Apr
10



Viewers vote for old episodes of Corrie to be shown again

Categories:

by

575 people voted in a recent poll which was conducted by ITV regarding Coronation Street with the question being whether or not people wanted to see old episodes of the popular series return to the small screen. The result was clear, with 469 people wanting to see these old episodes appear on their screens once again.

This will bring all of the old characters including Ena, Elsie, Hilda, Albert and others back in front of millions of TV viewers. Because it ended up being such a good proportion of the public who were favourable to the process, there is no question that this was a first for the poll. In fact the moderator himself admitted as much when the results were announced.

This is being held on many fan sites as a landslide win for those who enjoyed the series so much over the past few years, and this may only be the start, with this series having been around for so long. Nothing says that fans enjoy this series so much as a poll that has such a high voter turnout.

Among those who voted against the return of the series, some wanted only new episodes, while others said they would prefer to see old series die out to let room for new ones. However, from the availability of other old series who were brought back to TV, there is no doubt that these often gain a big traction, and a large following keep up with older episodes. The hope from this poll is that the same will be true here.

Tags: , ,

Leave comment

Apr
08



Sherlock will return for a third series

Categories:

by

The hit BBC One show Sherlock will be returning to TV screens for a third series. Steven Moffat, one of the co-creators of the show had previously said that there couldn’t be a guarantee that there would be any more episodes created after the second season. However, on Twitter he admitted that the third season had been commissioned together with the second season.

The first episode of the new season was watched by a little under 9 million, and the second episode fared nearly as well with just under 8 million tuning in.

The drama is an updated version of the famous stories originally written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The eponymous character is played by Benedict Cumberbatch, with Martin Freeman taking the role of Doctor Watson, Sherlock’s faithful sidekick.

Sherlock runs for roughly 90 minutes, with just three episodes to a season. In interviews prior to the start of the second season, many of the cast, as well as the co-creators Moffat and Mark Gatiss, had suggested that the second series would be the final episodes of the BBC drama.

The last episode of this second season is titled ‘The Reichenbach Fall’. In the book, The Final Problem, written by Conan Doyle in 1983, Holmes and his nemesis Moriarty seem to go over the edge at the Reichenbach Falls, but the hero of the story was later brought back to life.

As the two main actors of the show are taking part in big Hollywood films, it is unlikely that the third series will be ready to be aired before next year. Martin Freeman has been brought back as a hobbit in the film of the same name, while Cumberbath will be featuring as a villain in the latest installment of the Star Trek series.

 

Tags: , ,

Leave comment

Mar
29



Matrix creators working on Netflix exclusive TV show

Categories:

by

The creators of The Matrix trilogy are now working hard on a new television series that will air exclusively on Netflix. Lana Wachowski an Andy Wachowski has teamed up to create a new ten series episode that will be called Sense8.

In a press statement released by the directors they stated that a few years ago they had a late night session talking about how technology helps divide people at the same time it unites them. They said this discussion spawned Sense8. The show is slated to appear on Netflix by the end of 2014 and is described as a link between souls and minds.

This will be the first time that the Wachowski siblings have worked together on a project for television although they have a long film history that not only includes the Matrix franchise, but also Speed Racer, V is for Vendetta, and Cloud Atlas. Netflix made a pledge to introduce five new shows every year starting in the US with the Kevin Spacey film House of Cards that became available in February.

Tags: , ,

Leave comment

Mar
26



Additional content comes to our TV screens

Categories:

by

As many new devices continue to saturate the market and more are being produced there has been an explosion in the way television content is delivered as well as network television. However, now the new technology is not only transforming the way that we watch content, but also the way that it is created in the first place.

Linear programming by regular broadcast networks is still one of the main ways that young people consume television, but now second and third screens have allowed digital natives to explore content in many additional ways as well.

For this new generation, watching content on social media is a part of normal content consumption. Instead of needing media platforms to give the something to watch they watch anything they want that is recommended by peers or simply looks interesting. They also expect everything to be available somewhere on demand so that they can watch when they want.

This new group of consumers is quickly fuelling a new era of media that is referred to as living media- or media that gets its life from the actual consumers. The game has completely changed for both content producers and media owners because they now have to get to know their audiences a bit better than they did in the past.

