Policing, surveillance capitalism and the Great British love affair with crime drama in Happy Valley

Abstract

Police and crime dramas are one of the most popular forms of TV entertainment in Britain. I first show that over the course of the past few decades, policing and surveillance has become more invasive than ever before. These phenomena are strongly tied to new forms of neo-liberalism and capitalism that encourage increasingly individualistic and fragmented societies. Yet, data shows that trust in the police is high, regardless of class background: Why might this be? I turn to depictions of surveillance and policing in British crime drama, in particular, the recently highly acclaimed Happy Valley. Whilst a well-written, heart-warming and satisfying TV series, I point to several themes that illustrate how British neo-liberal societal decay, policing and surveillance culture might be apparent. Police are presented as capable of filling the void left by the neo-liberal decimation of public services and the accompanying loneliness of intense individualism in poorer towns and cities.