Call for Papers: Special issue of the Journal of British Cinema and Television on Screen Two, the single drama and television film
Proposals are invited for a special issue of the Journal of British Cinema and Television on the theme of Screen Two, the single drama and television film.
Screen Two celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2025. Running on the BBC from 1985 until 1998, it was responsible for an eclectic mix of over 150 single dramas and films that included Brothers in Trouble, The Burston Rebellion, Captives, Edward II, Fellow Traveller, The Firm, The Grass Arena, A Man of No Importance, My Sister-Wife, Persuasion, Priest, Small Faces, Sweet as You Are, Truly, Madly, Deeply and The Vision. However, in comparison to its predecessors – The Wednesday Play and Play for Today – its contribution to television, and UK culture more generally, has been little analysed and discussed. And, although the series initiated a decisive shift in BBC drama policy towards shooting entirely on film and, subsequently, producing television films for cinema release, its contribution to this development in television and film production has been largely neglected in comparison to the study of Channel 4, and the role of ‘Film on Four’. We, therefore, invite papers that address the history of Screen Two, as well as the related BBC series Screen One and Screenplay; the transition from the single play to television film that occurred during this period; and the artistic and industrial legacy of both the overall strand and individual works.
Papers might include consideration of the following topics:
- the significance of the Screen Two strand, the ideas underpinning it and its consequences for the future of the single play
- the movement towards shooting on film, the changing status of television drama and the rise of the television film (including the establishment of BBC Films)
- the main thematic and stylistic trends of the series and its most significant achievements
- the contribution of the films and dramas to contemporary discourses of class, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, region and nationality
- the relationship of Screen Two to Film on Four and the shift towards independent production and cinema distribution
- the significance of particular works and personnel (e.g. writers, directors, and producers) who contributed to the strand
- the contribution of Screen Two to film and television culture and industries In England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
- the changing aesthetics of film and television drama
- the positioning of Screen Two within the histories of both British film and television
- the circulation of the films/dramas today and the role of critics, television and the archives in curating the past
Abstracts of no more than 500 words, along with accompanying biographies of no more than 150 words, should be sent to john.hill@rhul.ac.uk (to whom informal enquiries may also be made) by no later than 20 March 2026. Decisions will be made shortly thereafter with first drafts due by 18 December 2026.
Editors:
John Hill is Professor of Media, Royal Holloway University of London.
Lillian Crawford is an AHRC-funded TECHNE doctoral student working in collaboration with the Centre for the History of Television Culture and Production at Royal Holloway University of London and BBC History.
https://forgottentelevisiondrama.wordpress.com/2025/02/18/screen-two-at-40/
https://canvas-story.bbcrewind.co.uk/screentwo/
https://www.tvcentre.org.uk/forgotten-tv-drama/screen-two-symposium-full-programme/