Join leading experts in a discussion on the future of British TV

28 Apr 2022

The event will mark the launch of the British Pop Archive, and the addition of the Granada TV Archive to the John Rylands Research Institute and Library

On Wednesday, 18 May, to celebrate the launch of the British Pop Archive, Creative Manchester will be hosting a roundtable discussion at Manchester Central Library with Professor David Olusoga OBE and broadcasting vanguards to explore the past, present, and future landscape of British TV. 

Our partners at the John Rylands Library will open the British Pop Archive exhibition on 19 May. This national archive is the first specifically designated, large-scale popular archive in the UK, an excellent resource for research and teaching and a boost to Manchester’s status as a creative and cultural capital.

As part of British Pop Archive, the John Rylands Library will welcome the return to Manchester of the Granada TV Archive. Granada TV holds a significant place in the history of British television, and was once referred to as the ‘greatest television company in the world.’ Audiences might be familiar with Granada TV for creating trail-blazing programmes, including Coronation Street, Sherlock Holmes, and The Royle Family. With the changing landscape of television – the rise of the Big Five TV channels, streaming services, and social media platforms – Granada TV’s identity has drastically altered over time.

To mark both the launch of the British Pop Archive exhibition and the return of the Granada TV Archive, Creative Manchester will be hosting the event Devolved Vision: Granada TV and the Future of British TV. This is a roundtable discussion with leading experts, reflecting on Granada TV, the current landscape of television, and what the future of British TV will might look like.

The roundtable will feature the following speakers:

• Professor David Olusoga OBE – historian, writer, broadcaster, presenter and filmmaker from Newcastle-upon-Tyne, now based in Bristol. His recent work includes the multi-series A House Through Time, Our NHS: A Hidden History, and the BAFTA award-winning Britain’s Forgotten Slave Owners. He is Professor of Public History at our University and recently appeared as an expert witness in the trial of the ‘Colston four’.
• Dorothy Byrne – President of Murray Edward College, Cambridge. She began her television career at Granada as a producer on World in Action and became Head of News and Current Affairs at Channel 4 in 2003, before moving to a role as Editor-at-Large for the company until recently. She was made a Fellow of The Royal Television Society for her Outstanding Contribution to Television and won the RTS Journalism award for Outstanding Contribution to Television Journalism. She is the author of Trust Me, I’m Not A Politician: A Simple Guide to Saving Democracy, and is an alumna of our University.
• Liza Williams – BAFTA award-winning television film-maker responsible for the critically acclaimed BBC series The Yorkshire Ripper Files: A Very British Crime Story. She has an impressive track record as a producer and director of programmes including Catching A Predator (BBC 2), Stacey Dooley Investigates, and Panorama. An alumna of our University, she lives and works in the city.

More information:

• Register for the free event, taking place on 18 May at 4pm.
• Find out more about the British Pop Archive.