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Ladies Of
Letters Recommissioned
ITV has recommissioned the comedy drama Ladies Of Letters.
The quirky drama series, starring Maureen Lipman and Anne Reid as two very
different widows who become pen pals, has been re-ordered by Emma Tennant,
ITV’s Controller of Digital Channels.
The ten part series which aired in February this year was produced by Tiger
Aspect Productions. It was the first original comedy commission for ITV3 and
was also recently repeated on ITV1.
These new ten episodes will feature more vitriolic correspondence between
Irene (Maureen Lipman) and Vera (Anne Reid) fuelled by their intense rivalry
about everything under the sun, ranging from recipes for blue cheese quiche
to their despair over their dysfunctional children.
Ladies of Letters is written by Lou Wakefield and Carole Hayman, who came up
with the original idea of sending improvised letters to each other more than
20 years ago. The resulting books led to ten radio series and highly
successful CDs, before making it to the screen.
Emma Tennant said: “We are thrilled that Ladies of Letters will be returning
to ITV3, the acting, writing and production of this drama is of the highest
standard.”
22:09
July
31 2009 - waveguide.co.uk
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New Cookery Series
BBC Three serves up a new cookery series, which pits
non-cooking household members against each other in a competition designed
to fast-track them to healthy meals, in Virgin Cooks.
The four-part series starts on Tuesday, August 18 and runs on
conecutive evenings.
Twenty-six-year-old Gordon Jones is head chef at one of the country's most
prestigious hotels,The Royal Crescent in Bath, and he believes that the
British have lost their way in the kitchen. He wants to get households and
families cooking tasty, healthy meals from fresh, eating together again and
reconnecting with each other – and he'll save them a fortune in the process.
Each week, Jones picks virgin cooks from a household and places them in a
unique head-to-head cookery competition. He will teach them recipes, slash
their weekly food budget and set them a number of cookery and budgetary
challenges designed to push their culinary skills to the limit.
By the end of the week the person who has come the furthest, or won the most
tasks, will be awarded the ultimate cookery challenge – to take over a
restaurant and cook a three-course dinner party for 20-30 friends and
family, with the loser acting as the sous chef.
21:05
July
31 2009 - waveguide.co.uk
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BBC New Local News
Plans
The BBC announced today it proposes to overhaul its local TV and radio
services as an alternative to its rejected proposal for on-demand local
video news services.
In February, the BBC Trust rejected the executive’s plan for the online
video service, ruling that there was inadequate public value generated by
the proposal and that the likely public value did not outweigh potential
negative market impact.
The new proposals are based instead on the BBC’s existing linear services,
and are designed to improve the quality and depth of news provision in the
nations and regions and deliver more effectively the BBC’s citizenship and
community purposes.
Diane Coyle, BBC Trustee and Chair of the Trust's Public Value and Fair
Trading Committee, said:
"Licence fee payers have told us that they want the BBC to improve services
for audiences in the nations, regions and communities of the UK. After very
careful consideration, the Trust is satisfied that the revised plans meet
this challenge with minimal impact on commercial providers. We will monitor
output closely to ensure this is the case.
"Existing local television and radio services will be enhanced by
initiatives such as substantial improvements to news coverage, and
additional funding for local factual programming in the devolved nations.
The Trust believes that this will allow the BBC to meet its public purposes
and help close the gap between the importance that audiences attach to the
BBC's local role and their view of its current performance."
The revised plan contains the following measures:
An annual 'state of the nation/region' journalism initiative in each nation
and region
A fund for programming in the English regions
More landmark factual programming in the devolved nations of Scotland, Wales
and Northern Ireland
Geographically targeted sports coverage
Improvements to nations and regions linear TV and radio news including
coverage of local government
A more geographically representative newsgathering operation
Distinctive factual programming in the devolved nations
Regional radio opt outs on national radio services in Wales and Scotland
The cost of delivering these measures will be fully covered by efficiency
savings within the BBC's current portfolio of nations and regions services.
There will be annual investment of up to £8.5 million in 2009/10, peaking at
£15.3 million in 2012/13.
Examples of the changes will include two additional weekend news bulletins
in each nation and English region, and improved local news provision at
breakfast and late evening. The BBC said the introduction of regional radio
news opt outs for Wales, and the enhancement of six opt outs for Scotland,
will help address the purpose gap deficit in the devolved nations.
12:05
July
31 2009 - waveguide.co.uk
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Tom Baker - Doctor
Who Return
Doctor Who legend Tom Baker has said he would be interested
in taking part in a reunion show for Children In Need - but only if he was
allowed to vet the script.
There have been rumours that show bosses are planning a special edition
reuniting all the surviving actors who have played the Time Lord, but the
75-year-old said he had not yet been approached about the idea.
Baked said: "They should actually try and do something like that and they
should get a nice jolly script with them."
He added: "I don't know what it will be like and they haven't approached me
yet and I'd want to have some say about the script."
Baker, who appeared in nearly 200 episodes of the show in the 1970s and 80s,
said he was "amazed" at all the kissing done by the last Doctor, David
Tennant, and thought the special effects were losing some of their impact.
He said: "I think it is quite difficult now to surprise an audience with
special effects, you may please an audience, but visually you can't actually
amaze an audience can you?
11:00
July
31 2009 - waveguide.co.uk
Reader Comment
I agree although its great to see the Doctor return and
new generations watch the programme, the excitement of having an assistant
and the chance to visit different times and galaxies in a Blue Box but the
slight magic sparkle seems to have disappeared. Its also unbelievable only 2
Timelords exist ie the Doctor & the Master especially when the President
elect of Gallifree has saved the Timelords and the home Planet on a few
occassions. In the words of a much travelled Vulcan, "May he live long and
prosper".
oztravelle
................................................................................................................
Tom Baker is a Doctor Who legend, the Doctor Who bosses
should seriously consider one last story featuring Baker before he retires.
MarkJ
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