When is a Play Not a Play?
' What I object to in the present upsurge of drama documentaries is the fact that the television companies are trying to seduce the audience and say this is real'
Joseph Hone , television critic
This special edition of Arena examines the current controversy over the boundaries between drama and documentary and looks at the problems which face programme makers who use the conventions of fiction to represent ' the facts '.
' I always say to our people go out and dig the truth out and it will be our truth, because the truth is always partial and so are we '
Tony Garnett , drama producer, Law and Order
'... it's not a documentary because they're not the real people, they're not even the real names, they're not even the real places ...'
Paul Watson , documentary producer, Breakaway Girls
Other contributors include Jack Gold , Denis Mitchell
Quentin Crisp , Alan Clarke
Jim Allen and Alasdair Milne
Film cameraman PHILIP BONHAM CARTER Film editor ALAN LEWENS Director NIGEL WILLIAMS Producer ALAN YENTOB