They also have to know what their audience will watch, because if they are not entertained they will move onto something else with just the click of a button. This presents new challenges, but also plenty of new opportunities for those who have great ideas but not the support of the major studios.

Tags: , ,

Leave comment

Mar
24



Scorcese plans TV show based on the Gangs of New York

Categories:

by

Martin Scorsese has announced that he is in the process of creating a new television series that will be based on Gangs of New York, the ten time nominated Oscar film. The seventy year old director is partnered with Miramax for the new TV series that will be based on the activities of gangs in America in the early 1900s.

The film was released back I 2002 starring Daniel Day-Lewis and Leonardo Di Caprio and received an Oscar win for Day-Lewis in the role of Bill ‘The Butcher’ Cutting. The film was also produced by Miramax studios and was based on gang rivalries in the mid 19th century.

According to Scorsese, there are plenty of additional stories and characters from the same era of time that they film could not cover, but a television show could easily start to explore. The television series is going to look at New York gangs as well as New Orleans and Chicago gangs. Scorsese has worked in TV in the past including Boardwalk Empire

Tags: , ,

Leave comment

Mar
23



The viewing habits of the British public

Categories:

by

It’s not the sort of crisis that most people are going to worry about unduly; not like global warming or nuclear destruction or even epidemic obesity. The matter of how much television the average Brit watches, and what type of programmes they prefer probably won’t tilt the balance of world power anytime soon, but it is certainly interesting to observe.

The report from TV Licensing’s TeleScope poll included statistics about which genres of TV shows were most popular, and the entire breakdown is available if you’re interested in the report, but one genre that lagged near the bottom of the popularity index turned out to be religious programmes. There seems to be a discrepancy in the number of such programmes and the number of folks who actually watch them – specifically on BBC.

The National Secular Society (NSS) states on its website that it “. . . exists to challenge religious privilege. . .” and is the only such organisation in the UK that is working for a secular society; Church and State should be separate as a way of promoting equality amongst all citizens. Terry Sanderson is one of NSS’s most eloquent supporters, and his view is that the BBC spends too much of its time and money on religious programmes, notably its extensive coverage of the papal election.

Sanderson notes that the BBC’s broadcast skipped over any reference to past and present iniquities in the Catholic church, instead getting “. . .carried away in the inflated theatricality of this ghastly gerontocracy.” He goes on to itemise some of the BBC programming for Easter week, which he suggests is somewhat overdone, to say the least.

The Archbishop of Canterbury (Justin Welby) was featured on Thought for the Day and on Songs of Praise; there was a live worship service from Liverpool Cathedral as well as Lenten lectures broadcast by Radio 4; the Prayer for the Day was presented by the Bishop of London. Ann Widdecombe, a practicing Roman Catholic, “. . . given a programme to moan about Christianity being ‘mocked by comedians’”, according to Mr. Sanderson.

Sanderson goes on to quote ‘the head of religious propaganda at the BBC’ as saying that Easter should be celebrated as the cornerstone of Christianity, and he concludes that no objections from the secularists will be taken into account.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tags: , ,

Leave comment

Mar
18



Daytime TV viewers on the up and up

Categories:

by

TV is being watched for longer now across Britain according to new numbers from a BBC TV Licensing organisational research. This is even though the actual number of TV sets went down over the last couple of years. People now tend to watch more programmes throughout the day, giving them a higher average number of hours each day spent in front of the TV at around 4 hours and 2 minutes, up from 3 hours 36 minutes ten years ago.

Meanwhile, the number of TV sets went down to 1.8 for each home, from 2.3 a decade ago. The main cause is the fact that shows can now be watched on much more than just a TV set, with things like PCs, smartphones, laptops, tablets and more entering the home. According to those same numbers, 63% of tablet owners watch live TV on their device, and 27% of smartphone users do as well. This also impacts on the diversity or amount of channels being watched, which has increased dramatically as well.

Lastly, the interactivity of TV watching is also going up, with 40% of all tweets in the evening being related to TV shows. Anthony Rose, a co-founder of Sky News, says that people like to share what they watch with others, and social media is the perfect platform to do just that.

