From Terry and June to Terry and Julian: June Whitfield and the British Suburban Sitcom

Rosie White

    Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

    Abstract

    Like masculinity, heterosexuality or whiteness, the British suburban sitcom has been a relatively unexamined field in television studies. This chapter examines one of the most popular suburban sitcoms, Terry and June (BBC, 1979-87) in relation to the remarkable career of its female star, June Whitfield. Reading Terry and June through the lens of Whitfield's later work on more 'alternative' comedy shows such as Terry and Julian (Channel 4 1992) and Absolutely Fabulous (BBC 1992-2012), this chapter examines how British suburban sitcom, a feminine domestic genre, endorses but also undermines cultural norms of gender and class.
    Original languageEnglish
    Title of host publicationComedy and the Politics of Representation
    Subtitle of host publicationMocking the Weak
    EditorsHelen Davies, Sarah Ilott
    PublisherPalgrave Macmillan
    Chapter8
    Pages137-152
    Number of pages16
    ISBN (Print)978-3-319-90505-1
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - Sept 2018

    Publication series

    NamePalgrave Studies in Comedy
    PublisherPalgrave Macmillan

    Keywords

    • Suburb
    • sitcom
    • middle-class
    • Whitfield June
    • femininity
    • queer
    • heterosexuality
    • masculinity
    • alternative comedy
    • camp

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