Heartbeat

Currently in its 24th season, this police drama set in the 1960's has been on the air since 10th April 1992. It is set in the fictional village of Aidenfield in Yorkshire and filmed in Goathland, Yorkshire.

Unlike many cop shows on television today, Heartbeat gives a more relaxed view of the police. The police officers in this show are presented as very friendly, upholders of the law. It is aired at 19:05 on a Sunday night on ITV and then again at 17:55 as a repeat on Wednesday nightand is clearly meant to be a reassuring view on the police.

TV drama in the spotlight

“You only have to look at any prime time television schedule and there’s either a cop drama on or crime-related story in a soap opera. I think part of the attraction is heroism and people coping with highly charged situations, often under intense pressure.”

Professor Frank Leishman

http://resources.glos.ac.uk/news/tvdramaspotlight.cfm

23rd April 2008

My Question and Primary Research

I have decided on "How are the police portrayed in current crime fiction?". I want to do this because we as a culture are clearly fascinated with crime narratives, and therefore analysis of them must be able to tell us something about our attitudes to crime and to the law, and our anxieties about the sort of society we live in. I think looking at the different portrayals of police will help me get at these issues.

Primary research
1. Schedules/film listings - to what extent are police narratives consumed
2. Analysis of range of current reps - The Bill, Heartbeat, New Tricks etc.
3. Surveys and interviews about attitudes to the police.
4. Screenings and discussions about various reps on offer.

Fiver - Obsessed with Crime

Channel 5

4th May 09

Five USA

18:00 The Guardian
19:00 Numbers
20:00 CSI: Miami
21:00 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
22:00 The Mentalist
23:00 The Shield
00:00 CSI: Miami

Five USA shows 7 hours of Crime drama consecutively