Introduction: Neo-Edwardian Television, and “Heritage” Today

Abstract

This book will explore one of the most popular and influential trends in contemporary television: the representation on screen of the early years of the twentieth century, leading up to and including the First World War. From mainstream period soap operas like Downton Abbey, to more “academic,” critically acclaimed productions like Tom Stoppard’s recent BBC adaptation of Parade’s End, the small screen has revealed an ongoing preoccupation with the period over the last 15 years. If we can judge the established nature of a genre by the existence of its satire, then the BBC suffragette comedy Up The Women (2013–), currently on its second series, is one indicator of how recognisable the Edwardian period has become¹. This monograph sets out, then, to examine why the Edwardians should have become so popular with today’s television audiences — who have of course been avid consumers of all period drama, but seem to have a particular fascination with this era — and what kind of resonance the first years of the twentieth century have for the first years of our own. It will also explore what these programmes can tell us about the state of what I term in this book as “post-post heritage” drama today, and what they reveal about contemporary attitudes toward class and gender, and the ways our television reflects and constructs both.