TV programmes that premier online before TV look set to become a real trend this year. For in the wake of the Netflix House Of Cards exclusive the BBC has just announced that that a new sitcom from Peter Kay called Car Share will premiere on BBC iPlayer.
You will be able to see it online before it makes its way to BBC One. This makes it the first first-ever series to premiere on BBC iPlayer in its entirety before a linear transmission.
The series, which has been created by Tim Reid and Paul Coleman, Car Share is directed by and stars Peter and Sian Gibson, who play John and Kayleigh who have been thrown together in a company car share scheme, as they journey to their respective jobs at a major out-of-town supermarket.
Just like Kay’s classic C4 Phoenix Nights series Car Share is set and will be filmed in the north-west.
Peter Kay says about the series: “To be finally working with the BBC on a new comedy is a great opportunity. And the idea of two people car sharing to work each day really appealed to me, as it highlights the comedy in the minutiae of the daily trek and allows the spiralling conversations of life to unwind in all of their glory.”
It seemed a pretty much done deal last night that Tour de France/Olympic Time Trial Champion would win the BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year. So in this parish at least it was as much about the suit he chose to wore as it was scooping the award.
Wiggins plumped for a bespoke velvet (very on trend) double-breasted suit made by Soho tailor Mark Powell. Wiggins has worn a lot of Powell’s clothes before – at the GQ awards in September, for example, he wore another Powell double breasted suit this time in grey.
Powell is a London-based tailor who has made bespoke suits for among others – George Clooney, Harrison Ford, Mick Jagger and David Bowie. Powell has worked with brands in the past including M&S and has recently launched a collection of eyewear. He says of the eyewear
‘My new ready-to-wear range, comprising 12 styles, is very retro but with a contemporary twist. A lot of designers are doing this at the moment, but mine is a nicer version.’
But then he could say that about his suits too.
If you do fancy one Powell has a ready to wear range, including some rather lovely double breasted jackets here.
Every other year the winner of the BBC’s Sports Personality of the year is fairly easy to spot. Usually there has been little of no British sporting success and so all anyone has to do is come second in something and they are a shoe-in to win. This year, though, is very obviously a different kettle of fish.
Normally Andy Murray’s Grand Slam win or Rory McIlroy’s PGA victory would see either of them walk SPOTY, but they are up against Olympic gold medal winners including Mo Farah, Jessica Ennis, Nicola Adams, Ben Ainslie, Katherine Grainger, Sir Chris Hoy and Paralympic champions Ellie Simmonds, Sarah Storey and David Weir. A ridiculous wealth of competition.
Our pick to take the title, however, is gold medal Olympian AND winner of the Tour De France Bradley Wiggins. In a year of unparalleled British sporting achievement Wiggins’ achievement is all the more remarkable and surely should be recognised.
Team GB, we also reckon, will take the team award so Wiggo will get another two titles to decorate his already-stuffed mantelpiece.
Sports Personality of the Year is on this Sunday at 7:30PM on BBC1. It is presented by Gary Lineker, Claire Balding and Sue Barker and is broadcast live from London ExCel Arena.
Although these days there are a million TV channels and programmes can be recorded or viewed on catch-up with ease, there is still a great deal of interest in what the BBC and ITV have got planned for us on Christmas Day. Well today we found out.
The BBC lead with the now-traditional Doctor Who special ‘The Snowmen’ at 5:15PM (featuring the introduction proper of new assistant Jenna-Louise Coleman) and then a special edition of Strictly Come Dancing.
The big clash of the night is at 8:45 when the BBC have put a festive edition of Call The Midwife against the Xmas Downton Abbey. Downton will win that one.
Then everyone will switch back to BBC1 at 9:45 for the Royle Family Xmas special, which apparently feature Dave (Craig Cash) pitching an idea on Dragons’ Den.
Earlier in the day ITV have a cartoon double bill either side of the Queen’s speech with Toy Story and Tangled. And then a You’ve Been Framed Christmas special and something called Paul O’Grady’s For The Love Of Dogs, which sounds awful.
Elsewhere, the BBC have Boxing Day Xmas specials of unfunny comedy Miranda and even-unfunnier Mrs Brown’s Boys and the final ever Merlin will be shown on Christmas Eve.
The BBC has launched a new Connected Red Button service.
Hitting Virgin Media’s TiVo box first, it adds a host of new functionality to the established digital TV feature.
First up, the new Connected Red Button will let you catch programmes on channels that are off-air, including the BBC children’s channels, BBC Three and BBC Four, day and night.
