Screening the Fleet: The Royal Navy on Television 1973-2023

271 pages

This book is also available in digital format for free, via: https://universitypress.whiterose.ac.uk/books/m/10.22599/ScreeningtheFleet

Dr James WE Smith, King’s College London

Now and again, a study, book, or publication matched with the correct scholar comes along, and you can say: “they got it” or ‘does exactly what is said on the tin’ to use a phrase. Screening the Fleet: The Royal Navy on Television 1973-2023 by Jonathan Rayner is just that.

Screening the Fleet explores the portrayal of the Royal Navy on British television over five decades, focusing on drama and documentary series. The book analyses how television has represented the Royal Navy since the 1970s, starting with the significant series, for those who remember, like Warship and Sailor. Warship was a fictional drama that portrayed naval life through the lens of scripted storytelling focused on the exploits of fictional HMS Hero, while Sailor was a documentary that provided an authentic, real-world look at the experiences of sailors on board HMS Ark Royal in 1976. This took place not long before the tragedy of the end of actual fixed-wing aircraft and CATOBAR operations in the Royal Navy, a wound still unhealed and requiring attention such was the success of anti-naval voices in Whitehall and from other services after 1964. The blind panic by Naval Staff to get naval public relations moving in the 1970s was clear to all before the MoD truly took power from them.

The book walks through and discusses many aspects of visual media attempts to bring the navy ‘over the horizon’ to the public’s attention through their screens. Walking through other later naval drama series, naval documentaries and explaining different matters in which to understand them and their impact—or lack thereof such is the deepening of ‘seablindness’ tells us, or whatever term people want to use. No one cares what you want to call it, as tackling the issue is more critical. The fact that understanding of the sea and the business of the navies has only declined, along with the permeance of that business if far from the public and government gaze, reminds of the less than stellar achievements over the decades to tackle education of government and public alike to the matter: something to consider alongside this book as it gets into the post-cold war one era. Studying the many facets of engagement of the navy’s business is daily helps to understand the problem. Rayner offers excellently one such study, including what to do and what not to do, as have been strengths and weaknesses of naval public relations over recent decades.

The contrast between drama and documentary in the book enriches the analysis and makes the book accessible to both fans of drama and those more interested in real-life military depictions. Rayner applies a critical, scholarly perspective to the subject matter, making the book a solid academic resource. He considers not just the content of these television shows but also the production processes, the impact of technology, and how these representations align with or challenge contemporary values.

Rayner also examines evolving technologies and narrative conventions that shaped depictions, reflecting broader changes in British identity, naval culture, and public perceptions. The work also covers the shifting nature of the Navy in the post-WWII era, offering insights into the changing relationship between television, military representation, and national identity. This is not a study of media relations, however, in the sense of those covering war and conflict; although it touches on the matter, instead, it explores media representation of a navy from another angle, one that is most welcome, let alone the reminder of things probably forgotten.

The book provides an in-depth analysis of how naval life has been depicted on screen, from the heroic and dramatic to more realistic and gritty representations. Rayner also looks at the shift in the representation of naval personnel, particularly regarding the increasing diversity and inclusion in recent years. Additionally, the work touches on the role of television in reflecting or challenging the evolving national identity, especially in the post-war and post-Cold War eras often seen in Chris Terrill’s. Although, and to be fair, it’s clearly stated it does not cover the screen adaptation of Hornblower, the scholar clearly has the talent to widen the study as they write with clarity and good sense.

Overall, Screening the Fleet is a critical study of the intersection between media, military, and society, offering insights into how television series have both mirrored and influenced the public’s relationship with the Royal Navy over time. It is both an informative and thought-provoking analysis of the portrayal of the Royal Navy, making it a valuable resource for anyone interested in the intersection of media, military, and culture. It’s well worth a read, including supporting the paid for version, for serving, naval history students and veterans.