'Looking at the stars': TV3 adapts Lady Windermere's Fan

As any film student will tell you, in last years of 19th century technical innovations of Etienne-Jules Marey, George Eastman, Thomas Edison and many others produced a scientific curiosity without any definite application, motion picture. Like all new media, device was greeted with suspicion by champions of established forms. Such misgivings were compounded by innovation's earliest application, projecting novelties and actualites for lower class audiences of music halls, vaudeville theatres and other venues of ill-repute. Before cinema's narrative potential could be fully realised, form was already dismissed as disreputable by many. (1) Thus, to achieve greater legitimacy, newly discovered storytelling was aligned with respected forms and canonical texts, with early film-makers adapting heavily from literature. Using cherished texts to trellis fledgling forms' climb to cultural legitimacy, literary clout of Shakespeare, Dickens, Zola and others enabled film-makers to attract middle class audiences to its newly constructed nickelodeons. This tactic of gaining cultural capital from adapting agreed classics is not confined to cinema, but is replicated throughout history of arts; as Marshall McLuhan remarked, the 'content' of any is always another medium (1964: 8). In 2009, newest and most commercially driven of Ireland's national broadcasters, made a similar grasp at respectability, adapting Oscar Wilde's Lady Windermere's Fan for its first foray into feature length production. Belonging to Laura, a contemporary reworking of revered playwright's first stage satire, was part of broadcaster's wider ambitions to rise above mire of overseas imports and cheaply produced daytime shows for which it is known. In 2009 changed ambitions of oft-maligned station could be characterised by play's most famous line, are all in gutter, but some of us are looking at stars. began broadcasting in 1998, and as Ireland's first commercial broadcaster it has often been dismissed as least reputable of programmers, much to annoyance of its creative personnel. For example, station would not submit any programming for consideration to 2009 Irish Film & Television Awards as they had not won in previous five years and they believed that event was unfairly weighted in RTE's favour (Nolan 2009). However, this move smacked of sour grapes, as had few home productions during this time and could not expect to compete with traditional broadcasters at ceremonies that recognised indigenous work. Traditionally, majority of TV3's programming has been internationally sourced, with primetimes schedules regularly packed with US dramas (Judging Amy, Buffy Vampire Slayer), Australian sitcoms (Kath & Kim) and UK reality television programmes (I'm a Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here!, Love Island). Such is extent of TV3's reliance on one-time parent company ITV's productions that station was often found simultaneously broadcasting schedules of British channel, despite its availability in most Irish homes. Even today, long after ITV sold its share in TV3, station continues to simulcast many ITV programmes (such as Coronation Street and The X Factor). TV3's reliance on overseas productions has regularly found network criticised for a lack of identity, with Irish Independent noting in 2006 that TV3 has never fully managed to develop a distinctive, clearly Irish identity (Stacey). Traditionally, Irish productions on station were confined to daytime schedules with Ireland AM, a breakfast show, TV3's longest-running production (with exception of news and sports programming). However, in recent years more firmly established station has begun making concerted efforts to distinguish itself in broadcasting landscape. When appointed director of programming in 2007, Ben Frow a former commissioning editor for Channel 5 in UK, said of station, I think we need to do more home produced [programmes] to give us a better sense of identity, give viewers what they really want, reflect TV3's values and help us be less reliant on acquisitions (IFTN Broadcasters Spotlight--Ben Frow TV3). …