{"product_id":"9781501346507","title":"Mother of the BBC Mabel Constanduros and the Development of Popular Entertainment on the BBC, 1925-57","description":"\u003ch1\u003eMother of the BBC\u003c\/h1\u003e\u003ch2\u003eMabel Constanduros and the Development of Popular Entertainment on the BBC, 1925-57\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003ch3\u003eJennifer J. Purcell\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cb\u003eSocial Science \/ Media Studies\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp\u003eMabel Constanduros was one of the first British radio comediennes and a beloved star of the early BBC, best known as the creator and performer of the comic Cockney family, the Bugginses.  In this, the first significant biography of Constanduros, Jennifer J Purcell explores Constanduros's career and influence on the shaping of popular British entertainment alongside the history of the nascent BBC.  \u003ci\u003eMother of the BBC\u003c\/i\u003e provides new insights into programming decisions and content on the early BBC, deepening our understanding of the history and evolution of situation comedy and soap opera.  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFurther, Constanduros's biography considers class in the representation of the British people on BBC radio, the gendered experience and performance of radio celebrity, and the intersections between BBC entertainment and other forms of popular media prior to the advent of television. Constanduros's emphasis on the everyday and the family had far-reaching impacts on the shape of sitcom and soap opera in Britain, two popular lenses through which the nation sees itself at home.  Her role in developing entertainment on the BBC and the ways in which she cultivated her career make her the Mother of the BBC, but in constructing a popular image of family life she might also be considered the Mother of the Nation.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eJennifer J. Purcell \u003c\/b\u003eis Professor of History at Saint Michael's College in Vermont, USA. Using Mass-Observation diaries and directives, her first book,\u003ci\u003e Domestic Soldiers \u003c\/i\u003e(2010), seeks to understand the day-to-day lives of six women on the home front during the Second World War. She is also the author of \u003ci\u003eMother of the BBC: Mabel Constanduros and the Development of Light Entertainment on the BBC, 1925–1957\u003c\/i\u003e (Bloomsbury, 2020) and editor of \u003ci\u003eMass Observation: Text, Context and Analysis of the Pioneering Pamphlet and Movement\u003c\/i\u003e (Bloomsbury, 2023) and \u003ci\u003eReflections on British Royalty: Mass Observation and the Monarchy, 1937-2022\u003c\/i\u003e (with Fiona Courage; Bloomsbury, 2024).\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ctable\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePublication Date: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e28 May 2020\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePublisher: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBloomsbury Academic\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eImprint: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBloomsbury Academic\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eISBN-13: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e9781501346507\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eFormat: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHardback\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePage Count: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e256\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eWeight (oz): \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e17.76\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e","brand":"Bloomsbury Academic","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51332787732620,"sku":"9781501346507","price":121.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0710\/9545\/1788\/files\/getimage_73ab8531-db10-4d35-ad26-bd47a2c6dae3.jpg?v=1783605828","url":"https:\/\/fh90cf-fv.myshopify.com\/products\/9781501346507","provider":"Late Knight Books and Services, LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}