Rob Watts

The Mysteries of Dorothy Vallens: On Isabella Rossellini in “Blue Velvet” A look at one of the most essential performances of the '80s.

I was invited to participate in Women Writers Week at the Ebert website, and I wrote about Isabella Rossellini's performance in BLUE VELVET, and how she helped guide the film into its dark and mysteries places.

www.rogerebert.com/women-writer...

Netflix Backs Out of Bid for Warner Bros., Paving Way for an Ellison Takeover

The richest man owns X.

The second and third richest men control Google.

The fourth richest man owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.

The fifth richest man owns The Washington Post.

And now the sixth richest could soon take over both Paramount and Warner Bros.

See the problem here?

Introducing Hannah Spencer MP 💚

Einstein - AI Homework Agent Einstein logs into Canvas and does your homework automatically. He has his own computer — he can watch lectures, read essays, write papers, and participate in discussions.

Is this bad

What Do We Know About Class in Television Studies? | Journal of British Cinema and Television This article offers a comprehensive overview of class in Television Studies, focusing on public service broadcasting (PSB) in Britain. We examine both off-screen and on-screen dynamics, investigating ...

Very excited to see our new paper from the project out in Journal of British Cinema and Television Studies, we hope you enjoy reading it! @lrjdmnr.bsky.social @bethjohnsontv.bsky.social @annaviolasborgi.bsky.social @drdaveobrien.bsky.social
www.euppublishing.com/doi/10.3366/...

The Traitors finale review – unbelievably stressful and bloodthirsty … till the last second Though the cracks are starting to show, the endgame was undeniably nail-biting. And honestly, thank God for Rachel – the terrifyingly ruthless saviour of this series

Still thinking about this Guardian review: "Bit of a damp squib, this year’s Traitors... the cracks in the format are starting to show". Imagine being *this* wrong, *this* confidently, about a format at the peak of its powers, so thoroughly delivering for its actual audience.

outrageous how good this show is. MAD MEN with all the relatable veneer of even corporatized creative labor stripped away and just raw sociopathic math and avarice left over.

The Kill Switch How Bari Weiss handed the Trump administration a veto over CBS News

Excellent summation of this story and its implications

Much respect to Robin Ince for taking a stand 👏

TV Is the Public Talking to Itself After a difficult start, could the new revival of the BBC’s often radical 1970s and 80s anthology drama series finally have promise?

Play for Today is back. What does that mean?

Tom May & I interview Special Measures writer Lee Thompson, Big Winners director Emma Turner and Play for Today exec producer Paul Testar

tribunemag.co.uk/2025/12/tv-i...

I want to see the positives in the Play for Today revival, I do. Handled well, it could be such a boon for low-budget UK drama. But to debut with a tale of straight white romance in your 70s, then to chase it with a tale of straight white marital tension in your 80s... It's certainly a choice.

OMG yes. The groan I made when I hit episode 7 of The Beast in Me. It was loud.

I wish I didn’t have to share this. But the BBC has decided to censor my first Reith Lecture.

They deleted the line in which I describe Donald Trump as “the most openly corrupt president in American history.” /1

In case you missed it, the CFP is out for next year's Critical Studies in Television conference. DEADLINE for abstracts: 19th December. #TVStudies

‘Opposing the inevitability of AI at universities is possible and necessary’ | Radboud University Since the widespread release of ChatGPT in December of 2022, AI has taken over much of the world by storm – including academia. Most of this happened with very little pushback, despite a myriad of iss...

‘Study after study shows that students want to develop these critical thinking skills, are not lazy, and large numbers of them would be in favor of banning ChatGPT and similar tools in universities’, says @olivia.science www.ru.nl/en/research/...

Peter Watkins obituary: radical British filmmaker behind The War Game and Punishment Park The maverick filmmaker and pioneer of the docudrama, whose anti-establishment works redefined political cinema and challenged the very language of mass media, has died aged 90.

RIP for a filmmaker who pushed the medium forward

www.bfi.org.uk/features/pet...

COMMON PEOPLE: RECLAIMING THE NARRATIVE ON CLASS IN TV AT A TIME OF CRISIS… Here is the full text of my opening keynote address given at the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) 'What’s Class Got to Do With It?' symposium on class and the UK TV industry at the School o...

You can catch up with @philralph.bsky.social Keynote here www.linkedin.com/pulse/common... we will be sharing highlights and updates in the weeks to come! Stay tuned!

Today is another one of those days where I can only laugh extra loud at the colleagues who think me teaching classes on The Walt Disney Company or A History of Comedy are useless, I just wish it wasn‘t relevant cause of the fascism

Blackpill Aesthetics: A Crash Course in Meme Extremism YouTube video by Cy Canterel

Clear and compelling watch IMO.

as I wrote literally yesterday, gamergate never ended. It took over the country. www.moryan.com/on-the-firin... Congrats I guess to pepe the frog for his forthcoming talk show

Hard agree. It's probably the White Lotus effect but now so ubiquitous as to be an instant turnoff

Play for Today is back – nine ways Channel 5 can make it as successful as the original Channel 5 has a lot to live up to, but research into the original BBC drama series has inspired nine principles the new Play for Today should live by.

A great piece from @katiecrosson.bsky.social, who, it’s safe to say, knows a thing or two about Play for Today. 📺

Congrats!

‘All those posh apartments. It’s a playground for the rich’: is Manchester turning into London? £6 a pint, £199 a month for gym membership, £1,200 to rent a studio flat? The Guardian’s former North of England editor asks if the city she’s worked in for 12 years is changing for the better – or wo...

A pretty good summary of where things are at in contemporary Manchester from @helenpidd.bsky.social - whilst central Manchester is startlingly changed the wealth (and health) inequalities within the city are worse than ever.
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

Loved taking part at #CSTconference with @corpusng.bsky.social

We were looking forwards to speaking and writing about it’s a sin ever since we watched the series. This was a perfect (and much appreciated!) opportunity

This was such a great time! So many fascinating panels and just a lovely bunch of people all round. Huge thanks to Elke and Dipali for making it all happen #CSTConference

Had a great time presenting at the #CST conference yesterday, looking at the rise of live broadcasts on streaming platforms. Saw so many great papers!

Today kicks off the Critical Studies in Television conference! I'll be watching online today (looking forward to Catherine Johnson's keynote) and heading up to Manchester tomorrow to present on adaptation and television.

Is UK HETV tax relief holding back regional production financing? Calls are growing to allow lower-cost dramas – with budgets between £750,000 and £950,000 per broadcast hour – to qualify for the UK's high-end TV tax relief scheme.

Torfinnur Jákupsson: “We need a system that better reflects how great TV is actually made in 2025. It is about backing those already doing more with less. High-end shouldn’t just be defined by how much money you spend. It should be defined by impact, artistry and ambition.”