Catch-up TV comes baked in, letting you hit the red button to be offered up previous episodes of the show currently being watched, taking advantage of the TiVo’s web connected features. Sporting coverage gets similar features, with extended clips and coverage available through the red button.
Finally, news, headlines and weather reports get expanded for the new red button service too, offering details at a glance at a press of the button.
“With today’s launch of BBC Connected Red Button, the BBC is seamlessly bringing the Internet together with live TV, while making the technology completely invisible”, said Daniel Danker, General Manager, BBC Programmes and On-Demand.
“This is red button reinvented, and the beginning of the exciting future of television.”
Victoria Jaye, Head of IPTV & TV Online Content, added: “With BBC Connected Red Button, we’re starting with the TV audience who love our broadcast output and we’re curating online content on the big screen in ways that add value to their TV viewing. The audience can sit back and relax – the internet just made TV better.”
Virgin Media’s Executive Director of Digital Entertainment Cindy Rose was glad that her team could offer the service ahead of competitors:
“The BBC understands as passionately as we do how important connected television is for home entertainment. We’re delighted the BBC is working with us to launch another milestone in interactive services. Our commitment to this partnership of innovation means Virgin Media TiVo customers are the first to experience the latest interactive services at the press of a button.”
The Beeb’s new Red Button service will be rolling out to other connected sets and devices next year, with Sir Alan Sugar’s YouView boxes expected to be next to receive the update.
British TV institution Have I Got News For You has been piloted in a third attempt to sell the show to the US.
The BBC show, which features long-term team captains Ian Hislop and Paul Merton, has been made by production company Hat Trick since 1990. They have made two previous unsuccessful attempts to get an American version of the show off the ground and now a third pilot, featuring talk radio presenter Sam Seder as host, has been made for US station TBS.
Hat Trick boss Jimmy Mulville tweeted: “It’s the third pilot made for US TV. Hopefully, third time lucky.”
The US pilot was shot last weekend in New York but there are no plans to show it on UK TV
For the past few years one of the later live shows of the X Factor has aired at the same time as the Sports Personality of the Year. Both shows have suffered reduced ratings as a result. With 2012 being a landmark year for British sport, SPOTY host Gary Lineker has taken matters into his own hands by tweeting X Factor boss Simon Cowell directly to appeal to him to avoid a schedule clash.
Lineker tweeted: “Be a lovely gesture and mark of respect to our wonderful athletes if X Factor didn’t run against SPOTY. What do you think @SimonCowell?”
There was no response from Cowell but Lineker later retweeted a message from Mirror journalist Mark Jefferies which said: “Good news @GaryLineker and sport fans, I’ve been told by ITV spokesman there’s “no chance” X Factor will clash with SPOTY.”
How the clash will be avoided has still not been revealed and there has been no official statement from either the BBC or ITV so the stand off may yet happen. Watch this space….
With X Factor struggling in the ratings and the new series of Strictly Come Dancing launching tomorrow, both shows need is to grab as many tabloid pages as possible to increase ratings. If only there was some way that they could do that. What’s that you say? There is? Wonderful.
Apparently, a couple of years ago, Strictly host Bruce ‘Brucie, nice to see you, good game, what do points make, not in this game, I’m in charge, hands off the wig’ Forsyth had some kind of war of words with X Factor ‘judge’ Louis ‘Louis, Louis, woah, we got to go now’ Walsh and they have decided to reignite it just in time for both of their programmes to get a tabloid boost. What fortuitous timing.
We won’t spoil your tea by going into too many details but it seems Louis thinks Bruce should retire and Bruce thinks Louis is a bizarrely coiffured idiot who’s over-reliance on botox has left him looking like a shiny-faced weirdo. Or something like that. We’re paraphrasing, obviously.
Who’s right, who’s wrong, who cares, what will happen next in this facile, manufactured war? Find out in the next exciting episode of TV Scoop.
And so it’s back, the hugely popular (but terribly titled) Strictly Come Dancing returns to BBC1 for a new run this Saturday.
This year’s line up of hot-footing slebs is the usual mix of sports stars, soap stars and TV presenters and, as always, the judges include Bruno Tonioli, Craig Revel Horwood and Len Goodman but this year ITV-defecting Alesha Dixon will be replaced by actual dancer, ballet star Darcey Bussell. Bruce Forsyth and Tess Daly are back as hosts and Claudia Winkleman and Zoe Ball will be running the spin-off show.
Here are the runners and riders and their chances of winning:
Denise Van Outen
The former Big Breakfast weather girl has proven herself very adaptable so will no doubt make a decent fist of it. Her extended stint in the musical Chicago will also have honed her hoofing skills.
