Screen Plays

The collection makes a compelling case for the centrality of the theatre to the past and present of British television drama.

Screen plays is a ground-breaking collection that chronicles the rich and surprising history of stage plays produced for the small screen between 1930 and the present. The volume opens with a substantial historical outline of how plays originally written for the theatre have been presented by the BBC and ITV, as well as independent producers and cultural organisations. Subsequent chapters utilise a variety of critical methodologies to analyse a wide range of outside broadcasts from theatres, screen adaptations of existing stage productions, along with original television productions of classic and contemporary drama. Making a compelling case for the centrality of the theatre to British television’s past and present, Screen plays opens up new areas of research for all those engaged in theatre, media and adaptation studies.

Author Biography

Amanda Wrigley has held research posts on several AHRC-funded projects, including ‘Screen Plays: Theatre Plays on British Television’ (University of Westminster) and ‘Harold Pinter: Histories and Legacies’ (University of Reading).

John Wyver is Professor of the Arts on Screen at the University of Westminster. He is also Director, Screen Productions at the Royal Shakespeare Company and a writer and producer with the independent media company Illuminations.