Comics Britannia
Encyclopedia
Comics Britannia is a three part documentary
series from BBC Four
which started on 10 September 2007. It was then repeated on BBC Two
starting on 19 July 2008.
The series looks at the history of the British comic
and is also the centre of a Comics Britannia season.
.
It features the launch of The Dandy
and follows the growth of the British comics industry through to the 1960s.
, Girl).
and the rise of Alan Moore
resulting in the "British Invasion" of the American comics industry.
As well as relevant films and TV shows:
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
series from BBC Four
BBC Four
BBC Four is a British television network operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation and available to digital television viewers on Freeview, IPTV, satellite and cable....
which started on 10 September 2007. It was then repeated on BBC Two
BBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
starting on 19 July 2008.
The series looks at the history of the British comic
History of the British comic
A British comic is a periodical published in the United Kingdom that contains comic strips. It is generally referred to as a comic or a comic magazine, and historically as a comic paper....
and is also the centre of a Comics Britannia season.
Episodes
The three programs look at the main periods of British comics. They are narrated by Armando IannucciArmando Iannucci
Armando Giovanni Iannucci is a Scottish comedian, satirist, writer, director, performer and radio producer. Born in Glasgow, he studied at Oxford University and left graduate work on a PhD about John Milton to pursue a career in comedy....
.
The Fun Factory
First shown on Monday 10 September, this documentary looks at the early years of British comics.It features the launch of The Dandy
The Dandy
The Dandy is a long running children's comic published in the United Kingdom by D. C. Thomson & Co. Ltd. The first issue was printed in 1937 and it is the world's third longest running comic, after Detective Comics and Il Giornalino...
and follows the growth of the British comics industry through to the 1960s.
Boys and Girls
First shown on Monday 17 September, the episode looks at the appearance of a large range of comics in the post-war era specifically aimed at boys (Eagle) and girls (BuntyBunty
Bunty was a British comics anthology for girls published by D. C. Thomson & Co. from 1958 to 2001. It consisted of a collection of many small strips, typically the stories themselves being three to five pages long. As well as the weekly comic, Christmas and summer annuals were published. Bunty...
, Girl).
X-Rated: Anarchy in the UK
First aired on Monday 24 September, it looks look at the trend towards darker comics in the 1970s and 1980s with the launch of 2000 AD2000 AD (comic)
2000 AD is a weekly British science fiction-oriented comic. As a comics anthology it serialises a number of separate stories each issue and was first published by IPC Magazines in 1977, the first issue dated 26 February. IPC then shifted the title to its Fleetway comics subsidiary which was sold...
and the rise of Alan Moore
Alan Moore
Alan Oswald Moore is an English writer primarily known for his work in comic books, a medium where he has produced a number of critically acclaimed and popular series, including Watchmen, V for Vendetta, and From Hell...
resulting in the "British Invasion" of the American comics industry.
Comics Britannia season
The rest of the season includes documentaries, (not necessarily about British comics and artists):- In Search of Steve DitkoIn Search of Steve DitkoIn Search of Steve Ditko is a BBC Four documentary. It was first shown on Sunday 16 September 2007.The documentary is part of the Comics Britannia season and follows Jonathan Ross' attempts to track down comics artist Steve Ditko In Search of Steve Ditko is a BBC Four documentary. It was first...
- Heath Robinson: Suburban Subversive
- Happy Birthday Broons!
- Happy Birthday Wullie
- In Search of Moebius: Jean GiraudJean GiraudJean Henri Gaston Giraud is a French comics artist. Giraud has earned worldwide fame, not only under his own name but also under the pseudonym Moebius, and to a lesser extent Gir, the latter appearing mostly in the form of a boxed signature at the bottom of the artist's paintings, for instance the...
- Tintin and ITintin and ITintin and I is a 2003 documentary by Anders Høgsbro Østergaard, about Belgian writer-artist Georges Remi, better known as Hergé, and his creation Tintin...
- The Comic Strip Hero, ArenaArena (TV series)Arena is a British television documentary series, made and broadcast by the BBC. It has run since 1 October 1975, and over five hundred episodes have been made. Arena covers all manner of subjects, from profiles of notable people such as Bob Dylan to the Ford Cortina car...
documentary about Superman
As well as relevant films and TV shows:
- My Name Is ModestyMy Name is ModestyMy Name Is Modesty is a 2003 American action film that was released direct-to-DVD. The film is based on the early years of the character Modesty Blaise, a former crime boss turned secret agent....
, the 20032003 in filmThe year 2003 in film involved some significant events. Releases of sequels took place with movies like The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, 2 Fast 2 Furious, Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, The Matrix Reloaded, The Matrix Revolutions, Pokémon Heroes, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines,...
Modesty BlaiseModesty BlaiseModesty Blaise is a British comic strip featuring a fictional character of the same name, created by Peter O'Donnell and Jim Holdaway in 1963. The strip follows the adventures of Modesty Blaise, an exceptional young woman with many talents and a criminal past, and her trusty sidekick Willie Garvin...
film - TronTron (film)Tron is a 1982 American science fiction film written and directed by Steven Lisberger, and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It stars Jeff Bridges as the protagonist Kevin Flynn; Bruce Boxleitner in a dual role as security program Tron and Tron's "User", computer programmer Alan Bradley; Cindy...
, the 1982 film (Moebius designed the graphical look) - Repeats of the 1960s Batman seriesBatman (TV series)Batman is an American television series, based on the DC comic book character of the same name. It stars Adam West as Batman and Burt Ward as Robin — two crime-fighting heroes who defend Gotham City. It aired on the American Broadcasting Company network for three seasons from January 12, 1966 to...
External links
- Review of the first episode by Charlie BrookerCharlie BrookerCharlton "Charlie" Brooker is a British journalist, comic writer and broadcaster. His style of humour is savage and profane, with surreal elements and a consistent satirical pessimism...
, The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, September 8, 2007 - Last cowboy in town, The TimesThe TimesThe Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
, September 8, 2007 - Comics Britannia, thelondonpaperThelondonpaperThe London Paper was a free daily newspaper, published by NI Free Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News International...
, September 10, 2007 - Last night on television: Comics Britannia (BBC4), The Daily TelegraphThe Daily TelegraphThe Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
, September 11, 2007