Paul Merton

Five finally coming to Freesat: 18th November

Since Freessat's May launch, one notable absentee from the channel line-up was Five. Due to a contract with Sky, the broadcaster wasn't able to commit to Freesat straight away, but from Tuesday 18th November it takes up...

Frances Grant: Debating what to watch

If I had to pick a winner out of the TV leaders debates, then TV3's Helen and the two Johns - Key and Campbell, that is - on Monday night would get my vote. The TV3 set with its bilious green lighting seemed to better reflect...

Bits and Bobs (Vol. 17): Get to know the first Brit of the Month, Karl Pilkington

03-Nov-2008

How do you describe a fella like British comedian, author, and all around observer of life’s strangest things Karl Pilkington? He grew up on a Manchester housing estate alongside a family that kept a stolen horse in their...

Famously Depressed

Sorry - first-day excitement. New blogs are so spangly and new and lovely, you just want to keep posting, and keep having more ideas. Here, anyway, is a list on Wikipedia of famous people who have suffered from depression. And...

5.3m attend 'National TV Awards'

Ratings for the National Television Awards were down 23% year-on-year on Wednesday, according to overnight figures. The ceremony, which included the news of David Tennant's departure from Doctor Who, still drew a decent 5.27m...

Ross pulls out as compere of British Comedy Awards in bid to cool BBC row

PRESENTER Jonathan Ross ducked out of hosting the British Comedy Awards yesterday, passing up a £100,000 fee for a show with a TV audience of 10 million. The radio broadcast of several abusive phone calls to Mr Sachs by Ross...

Monday

Nov 1 2008 by Greg O'Keeffe, Liverpool Echo Accrington Stanley ... Exactly (ITV1, 10.40pm) MORE action from behind the scenes with the league two footy side, managed by likeable scouser John Coleman. So far, this series has...

Armstrong turns down 'Countdown' job

In a sudden change of heart after receiving his contract, Alexander Armstrong has told Channel 4 executives that he does not want to host the flagship conundrum show Countdown. The actor would have become the fourth presenter...

TV ratings - October 29: National Television Awards steal the show

TV ratings: National Television Awards steal the show ITV1's National Television Awards 2008 drew 5.3m viewers. Photograph: ITV ITV1's National Television Awards pulled in 5.3 million viewers last night, Wednesday October 29....

Keeping China in Tune

Chinese producers and distributors experienced a boom in demand as a result of the 2008 Olympics, but now they face the challenge of keeping international audiences interested. For three such companies, suites in...