Reg Grundy: A Review Essay

Abstract

Adaptation and remaking are central dynamics of culture industries, most especially television. There is now a formal trade in program formats that is part of the evolution of a worldwide screen industry. However, the practice of program cloning is not new: various instances of such activity have been noticed by television historians. Yet systematic investigation of this earlier phase is largely lacking. One major reason has to do with the unavailability of insider accounts by media professionals of how program remaking worked in other times and places. Thus the recent publication of the memoirs of a leading Australian figure in this trade is a significant event. This review essay pinpoints the importance of Reg Grundy in a national and international context, and reflects upon the dynamic of cultural adaptation in the sphere of television content production.