Capital: Case study blog tasks

Reviews and features

Read the following review and feature on Capital:

Guardian review by Sam Wollaston
London Evening Standard: five things you need to know about Capital

1) What positive points does the review pick out about Capital? What criticisms are made - either of the TV drama or the original novel?

A great representation of London and the diversity that there is in it show by the amazing cast.

2) What references can you find in the reviews and feature to the idea Capital is a 'state-of-the-nation' drama? How does it capture modern-day London?

It show many different problems citizens of  London go trough and it captures the massive wealth inequality in London.

Trailer analysis

Watch the trailer for Capital:



1) How does the drama use camerawork to capture London life?

All of the shots are taken in London and they introduce many characters and their jobs.

2) How does the trailer introduce the different narrative strands suggesting tension or enigma in the 40-second running time?

It builds that sense of mystery of who is giving out the messages to people.

Capital in Media Magazine

Issue 83 of Media Magazine has a feature exploring Capital as a media product. Read ‘We Want What You Have’ in MM83  (p10). You'll find our Media Magazine archive here - remember you'll need your Greenford Google login to access. Answer the following questions:

1) What does the article suggest about the 'state of the nation' genre and how Capital is an example of this?

It implies that a state-of-the-nation genre record should be set at a whole city utilising its ensemble cast, just as Captial does.

2) What does the article suggest regarding the setting of Capital?

The story gains some focus since the action focuses on a single street. Throughout episode one, establishing shots serve as examples of this. Large areas of the city are seen from aerial shots and then smaller areas are seen.

3) What are the major themes in Capital and what does the article suggest regarding the impact of money on communities?

Income inequality and class difference as well as immigration. Money is separation people and making them unempathetic.

4) What different representations in Capital are discussed in the article?

Good vs bad, Rich vs poor

5) What does the final section of the article suggest regarding genre and overall message of the drama?  

Capital positions the actions of the banks as criminal. 

Capital Media Factsheet

Use our Media Factsheet archive on the M: drive Media Shared (M:\Resources\A Level\Media Factsheets) or on Google Drive here (you'll need your Greenford Google login) to find Media Factsheet #194 on Capital (BBC TV Drama). 

Read the whole of Factsheet and answer the following questions:

1) What does the factsheet say about the characters on the first page?

The interactions between the characters reflect the tensions between different cultures and costume is used to quickly communicate the different character roles.

2) Focusing on the industrial contexts, how does Capital help the BBC meet its obligations as a public service broadcaster?

Because fundamentally the BBC seek to educate, inform and entertain. And it does so showing life of Londoners from different perspectives.

3) What do we learn about the ownership structure for production company Kudos? 

It is a horizontal integration ownership structure.

4) How can David Hesmondhalgh's ideas in The Cultural Industries be linked to Capital and Kudos? 

5) How does the factsheet suggest Capital meets the genre conventions of crime and social realism?

They used the convention of crime: narrative and enigma codes.

6) How does the factsheet analyse the DVD packaging and what this communicates to the audience?

‘Someone wants what they have’, Establishes the enigma code and tells us that there will be a disruption within the narrative. 

Also with the use of yellow for the background it tells us it wont be a crime drama as yellow isn't associated with crime.

7) Look at page 5 of the factsheet. Choose one of the audience theories in the table and apply it to Capital.

Uses & Gratifications – Blumler and Katz

Capital has a broad range of characters which allow for a large amount of people to identify with their chosen character.

8) What does the factsheet suggest regarding binary oppositions in Capital?

Capital uses binary opposition to highlight differences and inequality in Pepys Road to makes us think of the inequalities and differences in London.

1) Write an analysis of the representations in each of the key scenes from episode 1 we studied in the lesson:

Scene 1: 

• London
• Mystery
• Enigma
• Multi-cultural 
• Diverse 
• Overpopulated

Scene 2: 

• Family 
• Picture of sons in his office, 
• White businessmen 
• International banking
• Male dominated

Scene 3: 

•  Depiction of middle/high-class life and home
• “You’d be surprised at how little £1m covers these days.” 

Scene 4: 

• Quentina, an asylum seeker working illegally
• Low-paying job as a traffic warden

Scene 5: 

• Office in London 
• Rich
• "Only £30,000 bonus"

Scene 6: 

• Family business 
• Father being the provider

2) How does Capital use stereotypes? Do the characters and issues represented in Capital reinforce or subvert the stereotypes we typically see in the media?

One stereotype relates to the Pakistani family, suggesting that these people or families often own corner stores. Another stereotype about Roger and his wife is that they are typically wealthy, which feeds into the  stereotypes about British white families. 

Industries and production context

Capital was produced by independent production company Kudos for the BBC. Look at the Kudos website and also read the Kudos Wikipedia page.

1) Who is the parent company for Kudos? What changes of ownership have there been for Kudos? This is an example of conglomerate ownership.

Parent company for kudos is Shine Group (2007–2015) Endemol Shine Group (2015–2018) Banijay UK (2018–present) 

2) Watch the showreel on the Kudos website. What other TV dramas have Kudos produced and for which channels? What awards have they won?

Recent productions include This Town (BBC One) Grantchester (ITV), SAS: Rogue Heroes (BBC One),Then You Run (Sky) , Code 404 (Sky One),Tin Star: Liverpool (Sky One), Utopia (Amazon Prime Video), Two Weeks To Live (Sky One), Responsible Child (BBC Two), Deadwater Fell (Channel 4).