Sid Owen
Ex-Eastender (or is he still in it? We can’t remember) Ricky, sorry, Sid will bring a fair dose of cheeky Cock-er-ney charm but will he be able to dance? We doubt it. He’ll likely prove to be the SCD equivalent of his ex cast mate Todd Carty on Dancing On Ice – i.e. rubbish
Victoria Pendleton
The Olympic cyclist is as fit as you can get so she’ll have no worries with her stamina. But can she do anything without her bike?
Kimberley Walsh
When she was in Girls Aloud she had to frug around in videos a bit but this is in a whole different league, we reckon Kimberley will struggle.
Dani Harmer
Who? She used to be Tracy Beaker. Oh. Who’s Tracy Beaker? Never mind, just leave it.
Fern Britton
Ex ‘This Morning’ couch dweller, now disparately-employed, thinner TV presenter. She will try very hard, cry occasionally and be lovely. But she won’t win.
Louis Smith
Another Olympic fitty, Louis’ gymnast training will stand him in great stead for all the twisty turny stuff. Should be amongst the winners.
Jerry Hall
Former squeeze of Mick Jagger and Bryan Ferry, Jerry is – ahem – an older lady but we think she’ll bring a touch of Texan class to proceedings.
Colin Salmon
Actor. Was in a Bond film. And some telly stuff. We haven’t a clue. Can you tell?
Johnny Ball
Legend. Say his name to anyone over 35 and they will go misty-eyed remembering the avuncular bloke who made maths fun on the telly. Should win simply because he has the bottle to do the show in the first place.
Lisa Riley
Ex Emmerdale, Ex You’ve Been Framed – expect lots of crying, tales of dancing causing weight loss, a twisted ankle and early retirement from the competition. You heard it here first.
Michael Vaughan
You would expect the former England cricketer to do well as sportspeople normally do, but with 2 Olympians in the line-up he may well be demoted to second fiddle.
Nicky Byrne
Was in Westlife, who’s entire dance routines consisted of them getting off a stool when the key change kicked in. Not a great grounding is it?
OK, so anyone under 35-ish will struggle to remember this but there was a sports-based show in the 1970’s called Superstars and it was a right laugh. It now looks that the enormous success of the Olympics may see it return to our screens.
Superstars was presented by the late David Vine and basically involved a number of famous sports stars engaging in a number of sporting challenges in a different city each week. The ‘different city’ always seemed to be Bath, but let’s not get into that debate now.
The resulting programme was entertaining because all of the participants had to compete in sports in which they were not traditionally proficient. This meant that little know sportsmen and women regularly became household names by being better at sports than established names. For instance, judo star Brian Jacks became inordinately well known because of his ability to do an insane amount of squat thrusts, bar dips or press ups despite no-one ever knowing what judo was.
It now appears that the BBC wants to re-visit the format back in order to capitalise on the success of British athletes such as Jessica Ennis and Mo Farah.
We at TV scoop believe that if they use the original theme tune the whole shebang would be a huge hit. Here’s a reminder:
Or if they can coax Kevin Keegan to come out of retirement and fall of his boke again then the whole thing would work a treat. See this clip:
The BBC have confirmed that they are planning a biopic about the origins of the Doctor Who TV series. The show will be along the same lines of the BBC 4 Road To Coronation Street drama, which told the back stage story of the development of Corrie.
The 90-minute show, tentatively titled An Adventure In Space, will air on BBC 2 in 2013, to coincide with Doctor Who’s 50th anniversary
The show will be written by long-term Doc Who scribe Mark Gattis and produced by Stephen Moffat and Caroline Skinner. Gattis said: “This is the story of how an unlikely set of brilliant people created a true television original, and how an actor – William Hartnell – stereotyped in hard-man roles became a hero to millions of children. I’ve wanted to tell this story for more years than I can remember! To make it happen for Doctor Who’s 50th birthday is quite simply a dream come true.”
Moffat added: “The story of Doctor Who is the story of television, so it’s fitting in the anniversary year that we make our most important journey back in time to see how the TARDIS was launched.”
The BBC have announced that star of Withnail & I Richard E Grant will appear in the upcoming new series.
Grant had been touted as a possible Doctor himself before Mat Smith’s appointment an even provided the voice of the time traveller in an animated version of the show. Now the BBC are saying that he is the ‘iconic star’ they have been trailing on Twitter.
Little more is known about Grant’s appearance on the show except that it will be the Christmas special, which also features the first appearance of new companion Jenna-Louise Coleman.
Here’s a trailer for the new series of Doctor Who, which starts this month.
