Page 10 - ELG1711 Nov Issue 452

NEWS .

TV drama cuts

English language Chasing Time Productions

detective work

By Claudia Civinini teachers’ prayers with a special kind
The British detective series of detective series. It has released
Midsomer Murders is now in its its first drama series aimed at adult
twentieth series and has been sold learners of English, and is planning
to TV stations in 200 different more to come next year. Filming the
countries. Its massive global The six-episode series Fortune Fortune series
success, cast members claim, is will see its protagonist, private
down to its unique blend of genteel detective Jimmy Fortune, deal with
Englishness with the macabre and the disappearance of Jenny. The Far from concentrating just on really worked because the films
the grotesque. case drags him back into a past he the vicissitudes of its characters, were pitched to a native-speaking
But as many English teachers had chosen to forget. Fortune also focuses on a linguistic audience and it was hard work
will attest, the unsubtitled versions The narrative was developed feature in each episode, according trying to adapt it to the classroom.’
of British soaps and dramas don’t by co-founder Scott Granville as a to the proficiency level chosen. The company is planning to
always go down well in the language ‘stand-alone entertainment piece’. For example, episode one features launch a second series of Fortune
classroom. A carefully chosen A team of education professionals ‘WH questions’ for Blue level, soon. A series for young adult
excerpt can simply leave students led by applied linguistics PhD and ‘modals of deduction and learners, My Name is Lucky, and one
baffled by the language, and they Jonathon Ryan developed teaching speculation’ for Gold level. for young learners, The Amazing
have to work out the meaning from and learning materials for each ‘I often looked around for Adventures of the Pirate Bay Gang,
people’s facial expressions. episode targeted for two levels of materials like this when I was a will be released next year.
Now, New Zealand-based language proficiency. Blue indicates teacher,’ said Ryan. ‘I was really The series will be available on
Chasing Time Productions could high elementary level and Gold keen on film and often tried to the production company’s website:
have come up with the answer to represents upper intermediate. adapt existing films, but it never www.chasingtimeenglish.com/

10 November 2017

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