'Who Do You Think You Are' creator speaks at York
Posted on 17 November 2010
As part of The Institute for the Public Understanding of the Past's Media Speaker series he will give a free lecture 'Who Do We Think We Were' in which he will show clips and talk about creating and selling historical documentaries for television in the 21st Century.
These programmes introduce audiences to social history and the processes by which historians find and analyse evidence
Professor Helen Weinstein
Alex Graham is Chief Executive of production company, Wall to Wall, which has been responsible for the development of several groundbreaking programmes. These include The 1900s House and Who Do You Think You Are?, as well as the current BBC One on BBC One called Turn Back Time: The High Street, and the Oscar-winning documentary Man On Wire.
Alex Graham will also work with IPUP Director, Professor Helen Weinstein, and the Institute's Media Interns for the day to make a film about his career as a programme-maker.
Professor Weinstein said: "Who Do You Think You Are is a very important history series because it has increased the normal audience reach for history shows four-fold, with up to eight million viewers per episode. Also, these programmes introduce audiences to social history and the processes by which historians find and analyse evidence."
Alex Graham said: "I am thrilled to be visiting IPUP for the day. In my talk I hope that everyone who is interested in bringing the past to mass audiences will come along and participate in the discussion. I will give my take on what makes gripping TV, and explain what I have learnt about selling history on the small and big screen. I’ll be happy to answer questions about history, but I mostly know about TV!"
Alex Graham will be exploring how narratives about the past are shaped and presented for a mass media audience, and reflecting on his own personal journey of creating some of the most popular and influential investigations of social history on the small screen.
'Who Do You Think You Were' is at 5:30pm, Wednesday 17 November 2010 in the Bowland Auditorium, Berrick Saul Building, University of York. Admission is free.
Notes to editors:
- More information at: www.york.ac.uk/ipup/events/speakers/alex-graham.html
- More information about IPUP at www.york.ac.uk/ipup/
- More Information about Wall to Wall at www.walltowall.co.uk
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