TV Drama Texts for Analysis

Heartbeat

This show is set in the 1960s and revolves around the work of a group of Police Officers in the fictional town of Ashfordly in the North Riding of Yorkshire, their "patch" also includes the village of Aidensfield, a fictionalised version of the real-life village of Goathland in the North York Moors. The show at the opening primarily focussed on a single policeman who had moved to the area with his wife, as the programme continued the show became an Ensemble Drama.

Although Heartbeat was often criticised for seeing the 1960s through 'rose-tinted spectacles', in reality it has tended to avoid the usual "swinging" clichés. It was said that if there was a cultural revolution going on, then it wasn't going on in Aidensfield and Ashfordly (Not a true representation of what was happening around most of the country at the time).

Textual Analysis

The fairly rural setting of a small town and village in North Yorkshire would immediately tell most people that it would be close knit community group being part of the police in such a small place. As with the picture everyone knows their neighbour and each other in small towns in villages as can be seen with the civilian looking people being upset with the policeman on the floor being injured.

The uniforms that the policeman wear are clearly similar to that of a show such as Dixon of Dock Green, this is based in the sixties so it would fit the same simple uniform style. One slight difference in the clothing here is that one of the officers can be seen in more of a jacket therefore it could mean that he is one of the known bike 'bobbys'. The environment around the situation that is occurring here shows a farming area with the barn in the background and the old stone house to the right in the still.

Another thing to notice with the close community is that the way the people are comforting each other, not just stood looking over the injured person, women hugging, the policeman with the hand on the shoulder of the civilian man and the policeman who is embracing most probably a very close friend of his. 

What can be seen from this image is that from the expression the policeman has is that he seems proud to do what he does and he loves his motorbike which is a key for being motorbike policeman. The jacket that goes over the uniform shows the slight differences that come with his role due to being dressed differently. With the background you know the community he works is a small one in the rural hills because of the sheer amount of clear land and little architecture being in place, plus the police department size would be considerably smaller compared to somewhere like the metropolitan police.

TV Drama Texts for Analysis

The Bill

 The show focused on the lives and work of one shift of police officers, rather than on any certain aspects of police work.When The Bill started, the majority of Police  were opposed to the programme, claiming that it portrayed the police as a racist organisation, feelings towards the programme became mellowed as it carried on being aired. It was decided that the editorial relationship between the police and the show was sufficient so that there were no difficulties with filming or unhappy Police officers.

 As part of a new serial format, much more of the characters' personal lives were explored. The change to this new format also allowed The Bill to become more reflective of modern policing with the introduction of officers from ethnic minorities, the new Superintendent, Adam Okaro was also a key minority character now introduced to show the diversity of the police. It also allowed coverage of the relationship of homosexuals within the show.

Textual Analysis

The still to the right is an action shot of various members of this met police department going to some form of emergency. The rank of police varies within this picture with the women at the back and the man on the far left being possibly some form of detective or non-uniform police officers. These two with the two uniformed officers show the cohesiveness between the department and how these people come together as a strong team to help the populous as real police would do in times of emergency. Another thing to notice with this being a more recent image from the TV series is the diversity of people even within this small group, the police have always been accused of sexism and racism whereas in the image there is a women and a black man. The equipment the people are carrying also show the form of emergency they are going to, the small ram and other equipment in the black rucksacks show that officers are equipped at all times to deal with any manner of situation. The many police vans in the background also show the amount and possibly how quick the police can react to a reported situation. With these officers also running towards the camera it seems to show them as some form of heroes with them running from the direction of the sun to reveal themselves to those in need of help.

This image represents the other half to the lives of the police men and women that are in the service. The image contains a group of off duty officers in smart suits who have gone out to have as can be seen a drink. The dark environment with the leather chairs and dark tables shows the pub environment that they are socialising in and showing that they are not just police officers every day of the week 24/7 they have lives and are normal people to which the show, The Bill really looks into. 

TV Drama Texts for Analysis

Dixon of Dock Green - 1955-1976

Dixon of Dock Green was a benchmark to measure "realism" of police series such as Z-Cars and The Bill that came later on. The series was set in a police station in the East End of London and focused on uniformed police  doing routine tasks and dealing with low-level crime. Unlike later police series, Dixon of Dock Green focused less on crime and policing and more on family-like nature of life in the station with Dixon being a warm, paternal person, this was the central focus where crime was little more than petty.

The 60's and 70's brought more realistic police series,Dixon of Dock Green became increasingly unrealistic, a rosy view of the police that grew out of touch with the times. Yet stories were supposedly based on fact, and Dixon was an accurate reflection of what goes on in an ordinary police station.

Textual Analysis

Firstly what can be noticed with the group of people, including Dixon and other officers is that they are all smiling and look like they are enjoying themselves. What that can show is the togetherness of the community and the officers at the time, another connotation also seeming to be that if they are here being jolly with civilian looking people there isn't much dangerous crime around. 

From what the two officers are wearing in the still, is the 'old-fashioned' traditional 'Bobby' uniform which back at that time was designed similarly to a military uniform but with a black colouration. Similar to army uniform is the stripes representing the rank of the officer. The civilian man represents his role as well as the women of the time with being in a suit and the women being in a dress.

