Film Studies Archive

Quality Television

From the British Film Resource archiveThis page is part of the site's original film-studies collection and is preserved as an archive text. Historical references and contemporary observations may reflect the period in which the study was written.

Film On Four

Quality Television

A large amount of British talent was working in television in the 1980's. Whereas the USA's TV movies were typically B-movie standard the UK, with only four channels and hence a larger potential audience than the multichannel US TV, attracted the best writers and directors to the small screen. It was estimated an audience of between three and twelve million could watch a single work of fiction in a single evening, a much greater exposure than most theatrical runs of a British film. Therefore British TV gave writers and directors a better environment in which to make a name for themselves rather than the esoteric British cinema. Writer/director Mike Leigh claimed that during the 70's and 80's in Britain 'all serious film-making was done for television'. Television, instead of poaching talent that had established itself in the film industry could be seen instead to be nurturing the talent that would go to work in film.