Room 101

Frank Skinner's BBC comedy show Room 101 is returning to BBC One early next year.

The second series of comedy programme since Frank Skinner took over as host went into production today, and will feature appearances from a range of stars drawn from the worlds of TV, film, music, media and sport.

Comics booked to appear include Jack Whitehall, Jason Manford, Greg Davies, Miranda Hart, Jon Richardson, Jo Brand, Mel Giedroyc and Hugh Dennis.

Veteran stars Cilla Black, John Craven, Clive Anderson, Sir Terry Wogan and Sheila Hancock have all been lined up to take part, as have younger TV regulars including The One Show's Alex Jones, globetrotter Ben Fogle and radio DJ Reggie Yates.

Ex-cricketer Phil Tufnell is the only sportsman to have signed up to appear, but he will be joined by the likes of musician Paloma Faith and former media executive Janet Street-Porter.

Victoria Coren, Bill Turnbull and Ben Miller round out the celebrities who’ve confirmed that they will join Skinner in the studio to discuss their pet peeves from everyday life.

Frank Skinner said of the new series: "I’m very excited that we’ve been granted planning permission to build an extension on Room 101. This gives us storage space for another enormous batch of gripes, groans and grumbles from our ever-irritable guests."

October 02 2012 - waveguide.co.uk

Click here to comment on this story

Autumnwatch Returns

The BBC’s wildlife programme Autumnwatch returns to BBC Two and BBC HD with a new format and from a new location in October 2012 and will be followed by Winterwatch in January 2013.

Autumnwatch will broadcast live each day on BBC Two and BBC HD from Tuesday October 30 until Friday November 2. The series will be followed by Winterwatch in January 2013, following the same format and allowing viewers to catch up on all the developments as the seasons change.

Autumnwatch will be based at the Aigas Field Centre, which lies within the Highland Region on the River Beauly in Scotland. na.

As well as presenters Chris Packham, Michaela Strachan and Martin Hughes-Games anchoring the programme from Scotland, camera teams will be on the road throughout the rest of the UK. The team will report on the latest wildlife news and encourage everyone to get out and experience the best of the season for themselves.

October 02 2012 - waveguide.co.uk

Click here to comment on this story

Jimmy Savile Was Investigated In Jersey

Sir Jimmy Savile was investigated during an inquiry into abuse at a Jersey children's home, police said.

The three-year inquiry into child abuse at Haut de la Garenne heard allegations that the Leeds-born DJ was involved in an indecent assault in the 1970s.

The States of Jersey Police said there was insufficient evidence for the investigation to proceed.

Sir Jimmy died last year aged 84, and was never charged with any abuse offences.

A States of Jersey police spokesman said the allegation was made by a former Haut de la Garenne resident against Sir Jimmy in 2008, with the assault alleged to have occurred in the mid 1970s.

A police spokesman said: "During the course of the States of Jersey Police's historic abuse investigation a complaint of indecent assault said to have occurred during the 1970s at the former children's home Haut de la Garenne was received.

"The allegation was investigated but there was insufficient evidence to proceed."

A three-year long £7.5m investigation by Jersey police into historic child abuse in the island's care homes began after allegations of abuse at former children's home Haut de la Garenne.

From September 2007, police took 1,776 statements from 192 alleged victims, identifying 151 alleged abusers.

Seven people were successfully prosecuted.

Sir Jimmy was a regular visitor to Jersey and was Mr Battle of Flowers three times, the last time in 2002.

Since his death a number of allegations have surfaced, none of which have been proven.

An ITV1 documentary, Exposure: The Other Side of Jimmy Savile, to be shown on Wednesday accuses Sir Jimmy of sexual abuse against under-age teenage girls.

It will show several interviews with alleged victims of the DJ and TV presenter.

One complaint was made to Surrey Police in 2007, but following an investigation no further action was taken.

Broadcaster Paul Gambaccini has added to the claims that Sir Jimmy Savile sexually abused schoolchildren, claiming the star used his charity work and ‘imperial personality’ within show business to prevent his private life being exposed.

Gambaccini said his former Radio 1 colleague played tabloid newspapers “like a Stradivarius” in order to keep the abuse secret.

Speaking on ITV1’s Daybreak programme this morning, Gambaccini said he had been waiting 30-years for the allegations to come out.

He alleged that at one point Saville was about to be exposed by a tabloid newspaper, but quickly arranged an interview with a rival tabloid which had the effect of stopping the negative article.

Gambaccini went on: “On another occasion, and this cuts to the chase of the whole matter, he was called and he said 'well you could run that story, but if you do there goes the funds that come in to Stoke Mandeville - do you want to be responsible for the drying up of the charity donations'. And they backed down.”

Sir Jimmy had raised millions of pounds over the years for his pet cause, Stoke Mandeville Hospital.

Gambaccini added: “It comes out when he's dead because Jimmy Savile had an imperial personality in show business; I'm not talking about personal life. You just didn't mess with Jim. He was the governor, because after all he had been the first great club DJ, he had been the originator of Top of the Pops presentation, and you just let him have his turf. And none of us were interested in going there because he was away from us. At social occasions we would all be together, but Jim would not be and he had his own life.”

This afternoon, the BBC issued the following statement:

A number of serious and disturbing allegations have been made over the past few days about the sexual abuse of teenage girls by Jimmy Savile.

Some of these allegations relate to activity on BBC premises in the 1960s and 70s. We are horrified by allegations that anything of this sort could have happened at the BBC – or have been carried out by anyone working for the BBC.

They are allegations of a serious criminal nature which the police have the proper powers to investigate.

So we have today asked the BBC Investigations Unit to make direct contact with all the police forces in receipt of allegations and offer to help them investigate these matters and provide full support to any lines of inquiry they wish to pursue.

October 02 2012 - waveguide.co.uk

Click here to comment on this story

                                                                                                    Next       Previous