Pulp Nation

Escapism, Education or something in between?

BBC Radio 4's Analysis: Pulp Nation will broadcast on Thursday, 4 December, 2003 at 20:30 GMT.

What should we make of our culture? Have we really "dumbed down" or are we, in fact getting smarter?

Are we getting what we want and need from TV, newspapers and publishers? How are we to judge?

There are those who argue that in recent years our cultural life has gone into a spiral of decline and we're stifling intellectually demanding work. Others say that " difficult" doesn't necessarily mean " better, " and that new art forms, accessed in new ways have always been attacked by cultural elitists.

Indeed, cultural optimists argue that we should celebrate that so many can now enjoy the rich and diverse cultural fruits of the nation.

Some say our culture is like our politics. We're now a nation which increasingly occupies the middle ground; that this is the dominant trend which followed a shift away from the top end of the " high arts" and the bottom to a middle position: where our culture can best be described as middle brow: Is this true or is this just another media label?

But there are those who think we are still on the slippery slope of cultural decline. They point their fingers at the notion of " entertainment" which seems to permeate virtually everything we culturally consume.

And they warn of the dangers of the UK heading down an American route whereby " entertainment " appears to be the primary value of the culture.

Is there anything wrong with entertainment per se? After a long working day, most of us seem happy to sit exhausted in front of the TV.

But do we want to be entertained or educated or both? What is the role of the media ?

What does our culture say about us?

Contributors include:
Estelle Morris, Arts Minister
Jane Root, Controller BBC 2
Tim Gardam, Outgoing Director of programmes Channel 4
Victoria Barnsley, Chief Executive of Harper Collins
James Brown, magazine publisher
Richard Casbey, Managing Editor of the Sunday Times.

Presenter: Felipe Fernandez-Armesto
Producer: Jim Frank
Editor: Nicola Meyrick