“Something as Passionless as Brilliant Administration”: Royal Sex and Sexuality in 1970s British Historical Television Drama

Abstract

Taking as its subject a range of period dramas that depicted the British monarchy in the 1970s, this article argues that debates about the “sexing-up” of recent historical dramas are nothing new. It demonstrates that exploring the sexualities of their subjects have long been central to how such dramas have blended the political and private lives of historical figures. Depictions of sexuality and sex conveyed notions of power, duty, and personal conflict across the different periods and monarchs depicted. Part of a renaissance in costume drama—spurred on, in part, by the coming of colour television—historical biopic serials offered 1970s audiences entertaining and didactic interpretations of British monarchical history. Moving beyond traditional debates around historical realism and dramatic licence, this study takes a public history approach to source material, arguing that these depictions of royals past offer significant insight for historians interested in the conception and nature of monarchy in contemporary society.

Keywords

• public history
• sex
• sexuality
• television drama
• monarchy
• 1970s