ABSTRACT
When television began all broadcasting was live (Marriott 2007). Without the ability to record a programme in advance or pre-edit material, when audiences turned on the TV set they were sharing the experience of watching television in ‘real time’ (Crisell 2012). As technology improved, gradually television schedules began to be filled by pre-filmed programming, such as soap operas or game shows. Into the 21st century, live broadcasting continues to be a prominent part of television culture. But in popular programming it tends to be reserved for particular types of television programming, including breakfast shows, sporting events and weather bulletins. Or, on special occasions – to mark an anniversary, say, or celebrate a season finale – programmes are broadcast in ‘real time’, using the novelty of liveness to deliver a tension and edginess. In the last season of The West Wing, for example, a live episode of a televised presidential debate was broadcast, a fictional attempt to recreate the ‘real time’ political pressure candidates face in reality.
