Paranoid visions explores the history of the spy and conspiracy genres on British television, from 1960s Cold War series through 1980s conspiracy dramas to contemporary ‘war on terror’ thrillers. It analyses classic dramas including
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy,
Edge of Darkness,
A Very British Coup and
Spooks. This book will be an invaluable resource for television scholars interested in a new perspective on the history of television drama and intelligence scholars seeking an analysis of the popular representation of espionage with a strong political focus, as well as fans of cult British television and general readers interested in British cultural history.
Table of Content
Introduction
1 ‘A balance of terror’: Callan (ITV, 1967–72) as an existential thriller for television
2 ‘A professional’s contest’: procedure and bureaucracy in Special Branch (ITV, 1969–74) and The Sandbaggers (ITV, 1978–80)
3 ‘Who killed Great Britain?’: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (BBC 2, 1979) as a modern classic serial
4 Conspiracy as a crisis of procedure in Bird of Prey (BBC 1, 1982) and Edge of Darkness (BBC 2, 1985)
5 Death of a master narrative: the battle for consensus in A Very British Coup (Channel 4, 1988)
6 The precinct is political: espionage as a public service in Spooks (BBC 1, 2002–11)
Conclusion
Index
About the author
Joseph Oldham is Associate Fellow in Film and Television Studies at the University of Warwick
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