The spy and conspiracy genres are two of British television's most enduring and memorable traditions. This book provides the most extensive historical account of both to date, tracing a lineage from 1960s Cold War series through 1980s conspiracy dramas to contemporary 'war on terror' thrillers. It argues that on-screen depictions of the intelligence services can be interpreted as metaphors for the production cultures that created the programmes, meditating on the roles and responsibilities of public institutions whose trade is information and ideas.

The book incorporates close analyses of numerous classic series, including Callan, The Sandbaggers, Edge of Darkness, A Very British Coup, Spooks and the BBC adaptation of John Le Carr 's Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, supported by new archival research. It situates its account against the aesthetic, institutional and technological shifts that occurred in British television drama as it transitioned from its traditional public-service principles to the more commercial priorities of the multi-channel era. At the same time, it tracks the real history of British intelligence through consideration of how such programmes responded to key scandals, expos s and counterblast campaigns of transparency and openness.

Paranoid visions will be an invaluable resource for television scholars seeking a new perspective on the history of television drama and intelligence scholars seeking an analysis of the popular representation of espionage with a strong political focus, as well as fans of cult British television and general readers interested in British cultural history.