How is it that television has come to play such an important role in our culture? What, in fact, does it tell us, and how are its messages conveyed? What is it we find so satisfying in the format of television police series, or in quiz or sports programmes, that we enjoy watching them again and again? Reading Television pushes the boundaries of television studies beyond the insights offered by cultural studies and textual analysis, creating a vibrant new field of study. Using the tools and techniques in this book, it is possible for everyone who has access to a television set to produce illuminating analyses not only of the programmes themselves, but also of the culture which produces them.