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Shane Richie In For Paul
O'Grady
Shane Ritchie can be seen standing in for Paul
O'Grady on Friday's edition of Channel 4's The Paul O'Grady
Show.
Richie had been booked to appear on the show, but
took over as presenter when O'Grady was unable to appear for today's
recording because of flu.
Brian Conley will host Thursday's show and today's
was presented by Lorraine Kelly.
O'Grady is under strict medical supervision after
suffering two heart attacks.
20:29
April
23 2008 - waveguide.co.uk
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Ofcom Rejects Smooth
Radio Request
Media regulator Ofcom has rejected a format request
from GMG Radio that would remove an obligation to play 45 hours of
jazz music a week on Smooth Radio in London and the North-West.
GMG requested the format change in return for
providing 24 hour a day jazz services on DAB in London and the North
West.
However, at a its meeting yesterday, Ofcom's Radio Licensing
Committee rejected the format change.
The regulator said in a statement: "Ofcom welcomes GMG's desire to
provide jazz services on DAB
"However, under existing legislation, Ofcom cannot
link consideration of a change to analogue radio services to a
proposed change to DAB services."
GMG said it was "disappointed" at Ofcom's decision to reject its
proposed format change. "The decision comes despite parent company
GMG Radio's promise to relaunch Jazz FM to cater for the audience
interested in this niche genre of music," it said in a statement.
GMG Radio group programme director John Simons said the company
would continue to lobbying the DCMS to change the existing
legislation "which cannot link the consideration of changes to
analogue radio to that of proposed changes to DAB services". He
said: "If this is successful we will reapply for the format change."
17:24
April
23 2008 - waveguide.co.uk
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Intimate Body Doubles
For BBC Three
 BBC
Three is to look at the world of body doubles in a documentary
featuring performers who have stood in for famous TV and film actors
in nude scenes.
Prospect Pictures has been commissioned by the BBC to make the
60-minute programme, which will focus on doubles who provide
close-up shots of body parts to replace those of actors who do not
want their own to be filmed.
Included in the documentary so far is a performer who
replaced Jude Law in a kissing scene in the film Alfie.
Producer Kathryn Tregidgo said: “The documentary is about body
doubles and body parts models - people whose bodies or parts of
bodies appear on TV or film, but you would not necessarily know it
is them. What we are hoping to find is people who are working as
doubles at the moment so we can film them on set, in that situation.
“We’re interested in talking to people with funny stories about
things they have done.”
She added: “Quite a lot of the time, body doubling is long shots -
that’s too general for us. We need something more close up -
situations where an actor does not want to do it for whatever
reason, maybe because it is a tricky shot or because they have to be
half naked, that kind of thing.
“This documentary is about people who have body parts that are
perceived to be particularly good, so actors want them cast in their
place.”
15:44
April
23 2008 - waveguide.co.uk
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BBC Announces Saddam Cast
BBC Drama Production today announced the cast for
House Of Saddam, a four-part BBC Two drama series that
tells the story of Iraq under Saddam Hussein's leadership, from 1979
until his downfall and subsequent execution in 2006.
House Of Saddam focuses on the lives of Saddam's closest family and
an elite few.
Kate Harwood, BBC Head of Drama Series & Serials, said: "This is an
electrifying account of how one man used fear and violence to divide
and rule both a nation and his own family. It is a bold commission
for BBC Two shot in Tunisia with a truly international cast."
Co-written by BAFTA award-winning Alex Holmes and Stephen Butchard ,
House Of Saddam is a BBC/HBO co-production.
Key cast are:
Igal Naor plays Saddam Hussein
Said Taghmaoui plays Barzan Ibrahim, Saddam's half brother and the
Iraqi representative to the United Nations between 1988 and 1998
Shohreh Aghdashloo plays Sajida Talfah, Saddam's wife
Christine Stephen-Daly plays Samira Shahbandar, Saddam's mistress
and second wife
Uri Gavriel plays Ali Hassan Al Majid, more widely known as Chemical
Ali
Amr Waked plays Hussein Kamel, Saddam's nephew and son-in-law
Makram J Khoury plays Tariq Aziz, the Foreign Minister and Deputy
Prime Minister of Iraq
Philip Arditti plays Uday, Saddam's eldest son
The four-part drama will be shown on BBC Two this summer.
15:03
April
23 2008 - waveguide.co.uk
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EastEnders - One in - One
Out
Actress Maggie O'Neill is to join the cast of
EastEnders as Phil Mitchell's love interest.
The actress, who played Sheila in Shameless, will play Suzy Branning,
Max and Jack's sister.
O'Neill said: "The Brannings are a great family and I'm excited to
become one of them. Suzy is a woman to be reckoned with."
The Brannings have played a central role in EastEnders in recent
years, culminating in Tanya's bid to bury husband Max alive.
This was prompted by a slow-burning storyline in which Max had an
affair with Stacey Slater - his eldest son's wife.
Diederick Santer, executive producer of EastEnders, said the actress
was "yet another top drawer addition to our wonderful cast".
The BBC soap has also announced that actress Emma Barton will be
leaving the show after her character Honey Mitchell is written out
later this year.
14:35
April
23 2008 - waveguide.co.uk
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Channel 4 Results
Channel 4's main channel made an operating loss last
year for the first time since 1992, it was revealed in the
broadcaster's annual report published today.
