Your Torchwood ratings-ometer
Tuesday, June 30, 2009 by Ian Jones · 26 Comments
Just how will daily doses of adult telefantasy fare on BBC1 next week? Read more
They think it’s all over…
Sunday, June 28, 2009 by Graham Kibble-White · 1 Comment
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…
Summer Wine still flowing
Friday, June 26, 2009 by Graham Kibble-White · 6 Comments
The BBC has announced that Last of The Summer Wine has been recommissioned. Read more
The Saturday Night Artifice
Friday, June 19, 2009 by Steve Williams · 10 Comments
What boring Saturday night telly we’ve got at the moment. Read more
Patrick Dowling, 1919-2009
Thursday, June 18, 2009 by Ian Jones · Comments Off
Patrick Dowling, co-creator of The Adventure Game and producer of Vision On and Take Hart, has died. He was 89.
Dowling was a pioneer. He conceived new ways of using television to delight and inspire generations of children, and had the imagination and tenacity to see his ideas come to full fruition.
In doing so he exploited the power of the small screen to both entrance and intrigue.
Dowling’s work was never didactic, in the way of so many of the BBC’s early children’s series. Instead he demonstrated how it was possible to make the educational seem entertaining, and vice versa.
Psychoville
Thursday, June 18, 2009 by Graham Kibble-White · 15 Comments
A gloved hand scratches at yellowed paper with a nib pen in the flickering candlelight. Read more
Ben Preston is the new Radio Times editor
Wednesday, June 17, 2009 by Graham Kibble-White · Comments Off
The Independent’s executive editor is moving over to the RT. Read more
Target: Who!
Monday, June 8, 2009 by Graham Kibble-White · Comments Off
Mark Gatiss explores the world of Doctor Who novelisations for a Radio 4 documentary. Read more
Two whom it may concern
Monday, June 8, 2009 by Graham Kibble-White · Comments Off
Okay, so there’s finally something new to read on OTT. And it comes courtesy of Dominic Small.
This was the year BBC2 clocked up its 45th birthday. Since the channel celebrated its 40th, the BBC’s attitude to its portfolio has changed hugely. Nonetheless, BBC2 remains at the vanguard of the Corporation’s technological expansion… as it has from the start.
“BBC2 was an innovative channel from the very beginning. While BBC1 and ITV had previously broadcast on the 405-line VHF system, BBC2 was only available on the then-new 625-line UHF format. This meant viewers had to convert to new technology in order to receive the service. The move to 625-line allowed the development of new services such as colour TV, itself previewed on BBC2 before its rollout to the other channels, and switching off of the 405-line service in 1985.” Read the story »
Springing from the Ashes
Monday, June 8, 2009 by Graham Kibble-White · 3 Comments
Kudos has confirmed a third and final series of Ashes to Ashes has been commissioned. Read more
On tonight’s Big Brother
Thursday, June 4, 2009 by Graham Kibble-White · 1 Comment
As Big Brother returns tonight for its 10th series, C4 reveals the manipulations in store. Read more