Broadcast
11 February 2011
View all stories from this issue.
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Downton debuts on ITV3 to 456,500
Period drama Downton Abbey made its multichannel debut on ITV3 to an audience of 456,500 viewers (1.80% share). -
Production Wizard launches with new features
TV and film recruitment website Production Wizard has launched with the aim of signing up 100,000 users. -
10 Feb '11
“It was full of wonders, and landscapes that seem to have come straight off a set designer’s drawing pad.” Read on for the verdict on last night’s TV. -
3D royal wedding ruled out
Prince William and Kate Middleton’s wedding will not be broadcast in 3D, St James’ Palace has confirmed. -
7 Feb '11
“This is a reap-as-you-sow story, a psycho-analysis of a brutalised Israel.” -
8 Feb ‘11
“There was a tendency to force-feed the viewer information.” Read on for the verdict on last night’s TV. -
9 Feb ‘11
“The latest nation to try its hand at global domination is China.” Read on for the verdict on last night’s TV. -
A History of Ancient Britain
To take people into a remote and alien world with a lightly magical and otherworldly mood. -
Al-Jazeera English to up original content by 25%
Al-Jazeera English is upping the number of original hours of content it orders by more than 25% this year as it increases its number of dedicated seasons. -
Andy Gray and Richard Keys hired by Talk Sport
Andy Gray and Richard Keys, the shamed duo at the centre of the Sky Sports sexism row, are to make a sensational return to broadcasting for Talk Sport. -
BBC cuts Top Gear Mexico jokes for US
Scenes in which Top Gear presenters Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May poked fun at Mexicans will be cut before the show is broadcast in the United States next week. -
BBC earmarks digital cash for select dozen
Just 12 BBC programmes a year will receive investment to create bespoke digital projects as part of the broadcaster’s new online strategy for Vision. -
BBC wins Paralympics radio rights
The BBC has won the rights to provide radio coverage of the 2012 Paralympic Games on BBC Radio 5 Live and 5 Live Sports Extra. -
BBC Worldwide hires execs to drive digital conversion
BBC Worldwide has appointed two new directors as part of its strategy to become a “completely digital” business. -
BBCW skates into the clear as ITV drops protest
ITV has drawn a line under its spat with BBC Worldwide over US ice-dancing format Skating With The Stars. -
Bectu blames BBC top brass for in-house cuts
Broadcasting union Bectu has placed the blame for the redundancies being made at BBC Vision Productions squarely at the feet of senior managers. -
Bedlam debut spooks 358,000
Sky Living’s first UK original drama, Bedlam, spooked 358,800 viewers (2.0% share) on its debut last night, more than doubling the slot average for the digital channel. -
Boardwalk Empire continues decline
SATURDAY: Sky Atlantic’s flagship epic crime drama Boardwalk Empire continued to shed viewers, with Saturday’s episode dropping 191,000 on the series debut. -
C4 Comedy Lab to wrestle with kabbadi theme
The first Channel 4 Comedy Lab for 2011 is based on kabbadi - the Indian sport that achieved cult status on C4 in the early 1990s. -
C5 relaunch puts lesbians centre stage
Channel 5 is to lift the lid on the lives and loves of lesbians in Candy Bar Girls (working title), a new flagship series marking the relaunch of the channel under Richard Desmond. -
C5 unveils first slate under Desmond
Dave Berry is to host a Channel 5 music entertainment show and Fresh One will make a spin-off of The Hotel Inspector as part of a raft of new programming from the channel. -
Canon XA10 AVCHD
The first model in Canon’s XA-series is an ultra-compact, file-based camcorder. -
Carlyle courts potential buyers for The Mill
The sale of London-based VFX and post house The Mill is edging closer. -
CBBC orders Horrible Histories spin-off
Award-winning CBBC series Horrible Histories is to get its own spin-off quiz show. -
CBBC’s Andrew becomes creative director at The Foundation
CBBC head of production Steven Andrew has left the corporation to take up the new role of creative director at The Foundation. -
Channel 4 scoops 13 nominations at RTS Journalism awards
Channel 4 has secured 13 nominations in the Royal Television Society’s (RTS) journalism awards, more than either the BBC or ITV. -
Cohen wins BBC tug of war over Miranda
Danny Cohen has won the tussle over award-winning sitcom Miranda, snaring the third series for BBC1. -
Combined coverage makes sense of 3D business model
Recording 2D and 3D from the same rig will lower the cost of content, says Steve Schklair -
Conrad departs Betty after four years at helm
Betty TV managing director Andrew Conrad has left the indie after more than four years. -
Coogan attacks Top Gear's 'casual racism'
Comedian Steve Coogan has accused Top Gear presenters Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May of “casual racism” for their on-screen comments about Mexico. -
Cougar Town captures 250,300
Cougar Town was welcomed back by 250,300 viewers (1.1% share) for the second series on Sky Living last night. -
Cutting Edge returns with look at darker side of life
