This book analyses the representation of North-East England in film and television. It is a response to the way a number of important British films and programmes-for example, Get Carter (1971), Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads (1973-74), Our Friends in the North (1996) and Billy Elliot (2000)-have used this particular setting to explore questions of class, identity and history. It argues for the significance and coherence of a North-East corpus of film and television through a series of case studies relating to specific eras or types of representation. These include regional writers working for television in the 1970s, the achievements of the workshop movement in the 1980s and works produced within the genres of documentary, crime drama, comedy, period drama and reality television. The book discusses how the communities and landscapes of the region have been used to explore processes of cultural change, and legacies of de-industrialisation.
"James Leggott's timely book reminds us of the rich seam of film and television set in the North East of England, whilst also pointing to the unfair way it has often been overlooked by scholars. In lucid, accessible prose he unpicks the myths and stereotypes that have sometimes characterised these depictions and steers us towards the richer, complex stories that have been produced by those who know the region first-hand. This is a meticulously researched volume that balances breadth of coverage with detailed analysis of key case studies, providing telling insights throughout."--
Professor Robert Shail, Leeds Beckett University
This book analyses the representation of North-East England in film and television. It is a response to the way a number of important British films and programmes-for example, Get Carter (1971), Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads (1973-74), Our Friends in the North (1996) and Billy Elliot (2000)-have used this particular setting to explore questions of class, identity and history. It argues for the significance and coherence of a North-East corpus of film and television through a series of case studies relating to specific eras or types of representation. These include regional writers working for television in the 1970s, the achievements of the workshop movement in the 1980s and works produced within the genres of documentary, crime drama, comedy, period drama and reality television. The book discusses how the communities and landscapes of the region have been used to explore processes of cultural change, and legacies of de-industrialisation.
James Leggott is Associate Professor in Film and Television Studies at Northumbria University, UK. He is the author of books on contemporary British cinema, and the films of the Amber Collective. He has published on various aspects of British film and television including period drama, comedy and documentary.