The channel was hit by falling ratings for Big Brother and the loss
of phone-in revenue as a result of the premium-rate TV competition
scandal.
Channel 4's chairman, Luke Johnson, said the broadcaster was at a
"tipping point" with a new public funding solution now "urgently
required" if it is to continue to compete with the BBC.
The core Channel 4 service recorded an operating loss of £7.8m after
programme costs grew faster than advertising, according to the
report.
Ratings for the core Channel 4 service fell 11 per cent in 2007 but
there was an increase in the audience digital channels, E4, More4
and Film4.
Channel 4's new media division recorded an operating loss of £15.4m,
up from £6m in 2006, because of the start-up costs of its
video-on-demand service, 4oD.
Group turnover was £944.9m in 2007, marginally up on a record £937m
in 2006m. Overall, the Channel 4 group returned a pre-tax surplus of
£1.6m against a surplus of £21.3m the previous year.
Luke Johnson said: "2007 will be the last year in which Channel 4,
under its current funding model, manages the difficult balance
between increased creative investment and financial break-even.
"The tipping point we have been warning about has been reached, with
the core channel now in deficit and being supported by profits from
secondary activities.
"In response to market conditions, we are already having to cut
editorial budgets and a new public funding solution is now urgently
required if we are to maintain such impressive levels of public
service plurality in competition with the BBC."
Channel 4 chief executive Andy Duncan said: "Channel 4's key
objective each year is successful delivery of its public service
remit, not maximising profit.
"In a difficult year for television, it was a significant
achievement to be able to make our highest ever investment in
award-winning UK content while still managing to break-even. We
recorded the second highest annual share of viewing and the highest
share of total TV advertising revenue in our history."
11:15
April
23 2008 - waveguide.co.uk
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Waterloo Road Actor Sought By Police
Police are looking for Waterloo Road star Craig
Fitzpatrick after he failed to turn up for a court appearance in
Lancashire.
A warrant for the 21-year-old's arrest was issued yesterday when he
failed to turn up for trial associated with violence towards his
20-year-old girlfriend.
The court heard that Fitzpatrick, who played Lewis
Seddon in the BBC One series, had a history of domestic violence.
His 20-year old girlfriend, who was pregnant at the time, told
Tameside magistrates: "I was backing away from him and I could tell
he was angry. He had my shoe in his hand. I asked him to please
stop."
Son Jayden-Lee was born six months ago. Julie has another son,
Joshua, three, with Fitzpatrick.
The Manchester actor was convicted of two assault charges in his
absence. Sentencing was adjourned and a warrant issued for his
arrest.
09:27
April
23 2008 - waveguide.co.uk
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The Bill Top
Moments
ITV police drama The Bill is marking its 25th
birthday by asking viewers to vote for their all-time favourite clip
from the show.
The series, which was first screened on August 16, 1983, will be
celebrated in a one-hour special later this summer, with the results
of the viewer vote announced during the show.
DI Burnside dunking a man's head down a toilet and DCI Jack Meadows'
helicopter chase over Tower Bridge are among the 10 clips
shortlisted by producers. Others include Sgt Bob Cryer being held
hostage and Don Beech attempting to flee across Sydney Harbour.
Unfortunately for fans of the show, the earliest featured clip is
the Burnside toilet moment, screened in 1992.
08:59
April
23 2008 - waveguide.co.uk
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Paul O'Grady Off
Sick
Channel 4 teatime chat show host Paul O'Grady has
taken to his bed again suffering from flu.
The show's producers said he returned to work on
Monday but was not fully recovered from "a nasty bout of flu."
Melanie Sykes stood in for him once again on last
night's live edition of the show and GMTV's Lorraine Kelly will take
his chair this evening.
08:32
April
23 2008 - waveguide.co.uk
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Millennium Dome
Heist
ITV has commissioned a one-off documentary about the
failed Millennium Dome diamond heist of 2000.
The Diamond Geezers, will focus on how a group planned to steal the
world's largest perfect diamond from the Millennium Dome and make
their getaway by speedboat up the River Thames.
The 60-minute documentary will look at the facts behind the
attempted robbery and the ensuing police investigation.
The film is being produced by Tern Television and its creative
director Harry Bell said: "The Diamond Geezers is a radical new
departure for us and a fantastic example of how we are moving
forward as a company."
The series will be produced and directed by Tom Whitter and
executive produced by Harry Bell and Miranda Peters.
07:45
April
23 2008 - waveguide.co.uk
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Privatise Channel
4
Peter Bazalgette, former chief of Big Brother
producer Endemol, has called for Channel 4 to be privatised.
He said that handing the broadcaster a chunk of the licence
fee to plug a financial shortfall ahead of the digital switchover,
as advocated by industry insiders, could compromise it.
He told the Royal Television Society: "What we should investigate is
a privatisation which preserves its character".
He proposed a wholesale shake-up of British
broadcasting to preserve public service aims in the digital age,
raising money from four existing sources:
His proposals include - a programme of "modest privatisation" at
the BBC, selling off Radio 1, Radio 2 and BBC Worldwide.
Releasing ITV and Five from public service obligations but charging
them for spectrum following digital switchover.
Redistributing the £150m in "excess licence fee", currently being
used by the BBC to fund digital switchover, that will be released in
2012.
The money raised could be spent on a new idea, which he called
Boggle, that contains echoes of Ofcom's earlier public service
publisher concept.
05:25
April
23 2008 - waveguide.co.uk
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