Introduction

The anecdote, taken from Roy Coleman's obituary (Independent, 13 September 1996) reveals a common preconception about the entertainment press; it was a journalistic backwater, a place for fanatics and second-rate journalists, where publishers made easy money. The view misses the significance of a medium where the entertainment industry and the public came together to discuss the creative practices, performances and commercial products of artistes. These journalistic and publishing practices were not performed in isolation; the entertainment press, often implicitly but also knowingly, constructed and represented broader understandings of society, politics and culture.

The term ‘entertainment press’ describes journals, papers, magazines and web pages that cover music, theatre, film, vaudeville, variety performance, comedy, television and radio. With the growth of commercial publishing markets from the late-eighteenth century, publishers created journals covering entertainment that grew to command a significant audience in the nineteenth century. Numerous entertainment papers allowed the public to find and attend live performances and added critical judgements so ‘discerning’ people could find something that suited their tastes (there were, however, already rumblings of discontent about the ethics of reviewing and coverage).