BLOGS
Camilla quits I'm a Celebrity…
- Posted at 12:54pm
- 18 November 2009
- by WilliamGallagher-RT
Dancer Camilla Dallerup has quit ITV1's I'm a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! following problems coping with the show's jungle conditions. She will be replaced by former boxer Joe Bugner, who fought Muhammad Ali for the world heavyweight title during the 1970s.
Of her decision to leave, Camilla said: "It's not eating. Heat, I can deal with. I've got the highest metabolism of anyone I know, I feel useless being here so tired."
Shortly after Camilla's meltdown, fellow contestant Justin Ryan explained: "Camilla's really unwell, she's been very, very...
New I'm a Celebrity… contestants revealed
- Posted at 12:25pm
- 12 November 2009
- by WilliamGallagher-RT
The line-up for the new series of I'm a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! (starts Sunday 15 November, 9:00pm, ITV1) has been announced. Braving the jungle and the Bushtucker Trials this year are:
Lucy Benjamin - EastEnders and Press Gang actress
Gino D'Acampo - chef
Camilla Dallerup - dancer
Sam Fox - singer, model
George Hamilton - actor
Stuart Manning - Hollyoaks actor
Colin McAllister - interior designer and presenter
Justin Ryan - interior designer and presenter
Sabrina Washington -...
Barbara Windsor to quit EastEnders
- Posted at 1:20pm
- 28 October 2009
- by PaulJones-RT
Barbara Windsor is set to call time on one of TV's best-known pub landladies, Peggy Mitchell, when she leaves EastEnders next year.
Peggy has been Queen of the Vic for most of Barbara's 15-year stint in Albert Square, ruling the pub and the Mitchell family with a fist of iron and a heart of gold - and joining the ranks of Britain's favourite television matriarchs in the process.
Windsor was awarded an MBE in 2000 and a Lifetime Achievement Award at the British Soap Awards in May this year.
The 72-year-old...
Gordon Ramsay on his year in the wilderness
- Posted at 1:59pm
- 27 October 2009
- by PaulJones-RT
"I'll be back!" claims a battered cyborg version of Gordon Ramsay on the cover of the latest edition of Radio Times. And inside, the beleaguered TV chef defends himself against the volley of scandal and criticism he's been hit with in recent months.
Over the last year, Ramsay has faced potential bankruptcy and investigation by the Inland Revenue, accusations of infidelity and, not least, criticisms about his food…
The fact that Ramsay supplies his restaurants with some pre-prepared ingredients from a centralised kitchen has led to accusations that he is serving "ready meals"....
100 greatest comedy films
- Posted at 5:55pm
- 12 October 2009
- by PaulJones-RT
After a great deal of debate, the experts at Radio Times have chosen their top 100 comedy films and published them in a handy little tome, cleverly titled 100 Greatest Films: Comedy(see below for details of how to buy it at a special offer price). Then, to narrow it down to a top ten, we turned to our users. Nearly 2,500 of you voted in our survey and the results are below.
1. Monty Python's Life of Brian
2. Airplane!
3. The Full Monty
4. Some Like It Hot...
Who'll watch England's World Cup qualifier online?
- Posted at 12:32pm
- 09 October 2009
- by PaulJones-RT
England's World Cup qualifier against Ukraine on Saturday will be the national side's first game to be shown exclusively online. With England already through to the World Cup finals in South Africa next year, TV broadcasters have proved unwilling to fork out for the rights to the penultimate match and fans will be charged up to £11.99 to see it. But are they willing to pay?
I've occasionally streamed live football over the internet, but the quality has always been poor - sometimes it's hard to spot the ball among the pixels, and working out which player...
Piers Morgan says TV stars earn their pay
- Posted at 11:10am
- 06 October 2009
- by PaulJones-RT
In the latest edition of Radio Times magazine, Piers Morgan gives his two pennyworth in the debate over television stars' wages.
"The furore over the amount TV presenters get paid seems to me to be way out of proportion, and based largely on envy and cynicism, not logic," said the former tabloid editor, who now presents shows including Piers Morgan On…, in which he visits some of the most glamorous locations in the world, and celebrity biography show Piers Morgan's Life Stories.
"In America, they celebrate similar success. People there look at big...
Axed Primeval to return
- Posted at 2:32pm
- 29 September 2009
- by WilliamGallagher-RT
Popular fantasy adventure Primeval has been saved - three months after it was officially cancelled.
Stars Hannah Spearritt, Andrew Lee Potts, Jason Flemyng and more will be back for two more series, which will be screened on ITV1 from 2011.
