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Going for a gong – slight return

Friday, May 12, 2006 by

Further to Ian’s post the other day on the desperate state of ITV at the BAFTAs, it seems the network bosses themselves agree.

ITV Director of TV, Simon Shaps, has today announced a raft of programmes are to be given the chop, in what he describes as “a painful, but utterly necessary, process.” Among the shows they’re getting rid of are Celebrity Fit ClubRosemary and Thyme and Today With Des and Mel - all hot on the heels of the recently-axed Footballers Wives. Is this merciful act going to be enough to revive ITV’s fortunes though?

Shaps goes on to say he wanted ITV1 to make: “contemporary, less predictable” programming. This seems to be diametrically opposed to the stance made by Mark Thompson at the BBC, who recently declared the Corporation intended to produce longer runs of its most familiar shows. The BBC appears to be winning the battle of quality hands down these days (a fact borne out by the number of BAFTAs it won) so it leaves the puzzled viewer wondering exactly what on Earth ITV can do to try and improve its lot.

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