Broadcast
4 May 2012

View all stories from this issue.

1 May '12

“There seemed to be too much familiar material and not enough revelation.” Read on for the verdict on last night’s TV.
2 May '12

“A cheap-and-cheerful clip collage glued together with the spurious authority of ‘royal experts’.” Read on for the verdict on last night’s TV.
3 May '12

““It isn’t without its pleasures, if you can put up with the charm of the presenters.” Read on for the verdict on last night’s TV.
30 April '12

“The plots, generally speaking, justify the amount of Sunday evening viewing time they take up.” Read on for the verdict on the weekend’s TV.
4 May '12

“The nastiest show I’ve seen all year.” Read on for the verdict on last night’s TV.
Alan Carr to host Jubilee and Olympics specials

Alan Carr will celebrate the Diamond Jubilee and the Olympics on Channel 4 with two special programmes marking the events.
Alison Sharman, factual and daytime, ITV

ITV’s director of factual and daytime talks to Jake Kanter about reining in celebrity travelogues, the downfall of Daybreak and why these are the ‘most exciting times’ to be at the broadcaster.
Amazon unveils original content push

Amazon has unveiled plans to commission original content for its live streaming service Amazon Instant Video.
Another Brick in TV’s wall of shame

Lack of humility is everywhere – just ask Simon Cowell’s biographer, writes Steven D Wright.
Antiques Roadshow to offer viewer playalong

Viewers of BBC1 series Antiques Roadshow will be able to pit themselves against the experts with the launch of a playalong valuation game this autumn.
Arena inks football deal with ITV

Outside broadcast firm Arena Television has been awarded three new contracts by ITV Sport.
Atomos unleashes Ninja 2

On show for the first time at NAB was the Ninja 2 from Atomos.
BBC DG must be diversity champion, says MP

BBC Trustees must appoint a Director General who is committed to improving diversity, shadow media minister Helen Goodman has urged.
BBC drama to revisit Musketeers and Hitchcock

BBC Productions has won 20 hours of drama commissions, including an adaptation of Alexandre Dumas’ The Three Musketeers and a reimagining of Hitchcock classic The Lady Vanishes.
BBC staff support "not working" claim unions

The joint unions have accused the BBC of failing to meet a number of eleventh hour promises made to staff ahead of the DQF cuts announced last year, claiming “the system isn’t working”.
BBC1 facing sitcom pitch shortage

BBC1 is feeling the heat in the comedy market, with the genre head claiming competition from ITV and Sky has affected the flow of pitches.
BBC3 sacks White Van Man

BBC3 sitcom White Van Man has been axed after two series.
Bentley promotes Wright to move beyond Midsomer

Midsomer Murders indie Bentley Productions plans to expand beyond its flagship show after promoting Jo Wright to managing director.
Bin Laden no match for Crimewatch

TUESDAY: An ITV1 documentary on the hunt for Osama Bin Laden was put in the shade by BBC1’s Crimewatch, which drew its biggest audience in nearly a year.
Black Hangar Studios opens

Black Hangar Studios at Lasham airfield in Hampshire officially opened for business this week.
Blasts from the past

Heritage formats like Surprise Surprise, Blockbusters and Catch Phrase are all making a return to British TV. It’s all about feelgood familiarity, producers tell Jake Kanter.
Britain’s Got Talent reclaims crown

SATURDAY: Britain’s Got Talent reclaimed its Saturday night crown beating the first live episode of The Voice UK.
Britain's Got Talent to stream backstage cameras

Britain’s Got Talent viewers will be given the opportunity to get exclusive behind-the-scenes access to the judges and contestants during the live shows through an iPhone app.
British Soap Awards close to lowest on record

WEDNESDAY: The British Soap Awards fell to its second lowest audience to date as The Apprentice cleaned up in the 9pm slot.
BSkyB posts £939m profit; claims it is "fit and proper"

BSkyB has staunchly defended its right to a broadcast licence following a stinging attack on its majority shareholder News Corporation yesterday.
BSkyB: Sky News hacking record clean

Internal reviews into email hacking and payments to police at Sky News have found “no evidence of impropriety or cause for concern”.
C4 calling on indies for Fuel 4 placements

Channel 4 Online is calling on indies to host paid-for placements as part of the Fuel 4 multiplatform initiative.
C4 hoarder series collects 2.7m

THURSDAY: Channel 4’s new series on compulsive hoarders amassed an audience that was more than a million above slot average.
C4 mulls moving Bank Job to daytime slot

