'What's on? Rethinking class in the UK television'. CEMP:Talk with Beth Johnson & Laura Minor

Описание: What’s On? Rethinking Class in the UK Television Industry

CEMP:Talk with Professor Beth Johnson and Dr Laura Minor

This talk presents the AHRC-funded project What’s On? Rethinking Class in the UK Television Industry (2024–2026). Working in collaboration with the BBC, Channel 4 and Candour Productions, the research analyses the production, representation, and reception of two case-study drama series. In doing so, we connect questions of who produces, what is made, and how class is represented and understood.

What’s On? understands class as an aspect of identity that is intertwined with other identity characteristics, including gender, race, disability and region. By situating class within these intersecting dimensions, the project reflects current policy and industry calls to approach diversity and inclusion through an intersectional lens.

Beth Johnson and Laura Minor will discuss key insights from their research and introduce the development of a short, research-led film produced with Candour Productions, bringing together practitioner voices from across UK television drama. The talk reflects on how creative and collaborative practice can contribute to more inclusive and equitable production cultures in British television.

Key words: class • television drama • production • representation • reception

Beth Johnson is Professor of Television and Media Studies at the University of Leeds and Principal Investigator of What’s On? Rethinking Class in the UK Television Industry. Her work spans drama audiences, television policy and creative labour, and explores how who makes television shapes what appears on screen.

Laura Minor is Senior Lecturer in Television Studies at the University of Salford and Co-Investigator on What’s On?. Her work examines creative labour, authorship and social class in British television, especially in relation to gender and genre.