Paranoid Visions by Joseph Oldham

Paranoid Visions by Joseph Oldham

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.

‘Jo Oldham’s very readable book explores two of the most popular, but relatively neglected, forms of television drama: the spy drama and the conspiracy thrillerGenerically related but epistemologically distinct, the changing nature of the two forms and the waxing and waning of their appearance on British television screens has much to do with the historical context of their production, as Oldham illustrates very well in a diachronic study […] Such changes may not bode well for the radical potential of spy and conspiracy drama to stir things up in the future but it is to Oldham’s credit that his well-researched and persuasively argued book makes us want to revisit some of the key "paranoid narratives" of the last 50 years’.
Lez Cooke, Royal Holloway, University of London, Critical Studies in Television, Vol. 13, No. 4 (December 2018)

'Paranoid visions is a welcome addition to studies of television genres and to emerging work on the spy genre on British screens. It is well-written, thoughtful and engaging, and should be read by students of quality British television drama as well as those drawn to narratives of intrigue, conspiracy and national security.'
Alan Burton, Journal of British Cinema and Television, Vol. 16, No. 1 (2019)

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Joseph Oldham is Associate Fellow in Film and Television Studies at the University of Warwick

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781526152534
ISBN 10	1526152533
Title	Paranoid Visions
Author	Joseph Oldham
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Manchester University Press
Year published	2020-12-01
Number of pages	232
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.