What’s On? Project Team: Beth Johnson, Dave O’Brien, Laura Minor, Anna Viola Sborgi What’s Class Got to Do With It? Rethinking TV from the Inside Out School of Media and Communication…

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CfP: Transnational Perspectives on Anime: A Symposium. July 4, 2025 @ Lancaster University (UK). Deadline: May 28, 2025

Call for Papers – Transnational Perspectives on Anime: A Symposium, in collaboration with Japan Foundation London Location: Lancaster University Date: July 4th 2025 Anime studies has become a…

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‘SOCIALLY CONSTITUTED BODIES’: QUESTIONS OF SELFHOOD AND PAIN IN APPLE TV’S SEVERANCE BY NOAH GRAY

Watching the recent Severance season 2 finale “Cold Harbour,” I became increasingly intrigued with the show’s explorations of selfhood and autonomy, whereby the ‘innies’ are disposable tools – they…

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CFP: Digiscreens conference 23 and 24 October 2025

The CHANSE ERA-NET project DIGISCREENS: “Identities and democratic values on European digital screens: Distribution, reception, and representation” is coming to an end in December 2025…

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Slowing down time with the video essay by James Walker

I’m passionate about the written word but conversely, I’ve turned to digital media to encourage people to read. This has included a series of online comics celebrating Nottingham’s literary history…

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LIVE CHATS WITH DEAD STARS: MEETING WITH ‘MAUREEN O’SULLIVAN’ by Ruth Barton

I write biographies. So far, I’ve written two, one on Hedy Lamarr, and another on the silent era Irish director, Rex Ingram. I have other entries on my CV too, more usually conventional academic…

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