Broadcast
09 November 2007
View all stories from this issue.
-
5.7m return to The Street
Jimmy McGovern’s BBC1 drama series The Street returned with a strong audience of 5.7m viewers (26.2%) last night, its best ratings performance ever. -
9.8m watch Doc Martin wedding
The series finale of ITV1’s Doc Martin at 9pm last night attracted 9.8m viewers (40.1%), the show’s largest ever audience. -
ABC plugs in Dance Machine
US network ABC has landed Dance Machine, an unscripted series from RDF USA. -
Babelgum to air Encounters
Online TV network Babelgum is to screen films shown as part of Bristol’s Encounters short film festival this month. -
BBC asks kids to help smokers quit
Children will be tasked with getting their parents to stop smoking in a groundbreaking new show for CBBC and BBC1. -
BBC bags Carling Cup
Live Carling Cup and Coca-Cola Championship football will return to the BBC for the first time in decades after the corporation paid£264m with Sky Sports for the rights. -
BBC Horizon explores execution
Former Conservative MP Michael Portillo is to hunt for a humane method of execution in an edition of the BBC’s science strand Horizon. -
BBC redundancies to start in December
The BBC is set to begin making redundancies as soon as 1 December following a meeting between news executives and broadcasting unions yesterday. -
BBC redundancy hunt begins
The BBC has kicked off its search for 1,000 volunteers for redundancy within news and Vision Studios, with interested staff asked to come forward by 19 November. -
BBC to air RDF’s Queen doc
The BBC will broadcast RDF’s controversial documentary on the Queen before Christmas. -
BBC1 gets dramatic win
BBC1 won the high-end drama battle at 9pm last night as Joe’s Palace attracted 4.1m viewers (18.5%), 300,000 more than ITV1’s adaptation of A Room with a View. -
BBC1 updates Cinderella
BBC1’s next search-for-a-star format will uncover a Cinderella for a part in a made-for-TV musical film as part of Comic Relief 2009. -
BBC3 orders spooky drama
BBC3 has commissioned a one-off comedy drama about a flatshare between a vampire, a werewolf and a ghost. -
BBC4 hits new ratings high
The popular success of drama Fanny Hill helped BBC4 to its highest ever audience share last week. -
BBC4 photo series reaps early rewards
Wall to Wall’s distribution arm has completed a raft of sales of BBC4 documentary series The Genius of Photography before it has even finished airing in the UK. -
BBC4 to explore parallel universe
Mark Everett, lead signer with US rock group Eels, will uncover the story of his late father, a quantum physicist who predicted the existence of parallel universes, for a BBC4 documentary. -
Bernstein to head Shine scripted side
Super-indie Shine has launched a US production base and has hired former Warner Brothers network executive Carolyn Bernstein to head the scripted side of the business. -
Betting on the small players
While indies change hands for staggering sums, two companies are taking minority stakes in a range of small indies. Is this a new cautious approach to expansion? -
Bewitched set for UK remake
Cult US 1960s sitcom Bewitched is set for a British makeover by My Hero creator Paul Mendelson. -
Blinkx to offer anime films
Video search engine Blinkx has partnered with Japanese on-demand animation network Gong to offer its anime content. -
Blog: Why TV should ignore new media analysts
Broadcasters need to start working closer with ISPs if they want online content portals such as 4oD and BBC iPlayer to be a success. -
Blue Peter in another TV fakery claim
Blue Peter is the subject of yet another TV fakery scandal after it emerged that producers drafted in child actors to pose as competition winners. -
Blue success at Promax Awards
Blue won post production house of the year at the Promax 2007 Awards for high-profile work including the promo for The Ghost Whisperer, which airs on Living in the UK. -
Brailsford is new Shine features chief
Shine has promoted features editor Sara Brailsford to take over as head of features from John Silver, who is leaving at the end of the year to set up his own indie. -
Broadcast Letters - November 9
Letters to the editor from issue dated November 9 2007 -
C4 and Kew plan online cures guide
Channel 4 has teamed up with Kew Gardens to build an online repository of alternative medicines and folklore cures to accompany its upcoming documentary Medicine Men. -
C4 develops comedy pilots
Channel 4 comedy pilots Plus One and The Kevin Bishop Show are to be turned into full series next year after debuting last month in the Comedy Showcase strand. -
