Gorton, K and Peirse, A (2016) ‘A Revolutionary Voice’: Analysing Maxine Peake’s Northern stardom in Silk and Room at the Top. The Journal of Popular Television, 4 (2). pp. 213-224. ISSN 2046-9861
Abstract
This article explores how Maxine Peake’s explicit and directly articulated social conscience – specifically in terms of class, gender and Northernness – can be explored in television drama, and what this might say about her ‘Northern Stardom’ in our contemporary cultural climate. Our central case studies are the series Silk (2011–2014) and mini-series Room at the Top (2012), both chosen as recent productions that explicitly engage with politics but in quite different ways. In the case of Silk this is foregrounded as a courtroom drama, while Room at the Top’s 1950s’ setting demonstrates the way working-class men and women were able to break free of expectations around their gender and social standing – but at a cost. Peake is presented in popular culture as a rarity, a socially aware, politically active Northern actor who is able to break free of a Northern stereotype; at the same time, we will argue, as an actor she brings an honesty/emotion to the roles she plays that both chime with audience expectations of the ‘strong’ Northern woman and yet allow her to expose the fragility and anxiety inherent to this persona.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | This is an author produced version of a paper published in Journal of Popular Television. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. |
Keywords: | Maxine Peake; Room at the Top; Silk; The Village; television; the North |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures (Leeds) > School of Media & Communication (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 20 Feb 2018 17:02 |
Last Modified: | 05 Mar 2018 03:21 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Intellect |
Identification Number: | 10.1386/jptv.4.2.213_1 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:127533 |