WestminsterResearch http://www.westminster.ac.uk/westminsterresearch Contemporary Fictional Representations of Anglican Clergy on British Public Service Television Sherer, W. This is an electronic version of a PhD thesis awarded by the University of Westminster. © Ms Wendy Sherer, 2019. The WestminsterResearch online digital archive at the University of Westminster aims to make the research output of the University available to a wider audience. Copyright and Moral Rights remain with the authors and/or copyright owners. Contemporary Fictional Representations of Anglican Clergy on British Public Service Television Wendy S. Sherer Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the University of Westminster for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy May 2020 Abstract Fictional clergy on British television have come a long way since the bumbling priests portrayed by the likes of Derreck Nimmo and Rowan Atkinson. Motivated by curiosity about both the impetus for and creative development of more recent programmes depicting Anglican vicars with depth and authenticity, this research presents three detailed production studies of television series appearing in the period of the mid 1990s and following. The programmes selected as case studies are The Vicar of Dibley (BBC One, 1994-2007); Rev. (BBC Two, 2010-14); and the Welsh drama Parch (S4C, 2015-18), each of which represents a significant progression in British entertainment media's depiction of Anglican clergy. The study is contextualised within a consideration of the Church of England’s evolving status within British society over the past century, as well as an accompanying summary of the Church in Wales and its distinct origins. It is also grounded in an exploration of the development of public service broadcasting, specifically as a medium charged with producing programmes to a high standard on a variety of subjects, including those dealing with religion. This research stands alone as a production study specifically focused on fictional priest portrayals created for British public service broadcasting. The resulting discussion connects depictions of clergy with the social and religious contexts in which they arise, illuminates the potential of well-produced entertainment to impact how the public perceive the plight of priests as real people, and emphasises the value of public media as disseminator of quality, socially relevant entertainment. 1 Contents 1. Introduction 9 Inspiration 9 Refining and Defining the Study 11 Fact v. Fiction 13 A Question of Faith 13 Public v. Public Service 13 Chronological and Case Study Focus 14 Research Questions 15 Organisation of the Thesis 15 Context 15 Original Research and Discussion 16 Summary and Purpose 17 2. The State of the Church and the Church of the State: A Summary Perspective on Established Religion in England and Wales 18 The Church of England 18 Losing Faith 19 Believing Without Belonging 20 Royalty and Religion 22 Politics and Religion 23 Established Clergy 24 Diversity 26 Leading Without Believing 29 The Church in Wales 30 Summary 33 3. The Quality of Mercy: Religion and Faith on British Public Service Television 34 Public Service Broadcasting in Britain 34 Religion on the BBC 37 A New View on Faith 38 Course Alteration 40 Distancing from Religion 42 One Among Many 43 No Offence Intended 44 Olive Branch 46 The Birth of S4C 47 Summary 49 4. Professional Development: The Evolving Priest on Public Service Broadcasting 50 The Impact of Television 51 A Literature Review of Media Clerics 56 Early Vicar Portrayals on PSB 63 Coming of Age 78 Summary 82 2 5. Faithful Fiction: Creating the Televised Vicar 83 Television Comedy and the Sitcom as Genre 84 Realism in Television Representations 89 Defining Quality Television 93 Production Studies and Semi-Structured Interviews 97 Summary 101 6. Leading Ladies: The Vicar of Dibley Makes a Serious Case with Humour 102 A Contentious Proposal 102 The Face of the Vicar 104 A Wary Consultant 107 Collaring Comedy 109 Discerning the Limits 114 Comedy v. Accuracy 116 Televangelism 120 Off-Colour Television 126 Fantasy Meets Reality 128 Turning the Tide 131 The Women Respond 134 Not So Funny After All 138 The Limitations of Television 140 Summary 142 7. The Devil in the Details: BBC’s Rev. Strikes Close to Home 144 More TV, Vicar? 