In terms of visual impact, television has long been regarded as inferior to cinema. It has been characterised as sound-led, dull to look at and consumed by a distracted audience. Today, it is
tempting to see the rise of HD and 3D as ushering in a new era of spectacular television. Yet since its earliest days, the medium has embraced spectacular content. Television has been
positioned as a spectacular ’attraction’ from the outset. In its early days, it was introduced to audiences in public promotional demonstrations; today, programmes are viewed on large HD
screens at home accompanied by surround sound and special effects. Looking at lifestyle and makeover shows, costume dramas, televised sport, travel shows and ambitious natural history series,
Helen Wheatley answers the questions: what is televisual pleasure, and how has television defined its own brand of spectacular aesthetics?
