Detachment, Pride, Critique: Professional Identity in Independent Factual Television Production in Great Britain and Germany

This chapter discusses the role of professional identity in television production for the negotiation of tensions between culture and commerce that result from the uneven power relationship between broadcasters and independent production companies. In particular, it examines the professional self-image and resulting actions and attitudes of workers involved in the development and production of factual television programmes and documentaries in Great Britain and Germany. Building on in-depth data gathered through participant observation and interviews, the chapter highlights the ambiguity of professional identity and discourses. It describes how workers’ identities, as television professionals and documentary-makers respectively, facilitate both compliance with and critique of commercial imperatives.