I woke up this morning to multiple messages from friends saying how sorry they were that David Cassidy had died in the early hours of this morning. Strange, but true. Anyone who knows me well knows that David Cassidy was my first love. We have history, David and I.  I stood in the rain and greeted him at Heathrow Airport. I was there at all the concerts.

In August 2017, The Wrap published an article written by Kai Cole, architect,actor and producer who was married to producer, writer and director Joss Whedon for 16 years. Under the title “Joss Whedon Is a ‘Hypocrite Preaching Feminist Ideals,’” , Cole claimed that Whedon had a series of affairs with young women he worked with in the film and TV industry while married to her.

I’ve just returned from Málaga and the European Communication and Research Association’s Television Studies section’s annual conference. A mouthful to type, if you get my drift.

British television re-started after the Second World War on 7 June 1946, with programmes that included adaptations of theatre dramas, and relays of public ceremonies and sporting events. It relied heavily of remediation, Jay Bolter and Richard Grusin’s (1999) concept of remaking or repurposing meanings from one text into another but also the extension of a text across multiple mediums and platforms.

Viewer classification has been central to audience research and measurement since the early years of television. Efforts to gain knowledge of the viewing public have depended upon a system of classification and categorisation that segments and delineates the viewing public into recognisable social groups that can be used to steer programme policy and planning.

This latest offering to CST has partly been inspired by my recent research and planning for a module on American Contemporary Television Drama, and partly inspired by a long fascination with the television anthology series – its place and status in the television landscape. The module, devised by Anthony N Smith at University of Salford, has been handed into my care whilst he undertakes some serious research of his own – and good luck to him.

In her most recent blog, Elke Weissmann pointed out a peculiar characteristic of her own television viewing experiences – one that is presumably shared by a wide range of audiences.

N.B. Before reading this blog it is worth stating that my cultish sensibilities frequently draw me to re-evaluate that which is targeted for scorn. During the summer recess period I became mildly obsessed with a television series.

The current controversies swirling around Hollywood in particular are a reminder, if any were needed, of just how damaging the use of sex through and as power can be, by intimidating those exposed to its horrors. Even if we exclude the notorious era of the studios’ “casting couches,” sexual scandals have abounded across the history of the industry. They are virtually all about men harassing women, as are the stories emerging today.

Harvey Weinstein, the Hollywood producer with 300 Oscar nominations, has fallen. After The New York Times revealed decades of accusations of sexual harassment involving a string of actresses, including high profile names such as Ashley Judd, Gwyneth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie and Cara Delevingne, Weinstein was sacked from his own company.