Cuffs: Series 1, Episode 1

• main characters
• storylines: episodic and individual/overarching 
• setting 
• overall tone/appeal 

Britishness and the avengers

How was media language used to show britishness?

When mrs peele and mr Steele arrive to the mystery town we are immediatly opened to a low angle shot of a traditional British  building which has stone work and old cottage windows, this shows that mrs peele and mr Steele are in the countryside where things were very un-modern, this scene juxtaposes to the opening scene of the programme where we can see that mrs peele lives in an apartment which overlooks skyscrapers.
Another way britishness is seen in the scene is when we get a medium close up of the pubs name which includes a very non traditional portrait of some sort of creature as the pub is called 'the inebriated gremlin' which is different to very traditional pub signs as there are usually some sort of powerful figure on them for example a past royal reign or a powerful animal to promote British value and power as a country. When we begin to see the name of the pub we get a low angle shot of it where 'gremlin' almost looks like a play on words to 'Cremlin' which is what British people used to call the Russia due to them being communist society instead of a conservative society. Again the low angle almost mocks that due to the obscure portrait, which we can link to the Russians. As we enter the pub we are taken through a panoramic shot thats going into a close up of a male and female sitting at a bar and drinking underneath german planes, this shows again how British people still can't let the thought of war go and still have to be surrounded by things that can empower them as Britain had won. The decor around the bar is again very old and wooden with old bottles on walls and pictures of the military. One way the avengers have broke the British stereotype is that a male and female were both seen at the bar because traditionally only elderly men were seen there especially in the countryside as they are a lot more set in there olden ways compared to the industrial revolutionary environment in London where everything is moving forwards.

The sounds as we enter the mystery town is non-diegetic thats very creepy which is not very British, as we get to the shot of the sign on the pub the wind is making the sign squeeke which can show some type of britishness as we get heavy winds. It also makes  the setting very spooky but leads to conversation to occur when mrs peele and mr Steele arrive as the opening sentence that is said is diegetic dialogue from mr Steele 'Very chilly'. This shows britishness as British people always moan or have to make a comment about the weather especially when you walk in somewhere and don't feel comfortable. Another way diegetic sound has been used to show britishness is where after mr Steele has commented about the weather he then begins to greet the locals of the pub politely by saying 'Good evening' which is a very gentlemanly thing to do especially because he is wearing a waistcoat and a bowler hat which also portrays his status compared to the people in the pub who are mainly middle class. Everyone we see in the pub are all wearing traditional 60s outfits which break the stereotype of britishness as the landlord has a very long and bog moustache, and is wearing a cardigan and a neck chief and the women are seen wearing make-up with there hair done up nice.
Another way Britishness is shown is when they are all near a table where a fighter plane is hanging down, this again brings up war and we hear diegetic sounds of the landlord saying 'Those were the days' which is the idea of still glorifying war as we know now that war was a horrible thing to happen and a lot of lives were lost but they are seen talking about it as if it was glory.

Throughout the clip they use continuity editing which is very relaxed and fits with British calm values as we are seen to be very laid-bac. It also has a continuous sound bridge which is creepy which juxtaposes with traditional British music during that time as it was very pop and up-beat.

Brittishness Represented in the episode

• Costume: 

Emma Peele is very 60s with lycra and tight figure hugging clothing. Black stretch cotton catsuit with vinyl facings front and back, fastened by buttons down the front.black and white 'TV' outfit with mini skirt, stocking with a diamond pattern, and patent leather pumps.White dress with black stitching, long cuffs and padded shoulders. 


John Steede wears Prince of Wales check jacket (grey with tan and green in the check), dark waistcoat with metal buttons, white shirt, dark tie, tan trousers, chelsea boots, bowler and umbrellaThe bowler hats were exclusively made by Herbert Johnson & Sons, of 54 St. James Street - they now cost £300 each. The umbrellas (when they weren't prop substitutes to ensure a neat line) were James Smith & Sons whangee cane handle city umbrellas, now costing £165 each (you can see why they used props when necessary!). He also would wear a tan overcoat which follows a spy drama convention as sherlock holmes would wear this and james bond would also wear the posh suits.

• Setting:

It starts in London in a stereotypical posh part with expensive houses. London is the main stereotype when thinking of Britain. and when they were going to the mystery town its very stereotypical that it was in a small town where nobody really goes in the countryside as there would of been a very big social gap between the rich and poor, with the rich living in the city earning lots of money and the poor living in the country being very undeveloped.
They then go to the beach where its very natural but brings back memories of fears of the cold war between Russia and Britain.

John Peele was then seen wondering around an abandoned army base trying to find clues, as the war is again seen as being glorified and is always brought up when there is some sort of great victory and Britain is seen for having really good military.
There was also a scene in the town church where this can represent British culture as christianity was seen as very important still.

• Props

They were seen in traditional British vehicles such as the Great western railway, Vespa GS scooter and  a morris minor. Morris minor vehicles are a British manufacturer which shows Britishness stereotypes.
Tea is also used with cream on the top, which is the top of milk that isn't processed. they also do fencing which shows there social grade and reflects them living in London, this is because  British man became successful in the 1960 olympics as he got a silver, there was then a big craze over fencing.

• Character interaction

They were very over-polite which is very britishness. And there relationships with people were not as good as they weren't really social and interactive with new people they meet.

• Dialogue

Accents are both posh and well spoken. They are also very intelligent.

