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Fleetwood Mac said to be “quite pleased, actually”

Thursday, March 20, 2008 by · Comments Off 

Formula 1 is moving back to the BBC, although it seems nobody has managed to uncover why ITV are dropping it midway through their contract or, indeed, F1 are dropping ITV. The timing is a bit odd, given that Britain has, in Lewis Hamilton, a driver capable of winning the world title for the first time in a decade. Read more

Final score

Sunday, January 28, 2007 by · Comments Off 

The demise of Grandstand this afternoon has come as a bit of a shock, given that the BBC had initially said it would be phased out by 2009. Read more

So lame, Naughton

Monday, August 21, 2006 by · Comments Off 

And so, inevitably, to John Naughton’s appalling list of the worst 50 TV programmes of all time, compiled for, who else, Radio Times. Read more

It pays to revive Nationwide

Monday, August 14, 2006 by · Comments Off 

I’ve been waiting ages to use that headline, ever since the The One Show was announced. Unfortunately, on the evidence of tonight’s first edition, it might not have been such a profitable decision after all. It all seemed a bit, well, inconsequential, really. Anna Adams did some undercover reporting which proved that, when sitting next to someone with a noisy mobile phone on a train or in a restaurant, some people will confront them. And some won’t. Read more

“Think QI… It’s not 8 Out of 10 Cats”

Tuesday, July 11, 2006 by · Comments Off 

I’ve been watching the first episode of Rob Brydon’s new BBC3 endeavour Annually Retentive, which is now available on broadband. And, well, it’s pretty good. Read more

“If I wasn’t sitting here, I’d be sitting there with you”

Monday, April 24, 2006 by · Comments Off 

It’s long existed in name and theme tune only, but it still comes as a bit of a shock to learn that Grandstand is coming to an end after 48 years. Read more

The Apprentice

Wednesday, March 15, 2006 by · Comments Off 

Let’s brainstorm some words to describe the new series of The Apprentice, shall we? Marker pens at the ready… Read more

The best a man can get

Sunday, March 12, 2006 by · Comments Off 

Simon Hattenstone has been eulogising Sky Sports’ Jeff Stelling in The Guardian this week, and rightly so. There simply isn’t a better sports presenter on British television at the moment, and Gillette Soccer Saturday never fails to deliver. Panellist Charlie Nicholas has been the star for two Saturdays now, first entering into raptures over Arsenal’s win at Fulham, then conveying at high volume the drama of Portsmouth’s last-minute winner against Manchester City. Read more

See pattern B in TV Times

Monday, February 6, 2006 by · Comments Off 

So the BBC and ITV have finally announced the World Cup split – the agreement on which games from the forthcoming footballing fandango will be screened on each network. Read more

Plinko with Pasquale

Wednesday, February 1, 2006 by · Comments Off 

It’s amazing to think about how much of a ratings battleground teatime has become. Read more

Graham Norton is here to play so…

Saturday, December 31, 2005 by · Comments Off 

It takes an awful lot to make you pine for Jim Davidson, but Graham Norton damn near managed it with Generation Fame. Perhaps the most frustrating thing about this whole dismal exercise was that you knew exactly what it was going to be like beforehand, and yet the Gen Game still had enough goodwill in the tank to make you give it a go. Read more

An ITN production

Friday, December 23, 2005 by · Comments Off 

Well, what better way to while away a Christmas afternoon than by wrapping a few last-minute presents, eating mince pies and watching the ITV News Channel implode. Read more

“You’re my favourites!”

Sunday, December 18, 2005 by · Comments Off 

12 hours later, and I still can’t quite believe it. In case you were watching a load of singing binmen on the other side, the finale of Strictly Come Dancing on BBC1 proved to be an unforgettable experience, largely for all the wrong reasons. Read more

“Remember, truth flies like an arrow…”

Friday, December 16, 2005 by · Comments Off 

I’ve been enjoying Bamboozle – The Secret Gameshow on E4, even if nobody else in the world seems to be watching it. The premise is simple – three contestants are each set six tasks challenging them to hoax their way onto television. It could so easily have ended up as a nasty, cynical Balls of Steel exercise, but it’s just half an hour or so of low-budget messing about, really. Read more

Breaking news for Britain

Wednesday, December 14, 2005 by · 2 Comments 

So, to absolutely nobody’s surprise, the ITV News Channel has been axed, and apart from the unfortunate 25 people who will sadly lose their jobs as a result of this, who will really care? In fact, it says everything about the half-hearted nature of this channel that “only” 25 people will be out of work when the screen goes black at the end of January. Read more

“Bending over… it’s not the end of the world”

Wednesday, December 7, 2005 by · Comments Off 

Re: Dragon’s Den. I thought last night’s edition was, the thrill of nobody getting any cash aside, the weakest of the series so far (albeit still one with some entertaining moments). I also felt last night’s showed up a bit of a weakness in the format, in that it’s impossible to have any sort of spark between Dragons and Den-ee without the pitch ending in failure. Read more

The new season… on BBC1!

Tuesday, December 6, 2005 by · Comments Off 

So, BBC1 have announced their winter and spring offerings for 2006, and while it’s a mixed affair, what sounds good sounds very good. I’m really looking forward to Life On Mars, which sounds great, and given that it’s from Kudos (Spooks and Hustle) it has a pretty decent pedigree (I say that never having actually seen an episode of Hustle). Read more

Who better, who ever better?

Monday, December 5, 2005 by · Comments Off 

I knew Bill Turnbull was becoming a star when my mum (her again) said, during the edition of Strictly Come Dancing where he’d knackered his ankle and was looking ill, “oh, time to go home to your bees, Bill”. Read more

Who the hell is Timothy Busfield?

Monday, December 5, 2005 by · Comments Off 

Interesting postscript on international DOND mania here. Richard Branson? Hmm, apart from the one-time media ubiquity, hugely overpowering obsession with air transport and the beard, I can’t see it … Read more

“The amazing success of this programme”

Sunday, December 4, 2005 by · Comments Off 

Deal or no Deal again.

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