‘Ashes to Ashes’ is a BBC produced drama series and a spin-off series of ‘Life on Mars’. The last episode of season one has been aired a few weeks ago. Some people may claim ‘Ashes to Ashes’ is a science fiction series others may say it is a police drama series.
This essay will examine if it is maybe a hybrid of several television genres. Therefore it will explain first how a genre is defined and will take Steve Neil’s and Graeme Turner’s point of view into account. Steve Neil is a professor for Film Studies at Exeter University and author of several books about genre. Graeme Turner is Professor of Cultural Studies and Director of the Centre for Critical and Cultural Studies at the University of Queensland, Australia.
Following this discussion this essay will concentrate on ‘Ashes to Ashes’ and whether it confirms the genre of police series and science-fiction series. In order to confirm this, the essay will compare both genres and show the similarities and differences. In addition, it will argue that ‘Ashes to Ashes’ is not only a genre hybrid, further, it is a hybrid between series and serial.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Genres and their hybridization
3. Television Police Series
4. Television Science Fiction Series
5. The world according to Gene Hunt, chapter one, verse two
6. Conclusion
Objectives and Topics
This essay examines whether the BBC television series 'Ashes to Ashes' represents a hybrid of multiple television genres. The central research question explores how the series integrates elements of the police drama and science fiction genres, while simultaneously functioning as a narrative hybrid between a series and a serial.
- Theoretical definitions of television genre and hybridization
- Historical development of the television police series
- Characteristics and evolution of the science fiction genre
- Narrative structure analysis of 'Ashes to Ashes'
- The role of gender and character archetypes in crime dramas
Extract from the Book
Television Police Series
Television police series derives like many other television series from the film, theatre and literature. With beginning of the 1820s and Edgar Ellen Poe’s novels, modern crime fiction was born. The stories played in cities and were quite complex which made it characteristic for this time. The stories by Edgar Wallace and Agatha Christie, to name only a few, established the genre in the twentieth century and portrayed a more middle class crime in Britain.
The first television police series was produced by the BBC. ‘Fabian of Scotland Yard’ was based on real life cases of DCS Robert Fabian. Although the show ran only for two years (1954-1956), television broadcasters realized the interest of the public in police series. ITV produced several police series over the next years such as ‘Murder Bag’ (1957-1959), ‘Crime Sheet’ (1959) and ‘No Hiding Place’ (1959-1967) though the most successful and longest-running show, so far, was ‘Dixon of Dock Green’. The series was produced by the BBC and run from 1955-1976. It was a ground-breaking series which pictured, in a realistic way to that time, the every day life of police officers. The main character, George Dixon, was played by Jack Warner. Creator Ted Willis reincarnated the character Dixon from the movie ‘The Blue Lamp’ (1950). Dixon was pictured as a good and loyal police officer from the neighborhood. More detailed, he was “trustworthy, brave, hard-working, punctual, reliable, knowledgeable and helpful”.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: This chapter outlines the scope of the essay, introducing 'Ashes to Ashes' as a potential genre hybrid and setting out the theoretical approach based on the work of Steve Neale and Graeme Turner.
2. Genres and their hybridization: This section discusses the definitions of genre, arguing that television programs are inherently hybridized and exploring the distinction between series and serial formats.
3. Television Police Series: This chapter traces the historical roots of the police genre in Britain, from early literary influences to iconic BBC series like 'Dixon of Dock Green'.
4. Television Science Fiction Series: This part explores the origins and thematic evolution of science fiction on television, highlighting how the genre addresses social and political issues through speculative storytelling.
5. The world according to Gene Hunt, chapter one, verse two: This chapter applies the previously established theories to the specific case of 'Ashes to Ashes', analyzing its narrative structure, characters, and genre-blending elements.
6. Conclusion: This final section synthesizes the findings, confirming that 'Ashes to Ashes' is a successful program hybrid that combines police drama with science fiction and serial narrative elements.
Keywords
Ashes to Ashes, Genre Hybridity, Television Series, Serial, Police Drama, Science Fiction, BBC, Narrative Structure, Gene Hunt, Alex Drake, Media Studies, Cultural Studies, Television Production, Genre Development, TV History.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the fundamental focus of this essay?
The essay explores the genre classification of the BBC drama 'Ashes to Ashes', investigating whether it functions as a hybrid of multiple television genres and narrative styles.
What are the primary thematic fields covered in the work?
The paper covers the theoretical definition of genre, the evolution of the police drama, the historical context of science fiction on television, and the specific narrative structure of the show 'Ashes to Ashes'.
What is the central research question?
The primary research question asks whether 'Ashes to Ashes' qualifies as a genre hybrid and if it successfully bridges the narrative gap between a traditional series and a serial format.
Which scientific methods are applied in the analysis?
The author employs a qualitative media analysis, utilizing genre theory, historical context, and narrative structure analysis, supported by key theorists like Steve Neale and Graeme Turner.
What content is discussed in the main body?
The main body examines the historical development of police and sci-fi series on British television and applies these findings to the character dynamics and plot structure of 'Ashes to Ashes'.
Which keywords characterize the work?
Key terms include genre hybridity, police drama, science fiction, narrative structure, episodic versus serial, and the evolution of television drama formats.
How does the author define the relationship between the series and the serial?
The author describes a narrative hybrid where the series maintains an episodic structure for individual crimes, while utilizing a serial-like, ongoing storyline regarding the protagonist's displacement in time.
What role does 'Gene Hunt' play in the author's argument?
Gene Hunt is used as an archetype to illustrate the "politically incorrect" police detective, representing a shift from earlier, more bureaucratic portrayals of law enforcement in British television.
- Citar trabajo
- Andrea Struzyna (Autor), 2008, A new genre hybrid? The BBC Television Show "Ashes to Ashes" between serial and series, Múnich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/119264