Cutting Edge, the Channel 4 documentary strand that spawned breakout success My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding, will return in May with films on extradition, lottery winners and female paedophiles. -
Danny Cohen, BBC1
The new controller of BBC1 is looking to shake up its content across all genres. He tells Catherine Neilan about his plans to take the channel in a more experimental direction -
Derren Brown psychic complaint dismissed
Ofcom has rejected psychic medium Joe Power’s complaints of unfair treatment in the production of a Derren Brown programme for Channel 4. -
Enfield drafted in to direct E4 sitcom pilot
Harry Enfield has been drafted in as the director for new E4 sitcom Sex and the Chippy after the original director Ben Palmer left the show. -
England victory nets 8m peak
WEDNESDAY: The England football team’s victory over Denmark netted a peak audience of more than 8m viewers for ITV1. -
England victory tackles 8m peak
FRIDAY: England’s Six Nations victory over Wales lined up a peak of more than 8m viewers. -
Five* and 5USA rebrand unveiled
Channel 5 has unveiled its new branding following its overhaul of digital channels Fiver as 5* (Five Star) and Five USA as 5USA. -
Ford questions BBC's 'charming dinosuars'
Former BBC newsreader Anna Ford has reignited the debate about ageism at the BBC - branding David Dimbleby a “charming dinosaur”. -
Fourth wave of cuts hits BBC in-house
BBC Vision Productions is to axe one in seven jobs from its Bristol- and Birmingham-based factual divisions. -
Free Agents US pilot ordered
An American pilot of Channel 4 comedy, Free Agents, made by Big Talk has been commissioned by NBC. -
Freelancers face HMRC quiz over tax returns
HM Revenue & Customs is set to haul in thousands of TV freelancers for interview as part of its ongoing investigation into Christopher Lunn & Company. -
Gervais and co to set up indie for new series
Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant and Karl Pilkington are setting up their own indie and have won a debut commission to produce the second series of An Idiot Abroad for Sky 1. -
Gypsies dominate - again
Big Fat Gypsy Weddings is on the brink of a ratings landmark for Channel 4. -
Gypsy Weddings invites 8.2m
TUESDAY: Big Fat Gypsy Weddings continued its sparkling form for Channel 4, adding more than 1m viewers on last week and thrashing BBC1’s sci-fi drama Outcasts. -
Hat Trick joins mission to find comedy talent
Hat Trick Productions has won a second series of ITV1 daytime show Dinner Date and is to partner with Every 1’s A Critic for the 2011 Sitcom Mission to find new writers, actors and directors trying to enter the comedy world. -
Hawaii Five-O debuts to 717,000
SUNDAY: The UK premiere of the remake of 1960s US drama Hawaii Five-O was a hit with Sky 1 viewers last night, with the first episode almost tripling the audience for the slot average. -
Industry backs advanced apprenticeship scheme
Broadcasters and indies indies have joined forces with Skillset to launch an advanced apprenticeship in creative and digital media. -
Ionoco pilots two AR gameshows
Broadcast technology firm Ionoco is working on two gameshow pilots that centre on the use of augmented reality. -
ITV raps Jason Gardiner over Dancing on Ice spat
Dancing on Ice judge Jason Gardiner has been censured by ITV after his on air spat with head coach Karen Barber drew around 2,000 complaints. -
Julie Walters calls for more drama funding
Julie Walters in conversation at the BFI this week was not only a showcase of the range of her work over the last 30 years, but also a celebration of creativity in British drama and comedy television, writes Balihar Khalsa. -
Keo hopeful for Fish Fight sequel after site success
Keo Digital is hoping to help secure a return to TV screens for the sustainable fishing season Fish Fight after around 20% of viewers visited the website. -
Loft opens US base for 3D work
London facility Loft has opened a base in Los Angeles in a bid to snare some of the US market for 2D to 3D conversion. -
Lygo promises creatives cash in ITVS masterplan
ITV Studios will pump a significant amount of cash into development and fund its own pilots as part of Kevin Lygo’s regeneration masterplan. -
Manchester broadcast conference unveiled
BVE: A new event in the broadcast calendar was announced today with the launch of BVE North. -
Match of the Day scores high
SATURDAY: Match of the Day scored its best ratings in more than four years with highlights from a blistering day of Premier League action. -
Million Pound Drop on a roll
Channel 4’s gameshow is defying the Saturday logic -
Miriam O'Reilly in talks over BBC daytime role
Axed BBC presenter Miriam O’Reilly could return as a daytime TV host for the corporation. -
Mood darkens at ‘daily battering’ of BBC cuts
BBC staff have reacted angrily to the cuts to Vision Productions, describing them as “a daily battering” and “a slow death”. -
Newby parts company with Dragonfly
Francesca Newby has left Shine owned indie Dragonfly by mutual agreement after six years at the business. -
Ofcom raps Sky over EA promo
Sky Sports has come under fire from Ofcom for promoting computer game developer Electronic Arts during the Everton versus Manchester Utd game last September. -
O'Leary wades into Question Time row
Presenter Dermot O’Leary has stepped into a row about BBC1’s Question Time, dismissing plans to relocate the show to Glasgow as “a joke”. -
