Academics in your seasonal stocking?

IT's not often that MMU academics turn up in people's Christmas stockings.

But that's what could happen this year after popular culture authors Janet McCabe and Kim Akass were cited in The Observer's seasonal gifts section.

Their book Quality TV: Contemporary American Television and Beyond (IB Tauris) was one of the daily newspaper's recommendations for 'cultural gifts' of the year.

The book published earlier this year and edited by Janet and Kim was named alongside The Sopranos boxset as journalist Kathryn Flett's top tips of 2007.

Go to http://observer.guardian.co.uk/review/story/0,,2224426,00.html

Janet and Kim are Research Fellows in TV Drama, based in the Department of Contemporary Arts at MMU Cheshire.

Professor Robin Nelson, who heads up the TV Drama Research Group, has also contributed a chapter to the book.

The Research Group also edits the now established hard copy and on-line journal, Critical Studies in Television (Manchester University Press) which is committed to building bridges between the television industry and academia, as traditionally conceived.

For more about Contemporary Arts at MMU, go to www.cheshire.mmu.ac.uk/dca