In the final episode of Tom Hooper’s masterful mini series, John Adams, the titular protagonist stands, an old man, in front of an artist’s rendition of the signing of the declaration of independence. It features the entirety of the continental congress watching as key players sign the now world famous and historic document. Adams stands noble and proud next to Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and George Washington. Nearly fifty years later and Adams excoriates the artist for his lack of historical accuracy, pointing out that the scene he has depicted is a work of pure fiction.

British television drama has always been woefully under funded when compared to American productions. Fact. This island’s main currency for many years in television terms was comedy and documentary, two genres which required significantly smaller budgets. In recent years Britain has been in something of a dramatic drought, with fewer and fewer produced, and what makes it through the nine circles of funding hell is often little more than a safe bet.

Over the past decade one company was at the forefront of the golden age of American television - HBO. The greatest television dramas have all spawned from that one, highly literate network: Tom Fontana’s brutally pessimistic prison drama, Oz (1997-2003), Alan Ball’s existential exploration of life and death, Six Feet Under (2001-2005), David Milch’s poetic re-invention of the western genre, Deadwood (2004-2006) and David Simon’s deconstructions of systemic failures within American institutions, The Wire (2002-2008).

Science Fiction is a divisive genre, fans are often fanatics and non-fans can be vitriolic in their hatred and or total dismissal of the genre as ‘geeky’ or ‘childish’. Television programmes like Star Trek or Babylon 5 are often held responsible for the latter reaction with their stifled dialogue and dodgy special effects. But equally the cliqueiness of Science Fiction fans can alienate those who under different circumstances may well enjoy science fiction. Ronald D.

Part Two of this special edition of Left Field Cinema examining Ronald D. Moore and David Eick's Science Fiction masterpiece Battlestar Galactica (2003-2009). This episode exploring the shows complex allegorical look at American politics of the past ten years.

Written and presented by Mike Dawson.

Part One of this special edition of Left Field Cinema examining Ronald D. Moore and David Eick's Science Fiction masterpiece Battlestar Galactica (2003-2009).

Written and presented by Mike Dawson.

Before The Wire, before The Shield, before CSI and all of it’s mutant offspring, even slightly before NYPD Blue came Barry Levinson and Paul Attanasio’s Homicide: Life on the Street based on the book Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets a real life account of twelve months spent by the author David Simon along side the Baltimore homicide unit.

Part two of this double episode examining Tom Fontana and Barry Levinson's 1990's cop drama based on David Simon's book Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets.

Part one of a two-part examination of NBC's triumphant 1990's Baltimore-set cop drama. Based on David Simon's excellent true-crime novel Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets.

The BBC has to endure quite stiff criticism at times. U.S television programming has sadly left our national output years behind, and very little produced here today has much in the way of global impact.