Something important to observe is the female police officer because as known throughout the nineteenth century there was much discrimination against women in the workplace, but with the women officer being involved, dressing the same and also looking happy it shows that there is no divide in the workplace and women are just as equal as men.

Again with this image you see Dixon dressed as the typical representation of a 'Bobby' police officer with an innocent young child and a dog.

What seems very significant to this image is that with Dixon down on one knee and petting the young girl's dog it reveals the care for the community the officer has and that he likes to make sure that everyone is safe and well. It gives the view that the police are in with the community and doing there best to make sure it stays a happy and safe place.

Theorists

Sara Mills - Works at Sheffield Hallam University, makes studies primarily into politeness and impoliteness. She also makes studies into gender and many feminist activities. Mills has done works such as the article in Media Magazine 2007 in which she uses her understanding of these elements of society to give useful representations from society of the British Police force.

"Uniform and flashing lights on cars symbolise... the element of 'good' in the 'good vs. evil' binary opposition."

David Buckingham - Is a leading international researcher in Media Studies and people's reactions and interactions with modern media, he also leads well funded projects into various aspects of research into the media areas. Therefore he makes contributions to various Media discussions including the examination projects of 'Collective Media Identity'.

Steph Hendry - Makes frequent contributions to the Media Magazine, has a Media Studies background consisting of fifteen years of teaching the subject and running a sixth form college.

Alternate Police Statements- Theorists

"Uniform and flashing lights on cars symbolise... the element of 'good' in the 'good vs. evil' binary opposition." - Sara Mills

"Policing takes place in a highly mediated environment and policing itself is an inherently newsworthy activity." - Frank Leishman

"Police drama is the eternal struggle between good and evil."
"The television image of the police is still dominated by the traditional male sleuth in a suit." - Sean Delaney

"Young people spoke of incessant stop-and-search accompanied by rudeness, arrogance and racism." from the police - Malcolm James

"The role involves many different elements that the media does not report unless there is some element of excitement to gain the public's attention." - Dantzker

"depiction is impressed an society and is usually aimed toward the crime-fighting element of policing."
"The media is in constant competition with other media sources. In competing for audience, they often choose stories about law enforcement that are exciting." - BJC(University student)

Police Research - Media Magazine (Sept 2007)

• They are an unmarginalised group, powerful, not a minority group in society.
• Sum up of their reprersentation nowadays: 'Gradual erosion of respect and authority'. Most traditional representations tend to move in an opposite direction.

• 'Crime over time':

Dixon of Dock Green: 1955-1976- 'Golden age of policing', image of the enduring good police officer.
Juliet Bravo: 1980-1985- A look at the feminist movements in the 1970's.
Gentle Touch: 1980-1984- Looks at the similar issues to that of Juliet Bravo.
Heartbeat: 1984-2010- A nostalgic look at simpler time, 1960's (aimed at an older audience)
The Bill: 1984- 2010- Definitive British representation of the police.

These are the options for me to look at for the section of Police TV Drama for the exam, my second section being the looking into the Police out of the major Newspaper companies.

• Iconography: Uniforms and flashing lights on cars symbolise the element of 'good' in the 'good vs. evil' binary opposition. The assumption that a police officer necessarily represents good vs. evil is the defining thing of representation.
• Early TV years: Dixon of Dock Green represented the 'golden years' of policing. Crime was totally preventable by a good Bobby at the time. Dixon contributed to the original stereotype, white man, not bright but reliable, honest & morally sound. Stereotype served for the 50's and 60's. Crime was on the rise and urban areas were changing. Police still did much good such as controlling mods & rockers and even battling ethnic groups at the Notting Hill Carnival riots. The Media was also changing rapidly.
• The 70's Power and Gender: Juliet Bravo & The Gentle Touch show women in positions of power. They are a result os a second wave of feminism in the 70's, results of Equal Pay act, Sex discrimination act of 1975 allowed women to rise higher in chosen professions. Juliet Bravo dealt with how a women with power dealt with 'Old-Fashioned' men.
• Police Under Threat: By the time The Bill started in 1984, lawlessness was at an epidemic that police couldn't solve every crime. Crime was firmly in society. The 'Good vs. Evil' had gone and that crime could be cured, had gone. A great change in view came with the Miners Strikes of 1984. The polic were in conflict with 'normal' people. The strikes showed the police were fighting 'us' which made them get seen as a 'political army'. The police were the aggresors.
• The 90's & Beyond Race and Reputation: The Stephen Lawrence case of 1993, the police reputation fell to an all time low. Macpherson Report of 1999 which discovered the police were racist. The Bill reflected this new understanding with more rounded characters. It changed to reflect the characters and not the police.
• Thinking Positive: The differences between Police and Criminals are far more blurred than they ever were in earlier TV series. The Bill always tried to make a positive representation.
• Crime Never Pays: Despite not all police being 'good' and criminals being 'bad'. Most cases are still eventually solved and criminals caught. Programmes could be seen as irresponcible for encouraging illegal or lawless behaviour. There is no longer a time of police being good and criminals just being tearaway teenagers.