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Queen Victoria Series For BBC Two
BBC Two Daytime today announced the commission of Royal
Upstairs Downstairs, a new factual series which follows in the footsteps of
Queen Victoria to the grand houses, castles and intimate family homes across
Great Britain that she visited throughout her 63-year reign.
Royal Upstairs Downstairs will be presented by Tim Wonnacott and Rosemary
Shrager who will bring to life the details of each individual visit, during
a time steeped in tradition but led by invention and unparalleled
industrial, political and social change.
The series delves into the age of Queen Victoria from the immense banquets
and celebrations held in her honor to the incredible preparations which went
on behind the scenes.
Liam Keelan, Controller of Daytime, who commissioned the series, said: "I'm
delighted to bring daytime viewers a unique insight into one of most
remarkable periods in British history and the Queen who reigned over it.
"This new series reflects the ambition of BBC Daytime to bring our audiences
even more quality factual content and follows on from the success of
programmes such as Michael Portillo's Great British Railway Journeys."
Queen Victoria's progress, era by era, will be explored through her visits
to some of the most stunning stately homes of Britain, including Chatsworth
House, Holkham Hall, Woburn Abbey and Blair Castle in Scotland.
July
29
2010 - waveguide.co.uk
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Sudden
Departure For S4C Chief
The chief executive of S4C has unexpectedly left the channel.
Iona Jones' departure followed a meeting of the S4C authority on last night
night. No explanation has been given for the move.
Her departure has come as a shock as the Welsh language channel faced
tumbling ratings and budget cuts.
The channel's authority refused to make any comment about the reason for her
departure or even whether it was voluntary or not.
A statement from the channel's governing body said: "The authority's members
would like to thank Iona Jones for her service to S4C. There will be no
further comment."
Her exit follows reports earlier this month that the UK government is
planning to cut S4C's budget by 25% over the next four years.
Alun Davies, AM for Mid and West Wales and a former head of communications
at S4C, said the authority needed to explain Ms Jones' departure.
"It would appear there have been significant tensions within the leadership
of the channel for some months now. It would appear that came to a head last
night."
July
29
2010 - waveguide.co.uk
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Sky Commits
To UK Comedy
Sky today announced a major commitment to original British
comedy, with a raft of new shows for its flagship entertainment channel,
Sky1.
The line-up features some of the UK's best loved names
including Ruth Jones, Dawn French, Victoria Wood, Catherine Tate, Kathy
Burke, Stephen Fry, Bill Bailey and Sally Lindsay.
Supported by a multi-million pound investment fund, the new
productions will complement the success of the Emmy® and Golden Globe®
nominated Modern Family and the multi award- winningThe Simpsons.
The first commissions to be announced include:
Stella - the brainchild of Ruth Jones, the co-writer and co-star of Gavin
and Stacey.
Mount Pleasant - a comedy drama following the not-so-perfect
life of Mancunian thirty-something Lisa (Sally Lindsay, Coronation Street),
and her husband Dan (Daniel Ryan, The Street).
This Is Jinsy - an eccentric comedy written by and starring
newcomers Chris Bran andJustin Chubbabout the bizarre residents of the
fictional Island of Jinsy.
Little Crackers - a season of autobiographical comic shorts
from Britain's best-loved stars for this Christmas' schedule. The line-up,
many making their debut on Sky, includesDawn French, Catherine Tate, Kathy
Burke, Stephen Fry. Victoria Wood and Bill Bailey will also be directing
their tales.
These are the first raft of HD comedies to be announced with more to be
confirmed in the coming months.
The new comedy strategy has been overseen Sky's Head of Comedy, Lucy Lumsden
who said today: “It's been an exciting time spreading the good news about
Sky's investment in comedy and I'm delighted that we've been able to attract
a wealth of comedy talent. Sky's investment in original comedy is testament
to our long-term commitment to original and innovative programming.”
July
29
2010 - waveguide.co.uk
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Sky Buys HBO
Catalogue
BSkyB has bought the exclusive rights to the entire HBO TV
catalogue, which includes a huge range of American shows such as The Wire,
True Blood, The Sopranos and Martin Scorsese's eagerly-awaited crime drama
Boardwalk Empire.
The broadcaster has signed a content deal that will give Sky
access to HBO's archive and all forthcoming shows over the lifetime of the
agreement.
Sky will now be able to screen some of the most popular US television shows
of the past decade, including The Sopranos and Sex and the City. It also has
the rights to several series currently shown by rival broadcasters,
including Entourage, which is shown on ITV2, and Curb Your Enthusiasm, which
was broadcast on Channel 4. Sky will begin screening those series when the
current deals with rival terrestrial channels expire. Other HBO shows that
have been cancelled but remain popular include macabre black comedy Six Feet
Under.
