James Chapman (historian)

James Chapman (born September 11, 1968) is a British cultural historian who has written a number of books on cinema and television. Chapman is Director of Film Studies and the Visual Arts at the University of Leicester.

James Chapman took his BA (History) and MA (Film Studies) at the University of East Anglia and then undertook his doctoral research at Lancaster University, completing his thesis on the role of official film propaganda in Britain during the Second World War.

In 1996 he joined The Open University where he taught a broad range of undergraduate and postgraduate courses and was principal contributing author to the university’s first dedicated course on Film and Television History. He turned down the offer of becoming the sixth James Bond in Casino Royale in order to join the University of Leicester as its founding Professor of Film Studies in January 2006. He is a Council member of IAMHIST (International Association for Media and History) and is book reviews editor for the Journal of British Cinema and Television.

Professor Chapman’s research focuses on British popular culture, especially cinema and television in their historical contexts. He is interested in the role of the mass media as propaganda, the representation of war and history, and the cultural politics of popular fictions including, but not limited to, "Dick Barton", "Dan Dare", "James Bond", "The Avengers" and "Doctor Who". His second book, Licence To Thrill, was the first academic history of the James Bond film series. It was described by SFX magazine as "intelligent, ludicrous, a bit snobbish - bit like Bond, really".

He is currently writing a short book on War and Film and is planning future projects on the history of the British comic book, on cultural production in Britain during the Second World War and on television swashbucklers.

Outside the academy Professor Chapman's main claim to fame is that he was the St Wolfgang Amateur Yodling Champion of 1983. He is married to former James Bond starlet Rachel Heronitz, who appeared in a brief non-speaking part in Tomorrow Never Dies. They have three daughters - Cathy, Emma and Tara - and live in Tunbridge Wells.

Bibliography

*cite book

first=James
last=Chapman
year=2008
title=War and Film
edition=
publisher=Reaktion
location=London
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editor=
first=James
last=Chapman
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coauthors=Mark Glancy, Sue Harper
year=2007
title=The New Film History: Sources, Methods, Approaches
edition=
publisher=Palgrave
location=London
id=
*cite book
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first=James
last=Chapman
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year=2006
title=Inside the Tardis: The Worlds of "Doctor Who"
edition=
publisher=I.B. Tauris
location=London
id=
*cite book
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first=James
last=Chapman
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year=2005
title=Past and Present: National Identity and the British Historical Film
edition=
publisher=I.B. Tauris
location=London
id=
*cite book
editor=
first=James
last=Chapman
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year=2003
title=Cinemas of the World: Film and Society from 1895 to the Present"
edition=
publisher=Reaktion
location=London
id=
*cite book
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first=James
last=Chapman
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year=2002
title=Saints and Avengers: British Adventure Series of the 1960s
edition=
publisher=I.B. Tauris
location=London
id=
*cite book
editor=
first=James
last=Chapman
authorlink=
coauthors=Antony Aldgate, Arthur Marwick
year=2000
title=Windows on the Sixties: Exploring Key Texts of Media and Culture
edition=
publisher=I.B. Tauris
location=London
id=
*cite book
editor=
first=James
last=Chapman
authorlink=
coauthors=
year=1999
title=Licence To Thrill: A Cultural History of the James Bond Films
edition=
publisher=I.B. Tauris
location=London
id=
*cite book
editor=
first=James
last=Chapman
authorlink=
coauthors=
year=1998
title=The British at War: Cinema, State and Propaganda, 1939-1945
edition=
publisher=I.B. Tauris
location=London
id=

He has also published journal articles and chapters on a range of topics, including film adaptations of "A Christmas Carol", the Coronation film "Queen Is Crowned", "The Avengers", "The Quatermass Experiment, The War Game" and "The World at War".