C4’s First Cut airs new talent
Channel 4 is lining up films from Raw Television, Century Films, Talkback Thames, Renegade Pictures and Eleven Films for its new primetime documentary strand for up-and-coming directors. -
C4I wins the rights to cult US gay series
Channel 4 International has won the international distribution rights to cult US adult animation series Rick and Steve: The Happiest Gay Couple in the World. -
Carbon’s Jump series to go global
The indie behind Channel 4 documentaries Jump London and Jump Britain is to take the format to the global stage after signing a co-production deal with Lonely Planet. -
Casualties of war
ITV’s star-studded drama about Rudyard Kipling’s son was 22 years in the making. -
CBeebies to move
BBC children’s channel CBeebies is to be moved out of BBC Television Centre in a move set to save the corporation around£500,000 a year. -
Clements under investigation
Police are investigating the alleged theft of emails involving former IWC creative director Alan Clements following last week’s court hearing. -
Comedy Awards snub for Ant and Dec
Ant and Dec have failed to pick up a single nomination for the British Comedy Awards for the first time in five years. -
Commissioning Focus: Five Sport
Five has become ever more successful since it decided to rethink its sports offering. Katy Elliott looks at the broadcaster’s new agendas. -
Creative Review - 9 November 2007
Check out recently completed creative work including post production and titles for the Nathan Caton Show. -
Curtis: lie to commissioners
Filmmaker Adam Curtis has urged his peers to 'cheat and lie' to commissioners in order to get innovative films on air. -
DCD eyes more acquisitions
DCD Media, which completed a£19m triple indie deal this summer, is eyeing the US and European markets for further acquisitions. -
Dealing with content theft
Intellectual property solicitor Joel Smith discusses who should be responsible for stopping internet piracy. -
Deverell concerned for BBC1 kids programmes
The controller of BBC children’s programmes has raised concerns that some options being considered to replace Neighbours will cut into the amount of children’s programming available on BBC1. -
Doc to follow lives of teens in Baghdad
BBC2 is to follow four ordinary Iraqi boys as they come of age in Baghdad for a feature-length documentary from Renegade Pictures and StorylabTV. -
Electric Sky Mip deals
Distributor Electric Sky has announced a raft of Mipcom deals. -
Emap open to takeover bids
Emap has stepped up efforts to find a buyer for its businesses, and has announced that it is open to takeover bids. -
Eureka! Free Agents
Free Agents producer Nira Park explains why C4’s new show was forged from experience -
Evolutions achieves UK first with US opening
Independent post house Evolutions claims to be the first UK long-form broadcast post company to open a facility in the US. -
Five pulls plug on scripted comedy
Five will not develop or commission any more scripted comedy shows for at least the next 12 months and will instead concentrate on light entertainment and comedy panel shows. -
Five’s Hidden Lives to end?
The future of Five’s successful shock doc strand Hidden Lives is uncertain, with indies believing the next series could be its last. -
Format focus: TXTC
Contestants have their mobile phone skills put to the test in a new interactive gameshow. -
Fountain invests
Fountain Television has purchased a ProBel Sirius 256 x 256 high-definition router -
Gatiss and Davies lead Red Planet into comedy
Tony Jordan’s indie, Red Planet Pictures, is set to make its first foray into comedy and has teamed up with writer-performers Mark Gatiss and Julia Davies on its first project. -
Green renews RTE contract
Green Inc Film and Television has been ordered to make a further 220 hours of magazine programme The Afternoon Show by RTE. -
Hadlow leads the field to be new BBC1 controller
BBC4 controller Janice Hadlow has emerged as a strong contender for the BBC1 controller job after Jay Hunt and Richard Deverell ruled themselves out of the running. -
Hadlow rules herself out of BBC1 chief job
BBC4 controller Janice Hadlow, one of the favourites for the BBC1 controller job, has ruled herself out of the running. -
Iain Lee to leave LBC
LBC 97.3 FM presenter Iain Lee is leaving the station after three years and has been replaced by Nick Abbot. -
Ilab expansion plans double facility size
Film processing and post-production facility Ilab has invested£3.5m to double the size of its facility. -
Indies face tough regime over trust
