Cultural critic Phil Harrison explores the last fifty years of British television in a series of essays analyzing the medium through the period's political and cultural developments.

Television has often been thought of as frivolous entertainment.

But as a mass communication medium pioneered in the 20th century, television also functions as a historical document.

Phil Harrison is a cultural critic whose work has appeared in The Guardian, The Telegraph, and The Quietus.

In his 20-year career writing about television, Harrison has witnessed the birth of reality television, angry debates about the political bias of TV news, and the rise of streaming services.

For Harrison, television isn't simply affected by the discourses of the outside world, but plays a role in forming them.

In this book, the critic lovingly dissects a medium that has both seen and shown British society through decades of social upheaval and questions what the future of television might hold.