Channel 4 interactive gameshow The Bank Job could be pushed back to a daytime slot in a move that would likely include a number of changes to the format.
C4 orders 260 new Random Acts

Late night Channel 4 strand Random Acts will return for a second run of 260 short films.
C4’s Very Important People debuts with 1m

FRIDAY: Comedian Morgana Robinson returned to Channel 4 with a new impressions show that managed to pull her biggest audience to date.
CBBC’s Dick and Dom join the circus

Kids presenters Dick and Dom are turning ringmasters for a new CBBC show – one of several new commissions for the children’s channel.
Celebrity Juice finale tops BBC2, C4 and C5

THURSDAY: ITV2’s Celebrity Juice ended its current series more than a million viewers ahead of comedy on BBC2 and Channel 5.
Channel 4's talent hidden by Beard

This week’s channel overview shines the spotlight on new Channel 4 series Hidden Talent, BBC2’s Mary Beard and Channel 5’s US crime dramas.
Come Dine South Africa to return

The South African adaptation of Come Dine With Me is to return for a second series on BBC Entertainment.
Comedy Central launches South Park VoD

Comedy Central UK is launching a dedicated micropayment VoD service for South Park.
Comedy Central’s Big Bad pilot leads content push

Comedy Central is preparing for a major push on original content with an order for a narrative comedy pilot from Objective Productions.
Date change for Conch Awards

The Conch Awards has been moved to September.
Deluxe sets up DMT unit to develop metadata tool set

Deluxe has set up a new business unit that is developing a set of algorithm-based metadata tools.
Demographic Focus

Explore the ratings breakdown demographically across the main terrestrial and multichannel broadcasters from 23-29 April.
Dirty Great Machines

Create a series brand and in-show GFX that break away from the well-trodden schematics and blue-print style.
Dragonfly crashes plane for Channel 4 doc

Dragonfly has crash-landed a passenger jet into a remote part of the Mexican desert as part of its long-awaited documentary for Channel 4.
Drain the Great Lakes

Produce more than 70 CGI sequences revealing wrecks and strange topography beneath the waters on the bed of the Great Lakes.
Dyke: BSkyB should offload News Corp and Murdochs

Former BBC director general Greg Dyke has said it would be in BSkyB’s interest to “offload News International and the Murdochs’ shares in the company”.
E4 shouts the loudest

Watching TV in the US is a bit like being shouted at a lot, all the time, but E4 will be glad for it as it bundles together two strong American sitcoms.
Elstree wins Red or Black?

The second series of ITV1 gameshow Red Or Black? is moving to Elstree Studios.
Emmerdale going live for 40th

ITV1 is gearing up to broadcast Emmerdale live for the first time to celebrate the soap’s 40th anniversary.
Endemol to rep Ruth Rendell drama

Endemol Worldwide Distribution has picked up the rights to ITV1’s new Ruth Rendell drama.
First Voice eviction draws 8.6m

SUNDAY: The Voice UK pulled its second lowest audience of the series as Sam Buttery became the first singer to leave the competition.
Foxes attract same web traffic as Big Brother

Channel 4’s new live interactive study of urban foxes in the UK attracted the equivalent web influx to the broadcaster’s website as a Big Brother eviction.
Foxes Live debuts with 1.45m

MONDAY: Channel 4’s Springwatch-style show examining urban foxes got off to a solid start - as the last Scott & Bailey beat Silent Witness.
Genre Overview

Browse the top ten children’s, factual, drama, entertainment, sport and current affairs programmes from 23-29 April.
Gypsy Weddings tops 4oD chart

Big Fat Gypsy Weddings has knocked New Girl off the top slot in the 4oD charts - but could not match the previous figures of the US sitcom.
Hamilton and Coomber to lead Strictly together

The BBC has turned to the series editor of The Voice UK and the executive producer of Dancing on Ice to take on joint creative leader-ship of Strictly Come Dancing.
Harman brands Murdoch not 'fit and proper'

Labour’s deputy leader Harriet Harman has claimed James Murdoch is not ‘fit and proper’ to hold a broadcast licence, while David Cameron has been called by the opposition to make a statement in Parliament regarding the conduct of Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt.
Harris to offload broadcast kit division

Harris Corp today announced that it intends to sell its broadcast equipment division.
Homeland: a whole different story

The budget for Israeli drama Hatufim wouldn’t even stretch to the pilot of the US remake. But both were important series and risky investments, the creator tells Ben Dowell
Is the BBC losing its commitment to sport?

59% said Yes / 41% said No
ITV1 to tell ‘definitive’ story of Murdoch

Brook Lapping is to make a “definitive” documentary on Rupert Murdoch for ITV1 as part of a raft of high-profile factual commissions.
ITV1's Vera recorded by 1.2m

After taking a battering from BBC talent show The Voice UK, the new series of ITV crime drama Vera is making a recovery.
ITV2 axes coverage of iTunes music festival

ITV2 has pulled the plug on Princess Productions’ coverage of the iTunes Festival after four years, with another UK broadcaster expected to pick up the rights to the music event.
LemonAid sparks 176 complaints over puppy prize

ITV1 entertainment show Keith Lemon’s LemonAid has attracted 176 complaints and scorn from the Kennel Club after a puppy was awarded to a child as a prize.
Life on Fire / Chatsworth / Episodes

Red Kite’s Leanne Preston and Audio Network’s Anne Booty on chaos, country life and couple comedy.
Long term implications of Leveson

The appearance of the Murdochs was always going to be a highlight of the Leveson Inquiry but it throws up more questions than perhaps many of us anticipated about what the implications might be for the wider media industry in the long term, writes Damian Tambini.
Lorraine Kelly and Aled Jones new Daybreak duo

Lorraine Kelly and Welsh singer Aled Jones have been confirmed as the new hosts of Daybreak.
Low Winter Sun remake for Mad Men network

Channel 4 crime drama Low Winter Sun is to be remade for US cable network AMC.
Man City victory peaks with 4.4m

MONDAY: Manchester City’s potentially title clinching victory over Manchester United scored what is believed to be Sky’s biggest football audience ever.
May launch for Editshare's Lightworks

Editshare will release its free non-linear editing platform Lightworks by the end of the month.
Milne leads Molinare takeover bid

Former Molinare director Steve Milne is poised to make dramatic return to the Soho post-production house.
More4 sets launch date for Digital Scrapbook

More4 has cemented a launch date for its “Digital Scrapbook” project that will allow viewers to collate programme information in one place.
MTV to launch VoD portals for key shows

MTV is to create subscription video-on-demand portals dedicated to key shows such as Spongebob Squarepants as its MTV OD portal moves into a full launch.
Murdoch "not fit" boss, say MPs

The Commons culture select committee has described Rupert Murdoch as “not a fit person to exercise the stewardship of a major international company” in a report that is also highly critical of his son James and claims other News Corp executives misled it about phone hacking at the News of the World.
NEP acquires Bow Tie Television

US-headquartered OB and facilities provider NEP has acquired Bow Tie Television.
New breed are eager to acquire striking content

Distributors can cash in on channel growth in new territories, says David Leach.
Passion ties up rights for two Dynamo series

Passion Distribution has snapped up the international rights to two series of Dynamo: Magician Impossible.
Patrick Stewart to explore animal superpowers for Nat Geo

Star Trek and X Men star Sir Patrick Stewart is to front a new series for Nat Geo that explores the incredible powers of survival harnessed by some of the world’s deadliest animals.
Planet Earth Live, BBC1

It’s been a huge task getting this global wildlife event off the ground – but as TX day looms, the real work is just starting, says Colin Jackson.
PM refuses calls for Hunt inquiry

David Cameron has refused to refer culture secretary Jeremy Hunt’s handling of the BSkyB bid to an independent investigation after being called to Parliament to answer an urgent question.
Premier League kicks off TV rights auction

The Premier League has kicked off its TV rights auction - increasing the number of live matches up for grabs by nearly 12%.
Pro Motion growth sparks move to bigger office

Pro Motion Hire is moving to a new 10,000 sq ft building in South London.
Prospect hires Denham exec to lead return to food formats

DCD Media indie Prospect Pictures has hired a new executive producer to spearhead a return to food programming.
Race to win C4 contract goes into final furlong

Channel 4 is in the second stage of considering which production company will be awarded a massive 250-hours-a-year contract to produce its horse-racing coverage, including the Grand National.
Rastamouse goes global

Pre-school animation Rastamouse has been sold into a swathe of new countries, taking the mystery solving hero and Da Easy Crew into more than 40 territories.
Ravi Amaratunga, Channel 4

Media project manager, creative diversity; editor, random acts, Channel 4.
RDF wins raft of orders led by Peter Andre for ITV2

RDF Television has signed up Peter Andre to front a formatted ITV2 show and its Bristol arm has won 130 hours of business, including a 10 x 60-minute series for Dave.
See Saw hires BBC exec to lead TV push

See Saw Films, the producer behind The King’s Speech, has hired former BBC Films exec Jamie Laurenson to spearhead its move into TV.
Seeking Salvage returning to History