Tags: , ,

Leave comment

Mar
16



Jeremy Clarkson tries some damage control after calling Aussies ‘convicts’

Categories:

by

No matter who you are, referring to Australians as ‘convicts’ is not a wise move, especially if you’re in Sydney at the time and surrounded by members of the press recording every word. At present Jeremy Clarkson, presenter for Top Gear, is trying to do some damage control, but he may have a hard way to go before some Aussies forget and forgive.

Last week Clarkson was met by a covey of reporters as he walked out of a restaurant with a small group of companions including former girlfriend Phillipa Sage. Presumably in response to the picture-taking Clarkson commented, “You can take them out of England but you can’t take the convict out of them.” Adding insult to injury, another man spoke up with, “You’re the reason we won’t come back to Australia.”

The latter comment was attributed to the CEO of Top Gear Live, James Cooke-Priest, but the shows executive producer Andy Wilman disclaimed the statement altogether. He said it was made “. . . by a halfwit who has absolutely nothing to do with the TV show, and nor is he a spokesman for Jeremy or any of the other presenters.”

As of Sunday Clarkson was on the job at the Sydney Motorsport Park filming scenes for Top Gear Australia with co-presenter James May. Whether he has burned any bridges with his ill-advised remark is uncertain, but more than a few Aussies have tweeted regarding his ‘scandalous behaviour’ and the majority seem to think it’s a tempest in a teacup. One such commenter said that Aussies aren’t offended by being called convicts – just bored.

 

 

 

 

Tags: , ,

Leave comment

Mar
13



The Apprentice winner takes Lord Sugar to a tribunal

Categories:

by

In a recent court case, fans heard that a winner of The Apprentice, one of TV’s most popular reality shows, was nothing more than an overpaid lackey for Alan Sugar’s firm. This was the case of Stella English, originally from Kent, who won the top spot in this BBC show during the season of 2010. She got a job in the IT company Viglen thanks to the show.

However, now she made revelations that she eventually left the company since they would never give her any real role. She told the East London Employment Tribunal Service during the hearing that the firm was paying her £100,000 a year yet she had no choice but to resign since her contract would not be renewed after the very first year, and she had been given no real work during her time there.

In her testimony we also learn that she saw Lord Sugar, the head of the company, a total of five times during her 13 months at the firm. Ms English was instead given a desk and phone but no duty to perform, and all she could do during her probationary period was basic administrative tasks which she could have been doing anywhere else. Her boss even told her that there was no job, looking at her with contempt on her very first day at the firm.

Instead it seems that the company gave her the job of another worker who used to earn £35,000 a year in salary. Her boss told the tribunal that while she was a nice girl, she did not do a lot. Yet Ms English says that her employment was nothing but a sham in order for the company to appear on The Apprentice and that she had found the whole experience shocking.

 

Tags: , ,

Leave comment

Mar
02



Are home entertainment bundles worth what we are paying for then?

Categories:

by

Are you one of those who are fond of watching the obscure satellite channels on the television by hooking up the telephone line with the internet? If yes, then you are among the millions of people who have access to telephone services, television and the internet, and the provider of all three is the same. The provision of these three services, together by a common source is popularly called the bundling services.

Ofcom, the telecommunication regulator, reported a considerable rise in the number of customers of the bundled services. More than half people in the country have opted for this service. The proliferation of the number of packages, however, has resulted in a huge confusion regarding the choices.

Sky, BT, Plusnet, TalkTalk, Virgin Media, and other telecoms providers have made quite a few choices available to the customers. The broadband services that come at different speeds are usually inclusive of the land line calls, as well as several TV channels. Other offers include unlimited broadband plans, shopping vouchers, and free credits.

According to an Ofcom spokesperson, the bundle services are no longer available on discounts, and are provided only in groups. This, however, makes it difficult for the customers who are unable to figure out if they are getting the best out of the services provided. In spite of this, the bundle services help you save money either way. Records say that a switch to bundle services from that of stand-alones reduces the annual expenditure by about 200 pounds.

Getting the best deals always poses as a problem. People unwilling to spend lavishly should go for a combination of internet and the telephone services. The Freeview system would continue providing you 50 channels on a free subscription. Maximum numbers of televisions now manufactured have built in Freeview. However, if you wish to get yourself a box that would let you pause and record shows, get if for another 75 pounds.

Tags: , ,

Leave comment

Older posts «