Already acknowledged by Metacritic and the Guinness World Records as the highest-rated series in the history of television, Breaking Bad has elicited an unprecedented amount of criticism. Writers both popular and academic, columnists as well as eager commenters, have addressed every imaginable topic, from the show's characterization and major scenes, to fine details such as Walt's knack for picking up habits from those he kills, and the symbolism inherent within the cars that characters own. This book considers another perspective, one relatively unexplored to date. By considering the series from the perspective of its interior spaces, two possibilities emerge. Firstly, the spaces become a tangible record of their characters' inner lives, one that provides something like an objective correlative or photographic negative of their thought processes and approach to the world. They provide more, and richer ways to trace the course of character, action, and themes throughout the series. Secondly, Breaking Bad's spaces are not simply acted upon or within: they interact with characters as well. Interpreted through the theories of Judith Butler, Michel de Certeau, and many others, the series' homes, labs, RVs and elevators take on new significance. The collection plumbs the interior spaces of Breaking Bad from many angles. Ultimately, these diverse perspectives enrich an appreciation for the series and its innovative handling of interiors (both literal and metaphorical). They also suggest new ways of reading the series, ensuring it can continue to be explored by academics, students, and fans well into the future.

In recent years non-fiction history programmes have flourished on television. This interdisciplinary study of history programming identifies and examines different genres employed by producers and tracks their commissioning, production, marketing and distribution histories. With comparative references to other European nations and North America, the authors focus on British history programming over the last two decades and analyse the relationship between the academy and media professionals. They outline and discuss often-competing discourses about how to 'do' history and the underlying assumptions about who watches history programmes. History on Television considers recent changes in the media landscape, which have affected to a great degree how history in general, and whose history in particular, appears onscreen. Through a number of case studies, using material from interviews by the authors with academic and media professionals, the role of the 'professional' historian and that of media professionals - commissioning editors and producer/directors - as mediators of historical material and interpretations is analysed, and the ways in which the 'logics of television' shape historical output are outlined and discussed. Building on their analysis, Ann Gray and Erin Bell ask if history on television fulfils its potential to be a form of public history through offering, as it does, a range of interpretations of the past to and originating from or including those not based in the academy. Through consideration of the representation, or absence, of the diversity of British identity - gender, ethnicity and race, social status and regional identities - the authors substantially extend the scope of existing scholarship into history on television History on Television will be essential reading for all those interested in the complex processes involved in the representation of history on television.

In recent years non-fiction history programmes have flourished on television. This interdisciplinary study of history programming identifies and examines different genres employed by producers and tracks their commissioning, production, marketing and distribution histories. With comparative references to other European nations and North America, the authors focus on British history programming over the last two decades and analyse the relationship between the academy and media professionals. They outline and discuss often-competing discourses about how to 'do' history and the underlying assumptions about who watches history programmes. History on Television considers recent changes in the media landscape, which have affected to a great degree how history in general, and whose history in particular, appears onscreen. Through a number of case studies, using material from interviews by the authors with academic and media professionals, the role of the 'professional' historian and that of media professionals - commissioning editors and producer/directors - as mediators of historical material and interpretations is analysed, and the ways in which the 'logics of television' shape historical output are outlined and discussed. Building on their analysis, Ann Gray and Erin Bell ask if history on television fulfils its potential to be a form of public history through offering, as it does, a range of interpretations of the past to and originating from or including those not based in the academy. Through consideration of the representation, or absence, of the diversity of British identity - gender, ethnicity and race, social status and regional identities - the authors substantially extend the scope of existing scholarship into history on television History on Television will be essential reading for all those interested in the complex processes involved in the representation of history on television.