Line of Duty is a BBC One "drama about the investigations of AC-12, a controversial police anticorruption unit" (BBC, n.d.). It was first broadcast on 12 February 2014 and has currently reached its fourth season with a fifth and sixth on the way. But what makes it so gripping and engaging? This programme suits the BBC One drama commissioning guide perfectly because it has a "strong investigative aspect ... [explores] how the world around us is changing and the hidden complexities of ordinary life" (BBC, n.d.) through the personal and work lives of the characters. Line of Duty does this very well by "blurring lines between fiction and reality" (Wilson, 2016), which creates a believable carbon copy of how the story would be in reality, with some embellishment to remove the boring bits, making it engaging for the audience. Jed Mercurio, the series creator, said that the series is "founded in truth" (Wilson, 2016) and this can be evidenced th...

The Archers is BBC Radio 4's "longest running drama" (Independent, 2011) and has been providing entertainment of real stories for over 67 years. It fits the radio 4 remit by providing a "wide range of other speech output including drama" (BBC Trust, 2016) but why has it been running for so long and what makes this drama engaging for its listeners? The episode I listened to was from back in 2013 when Bridge Farm's dairy herd was sold. This programme was grounded in factual research to ensure the programme sounded realistic for the viewers. The writer for The Archers visited a farm's cattle sale because there is "no way a writer could conjure scenes like this out of the imagination" (Solazzo, 2013). This quote shows that in every detail of the programme, in-depth research has been done to immerse the audience in as much realism as possible. The Archers covers a wide range of topics from "domestic violence and dementia to robotic cow mil...

This week I have been doing the groundwork for a factual programme for my Content Delivery University assignment which needs me to research and create a short feature for Channel 4's Food Unwrapped. I'm going to be sharing with you my experiences of doing research and ringing people to find out information and potentially get some contributors for my feature. Firstly, I needed to think about what food am I going to research. Coming up with ideas can be difficult but I remembered something my parents told me when I was younger 'if you eat cheese before bed it'll give you nightmares'. Then I had a light bulb moment! So I began my research into does cheese really give you bad dreams? Using 'newsstand' (a university resource), I began sifting through newspaper articles and websites all about cheese and its dreamy qualities. I found that there hadn't been much research done on the subject as the British Cheese Board state that their study is "a fi...

The Man Who Squeezes Muscles: Searching for Purple Aki is a short documentary on BBC Three that was first shown on 12th September 2016. The documentary shows a hunt for the infamous and mysterious Akinwale Arobieke, also known as Purple Aki (BBC, 2016). The programme opens with presenter narrating as he walks through a poorly lit underpass. This choice of opening location creates enigma and sets the tone of the programme to be an insightful investigation into the "urban legend" (Nissim, 2016). Through the mise-en-scene of graffiti, litter dirt and it all looking very urban it creates the feel of a rough environment for the viewer and sets up what they see and the tone for the rest of the documentary. This documentary "resonates with young people" (BBC, n.d.) as said in BBC Three's commissioning guide because it tackles a subject that "[stimulates] strong emotion and [provokes] reactions" due to Purple Aki being "somewhere between myth and re...

A Mixtape for Gus was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2014 (BBC, 2014) and is presented by young composer and musician, Emily Levy, as she delves into the life of her late brother using the mixtapes he made and conversations with some of his friends (BBC, 2014). This programme fits BBC Radio 4's commissioning guide through the use of music and clever actuality to create emotion it engages the "listeners seeking intelligent programmes" (BBC, n.d.). The actuality of the tapes "clattering in the background" (Getintothis, 2016) and her feelings heard, through the sobs and sniffles, add a layer of emotion to the story of the programme, engaging the listeners. The music used by Levy creates a sense of attachment to Gus through the songs by linking with her memories of him. Not only has the music got a special connection for her to Gus, it also offers a nostalgic look into the music of the past and I think this contributes to the success of the programme because ...