Experimenting with Programmes on British Television, 1945–1975

This chapter takes an interest in the 30 years that followed the end of the Second World War to show how television producers developed flagship genres that soon became the trademark of British TV programmes, such as docudrama and dramadocs, experimenting how fiction could be used to highlight contemporary social issues. In this respect, British television can be apprehended as a mirror of British society in a period of major transformations. This contribution analyses to what extent these programmes have raised political awareness among viewers, by focusing on a selection of prominent, and sometimes controversial, programmes of the period.