Case study: The town of no return

• On a beach a shifty man is attending to his lobster pots when a man emerges from the tide concealed in a water tight black covering; he walks up the beach, removes the covering, and says good morning to the man and walks off.
• After a bout of fencing at Mrs. Peel's flat, Steed and Mrs Peel leave on a train to visit Little Bazeley by the Sea, a village in Norfolk where agents have been reported to go missing.^[1] 
• On the train they share a carriage with a portly gentleman, Jimmy Smallwood (played by Patrick Newell who would later play Mother), who is going to visit his brother the local blacksmith. On arrival Steed, Peel and Smallwood are shadowed by the shifty local man from the beach. At the local inn, the Inebriated Gremlin, they are served by landlord Piggy Warren, who introduces them to Mark Brandon, the school inspector, and Jill Manson, a teacher. 
• Mrs Peel announces herself as a new teacher, assigned by the ministry to the local school. When Smallwood leaves to visit his brother the blacksmith, several strange men in boots with rifles depart through the inn and follow him. 
• Later the shifty local is seen hunting Smallwood across the landscape with bloodhounds. This is heard back at the village and dismissed by Piggy as "badger hunting".
• The following morning Steed and Mrs Peel examine strange footprints leading out of the sea and up the beach, and find Smallwood dead and buried in the sand.
• Mrs Peel visits the school and finds it and the teachers very unusual. She discovers that the school has been unused for years and a large number of adult sized Wellington boots are stored there. 
• She visits the local church where the vicar shows her the parish records, of which several decades are missing.
• Steed discovers a mention of a pilot, killed in 1942, named Piggy Warren: the name used by the pub landlord. 
• Both Mrs Peel and Steed learn that the village folk are imposters and are hiding something. 
• While Mrs Peel is investigating the school, an elderly man – the real School inspector – runs in, pursued by the phony school inspector and the shifty local, and says little but "below, below" before dying. 
• Mrs Peel revisits the church and confronts the vicar, who suddenly pulls out a gun and reveals he is also an imposter. Mrs Peel is tied up in the blacksmith's until Steed arrives, overpowers the shifty local and frees her.
• In the school, Steed and Mrs Peel discover enough food to feed an army. Mrs Peel reveals a diagram on the back of the old blackboard of Britain and a submarine in the North Sea. Wondering where have all the people gone, they surmise that this is a gradual invasion by a foreign power: small groups have been dispatched from a submarine located in the North Sea, explaining the bootprints at the beach and adult sized Wellington boots at the school, replacing the locals one by one until only the invaders remain.
• Heeding the dying man's words, they head to the old airfield's underground bunkers. There they discover a small army of enemy agents and a big supply of explosives and some high tech equipment.
•  Steed and Mrs Peel are eventually found by some of the impostors; a fight ensues before they overpower them and leave after sealing the invaders permanently underground. They depart the village on a motor scooter driven by Mrs Peel.

• More ww2 than 60s look apart from the women eye make-up
• based around the fear of ww2 other than traditional 60s crimes.

The Duopoly in the 1960s

• The era of two competing broadcasters, itv and the BBC, is referred too by many as a 'golden age' of broadcasting in the uk. the two institutions had full control over the programme as they produced them in-house.

• How might this competition and control have a positive outcome? what negative effects might this have?
• one positive  outcome would be that there would be less comparison between shows as there are only two, they also had to be very mainstream so a wide variety of people would watch it.
• negative outcome would be that it could be a bit boring and lacking of options, and if you didn't like the mainstream options they wouldn't cater for your choice.
• another positive would be that they would compete with one another this means that a lot of effort would of gone into the shows, going it a positive outcome.

ITV FACT FILE :

  Itv channels and names:

• ITV
• ITV2
• ITV3
• ITV4
• ITVBe
• CITV
• ITV Box Office
• ITV HD

ITV strategy :

Most popular ITV programmes:

• Downtown Abbey
• Midsomer's Murders
• Vera
• Agatha christies poirot
• Scott and Bailey
• Benidorm 
• Got talent
• Foyles war
• This morning 

Most expensive programme to make :

Other platforms:

• ITV player online

How does it generate income?

• by broadcasting and online
• sponsorships
• commercially funded

Advantages of being commercially owned:

• It can make more money and be more profitable 
• can be more creative 

BBC FACTFILE:

The BBC has nine national television channels. These are;

• BBC One
• BBC Two
• BBC Three
• BBC Four
• CBBC
• CBeebies
• BBC News
• BBC Parliament
• BBC Alba

The BBC's mission:

• To reach millions through creative communication and trusted media, helping people to have their say, understand their rights, responsibilities and each other, and take action to transform their own lives.

The BBC's vision:

• A world where informed and empowered people live in healthy, resilient and inclusive communities.

The BBC's Values:

• People centred - the communities they serve are at the heart of all they do
• Trustworthy- honest and open, share information and acknowledge mistakes. 
• Creative- Innovative, adaptable and creative, making lasting improvements to peoples lives.
• Respectful- respect audiences, colleagues. 
• Collaborative- Involve communities in designing and delivering work
• Effective- Have impact by combining research, expertise and innovation to find appropriate and lasting solution.

Most popular BBC1 programmes:

Most expensive programme to make :

• Rome costing £10 million an episode 

Other platforms:

•  iPlayer online 
• radio 
• magazine 

Other ways to generate income:

• Tv license 
• Government 
• selling products and services to other countries

Advantages of being publicly owned:

• serve the public better 
• unbiased 
• no adverts