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Big Brother -
Australia
Australia's new-look Big Brother got underway last
night with the launch ratings the worst in its history.
An average of 1.511 million Australians tuned in to watch Big
Brother reveal the first 14 housemates during a two-hour launch.
The audience for the Ten Network show peaked at 1.91 million.
But while it beat its competitors in most timeslots - except its
second half hour when it lost out to Border Security - Big Brother's
latest launch was the least watched in the show's eight-year
history.
The previous lowest ratings for a Big Brother launch were last year,
when the first show pulled in 1.548 million viewers.
The show's most watched launch was in 2003, when it attracted 2.225
million viewers.
Despite the figures, Ten said it was "thrilled" with Big Brother
because the show had launched on a Monday, not on a Sunday as in the
past four years.
"We're thrilled to be pulling those numbers on a Monday and against
stiff competition," a Ten spokeswoman said.
Viewers have gradually tuned out of the show since it began in 2001.
In a bid to halt its decline, Big Brother's producers have this year
promised a different programme.
Some of the changes include: housemates being forced to spend the
first night in the backyard and the eviction of one housemate by
sunrise, in the first of many "snap" evictions.
For the first time contestants will be accommodated in a far from
luxurious house, with no rewards room and a tiny pool.
This year's series will also see housemates sleep in one giant bed
and there will be no kitchen, with food to be served on a conveyor
belt.
The contestants include a one-metre tall belly dancer, a 52-year-old
grandmother and a self-declared young male virgin with a
high-pitched voice.
Three more contestants will be revealed on Sunday.
21:45
April
29 2008 - waveguide.co.uk
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Naked Civil
Servant 2
As reported earlier this year by Waveguide, actor
John Hurt is to play legendary British eccentric Quentin Crisp again
in a sequel to classic 1975 ITV drama The Naked Civil Servant.
An Englishman in New York will be filmed in August in London and New
York.
Laura Mackie, ITV's director of drama, said it was "a real thrill"
to enable Hurt "to reprise such an iconic role".
The 68-year-old won a Bafta TV award for his original performance.
Crisp, who once described himself as the "Stately Homo of England",
died in 1999 at the age of 90.
The Naked Civil Servant, the first volume of his autobiography, was
first published in 1968.
Production company Leopardrama said, An Englishman in
New York is set in the 1970s and 1980s and picks up where The Naked
Civil Servant left off.
It is written by Brian Fillis, who previously wrote the biographical
TV dramas Fear of Fanny, about TV chef Fanny Craddock, and The Curse
of Steptoe, about Steptoe and Son star Harry H Corbett.
"It is a great honour for us to be working with John Hurt in one of
his most seminal roles," said Leopardrama executive producer James
Burstall.
20:23
April
29 2008 - waveguide.co.uk
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Deal Or No Deal
There are five day's of celebration on Deal Or No
Deal, starting on Monday, May 12.
It is the Banker's birthday a week of party-themed
shows are planned for the occasion.
Programmes will feature fancy dress, special guests
and a birthday twist to the game.
17:20
April
29 2008 - waveguide.co.uk
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Dawn Airey
Leaves ITV
Dawn Airey is leaving ITV to take a senior role at
RTL that will see her become chair of Five.
Airey, a former Five chief executive, became ITV's
director of content in May last year.
She joined Five at its launch in 1996 and was its
first programme director before becoming chief executive in 2000. In
2003 she joined BSkyB as managing director of Sky Networks.
Lee Bartlett, the chief operating officer of ITV global content, as
interim managing director of the division until a full-time
successor is found. He joined from Fox last month and was appointed
by Airey
"We have assembled a strong team to lead our Global Content business
and they will now report to Lee," said ITV executive chairman
Michael Grade. "I will spend more of my time in the Content business
to ensure that the momentum is maintained."
16:48
April
29 2008 - waveguide.co.uk
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Emmerdale
Actor - Bike Ride
Emmerdale actor Kelvin Fletcher has announced that he
is hosting a charity cycle ride this summer.
The actor, better known for his role as Andy Sugden in the Yorkshire
soap, is planning to travel over 1,000 miles on his bike to raise
cash for the Make A Wish Foundation.
The ride will start in Barcelona and finish at Donington Park.
"I am delighted to be raising funds for such a fantastic cause,"
Fletcher said. "The Make-A-Wish Foundation provides such important
care and relief to individuals fighting life-threatening illnesses
and my aim is to make more people aware of the charity."
The 24-year-old will be joined by ex Motocross World Champion Jamie
Dobb and four other friends.
The 10-day event will start on June 9 at the Barcelona Moto GP and
will finish at Donington Park Moto GP circuit on June 18.
"It will be a challenge for Jamie and I to cycle over 1000 miles,"
Fletcher admitted. "However, this is nothing compared to the
challenges the young people at Make-A-Wish Foundation have to face
everyday."
16:36
April
29 2008 - waveguide.co.uk
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BBC Tesco Plug
The BBC Editorial Complaints Unit has agreed with a
complaint from a viewer that the BBC Two show The Restaurant plugged
supermarket Tesco.
A viewer complained after the chain featured heavily in the reality
show judged by restaurateur Raymond Blanc.
Couples bidding for his favour were shown on last-minute shopping
trips. Producers said the supermarket was the only one to allow them
to film at short notice. But the complaint was upheld.
11:19
April
29 2008 - waveguide.co.uk
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Channels Sued Over Poll Broadcast
The BBC and ITV will face a High Court challenge
after making changes to a party political broadcast in the run-up to
this week's local elections.
A Christian party says both broadcasters insisted on "censoring" its
short film critical of plans by an Islamic group to build Europe's
biggest mosque next to the 2012 Olympics site in east London.
Alan Craig, the Christian Choice candidate for the London mayor,
said neither broadcaster would not allow his party to describe
Tablighi Jamaat, which is behind the proposed £75 million mosque, as
a "separatist Islamic group".
Craig said he was forced by the BBC to change his description of
Tablighi Jamaat from "separatist" to "controversial". ITV said the
word "controversial" could be applied only to the mosque plans and
not to the group itself.
The edited broadcasts were shown in the London region on April 23.
Christian Choice's legal team is calling for a judicial review of
the decision and will ask the judge to order for the unedited party
election broadcast to be shown by election day.
08:12
April
29 2008 - waveguide.co.uk
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