Reclaiming Female Authorship in UK Television Comedy

Minor, Laura

Abstract

This book explores female authorship in UK television comedy. More specifically, it examines comedy texts produced between 2010 and 2020, a period marked by a proliferation of female-centric and female-created comedy.

In the following order, comedians Julia Davis, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Caitlin/Caroline Moran, Michaela Coel and Sharon Horgan will be analysed as key case studies. Examining these writers/performers, the book has two objectives:

First, it seeks to update Kathleen Rowe's concept of the 'unruly' woman, shifting the emphasis from visibility and performance to the labour and contexts behind on-screen portrayals. Building on Rowe’s existing scholarship, the book introduces the term ‘fastidious’ to describe how comedians display delicacy, precision, and control over their carefully crafted TV series.

Second, it aims to extend this concept to UK writers/performers who have been overlooked or examined within broader transnational projects. In doing so, it ‘reclaims’ the authorship of women working in the UK.

• Book Type: Monograph
• Publication Date: Aug 31, 2024
• Deposit Date: Sep 2, 2024
• Publisher: Edinburgh University Press
• Series Title: Edinburgh Studies in Television
• ISBN: 9781399503013
• Keywords: comedy, television, feminism, UK, British, authorship, UK Television, UK Television Comedy
• Publisher URL: https://edinburghuniversitypress.com/book-reclaiming-female-authorship-in-contemporary-uk-television-comedy.html