The Avengers Audience Questions

The Avengers Audience Questions

Who is the target audience for The Avengers?

Mass audiences, adults

How does The Avengers appeal to them? (specific examples of content)

Was the only crime drama available on television . It had different, violent content that was never before seen on tv.

How were audiences able to access The Avengers?

On ITV

How did the social, cultural and historical contexts of the time affect audiences? (think about the generation gap)

At the time, all black people were displayed negatively, so there were no black people. Furthermore, there was a rise in feminism, so the main character was a female who fought her own battles and was tough.

How did the narratives and lack of recording technology maintain a loyal audience?

People wanted to watch it because there was nothing like it on television before (violent and sexual). However, people stopped watching because there were other crime dramas that were more popular

Write two paragraphs applying the Uses and Gratifications theory to The Avengers.

Audiences at the time were way more loyal to one particular channel as they felt it represented them. BBC audiences were seen as being 'cultured', but also 'stuck up' and an ITV viewer were seen as being 'down to earth' but 'less educated than a BBC watcher'.

Shows like The Avengers offered an opportunity to identify with role models by offering heroes who reflected their 1960s contexts: Steed representing a debonair English gentleman who nonetheless had a lightness of touch that enabled him to team up with Emma Peel; Peel representing the embodiment of ‘Swinging London’ in her self-confident sexuality and savoir-faire.

What is a passive audience? 

A passive audience is an audience that merely observes and event rather than actively responding it. 

How could a passive audience interpret The Avengers? (Think about the themes in S4, Ep 1)
They will assume that's what their culture is like. For example: there is no sexualities featured apart from heterosexuality and there are only white people in it, so a passive audience may think this is what Britain is like.