The document discusses the 1960s British television show The Avengers and provides context about television in the 1960s. It notes that The Avengers had higher production values in later seasons as British television competed more on the world market. It also discusses how The Avengers and ITV were seen as more youthful and daring compared to the BBC. Finally, it provides social context about the debates around permissiveness in 1960s society and how shows like The Avengers pushed boundaries during a time of rapid social change.

1. The Avengers
Television in the 1960s
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3. Key Words
• duopoly
• International media conglomerate
• public service broadcasting
• Royal Charter
• Licence fee
• Regional
• National

4. • British television did compete on the world market, making it more profitable.
• This allowed bigger production budgets and therefore better quality programmes
• The fourth series of The Avengers was shot on film.
• They used more locations and less studio sets.
• Editing was more controlled.
• The soundtrack was more sophisticated.
• The fifth series on The Avengers was filmed in colour, even though they could on

5. Reaching different audiences
• The BBC wanted to move away from its stuffy
image.
• Channel loyalty tended to be split on class lines,
with ITV seen as the more working class channel -
at a time when, with the rise of youth culture, being
working class was fashionable - and the BBC as
more middle class.
• ITVs The Avenger appeared much more daring,
youthful, irreverent and sexy.
• The BBC remained very London-centric while ITV
had production centres across the country.
• Both were aimed at mass audiences who tended to
watch one channel all night.

6. 1960s social contexts
• The mid-1960s saw fierce debates about ‘permissiveness’ in
society and on television.
• This was a time of rapid social change. The older ‘wartime’
generation celebrating the values of duty and perseverance and
a younger generation celebrating values of freedom,
spontaneity and consumption.
• Programmes like The Avengers were part of that debate as
they pushed the boundaries (both social and artistic ones) of
their time.
• The glamorous world of the upper middle classes and the world
of espionage featured in the news.
• Sexism was mainstream in the 1960s and The Avengers
includes sexist references.
• People were also worried about possible attack from
international countries as an effect of The Cold War.