The trust in TV crisis has prompted the BBC and Channel 4 to try to rewrite their contracts with indies, in a bid to make producers more responsible for their output - including financially. -
Interview with Kim Cattrall
Actress Kim Cattrall came to the UK to help shake off her Sex and the City character by taking some hard-hitting roles. She tells us why she has a lot of respect for British TV -
ITV to celebrate Friday Night Live
ITV is to mark the 20th anniversary of the Channel 4 Saturday/Friday Night Live shows with a one-off production. -
ITV’s Doc continues to deliver viewers
The finale of the third series of ITV1’s Doc Martin this week became the most popular drama of the year so far, attracting 9.8 million/40.1% share on Monday (5 November) at 9pm. -
ITV1 beats BBC1 to the ratings altar
Last week’s big EastEnders wedding day for Stacey and Bradley had a tense moment when the arrival of the bride had to be delayed as the previous wedding was over-running. -
ITV1 not quite on song
Despite featuring a host of female singing talent, ITV1’s Saturday Night Divas attracted fewer viewers, 4.6m (22.8%), on Saturday night than a repeat of The Vicar of Dibley on BBC1. -
Jeremy Dear and Heather Croall
Jeremy Dear and Heather Croall review the week's television programmes. -
Love Trap snares just 911,000 for C4
New Channel 4 dating series Love Trap only managed to attract 911,000 viewers (5.4%) at 10pm last night, losing out to all the other terrestrial channels and BBC3. -
McLoughlin to star in Xmas show as part of ITV deal
Coleen McLoughlin will make her first appearance since signing a presenting deal with ITV on Star Traders: the Christmas Challenge. -
More swap shows on cards
Channel 4 has ordered 10 new episodes of Wife Swap and two of Celebrity Wife Swap from RDF Television. -
New friction.tv webcast for Tory leader
Tory leader David Cameron is to make weekly video webcasts on a Conservative-branded channel on video debating website friction.tv. -
NHU sets off on new Expeditions
BBC1 is to examine the landscapes and wildlife of Guyana and Papua New Guinea in two major new series for its Expedition strand. -
Noel Fielding to front The Wall
BBC3 is lining up comic Noel Fielding to present new Friday night live-style entertainment strand The Wall. -
Ofcom clears C4 over Emily Parr outburst
Channel 4 was justified in broadcasting housemate Emily Parr’s use of a racist term in the last series of Big Brother, Ofcom has ruled. -
Ofcom official: news changes will dent BBC radio quality
Journalist job cuts in the BBC radio newsroom could lead to repetitive content and will compromise the high quality of news, according to a senior Ofcom official. -
Off Cuts - 9 November 2007
Wicked whispers and industry gossip from the broadcast industry. -
Off the Fence HD deal
Production and distribution company Off the Fence has commissioned London-based HD facility On Sight to manage and distribute its HD programme catalogue. -
On location: Exodus
Writer/director Penny Woolcock staged an epic recreation of the Old Testament - in Margate -
Online ad measurement moves step closer
Broadcasters have moved a step closer to measuring the effects of online advertising after joining forces to develop a common standard for streamed, simulcast and downloaded content. -
Orange IPTV imminent
Orange’s IPTV service is set to launch before the end of the year and the telecommunications company is planning to offer a hybrid VoD and Freeview package. -
Pilkington to leave Eyeworks
Eyeworks Distribution’s managing director Yvonne Pilkington is to leave the company at the end of the year. -
QVC secures Freeview carriage
QVC has secured its Freeview slot up until 2022 after extending its contract with ITV-owned multiplex operator SDN. -
R4 archive to become online ‘encyclopaedia’
BBC Radio 4 controller Mark Damazer wants to use converging media technology to turn the station into an “aural encyclopaedia”. -
RAB offers ad research tool
The Radio Advertising Bureau has launched Radio Gauge. -
Reaping the repeats rewards
The EastEnders wedding repeat at 10.30pm on Thursday had 860,000/8% share for BBC3, which might have hoped for more, since the highest EastEnders rating so far this year on BBC has been 1.4 million/9% share back in May. -
Revenues double at DCD
DCD Media is eyeing further acquisitions after more than doubling turnover for the year to 30 June. -
Right to Reply-style strand returns to C4
Viewers will be able to put questions to Channel 4 from next month in a successor to Right to Reply fronted by Krishnan Guru-Murthy. -
Safeguarding trust is still a job for broadcasters
Broadcasters are right to turn the screw on indies over trust - but not to pass the buck -
