1. The 1990s 1990s

2. Wider Contexts Britpop exploded in the mid 1990s- Girl Power, Oasis, Rave music Arrival of new American sitcoms Friends, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Beverly Hills, 90210 ran from 1990 to 2000 and established the teen soap genre paving the way for Dawson's Creek and the UK, Hollyoaks. Animated television with wittier dialogue that was meant to entertain adults while still being appealing for children to watch: The Simpsons, Beavis and Butthead, South Park and Family Guy. In some cases causing a great deal of controversy with child characters who were sassy and rebellious against their parents and teachers. MTV created the first popular reality show with The Real World. Personal Computers - internet, email etc On the music front, grunge bands, hip hop, pop rappers, the rise of teen-idol boy bands, Techno or "house" music as rave parties become mainstream entertainment. The public movement in the gay community as more and more celebrities "came out" to the public - Elton John, George Michael, k.d. Lang - homosexuality was thrust into mainstream media and prime time television reacted accordingly. Hit shows such as Will and Grace, Friends featured gay themes and characters. The explosion of video games on Nintendo 64 and Sony PlayStation, games became much more graphic in content (parental ratings system was quickly introduced.) Maggie Thatcher at start to Tony Blair by end 1990s and Bill Clinton in the USA Science and technology milestones Hubble Telescope, cloning, DNA identification, CD burners and DVD formats.

3. Key Programmes

4. ‘The Word’ one of the most notorious TV shows of all time, first aired Friday, 17 August 1990.

5. ‘The Word’ In this post-Big Brother and X Factor world it is hard to imagine now how revolutionary the show was, but in 1990 multichannel TV had hardly started, the independent television production sector was tiny, and the most risque show on TV was Blind Date! People used to go to bed at 11pm, even on Fridays. It was only when Michael Grade, then chief executive of Channel 4, changed the Word's transmission time from 6pm to 11pm a few weeks after it began that the programme became essential post-pub fodder, and it changed viewing habits for ever. Social attitudes now reflect the outlook of the generation that watched ‘The Word’ rather than the ones who complained about it. ‘The Word’ reflected the rift between the laidback attitude of younger people and the establishment, something that no other TV show was then doing.

6. ‘The Word’ Its presenters –The combination of posh-sounding Amanda De Cadenet, Mancunian Terry Christian and Mark Lamarr(bitter rivalry sprang up between the latter 2 which spilled over on to the screen.) But its mix of A-list guests, the hottest bands, filmed stories and studio stunts got people talking about it more than any other "youth" show before it: e.g. Oliver Reed being secretly filmed drinking in his dressing room, ‘elderly soap stars’ drunk and singing, the "I'd do anything to get on television" item. Target audience was to aim for an audience of 16- to 34-year-olds and to make the show a "watercooler moment" (talked about the next day) which was encouraged by Channel 4! The production team were all firmly in the target age group, and it was put together to please themselves: “I cultivated a tabloid editor's eye for a story, and thought I knew how to captivate – or annoy – the public. We wanted to reflect what our contemporaries really thought. For example, we wanted to make being gay ordinary.” Though seemingly chaotic, the running order was planned with military precision. Every item was rigorously vetted by lawyers, so much so that in its five years it only had one threatened libel action.

7. ‘Highlight’ moment http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x8yorh_lynne-perrie-i-will-survive_people

8. Legacy “The show provided a glimpse of the future of television – some would argue a horrifying one. No longer could celebrities be treated with total reverence, as on The Des O'Connor Show or Wogan. Five-minute videotaped pieces tackled subjects that would these days be given whole series on ITV – dog plastic surgery, fat farms, child beauty pageants. Its use of ordinary people predated reality TV by years. And it wasn't pointless: before her song, Lynne Perrie talked movingly about her relationship with her daughter. We wanted to connect with lonely teenagers in bedrooms around the country and make them feel part of something. I would be the first to say that a TV schedule dominated by the kind of subjects you saw on The Word would be a nightmare, but its role as an innovator is unimpeachable.” Charlie Parsons, creator

9. Full Reading: http://www.guardian.co.uk/tv-and-radio/2010/aug/10/the-word-changed-television

10. 1990s Teen Dramas Byker Grove, 1989 Hollyoaks , 1995

11. In America:‘Beverley Hills 90210’, 1990

12. 1990s Teen Comedy ‘Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’, 1990 ‘2point4 children’, 1991

13. Task: