Broadcast
6 January 2012
View all stories from this issue.
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3 Jan '12
“I don’t think it inconceivable that we’ll see young Morse again.” Read on for the verdict on last night’s TV. -
4 Jan '12
“It could have been called the sanity of King George.” Read on for the verdict on last night’s TV. -
5 Jan '12
“Credibility is both the subject..and one of its problems.” Read on for the verdict on last night’s TV. -
6 Jan '12
“A lesson in observational documentary – measured, calm, objective.” Read on for the verdict on last night’s TV. -
A look ahead: TV in 2012
The Olympics may be set to dominate this summer, but which of the broadcasters will take gold in the 2012 battle to go faster, higher and stronger than their peers? Broadcast analyses the year ahead. -
Absolute Radio airs on connected TV
Absolute Radio has launched a Samsung connected TV app which will allow users to stream high quality audio from its portfolio of eight stations. -
Alan Carr special sparks 42 complaints
Ofcom has received 42 complaints over Alan Carr’s New Year Specstacular, which helped ring in 2012 on Channel 4. -
Australian Open promo
Produce a high impact promotional campaign for British Eurosport’s Australian Open coverage -
Bankruptcy fears engulf Kodak
Kodak is reported to be nearing bankruptcy, as it struggles to cope with the effects of the shift from film to digital. -
BBC axes Something for the Weekend
BBC2’s Sunday morning magazine show Something for the Weekend is being cancelled after its current series. -
BBC draws fire over Sherlock nudity
The BBC has received nearly 60 complaints about pre-watershed nudity in its opening episode of Sherlock on New Year’s Day. -
BBC: coping with the cuts
If the BBC’s 2011 was defined by months of speculation over where exactly that 16% budget cut would be made, the year ahead will be characterised by the start of the surgery. -
BBC1 dramas rescheduled after Lawrence Panorama
Two BBC dramas have been rescheduled following the last minute addition of a Panorama concerning the Stephen Lawrence case. -
BBC4’s Musicals opens with 1m
TUESDAY: A look behind the curtain of British musicals gave BBC4 the night’s biggest show in multichannel. -
Britain’s Got Talent introduces YouTube voting
ITV is to give viewers the opportunity to vote for Britain’s Got Talent acts on YouTube for the first time. -
BVE North competition winner announced
BVE North’s show video competition has been won by Tristan Hall. -
C4 reveals indie briefing timetable
Channel 4 has unveiled the list of indie meetings chief creative officer Jay Hunt will hold across the country in 2012. -
Can ITV deliver on its stable base?
ITV is in a confident mood after a stable, if not spectacular year, and chief executive Adam Crozier’s rhetoric suggests the broadcaster is progressing ahead of schedule with its five-year transformation plan. -
Celebrity Big Brother debuts with 3.5m
THURSDAY: Celebrity Big Brother returned to Channel 5 with nearly 3.5m viewers - well short of its blockbuster debut last year. -
Channel 4: staying young at 30
Channel 4 turns 30 in 2012 – but don’t expect it to come across all grown up. -
Channel 5: building on Big Brother
Channel 5 ended 2011 on a much more even keel than the previous year – but several key areas remain unsolved. -
Children's classics get CBeebies treatment
Eight well-loved children’s books are being turned into a series of short films for BBC Worldwide’s global preschool network CBeebies. -
Cowell returns to revamped Britain’s Got Talent
Simon Cowell is to return to the Britain’s Got Talent judging panel and plough his own money into the cash prize as part of the show’s revamp. -
Dave acquires Storage Hunters
Dave has picked up the UK rights to a new fly on the wall format from US indie T Group, as part of a swathe of deals brokered via Target. -
Des Lynam returns to ITV with Muhammad Ali series
Des Lynam is to front a new ITV series charting Muhammad Ali’s greatest fights - his first major show for the broadcaster since leaving eight years ago. -
Disaster and dictators dominate 2011 news
Natural disasters, the downfall of dictators and the Royal wedding dominated international broadcasters’ output over the last 12 months, according to new figures from the Associated Press. -
Doctor Who tops BBC Xmas chart
Doctor Who was the most watched of the BBC’s Christmas Day offerings, according to new figures released by the broadcaster. -
Downton gives ITV1 Christmas boost
ITV could have cashed in on any night with a Downton Abbey special, but playing its hand at Christmas Day made for an exciting tussle, writes Stephen Price. -
Dragons' Den relocated to Salford
Flagship BBC2 series Dragons’ Den is to cease filming at Pinewood Studios and move to the MediaCity studios in Salford. -
EastEnders success fails to translate to BBC3
Christmas Day was business as usual for BBC3’s EastEnders repeat, writes Stephen Price -
Endeavour arrests 6.5m
MONDAY: Inspector Morse returned to UK television with more than 6.5m viewers - the highest audience for a new one-off ITV1 drama in five years. -
FremantleMedia UK hires factual boss from Ricochet
FremantleMedia UK, the company formally known as Talkback Thames, has recruited a Ricochet Television producer to head up its factual division. -
Giles Coren to serve up history of food for BBC2
Giles Coren is to front a new series for BBC2 investigating the history of food throughout the British Isles. -
Global iPlayer hires BSkyB exec
The team behind BBC Worldwide’s Global iPlayer has received a boost with a trio of promotions and appointments. -
GTC celebrates 40th anniversary
The Guild of Television Camermen is preparing to celebrate its 40th anniversary this year. -
Gypsy Blood to be first True Stories film on C4
Gypsy Blood, a film tracing the tradition of fist fighting in the traveller community, will be the first True Stories film to be shown on Channel 4. -
Halo to launch TV and film financing arm
Halo Post is to launch a new company to acquire film and TV assets and rights. -
Inside Nature’s Giants to air in US
Channel 4 series Inside Nature’s Giants has been acquired for broadcast in the US by PBS. -
Inside the Stephen Lawrence Panorama doc
The Stephen Lawrence case revealed both the shameful racism of the Met and the power of investigative television, writes Menton Media’s Neil Grant. -
ITV closes F1 website
ITV is to close its Formula One website after 12 years. -
ITV confirms African football deal
ITV has swiped free-to-air UK broadcast rights to the African Cup of Nations from the BBC. -
ITV in repeat fees dispute with Corrie cast
ITV is locked in a dispute with the cast of Coronation Street as a result of shifting the soap’s Saturday omnibus to ITV2. -
ITV refreshes Daybreak
Daybreak has been refreshed for its 2012 return with new branding and further set changes. -
ITV1 eyes Lloyd-Webber talent show
ITV1 is close to luring Lord Lloyd-Webber away from the BBC to front a fresh musical talent show. -
JVC to ship 4K camcorder in March
JVC launched what it described as “the world’s first handheld 4K camcorder” at CES today. -
Lovefilm secures streaming deals with BBCW and ITV
Lovefilm has signed video-on-demand deals with BBC Worldwide and ITV to offer streamed access to shows such as Doctor Who and Inspector Morse. -
Misfits tops 4oD chart
Teen superhero drama Misfits soared to the top of the most-watched chart on 4oD in November. -
Molinare shifts focus away from equity post deals
London-based post-production outfit Molinare has revealed that its long term strategy will be based primarily around attracting productions through the quality of its work, as opposed to being required to make equity investments. -
MPs urge more transparency from C4
MPs have voiced more concerns about Channel 4’s transparency and accountability in fulfilling its public service remit - and reacted to the broadcaster’s handling of the Frankie Boyle controversy. -
Mrs Brown’s Boys recorded by 1.6m
The return of BBC1 comedy Mrs Brown’s Boys was recorded by more than 1.6m viewers - giving it the biggest boost of all shows broadcast on Boxing Day. -
My Big Decision remade in India
My Big Decision, the BBC3 series that focussed on teen sex and plastic surgery, is being adapted for audiences in India. -
Nikon's D4 lacks 'wow' factor
Nikon’s play for a slice of the DSLR video market has met with a lukewarm response from UK rental firms. -
Nutopia lands second History mega-doc