Screen Yorkshire website overhaul
Regional screen agency Screen Yorkshire has re-vamped its website in order to offer video content, panoramic location shots and podcasts. -
Setanta Sports News to kick off this month
Setanta Sports News, the Virgin Media and Setanta Sports-owned rival to Sky Sports News, will launch on 29 November. -
Skinkers secures venture funding
Live video streaming specialist Skinkers is gearing up to launch its latest platform, which will offer linear TV programming online, after securing $16m (£8m) in funding. -
Sky profits tumble
The FTSE 100 displayed resilience this week as the implications of the US sub-prime lending crisis continued to unfold. -
SMG to raise£95m
SMG has announced plans to raise£95m through a rights issue to allow it to hold out for a better sale price for Virgin Radio. -
Southern Africa channel launch
Southern Africa Direct, a new free-to-air lifestyle TV channel, is planning its first round of commissioning in the new year. -
Station Profile: Talksport
Station fact file detailing the sport and news network Talksport, includes interview with drivetime producer Steve Morgan. -
Striking writers are wrong to think they should be paid more
Emily Bell on the US writers' strike -
Take part in the Post Survey
If you run a post facility, Broadcast’s Post Production Sector Survey 2008 needs your help. There are two forms to complete. -
Tapeless strikes out
Tape may be around for a while longer but production workflows are becoming increasingly file-based. -
The Champions set for film remake
Classic 60’s TV series The Champions is set to be transformed into a Hollywood movie. -
The impact of the US writers’ strike
Kate Bulkley on the problems that the UK faces because of a dispute between writers and studios in the USA. -
The Tate online
Tate Media is driving art lovers to its website by offering artist interviews and videos. -
TV Critics 4 November 2007
TV critics' verdict on programmes - including Stephen Poliakoff’s latest drama, Joe’s Palace - broadcast on 4 November 2007 -
TV Critics 5 November 2007
TV critics' verdict on programmes - including the latest addition to Channel 4's Edge of Endurance season, Deep Water - broadcast on 5 November 2007 -
TV Critics 6 November 2007
TV critics' verdict on programmes - including the start of Gunther Von Hagen's new series on Channel 4 - broadcast on 6 November 2007 -
TV Critics 7 November 2007
TV critics' verdict on programmes - including Channel 4’s Love Trap - broadcast on 7 November 2007 -
TV Critics 8 November 2007
TV critics' verdict on programmes - including the return of Jimmy McGovern’s drama series, The Street - broadcast on 8 November 2007 -
UK imports fall foul of writers’ strike
Channel 4 and UKTV Gold acquisitions Back to You and The New Adventures of Old Christine have become the first scripted drama casualties of the US writers’ strike. -
UK plans for US strike issues
UK broadcasters are preparing contingency plans in the light of the US writers’ strikes. -
US TV writers strike
US TV and film writers have launched their first strike in almost 20 years putting next year’s upfront season in doubt. -
Virgin 1 turns the amp up to 11
The Guillemots, The Magic Numbers and The Buzzcocks have been lined up to feature in a new music show for Virgin 1. -
Virgin Media adds customers
Cable operator Virgin Media has defied analysts’ expectations with a return to customer growth in the third quarter, adding 13,000 net new customers. -
Von Hagens back with 612,000
The return of controversial anatomist Gunther von Hagens attracted 612,000 viewers (7.7%) to Channel 4 last night. -
Voting application launch
Mobile development consultancy Future Platforms has launched a downloadable mobile application to enable real-time audience voting and participation in gameshows. -
Watson: 'ITV made me scapegoat'
Paul Watson has accused ITV of making him a scapegoat in the row over the Malcolm and Barbara: Love’s Farewell documentary, claiming the subsequent inquiry was “mental torture”. -
Watts signed by IPC
Editor Miranda Watts has been signed up by the Independent Post Company -
What commissioners want
Philip Reevell looks at what programmes are rating strongly in the four main genres and what commissioners are looking for in the future. -
Why TV is heading for a crash
Century Aspect’s Larry Walford argues that the current state of the TV industry mirrors the UK’s fragile financial sector. -
Why we must embrace our multiplatform future
Carole Dunlop on why there has never been a more exciting time to be a content creator.
