Adapting Television Drama: Theory & Industry

This book explores adaptation in its various forms in contemporary television drama. It considers the mechanics of adaptation as an ever-more prevalent form of production, most notably in the reworking of literary sources for television. It also explores the broader process through which the television industry as a whole is currently making necessary adaptations in how it tells stories, especially in relation to important concerns of equality, diversity and inclusion. Offering and analysing 16 original interviews with leading British television producers, writers, directors, production designers, casting directors and actors, and with a particular focus on female and/or minority-ethnic industry perspectives, the book examines some of the key professional and creative approaches behind television adaptations today. The book connects these industry insights to the existing conceptual and critical frameworks of television studies and adaptation studies, illuminating the unique characteristics of television adaptation as a material mode of production, and revealing television itself as an inherently adaptive artform. Review: “A fascinating book which invites us into the creative world of those responsible for some of the best-known drama on screen. While British television travels worldwide, Hogg demonstrates, through lively and revealing interviews, the complex, local conditions in which it is made. Written in an engaging style and with chapters on producing, writing, designing and directing, acting and casting, this book embraces the very concept of adaptation and gives valuable insights into its workings.” (Christine Geraghty, Honorary Professorial Fellow, University of Glasgow