Studying the Slayer: Buffy and the power of fantasy TV

Over seven seasons, one TV show redefined what popular television could do. It evolved storytelling, audience expectations, and production conditions, and made its creator a household name. Join us (and a very special guest!) to take a deep dive into Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

On this course, you’ll discuss key episodes and themes, look at draft scripts, and consider philosophical ideas and aesthetic choices. With guidance from Professor Matthew Pateman, a world expert in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, this course will enhance your knowledge of and engagement with the show and augment your other television and streaming experiences.

In the last week, you will be joined by a very special guest, Emmy-nominated writer and producer, Jane Espenson, for a question-and-answer session.

Course Overview

This 6 week course runs for two hours a week, packed with practical knowledge and hands-on activities. In this course, you’ll cover:

• Week 1: This week will introduce the premise of the show and its characters, consider what kind of show Buffy is, and take a preliminary look at some of the themes and production techniques we will look at over the next few weeks.
• Week 2: We will examine storytelling, script, dialogue and humour in the show and see how these aspects are used for different character, narrative, and thematic purposes.
• Week 3: This session will assess the ways that genre expectation are worked with, undermined and re-purposed to produce rich, complex narratives whose ethical outcomes are always ambiguous and problematised.
• Week 4:This week it is composition, costume and mise-en-scene that will be the objects of discussion, especially insofar as they help us consider character, narrative, theme and ethics.
• Week 5: Sound effects, music, and silence all contribute to the creation of a scene’s and episode’s impact. This session will help to explain how.
• Week 6: Join a Q&A session with Jane Espenson. In this exciting culmination of the course, you will be able to ask Jane about her time as a writer and producer on Buffy the Vampire Slayer.  

Biographies

Professor Matthew Pateman

Prof. Pateman has taught and researched literature, film, and television for over 30 years. A world expert on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, he has presented at numerous global conferences, given keynote addresses, published copious articles, chapters, and an award-winning monograph, as well as other monographs and articles on a wide variety of subjects from other cult TV shows, modern fiction, poetry, and drama. A passionate teacher and advocate of both life-long and inclusive learning, he is thrilled to be able to bring this course to a wider public.

 

Jane Espenson

An Emmy-nominated and Hugo Award-winning television writer and producer best known for her work on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Firefly, Gilmore Girls, Game of Thrones, Battlestar Galactica, and Foundation, among other series.  She is currently writing for Amazon’s Fallout.

 

 

Dates and times

• Starts on Tuesday 16 September 2025
• Runs online once a week for six weeks
• 6:30pm – 8:30pm (BST)

Costs

£85 + VAT per person

Booking

This course can only be purchased directly from the store if you are accessing it from the United Kingdom.

If you are accessing it from outside the United Kingdom, please email [email protected] to enquire further. Please do not try to buy the course through the store.