So, the 2012 London Olympics finally gets underway tonight. After years of excitement , anticipation, hype and hyperbole we can finally settle down on our settee with a bag of crisps and a brew and watch the fittest athletes on the world run round tracks, swim up and down pools, jump over things, bounce around on mats and generally amaze us with their physical spectacularish-ness.
But what’s on when? When is the 100 metres final, the end of the marathon or (for many of us) the women’s beach volleyball? Here is a list of when the probable highlights are on.
BBC1 from 9PM tonight: The Opening Ceremony.
BBC1 from 2PM Sat 28th: Men’s cycling road race featuring Tour De France hero Mark Cavendish.
BBC1 at 8:15PM Sun 29th: Women’s 400m freestyle swimming featuring Rebecca Addlington.
BBC1 at 3PM Mon 30th: The diving 10M platform synchro featuring Tom Daley.
BBC TV from 3:30PM Tues 31st: The C1 (single person canoe) slalom featuring David Florence.
BBC1 from 12:30PM Weds 1st: Rowing, the Men’s eight featuring Greg Searle.
BBC1 from 4PM Thurs 2nd: Team cycling featuring Sir Chris Hoy.
BBC1 from 10AM Fri 3rd: Women’s 100M hurdles featuring Jessica Ennis.
BBC1 from 9AM Sat 4th: Women’s triathlon featuring Helen Jenkins.
BBC1 at 9:50PM Sun 5th: Men’s 100M final featuring Usain Bolt.
BBC1 at 8:45PM Mon 6th: Men’s 400M hurdles featuring Dal Greene.
BBC1 from 11:30 Tues 7th: Men’s triathlon featuring Alistair and Jonny Brownlee.
BBC1 from 7PM Weds 8th: Women’s beach volleyball final featuring loads of women in lycra.
BBC3 at 7:45PM Thurs 9th: Women’s football final.
BBC1 at 3PM Fri 10th: BMX final featuring Shazane Reade.
BBC1 at 7:30 Sat 11th: Men’s 5,000M final featuring Mo Farrar.
Former Rogue Traders presenter Dan Penteado has been sentenced to 12 weeks in jail after being found guilty of benefit fraud.
Penteado fronted the consumer interest show from 2008 and 2012 and was paid over £56,000 for his efforts. During that time, though, he continued to claim housing and council tax benefits amounting to over £24,000.
His solicitor stated that Penteado was trying to ‘not interrupt the flow of housing benefit’. Not a great defence, is it?
The cabinet member for planning and environment, Councillor David Smith, said: “The amount of money stolen in this case is truly shocking. We are pleased that Mr Penteado has now been successfully prosecuted and brought to justice. The council will not tolerate benefit fraud and will always take action to ensure public funds are protected from abuse and available to support the most vulnerable in society. Anyone committing benefit fraud should expect to be investigated and action to be taken.”
Outgoing Doctor Who companion Karen Gillan has told fans at San Diego’s Comic-Con that she cried for two weeks after shooting her final scenes on the show.
Karen, who has played ‘Tardis Totty’ Amy Pond for the last 2 series, will leave the show during the next run, as will co-star Arthur Darville who plays Amy’s boyfriend Rory. She said: “I cried for two weeks. Everything set me off, I couldn’t hold it together at all. (The show) has changed my life in so many ways. And even thought I don’t want to say it, I’ve made two really good friends.”
When asked about Karen and Arthur’s departure Matt Smith, who plays the Doctor, said: “I will miss them. I miss these cats. It’s been three years on set. You develop a language with these people. It’s like two older brothers who bully their sister and I miss being able to bully Karen.”
If you’re one of those people that turns the TV over whenever the Proms are on, maybe this year you should give it a go; it’s one of the most extraordinary celebrations of music in the world and a uniquely British event.
‘Promenade’ concerts (where musicians play in parks and open spaces while listeners walk by) had been popular for many years but in the mid 18th Century, under the stewardship of renowned orchestra leader Sir Henry Wood, they became a more formal, organised series of events.
When the BBC took over the Proms in 1927 they began broadcasting them to the nation, first on the radio and then on the TV as well. There are now over 70 concerts during the 8 weeks of events, most held at the Royal Albert Hall but many in other venues and parks.
While the Proms consist almost exclusively of classical concerts occasionally there are unique non-classical events, such as last year’s Comedy Prom, where humorous songs were performed and celebrated.
The most famous event of the calendar is the Last Night of the Proms, where popular and patriotic pieces are played and the audience take the opportunity to sing loudly along while waving flags and looking posh.
The Proms may appear elitist and anachronistic but they can be tremendous fun and genuinely moving. Give ‘em a try this year, they may just surprise you.