ITV1 had dropped the series back in June saying that the channel's drama plans were to "focus on post-watershed production". The cancellation had come after ITV announced plans to cut costs and the show has been revived thanks to funding from other broadcasters, including digital channel Watch in the UK and BBC America...
Andrew Davies on the fate of period dramas
- Posted at 12:02pm
- 29 September 2009
- by PaulJones-RT
On Sunday 4 October (9:00pm), BBC1 broadcasts the first in a a new four-part adaptation of Jane Austen's Emma, yet in the future there's a move to cut back on the number of "bonnet" dramas the BBC produces.
In the latest issue of Radio Times, Ben Stephenson, the new controller of BBC drama commissioning, explains what's behind the move, while Andrew Davies, the king of period drama adaptations, gives his response.
Stephenson said, "Period drama[…]is probably about 15 per cent of the overall body of work that we make, but because...
BBC to recruit older female newsreader
- Posted at 3:30pm
- 24 September 2009
- by LauraPledger-RT
In what's widely being viewed as a response to allegations of ageism, BBC director general Mark Thompson has asked news director Helen Boaden to recruit a female newscaster over the age of 50.
A spokesman confirmed that there had been discussions between Thompson, Boaden and other directors about broadening the range of presenters on air - including older women: "News has a pretty good story to tell with Kirsty Wark, Martha Kearney and Maxine Mawhinney all flourishing - as well as highly experienced women out in the field like Bridget Kendall, Caroline Wyatt and Orla Guerin. However, we'd...
Autumnwatch's Chris Packham: 'Let pandas die'
- Posted at 10:25am
- 22 September 2009
- by WilliamGallagher-RT
Autumnwatch presenter Chris Packham is a champion of nature and wildlife - just not all of it. "We pour millions of pounds into panda conservation," he tells Radio Times. "I reckon we should pull the plug. Let them go, with a degree of dignity."
It's not the attitude you'd immediately expect of a BBC wildlife presenter and vice-president of the RSPB, but he also doesn't think it's going to happen: "Here's a species that, of its own accord, has gone down an evolutionary cul-de-sac. It's not a strong species. Unfortunately, pandas are big and...
TV chef Keith Floyd dies aged 65
- Posted at 12:35pm
- 15 September 2009
- by PaulJones-RT
Well-loved TV chef Keith Floyd, who was diagnosed with bowel cancer in June, has died of a heart attack aged 65.
During a television career that began in 1985, Floyd - rarely seen without a glass of wine in hand - was known for his natural, often shambolic, style of presenting that helped make cooking more accessible to his viewers.
Floyd was also the first to take TV gastronomy out of the kitchen: his shows were often part travelogue and saw him preparing meals on beaches or city streets.
In a strangely prescient piece of...
Dirty Dancing star Patrick Swayze dies aged 57
- Posted at 11:30am
- 15 September 2009
- by WilliamGallagher-RT
Actor, dancer and singer Patrick Swayze has died following a battle with pancreatic cancer.
His career, which began in the late 1970s, included roles on television's M*A*S*H and North and South before 1987's Dirty Dancing made him a film star. It was followed in 1990 by the hit romance Ghost and Swayze continued to act up until this year. His final starring role was in American TV series The Beast, which ended in April.
Dirty Dancing co-star Jennifer Grey said: "Patrick was a rare and beautiful combination of raw masculinity and amazing...
Noel Fielding and guest hosts to join Buzzcocks
- Posted at 5:20pm
- 14 September 2009
- by PaulJones-RT
Following the departure of host Simon Amstell after three years, BBC2's irreverent pop quiz Never Mind the Buzzcocks returns to our screens this autumn (Tuesday 29 September) with a new line-up.
Joining the panel this year as team captain alongside Phill Jupitus is Mighty Boosh star Noel Fielding (pictured), who said: "I am so excited about Buzzcocks. I am leaping across the Camden rooftops dressed as a small white kitten."
The new series will be presented - à la Have I Got News for You - by a string of guest hosts including...
BBC1 announces Wizard of Oz talent show
- Posted at 11:08am
- 11 September 2009
- by PaulJones-RT
Following the success of How Do You Solve a Problem like Maria?, I'd Do Anything and Any Dream Will Do, BBC1 has commissioned another entertainment series aimed at casting a West End musical. But this time the show will be seeking not only a talented female star - but also a dog.
The Wizard of Oz will reunite impresario Andrew Lloyd Webber with host Graham Norton, as well as a panel of experts, in the search for Dorothy and her little dog Toto.
Andrew Lloyd Webber said: "Our previous musical talent searches have provided an...
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