144 Not the Vicar of Dibley 146 So Many Vicars 149 St. Saviour in the Marshes 156 City Vicar 161 Reflecting Reality 165 The Priest’s Posse 173 Taking Issue With the Church 183 From Scripture to Script 186 Clerical Reaction 190 Back in the Pulpit 196 The Universal Cleric 197 Resurrected Vicar 198 Professor Smallbone 204 Lasing Impressions 207 Summary 209 8. A Woman First, A Vicar Second: Creating a New Brand of Television Cleric in S4C’s Parch 211 In the Beginning 212 Pastoral Advice 213 Breathing Life into the Vicar 215 3 Clothed in Meaning 223 Network Oversight 225 Faith on the Screen 227 Viewing the Church on Television 230 Summary 238 9. Discussion and Conclusion 239 Cultural Reflections 240 Case Study Evaluation re. ‘Quality’ 243 Doing the Public a Service 248 Potential Limitations and Drawbacks 250 Summary and Possible Applications of the Research 251 Bibliography 253 Appendix – Project Interview Details 274 4 List of Figures* Chapter Four Figure 1: The Archdeacon, the Dean, the Chaplain and the Bishop 64 Figure 2: The Verger and the Vicar 66 Figure 3: The Rector and Richard DeVere, Enjoying the ‘Peace and Quiet’ 68 Figure 4: The Fearful Vicar Avoiding Hyacinth 70 Figure 5: The Vicar Eagerly Recruiting Acts for the Church Variety Show 73 Figure 6: Recurring Characteristics of Early Fictional Vicars 75 Chapter Six Figure 1: All the Vicar’s Men (Mel Gibson and Jesus) – S01E06 111 Figure 2: Joy Carroll and Dawn French in matching collars (Beneath the Cassock: The Real-life Vicar of Dibley: cover) 114 Figure 3: Geraldine’s Descent Into Celebrity Madness – S02E03 116 Figure 4: Clear Solution to the Window Problem – S01E04 122 Figure 5: Banding Together Against Poverty – ‘Happy New Year,’ 1 January 2005 124 Figure 6: Vicars, Fictional and Real, on Downing Street – Bruno Vincent, 2005 126 Figure 7: That’s a Wrap – St. Mary’s Turville, March 2005 130 Chapter Seven Figure 1: The Casual Vicar at Home, with Open-ended Collar – S01E01 154 Figure 2: Practicing Priest at Wembley – Matthew Catterick, 2010 155 Figure 3: Holy Water in Ordinary Vessel 160 Figure 4: Shooting Locations in Adam’s ‘Neighborhood’ – Hannah Pescod, 2010 162 Figure 5: Producer Notes on Liturgical Colours – Hannah Pescod, 2010 169 Figure 6: The Vicar Tries to Celebrate Eucharist Despite Inebriated Revellers at Midnight Mass – S02E07 171 Figure 7: Christmas Lunch or Last Supper? – S02E07 187 Figure 8: A Subversive Resurrection at St. Saviour’s – S03E06 189 Chapter Eight Figure 1: Vestry Conversation – S01E03 219 Figure 2: Impromptu Baptism – S01E08 221 Figure 3: Holy Trinity – Rev. Myfanwy’s Three Creators (Carys Eleri, Ceridwen James, and Fflur Dafydd) Field Questions During Series Launch Event at Vue Cinema, Carmarthen – Celf Calon, 2015 222 Figure 4: Vicar Chic – The Many Looks of Myfanwy Elfed – Parch, S4C 224 Figure 5: Defrocked – The Vicar’s Quest for Eden in Her Own Back Garden – S01E02 225 Figure 6: Rev. Jones, Manic Street Preacher of Teulu’r Mans – HTV Wales 234 * Images from television programmes are episode frame grabs unless otherwise noted 5 List of Tables Chapter Seven Table 1: Church/Clergy Issues Addressed in Rev., By Episode 183 Table 2: Series Three Finale Holy Week/Easter Themes – S03E05 and 06 188 Chapter Eight Table 1: Parch Series One Episode Taglines 229 Chapter Nine Table 1: Evaluation of Case Study Programmes for Quality 244 6 Acknowledgements To the people in my life, the sine qua non of everything I do, but in particular: To all who made a contribution to this study—librarians, support staff, archivists— and especially to everyone who generously allowed me an interview. Your contributions are what make this analysis unique and engaging, and I hope that this work may also assist, in some way, in furthering your own endeavors. To Dad—who has an insatiable interest in all things historical, helped me form my earliest theology, and continues to focus my reflections and entertain my ramblings— and to both of my parents, who raised me to be curious and not to judge before asking questions, and who continue to endure my extended wanderings in foreign countries. To Sion, for endless patience, humour, love, assistance, cooking, and just generally helping me survive the final stages of writing. I cannot repay you. But I will try. To Professor Jeanette Steemers, for helping me begin to formulate this hypothesis and focus my research. To Professor Jean Seaton, for your professional wisdom and enduring enthusiasm for my project. And particularly to Dr. Anthony Mcnicholas, for your unfailing support whenever I was at a loose end or convinced that my work was pure nonsense. For your calm perspective, insights, suggestions and overall encouragement—I made it here only with your support. Thank You. 7 Declaration I declare that all the material contained in this thesis is my own work. Wendy Sherer 8 1 Introduction ...the daily manufacture of fictionalised versions of our lives has unnoticeably become the essential background against which we conduct our own. David Hare (2002) Inspiration I saw myself on television for the first time in 1997. Granted, the programme was about an urban Catholic priest in Chicago and I was a Lutheran seminary intern serving in remotest rural South Dakota at the time, but the instant I encountered the new ABC drama, Nothing Sacred, I felt like something remarkable had happened. Namely, that someone had taken the trouble to present a member of the clergy in a refreshingly authentic way. And whilst Father Ray (the show’s protagonist), with his rather confrontational style and occasional loose language, was by no means a mirror reflection of myself, I could certainly identify with his central dilemma: the experience of a calling that occurred—in equal parts—as blessing and curse.