The first HBO series to be shown on Sky will be Scorsese's gangster drama
Boardwalk Empire. It makes its debut on HBO in America in September and will
be shown on Sky shortly after.
Sky also announced today that its 3D television channel is to
launch on 1 October with a mix of sport and movies.
The station's debut will coincide with golf's Ryder Cup championship, while
hit 3D movies including Monsters vs Aliens will be screened.
Sky's 3D service trialled in pubs from April, and is now available in more
than 1,500 locations.
Sky+HD viewers with a 3D ready TV will be able to access the
service, which requires 3D glasses to be worn.
July
29
2010 - waveguide.co.uk
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Sky Profits Up
BSkyB has reported a sharp increase in annual profits, which
it said was driven by new subscriptions, particularly for high definition
(HD) services.
Profit for the year to the end of June came in at £878m, up more than
threefold on the £259m the broadcaster made in the previous 12 months.
Revenue also rose to £5.9bn, up more than 10% on the £5.4bn recorded a year
earlier.
The company said it had doubled the number of HD customers over the year.
Between April and June, it added 429,000 new HD customers.
BSkyB's chief executive Jeremy Darroch said: "We've had another good
quarter to bring our financial year to a strong close," said .
"HD continues to go from strength to strength."
July
29
2010 - waveguide.co.uk
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BBC Nations
Improving
BBC news coverage of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales has
"significantly improved", the BBC Trust has said.
It follows a review published in 2008, in which the BBC was criticised for
"falling short of its own high standards" and failing to meet its core
purpose of helping inform democracy.
Since then, the number of national news stories about the devolved nations
almost doubled, research suggests.
But there are still areas that require work, the Trust said.
In particular, reporters do not always make it clear that changes to
government policy may only affect England, or England and Wales.
The Trust said it was looking for "speedy improvement" in this area.
However, it praised the increased level of stories from Northern Ireland,
Scotland, and Wales, especially at a time when other broadcasters had
recorded a fall in such reports.
The research was carried out by Cardiff University on behalf of the BBC
Trust, which is the corporation's governing body.
It also found that overall the total number of references to the devolved
nations in stories on television, radio or online during a four week period
in October and November 2009 increased from 71 in 2007 to 480 in 2009.
July
29
2010 - waveguide.co.uk
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Coronation Street - The Play
Charles Lawson has been unveiled as the narrator of a stage
version of Coronation Street.
Corrie!, which opens at The Lowry in Salford on August 12, condenses the
past five decades of the programme into a two-hour play.
Lawson, who last appeared as Jim McDonald on the soap in 2009, said he was
"delighted to be narrating the piece" which celebrates the 50th anniversary
of the show.
The show runs through the key happenings in Coronation Street, including its
39 births, 123 deaths and 85 marriages.
A cast of five will play the soap's multitude of characters, including
favourites such as Bet Lynch, Gail Platt and Elsie Tanner.
July
29
2010 - waveguide.co.uk
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Hawaii Five-0
Classic detective series Hawaii Five-0 is riding a big wave
back to television with new stars and grittier action, but with the same
legendary theme tune and idyllic surf culture that made it a worldwide hit
more than 35 years ago.
The free-wheeling cop drama that put Hawaii on the international TV map in
1969, returns to American screens on CBS in September in what producers said
on was a re-imagining, rather than a remake or sequel, to the beloved
original, and with more emphasis on character.
"A remake suggest we are doing exactly the same thing again," executive
producer Alex Kurtzman told TV reporters.
"We felt we had to find the spirit of the original and bring it into modern
times," Kurtzman said, adding that the new version "pays tribute to
everything that was good about original show."
Australian actor Alex O'Loughlin plays the part of Detective Steve McGarrett
(originally portrayed by Jack Lord) who returns to Hawaii to investigate the
murder of his father and is persuaded to set up an elite crime-fighting
force.
Scott Caan, the son of actor James Caan, plays McGarrett's sidekick Danny "Danno"
Williams, a former New Jersey cop and a recent, reluctant transplant to the
paradise islands.
Both actors said they had refrained from watching tapes of the original
"Hawaii Five-O," because they wanted to start fresh.
Not so for producers Kurtzman and Peter Lenkov. Both are big fans of the
1969-80 Hawaii Five-0, which in its time was one of the longest running
dramas on U.S. television.
That means that not only is the old, "Book 'em, Danno" catch phrase back,
but so is the iconic theme tune.
"A great theme song is a lost art, and this is one of the best ever. To not
have it would be a huge disservice," said Kurtzman, adding that the original
musicians had been found and brought together to re-record the tune.
July
29
2010 - waveguide.co.uk
Reader Comment
Hawaii Five-0?
Pah! Bring back Hawaiian Eye!
- Deke.
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