The Cube

“The games they play are very simple – but when they play them inside the Cube… Read more

1OTT

It’s not a big thing. Not a big thing at all, but I’ve always been conscious that any ‘behind the scenes’ info regarding OTT is going to be, at best, of minimal interest to anyone.

But, today the site officially (I say officially, there’s been no Home Office ruling or anything) celebrates its 10th birthday. So, for my sake more than anyone else’s, today I write a little about what OTT is, and how it came to be.

Good luck to all who click the ‘Read the story’ link! Read more

Dead air

Dominic Small is back on OTT with another researched-to-the-nth-degree feature, this time looking at how and why TV channels die.

“There was a time,” says Dominic, “in the pre-digital era that the launch of a channel was a big deal, attracting national attention and significant press coverage (Channel 4 in 1982, the Sky service on Astra in 1989, and the arrival of Channel 5 in 1997). However, the increased capacity offered on digital services has since meant that new channels have arrived on virtually a weekly basis. Not all of them, though, have stuck around…”

Read the feature »

The BBC story

The BBC has released details of a new website devoted to the Corporation’s history. Read more

Derren does it forwards

C4 has released a further trail for Derren Brown: The Events… and this time it’s forwards. Read more

Upstairs, Downstairs again?

ITV has announced the commissioning of Downton Abbey, by Oscar-winner Julian Fellowes. Read more

Game on for Brooker

Zeppotron has released details for the upcoming Charlie Brooker’s Gameswipe. Read more

Doctor Toon

The BBC has released the first image from the upcoming Doctor Who cartoon. Read more

POKE peek

10 PRINT “As much as OTT is looking forward to Snytax Era Read more

Derren do

But what is Derren doing? Read more

Ruth Watson checks back in

Original Hotel Inspector Ruth Watson is returning to the hostelry trade on TV. Read more

…But is it art?

So, in this month’s Doctor Who Magazine (out about now, so pester your newsagent), I have a 10-page feature wherein I try to discover if Doctor Who is actually good television.

Now, to be honest, this is more a conceit to talk to a range of TV experts who haven’t ever really gone on the record with their views about the series, so I hope there is some fresh opinion within.

When I submitted the piece, I also filed some additional box-out bits, but Editor Tom Spilsbury opted not to use them all.  So, with his permission, I’m slinging some of them here, on OTT. (I do also have graphs charting AIs, ratings and just general ‘success-ratings’  for Doctor Who – and elements therein – over the years, but some dull techie problems prevent me from getting them all online right now… maybe another time).

Thus, please do click-through; read these bits and – should you also buy DWM (and you should) – feel free to tell me what you thought of the piece. Here we go, then… Read the story »

Doctor Bow

A new era of Doctor Who gets underway today as filming began on the show’s 2010 series. And to beat the spoilers, Matt Smith’s new, pleasingly boffinish costume was revealed on this morning’s edition of Breakfast at 8.55am.

More than that, the press release attached to this event is the first issued by Premier PR – who also work on Ashes to Ashes, Hustle and Spooks – since they won the contract from Doctor Who‘s long-standing publicists Taylor Herring earlier in the year (although Taylor Herring will still be dealing with all press for the remaining David Tennant episodes). And here’s what it says… Read more

Get Mad!

Mad Men series two, is out on DVD and Blu-ray today, July 13, courtesy of Lionsgate Home Entertainment.

Detailing the fear and loathing within a 1960s advertising agency on New York’s Madison Avenue, the US drama has aired in the UK on BBC4, to great critical acclaim.

A third season is scheduled to air in America from August, but – going by previous form – won’t make it over here until the start of 2010. To help bide the time until then, OTT has spoken to those nice people at Lionsgate, and bagged three copies of the season two DVD – “packed with featurettes and audio commentaries on key episodes, offering unmissable insights into the world of Mad Men” – to give away to three OTT readers. Read more

Strictly switch-around for BBC1 autumn

Strictly ‘refreshed’, 16 celebs going around the world in 80 days, Take That headlining a Children in Need concert at The Albert Hall and Totally Saturday “not as good as it should be”: Today’s press launch for the autumn season on BBC1.

BBC1 Controller Jay Hunt was on confident, bullish form as she unveiled BBC1′s new season line-up (joshing the event was quite nerve-wracking for her “given what happened to my predecessor… I’ve looked at all the pictures you’re going to see today, and I didn’t see someone walking backwards when they should have been walking forwards… but I might have missed something”). Read more

ITV1′s scheduling reel

ITV1 has just announced major scheduling changes for w/c 18 July. Read more

Del Boy: The early years

The BBC has just announced the long-rumoured commission of an Only Fools and Horses prequel. Read more

They think it’s all over…

With the collapse of Setanta last week, Steve Williams has jumped up from the subs’ bench and written a new addendum to his much lauded history of football on TV, Goalmouths.

So, where did it all go wrong for the channel?

“For those looking for the date the tide turned for Setanta, you could cite December 2008…” says Williams. Why? Well…

Read the feature »

Summer Wine still flowing

The BBC has announced that Last of The Summer Wine has been recommissioned. Read more

Psychoville

A gloved hand scratches at yellowed paper with a nib pen in the flickering candlelight. Read more

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