Watching the Transnational Detectives: Showcasing Identity, Internationalism and Language Learning on British Television

Project Description

The Tunnel; Braquo; Inspector Montalbano. Such crime dramas routinely draw large numbers of British television viewers and are part of a boom in foreign language programmes that are now available to audiences through a variety of platforms and services. But whilst we are viewing our favourite 9pm crime show, what else are we discovering about the country we are seeing and the people we are hearing on screen? Does our viewing influence our attitudes about languages and encourage us to embark on learning a new language? This project examines the ways in which viewers respond to languages and multiculturalism as showcased in a range of well-loved crime dramas from France, Italy and Germany. It explores the impact these series have on audience’s perceptions of nationhood, foreign languages and cultures, and language learning. Ultimately, it aims to establish the extent to which these programmes successfully encourage multilingualism in twenty-first century Britain.