Nutopia’s latest mega-doc will be a 12-hour series for History detailing the building of the Pyramids, the construction of the Great Wall of China and the creation of Easter Island statues. -
Olympics docs sold to Germany/Russia
Distributor Electric Sky has secured international sales for a brace of Olympics 2012 documentaries. -
Online TV viewing stalls
Growth in viewing TV via a PC or laptop is flattening having increased by just 0.5% in the past year, according to a study by Barb. -
Oxygen DCT unveils mobile production unit
Oxygen DCT has launched a custom-built Land Rover Discovery for field and on-set recording. -
Plans for MediaCity phase two unveiled
Plans for how MediaCity UK could look in 20 years time – including a hotel and new public spaces – have been submitted by developer The Peel Group. -
Prime Focus animator joins Envy
Envy has poached one of the founders of Prime Focus’ animation unit to spearhead its push in the sector. -
Public Enemies debuts with 4m
WEDNESDAY: The debut of BBC1’s gritty drama Public Enemies was outclassed by ITV1’s second showing of film Mamma Mia! within a year. -
PVRs hand Downton Christmas crown
Downton Abbey’s festive special was recorded by more than 3m viewers, making it the most-watched Christmas Day show – unseating EastEnders from the top spot. -
Radio Fast Train tickets up for grabs
Tickets for the Radio Fast Train day for radio indie staff, freelancers and community radio workers will become available on 10 January. -
Robinson on... Jazz FM, French Radio London and Amazing Radio
Radio expert Paul Robinson has pledged to listen to more stations in 2012, and has started with Jazz FM, French Radio London and Amazing Radio. -
Rushes launches annual short film comp
Rushes Soho Shorts Festival 2012 has now opened for submissions. -
Sherlock
Complete the conform and grade and provide visual effects and graphics for the second series. -
Shine Group acquires ChannelFlip
ChannelFlip, the online producer behind David Mitchell and Harry Hill’s web series’, has been bought by Shine Group. -
Shine poaches Maverick exec
Shine TV has poached an Embarrassing Bodies exec to head up its new fact ent department, marking a second senior appointment in as many months. -
Sky Atlantic acquires Friday Night Lights
Sky Atlantic has picked up the rights to the first two series of American football drama Friday Night Lights. -
Sky Sports News launches iPad app
Sky Sports News has launched an iPad app featuring a range of audio and video content. -
Sky: how to spend 2012
In these austere times it is ironic that Sky’s biggest problem is not a lack of money, but how best to spend it. -
Sky1’s Treasure Island lands 900k
MONDAY: Sky1’s swashbuckling adaptation of Treasure Island unearthed the biggest audience on multichannel over the Bank Holiday. -
Spun Gold’s Royal shows head to New Zealand
All3Media has secured the distribution rights to three new Royal films from indie Spun Gold – and have already made sales. -
Staff win latest round of RKT employment tribunal
Former employees of Rocket Post Production (RKT) and ILab have been awarded over £80,000 in compensation after an employment tribunal found they were unfairly dismissed by ILab UK. -
Stephen Lawrence Panorama draws 2.6m
TUESDAY: A Panorama special on the Stephen Lawrence case could not prevent BBC1 from being outmanoeuvred by rivals in the primetime slot. -
Talksport picks up Euro 2012 rights
Talksport will go head-to-head with the BBC during Euro 2012 having secured the radio rights to the football tournament. -
The Ministry of Curious Stuff
Create animated sketches for the new CBBC series written by Vic Reeves and Shooting Stars writer Steve Burge -
UKTV scores highest ratings ever in 2011
UKTV has claimed to have enjoyed its highest rating year in 2011 and boasted a 6.6% share of viewing across its ten channels on Christmas Eve. -
University Challenge specials put BBC2 ahead
In the Christmas week up to and including Boxing Day, Channel 4 pinched the top spot, BBC2 will be pleased with its haul and Channel 5 kept its powder dry for this week’s return of Celebrity Big Brother. -
Volicon releases Observer 6.0
Volicon has released a new version of its logging and monitoring system. -
WTS supplies IQRA with TVU Packs
WTS Broadcast has kitted out London-based Islamic community TV channel IQRA TV with two 3G TVU Packs.