On Sight adds board members
On Sight has promoted two of its senior staff to its board of directors. -
Outcasts debuts with 4.5m
MONDAY: BBC1’s epic new sci-fi drama Outcasts had a spluttering start, taking off with only 4.5m viewers. -
Patrolling paradise
Six months in the Caribbean proved anything but plain sailing for director/producer Chris Terrill, who endured six months at sea to hunt for drug smugglers for Channel 5. -
Procam buys Sony F3s
Procam Television expects to take delivery of the UK’s first batch of Sony PMW-F3s (pictured) next week. The London-based hire firm said it would invest around £250,000 in the cameras, lenses and support equipment. Sony hopes the F3 will boost its share of the costconscious market. -
Radios 3, 4 and 7 must build reach, Trust review finds
BBC Radios 3, 4 and 7 are to remain on air, but must work to build audience reach while remaining distinctive, a BBC Trust review has concluded. -
Recording the Boardwalk
Sky Atlantic’ figures need to be considered in a different light. -
Ross: Sachsgate could have been avoided
Jonathan Ross has backed up Russell Brand’s claim that neither of the performers wanted the infamous ‘Sachsgate’ phone call to be aired on Radio 2. -
Schofield brands Ofcom complaints 'crazy'
Presenter Phillip Schofield has branded complaints about the spat between Jason Gardiner and Karen Barber on Dancing On Ice “crazy”. -
Setting the rules for product placement
Advertisers and commercial channels are lining up to introduce product placement when it becomes a reality in the UK nextmonth, writes Alex Farber. But how will it work in practice? -
Silver River examines secrets of art for Channel 4
Channel 4 News culture editor Matthew Cain is to ask whether science can explain the secrets of art in a three-part series for Silver River. -
Sky found to make "excess profits" from movies
The Competition Commission has found that Sky is making “excess profits” from its movies service in an initial working paper. -
Sohonet hires Williams
Network firm Sohonet has appointed Garry Williams (pictured) to the role of director of sales for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. -
Staff complain to bosses of divided C4 newsroom
More than 20 Channel 4 News producers and reporters have written to its head to complain about a divided newsroom, poor communication and staff shortages. -
Stereolabs launches 3D production processor
3D firm Stereolabs has released Pure, a live 3D production system for studio and mobile 3D production. -
Talkback drama chief heads back to Casualty
Johnathan Young, head of drama at Talkback Thames and the former executive producer of The Bill, is to join the BBC, replacing Holby and Casualty boss Belinda Campbell. -
The Candy Bar can for C5
Lesbian series could help Desmond put the channel back on the map -
The Model Agency, Channel 4
The world of modelling was fertile ground for an ob doc. But filming was threatened when the boss had to testify in a war crimes trial, says Jilly Pearce. -
The next big thing for Sky
It’s not about 3D, but widening its appeal -
The pitfalls of network TV
Want to work in network TV in the US? Veteran comedy producer Mitchell Hurwitz, creator of cult series Arrested Development, has some words of warning. Robin Parker reports. -
The Promise launches with 1.7m
SUNDAY: The first part of The Promise Channel 4’s new drama was watched by 1.7 million viewers (7.2% share) at 9pm last night, maintaining the broadcaster’s usual Sunday late-night audience. -
Top Teks launches hire services
Broadcast equipment reseller Top Teks has launched a contract hire programme for memory cards and cameras. -
TV debates 'influenced youth votes'
The televised questioning of the leaders of the three mainstream political parties in the lead-up to the last general election influenced younger voters slightly more than older ones, according to university research. -
UK indie wins daily music show in China
A daily music show – Eye Tube - has been commissioned by Chinese broadcaster Channel Young. The programme has been developed by Paul Thompson and David Hopkins of Izon Music/Izon audio visual, with Steve Benham as producer. -
Upstairs extended for 2012
BBC1 has recommissioned revived period drama Upstairs Downstairs, doubling the run to six episodes. -
Warner and Jain in running for ITV digital channels chief role
BBC entertainment commissioner Karl Warner and former E4 head Angela Jain are thought to be in the frame to lead ITV’s digital channels. -
Week of drama ins and outs
As DCI Barnaby retired and Silent Witness wrapped up, Marchlands came on stage -
West Park founder departs in DCD shake-up
The founder of West Park Pictures is stepping down after 10 years, as part of a number of changes throughout DCD Media’s newly-formed factual division. -
Wild Rover BBC1 quizshow set for US remake
Wild Rover’s forthcoming BBC1 quizshow Secret Fortune looks set for a US remake after Nigel Lythgoe picked up the rights. -
Younge talks tough as axe falls on BBC factual staff
Pat Younge has charged his team with aggressively growing BBC Vision Productions to safeguard its future after another 47 redundancies were revealed this week. -
YouView delayed until 2012
Much-delayed connected TV service YouView will not launch until 2012 due to its “scale and complexity.”