There are rumours circulating the internet that the new BBC director general George Entwistle my be considering returning 90’s super-flop soap to our screens.
In what may be either be a bad joke, a malicious rumour or a genuine piece of crazy thinking, a former member of the show’s crew, Paul Davies, has written in the BBC’s in-house magazine Aerial of the need for Eldorado’s ‘triumphant return’.
He goes on: “Critics would argue it was hubristic, too excessive and the axe deserved to fall prematurely, I would argue it was ambitious, ahead of its time and an example of the BBC machine working at its very best. I just hope a channel controller sees the potential and commissions a revisit to Eldorado in the future.”
Whether this bizarre plea has reached the ears of the new DG is unknown but bringing the show back to the channel would certainly be one of the strangest things he could do. The programme was filmed on a purpose-built set in Spain but was derided by critics and disliked by viewers, it ran for just a year before being scrapped. The set has reportedly been used to shoot porn films since.
Our guess is that this whole story is just a gag designed as a welcome present from the BBC to their new leader.
Now in its eight series, has the UK version of The Apprentice become tired, predictable and boring? We say yes.
There was a time when a night spent watching The Apprentice was assured to result in thrills, laughs and the opportunity to swear at and mercilessly mock some genuinely infuriating ‘business’ characters. Alan ‘Sur Alan/ Lord Alun/ the Fluffy Walnut’ Sugar was entertaining and unpredictable and sidekicks Nick and Margaret were dependably astute and withering. TV gold.
This latest series initially had promise; the pretty-but-unhinged Bulgarian Bilyana looked like she could provide laughs, bizarrely-eyebrowed ‘ex-wrestler’ Ricky Martin promised to develop into a stone-cold nutter and there was a supporting cast featuring the usual mix of middle management halfwits any one of which could have taken a left turn into slavering delusion at any moment.
But within a couple of episodes it was obvious that things were not going to pan out. Bilyana was fired in the first episode (which was a wasted opportunity), Ricky failed to fire up and all the rest were just dull. The tasks have been the same as always and there hasn’t even been any good lines from Sugar and his henchmen. How many of you have recorded episodes and deleted them without watching them? Or not bothered to seek them out at all? Lots, we’ll wager.
Perhaps the show has now run its course? Maybe we’re so used to the formula that there are no more surprises to be wrung from it? Maybe the production team have become complacent? Or maybe they just picked a bad bunch of contenders this time round?
The only bright spot is Dara O’Briain on sister show The Apprentice: You’re Fired! who somehow manages to mine laughs from the otherwise dull material.
Whatever the reason, the BBC needs to rethink what was previously a jewel in their crown and shake things up before there is a mass switch off.
In the 10 years since Have I got News For you gave original host Angus Deayton the heave-ho they have had approximately 80 guest hosts. Some (like Bill Bailey, Sean Lock and Rob Brydon) have been predictably reliable, others (like Gordon Ramsay, Anne Widdecombe and Anne Robinson) have been predictably poor, while others have been quite brilliant.
Last week’s show saw Captain Kirk himself take the hot seat and William ‘KHAAAAAANNNNN!!!!’ Shatner proved one of the weirdest, funniest and most inspired choices yet. He was witty, unhinged, baffled, sharp and oddly coiffured all at the same time. His claim that the sleepy Devon town of Ilfracome is ‘laced with prostitutes’ was a particularly bizarre high-point.
But has he been the best choice of guest host yet? Unfortunately the BBC are very good at keeping clips of the show off the internet so we can’t show you Bruce Forsyth, Boris Johnson and some other great hosts but here are some of our favourites from the last decade.
Brian Blessed proves there’s more to him than shouting and beards. There’s also beards and shouting.
Not sure about this track from Valentina Monetta, Facebook uh oh oh. Is it even genuine? Supposedly it’s San Marino’s Eurovision Song Contest entry to rival our very own entry from Englebert Humperdinck.
And while it’s sure to get 12 points from neighbours Italy, will anybody else get the joke about Facebook, social networking etc. Anyway it’s already doing well on YouTube with over 300,000 hits so who needs Eurovision?
To me it sounds like one of those joke songs that comedians put in the middle of their programmes to break up the sketches, but it is kind of catchy I suppose.
TV programmes that premier online before TV look set to become a real trend this year. For in the wake of the Netflix House Of Cards exclusive the BBC has just announced that that a new sitcom from Peter Kay called Car Share will premiere on BBC iPlayer.
From:Set The Video: NASA: Triumph and Tragedy, BBC Two, Wednesday, 24 June, 9pm