History has ordered a longer second series of Seeking Salvage after the first became its biggest ever original commission.
Senna dominates Focal awards

Senna dominated yesterday’s ninth annual Focal International Awards, which celebrate the use of archive footage.
Sherlock and Fresh Meat win South Bank awards

BBC drama Sherlock and Channel 4 comedy Fresh Meat have picked up South Bank Sky Arts Awards.
Sky Atlantic makes waves

Sophie Turner Laing has offered an insight into Sky Atlantic’s emerging identity, telling delegates at Broadcast’s inaugural Evening Briefing that it will become clearer as UK originations return this summer.
Sky News launches in US/Canada

Sky News has today launched into the US and Canada, via streaming platform Livestation.
Sky’s quiet content revolution

It may be unfashionable to say, but Sky is now setting the agenda.
Sky1 to revive the Kumars

Sky1 has picked up former BBC comedy The Kumars for a refreshed version of the show after six-year hiatus.
Sony's Eddie Nelson dies aged 43

International TV executive Eddie Nelson has died following a brief illness.
Sri Lanka’s war criminals had no place to hide

Journalism is changing as technology makes everyone a witness, says Callum Macrae.
Stuart Murphy gets expanded role at Sky

Sky has bumped up Stuart Murphy’s role across its entertainment channels, giving him overall responsibility for Sky Atlantic, Sky Living and Sky Arts as well as Sky 1.
Studio Lambert remakes Israeli dating show for ITV2

Studio Lambert is to make a reality dating show for ITV2 based on a format pioneered by Israeli broadcaster Keshet Broadcasting.
Thames and Scott join forces for ITV1 sports show

FremantleMedia UK’s Thames has teamed up with Sebastian Scott-backed Superhero Television to create a sports-based talent show for ITV1.
The Farm in record Pro Tools installation

The Farm has undertaken the UK’s largest installation of the latest version of Avid’s Pro Tools audio workstation and software.
Top 100 network programmes

Find out who topped the ratings league table for network programming from 23-29 April and browse the top 100.
Top 30 BBC2, Channel 4, Channel 5

Find out the top 30 programmes on BBC2, Channel 4 and Channel 5 from 23-29 April as well as the performance of all the terrestrials across week 17.
Top 30 multichannel programmes

Find out the top 30 multichannel programmes for 23-29 April as well as the share of viewing across digital homes.
Top consolidated programmes

Find out which programmes gained the biggest audience through recording from 16-22 April and browse the top titles.
Vera

Conform, grade, online and VFX for the second run of the detective series
Vision back for Digi Awards

This year’s Broadcast Awards raised £5,000 for Vision Charity and the cheque was presented to John Clarke School on 20 April by event manager Victoria Hart and Vision president Peter Thompson.
Wenger named C4 drama boss

Piers Wenger has been appointed as Channel 4 head of drama with immediate effect – moving across from the broadcaster’s film division Film4.
Windfall lands Fraser case for Murder Trial

Channel 4 cameras-in-court documentary series Murder Trial (w/t) has gone into production and will feature the retrial of Nat Fraser, who is accused of killing his wife in Scotland in 1998.
Winning ticket for BBC1

The Syndicate sinks ITV1’s Mighty Mississippi but Scott & Bailey stands up to Silent Witness.
Workman joins Scrub

HHB Communications’ Soho based post-production office Scrub has appointed Devin Workman to the role of sales executive.
World’s Scariest returning to C5

Channel 5 has commissioned a second series of the World’s Scariest strand from Mentorn Media.
X Factor exec Siobhan Greene joins ITVS

ITV Studios has poached X Factor executive producer Siobhan Greene to rejuvenate its entertainment output.
YouTube unveils UK strategy

YouTube has revealed details of its UK content strategy for the first time, urging producers to pitch niche ideas and putting well in excess of £10m up for grabs.
YouView is coming – slowly

But not everyone’s prepared to wait patiently, says Kate Bulkley.
Zeebox teams up with Showcaster on live content

Zeebox has partnered with online interactive TV platform Showcaster to deliver live TV content into a second-screen app following a trial with Sky 1 show Got To Dance.
Zodiak sells True Talent to China

Entertainment format True Talent is to be remade for China in a deal secured by distributor Zodiak Rights.

BC

Broadcast4 May 2012

Job of the week

Jobs

Greenlight

Ratings

Advertise with us

Subscribe to Broadcast

About Broadcast

Visit other MBI sites

Broadcast
4 May 2012