Television

Jack’s back to save the world (America) for the eighth time … but this time he’s working with a muppet – not literally, Gonzo and Bunsen would make rather good Russian nuclear scientists – no, Freddie Prinze Jnr. Before you think this is a 24 slagging session, it’s not.
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Britain’s laziest paper review is stuck on the Sunday Times, the title that tells you what wine Archie Norman was drinking when he first wooed Adam Crozier.   For those still caring, the drink in question was a red Burgundy, although sadly neither the price and vintage of the  beverage was revealed by the newspaper....
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OK, so you have Sky+HD … you got it because you wanted to be part of the revolution – and it’s only an extra tenner a month on your Sky bill – it’s worth it for Life and, er … when are they next making a big budget BBC wildlife programme in High Definition?...
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This post has been amended (02/02) after Andy Duncan says that he had been misquoted. He did not say, apparently, that a C4-Five merger was inevitable, and a Media Guardian story on this point has been removed. What he apparently said was that a merger for Five (with ITV or Sky) “will happen at...
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Two questions – why does that 7.59pm news summary on BBC1 exist and why is it presented by the woman from Newsround, talking as if she is reading out the days events to a seven year old with learning difficulties? The awkward little slot comes with no warning,
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Calm, rational analysis from Nicola Methven of the Mirror today on Adam Crozier’s appointment. It’s a fun read, but I think her conclusion — “ITV is heading for oblivion” is, to state the obvious, a bit harsh. You can the duller, balanced and more accurate view
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Debuting Beehive City’s occasional TV review column… How do you celebrate 25 years of a well-loved soap? Get a bunch of teenagers to make a crap version of Hollyoaks – then put it on the internet. Eastenders E20 is a ruefully misjudged attempt at embracing the Youtube generation that follows the fortunes of four youngsters...
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Adam Crozier?!? Beehive City said earlier this week that ITV’s chairman Archie Norman would go for an outsider (although I also thought the appointment would be a little more time in coming). I even guessed that Norman’s old Asda mate Allan Leighton would be the man, but in fact it was his former partner...
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Elisabeth Murdoch, who runs the Shine TV production company, gave an interesting speech about the future of television over in Las Vegas yesterday, entitled ‘Here Comes The Audience’. If you like to keep up with the thinking of the Murdoch clan check out  the write-up in the LA Times and/or Hollywood Today, the latter...
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“From my background, Abraham came before Isaac,” joked Jeremy Isaacs in an entertaining chat on the R4 Media Show about the arrival of David Abraham, Channel 4′s new chief executive, before laying into the Andy Duncan regime.
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