ABSTRACT
One of the functions of factual television is to provide information on the nature of society and the tools by which to understand it. Television documentaries have been a strength of British television and have a distinguished record of highlighting the injustice of poverty. Television had a strong commitment to this public service ethos, on ITV as well as the BBC. Audience figures were good and feedback from viewers was positive. By the late-1990s, the impact of the 1990 Act was becoming clear and measurable. By the late 1990s, a particular ideological view of business that saw it in terms of individual entrepreneurship had become mainstream. Over the last forty years, the mainstream broadcast channels, faced with greater competition and lighter regulations, changed.
