Heritage and Period Drama: an Extra Dose of History
“Often dismissed as something trite, conservative, and dull, costume drama demonstrates to us throughout its history the multiple ways that television might dramatize and enact relationships between the past and the present, illustrate a way of conceptualizing and idealizing the past, and resource the contemporary historical imagination.”
~Jerome de Groot in Upstairs Downstairs: British Costume Drama Television from the Forsyte Saga to Downton Abbey
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As much as period dramas have risen in popularity, so, too, has criticism of the genre. Several points of contention exist between consumers and creators of these productions, including—but certainly not limited to—the amount of perceived historical accuracy they exhibit or how authentically they represent plot lines in a historical period. While it can be easy to write-off dramas that do not meet our standards for what ‘historical’ productions are supposed to be like, deviations from the traditional subject material can and should be handled with care and consideration.
Think about your preferences
What is more important to you as a viewer? Historical “accuracy” or historical “authenticity”?
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Period dramas can foster greater widespread engagement with history, a feat that capitalizes on the reach of popular television and media. Period dramas should be understood not just for their entertainment value, but the effects their popularity can have on trends and popular historical interests.
Clear connections can be made between a period drama’s release date and a spike in popularity of the related historical content. Even shows that heavily fictionalize their historical plot lines have followed this trend. Key examples include Bridgerton (2020), My Lady Jane (2024) and The White Princess (2017).
Henry VII’s Google search interest in the past twelve years peaked in May 2017, one month after The White Princess was first released. Its second highest point occurred after the release of the flagship series, The White Queen, in June 2013.
Related search terms for “Lady Jane Grey” on Google. There is a clear connection between interest in Jane and the heavily fictionalized My Lady Jane.
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Through artistic devices, period dramas can expand upon historical topics and address them in ways unique to film. Taking deliberate artistic mediums can actually enhance understanding of an aspect of history—whether or not we realize it.
Given their visual and entertaining nature, period dramas can comment upon historical issues in ways traditional texts are unable to achieve, in addition to making those insights more approachable to a wider audience. Their inherent dramatization of plot points can also highlight themes and understandings of a historical period through the ‘escapism’ they provide. In experiencing a historically-inspired world through the screen, we can gain insights in ways unattainable by other mediums.
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“This phenomenon of ‘set-jetting’, where travellers journey to the filming locations of popular shows and films, has been gaining traction for a few years. But thanks to its increasing popularity, Expedia named it one of its top travel trends of 2024.”
~Lynn Brown for BBC Travel
Recently, people have sought to experience these worlds in a more physical sense, travelling to historic sites used in filming. Where period dramas decide to film helps shape their onscreen worlds, even if the locations are not historically accurate for the period. Balancing the logistics of filming with the historical atmosphere is one of the key considerations of the genre.
This unavoidably develops a relationship between period drama and heritage. How that relationship evolves can be both fruitful and damaging. Period dramas can ultimately be a great tool to engage viewers with history, but they can cause disruptive relationships with heritage sites if their real history is not taken into account. With set-jetting rising in popularity, this relationship is something both tourists and heritage sites should take into account.
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This relationship can be examined through two questions:
