Review
'Jonathan Bignell challenges traditional notions of the transnational flow of program material as he discusses reality television and deftly shows the links between reality television and the other television forms to which it is related as well as the genesis of the format in the new, multi-channel television environment. This book is a welcome addition to the study of reality television that will be accessible to undergraduate and graduate students in media studies and cultural criticism alike.' - Ronald J. Compesi, Professor, Broadcast and Electronic Communication Arts Department, San Francisco State University, USA
Product Description
Jonathan Bignell presents a wide-ranging analysis of the television phenomenon of the early twenty-first century: Reality TV. He explores the cultural and political meanings of Reality TV, explains the genesis of the form and its relationship to contemporary television production, and considers how it connects with, and breaks away from, factual and fictional conventions in television. He discusses whether Reality TV should be considered a new television genre, and also considers its links with wider media culture around the world. Relationships with surveillance, celebrity and media culture are explored, leading to an appraisal of the directions that television culture is taking in the new century.