This is the official blog of the ‘History of Forgotten Television Drama in the UK’ project undertaken within the Centre for the History of Television Culture and Production, Department of Media Arts, Royal Holloway, University of London.
This project was funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) from 2013 to 2017 and investigated why many UK television dramas have been ‘forgotten’ while others have been elevated to the status of ‘classic’ British television dramas.
In doing so, the project has sought to identify the artistic, cultural and socio-political significance of work that has been unjustifiably ‘forgotten’ or critically neglected (particularly if made in the English regions or non-English nations). In doing so, the project has aimed to broaden our sense of the history of UK television drama and raise questions about what is conventionally considered to make up the television canon.
The project has also aimed to increase the availability and understanding of neglected television dramas of the past through talks, restorations, public screenings, and a DVD series entitled ‘Forgotten Television Drama’ in association with the distributor Network.
For more information on the following see:
Although AHRC funding has now ended, the blog is continuing and we are happy for others to contribute to the blog. If you would like to write something on some aspect of forgotten TV drama for this site, please contact John Hill at john.hill@rhul.ac.uk.
The original Forgotten Television Drama team consisted of:
Principal Investigator – Professor John Hill
Co-investigator – Dr Lez Cooke
Research Officer – Dr Billy Smart
Thank you to the Department of Media Arts, School of Performing and Digital Arts and the Humanities and Arts Research Institute (HARI), Royal Holloway, University of London for support of the website and Play for Today blog.
Forgotten Television Drama 