The (Self-)Presentation of Researchers in TV Documentary Formats

A Multimodal Perspective

Abstract

TV documentary film-makers usually consider including academic experts as one of the best ways to demonstrate factual authenticity. In documentary formats, researchers explain complex scientific processes and historical evolutions, narrate a story about their latest findings, give a more personal touch to the show, and move the argument along. Given the success of some documentary series, the academics’ performances on TV shape the image non-academics have of universities and research. It is thus important to critically analyze the practices of how academics are presented and present themselves in TV documentaries, which is the aim of this small-scale study. To do so, this paper has looked at 26 science and history documentaries, taking into account verbal, paraverbal and non-verbal modes of presentation. Specific points of interest are potential inequalities in the presentation of male and female researchers and a comparison of shows from different production countries.