TV Weekly: ‘Hanging off the tit with his teeth’

Another week another Newswrap with TV Weekly. This week ITV keep their photo archive outsourced, Quiz proves a hit while Richard and Judy get back in the book club with Channel 4.

A New Chapter with Channel 4

Fresh from their return to ITV’s This Morning as occasional guest hosts one of the country’s most loved couples, Richard and Judy are returning to teatime on Channel 4. The couple will reveal their best reads to help the nation whilst we are all staying at home across a five part series.

Shot from their home, seasoned TV hosts and self-confessed bookworms Richard and Judy will be joined virtually by authors and celebrity guests who will discuss new releases and share their top recent reads.

Richard & Judy: Keep Reading and Carry On starts Monday 4th May at 5.30pm on Channel 4

Newswrap Headlines

Shortland Street: New Zealand soap opera, last seen in the UK on Living TV, is going back into production for its loyal TVNZ viewers. Keeping to social distancing guidelines much of the production that doesn’t involve studio work will be carried out from home by the creatives. In the studio strict hygiene regulations will be operated.

The Inbetweeners: Writers Damon Beesley and Iain Morris, best known for their penning of Channel 4’s school-age comedy The Inbetweeners are returning to screens next month with a football-themed comedy, The First Team. This latest titterlating offering will air on BBC Two.

Sophie Raworth: Is to narrate Our Finest Hours a BBC series that will take a look at other times in history when the nation has pulled together in a crisis. The programme will combine wartime archive and contemporary news footage from across the UK to illustrate the response to extraordinary times.

Corrie On without me: Rula Lenska, who was once mistaken for Crossroads‘ Noele Gordon by Dame Edna Everage, has quit Coronation Street after two years playing hairdresser Claudia Colby. Claudia had been living with Weatherfield sex God Ken Barlow in a retirement home, however he’s gone back to ‘the street’ leaving Claudia behind.

HealthCheck UK Live: will be returning to BBC One Daytime with a mix of expert guidance and some surprise guests, all helping to guide viewers through the mental and physical challenges of lockdown. Dr Xand van Tulleken and Michelle Ackerley will host, with Angela Rippon and some unmissable lockdown moves from Mr Motivator.

Final Answer?: Quiz writer James Graham is keen to bring more of the real-life world of Charles and Diana Ingram to drama screens following the success of ITV’s Quiz. The three-part saga told the story of how Charles was found guilty of fixing Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? to win the top prize via a succession of ‘coughs’ from his wife in the audience. Graham said he’d like to write a follow-up looking at their lives twenty years on from the original scandal.

Big Money: For the first time ever the BBC’s biggest charitable partners, BBC Children in Need and Comic Relief, came together for a special night of television and raised £27,398,675 in the process.

The One Show: is to continue broadcasting from its studio during the coronavirus pandemic the Beeb announced. The show aims to reflect how people around the UK are dealing with life during the virus crisis, telling the compelling and incredible stories of our everyday heroes, alongside celebrity guests entertaining features and keeping viewers company.

Netflix: The world’s largest streaming service, Netflix, gained 15.8 million new customers in the quarterly period from January to March, bringing its global total to 182.9 million. The boost has been attributed to the ‘stay at home’ advice during COVID-19.

Ross Kemp: is to present Britain’s Volunteer Army for the BBC. Described by the Beeb as a ‘heartwarming series which will celebrate the heroic efforts of some of the country’s 750,000 volunteers during the coronavirus crisis’. The programme will be an uplifting celebration of the nation coming together to help one another in a time of uncertainty and fear, as Ross gets stuck in and volunteers in his own neighbourhood.

A Celebration of a British Hero: Captain Tom Moore, Britain’s new national treasure, will tell the story of his part in World War II for an ITV documentary to be shown on VE Day. The former British Army Officer who raised millions of pounds for the NHS by walking 100 lengths of his garden with his frame, actually fought in Burma and shares his memories in this tribute to those who served.

Hanging off the tit with his teeth: The Beeb confirmed it received nearly 180 complaints following a breastfeeding joke on an audio-episode of Peter Kay’s Car Share. Peter Kay and co-star Sian Gibson reunited for the special however the ‘joke’ failed to amuse some fans. The content included an observation of a three-year-old hanging from its mothers breast.

Sherrie Hewson: star of shows such as Emmerdale, Coronation Street and Crossroads spoke of how she fears she’ll never see her brother again due to the coronavirus pandemic. The 69-year-old actress and presenter who has also appeared on shows such as Loose Women, Mad House and Carry On Laughing spoke of how her brother is currently in hospital with a brain tumour, and due to the COVID-19 virus restrictions, she isn’t able to visit him.

‘Ender Education: EastEnders regular Danny Dyer will be teaching history to children as part of the Beeb’s coronavirus homeschooling plans. The BBC have launched Bitesize Daily 20-minute lessons, with others taking part include Sir David Attenborough providing lessons on geography and nature, Ed Balls teaching maths and Liam Payne providing music lessons

A Major Quiz Hit

Quiz opened with 9 million viewers to ITV placing the real-life drama the biggest of the year so far.

The production that brings to life the behind the scenes events concerning the notorious Who Wants To Be a Millionaire? “coughing” incident, which starred Michael Sheen as Chris Tarrant, Matthew MacFadyen as Major Charles Ingram and Sian Clifford as his wife Diana, proved popular among young viewers with the show averaging 1.5 million for the 16-34. This brings the programme the highest rating drama for this age bracket since BBC One’s Line of Duty in May 2019.

The repeat of Quiz later in the week saw the combined total of viewers head over the 10 million mark.

Isolation Stories from ITV

Sheridan Smith, Robert Glenister, Tom Glenister, Darren Boyd, Angela Griffin, David Threlfall, Eddie Marsan and his sons Blue and Bodie, will appear in new ITV commission, Isolation Stories, a series of four short dramas depicting life in lockdown. The dramas will air on ITV at 9pm over four consecutive nights from Monday 4th May.

Produced by writer and producer Jeff Pope, and his factual drama label at ITV Studios, each episode will be 15 minutes in duration and will reflect what families are going through after weeks of isolation.

“I am heavily pregnant and have been isolating at home so I jumped at the chance to make a drama about the massive drama going on all around us right now. I think it’s really important to try and reflect what’s happening to us whilst it is still actually happening.” – Sheridan Smith

ITV Photo Archive stays with Shutterstock

When Granada took over Carlton in 2003 a lot of archive material from certain regions was tragically tossed in a skip. However some bosses had the foresight to pack up the photographs and send them over to picture agency REX Features. A rummage through the TV Times archive for tossed images by Rex and former ITV photo manager James Feltham in 2008 proved successful and ever since all of ITV’s regional past and indeed present programming has been promoted and commercially sold to the press ever since.

And that’s how things will stay for at least the next three years. REX merged with Shutterstock who announced this week a deal to keep their long-standing exclusive distribution deal with the UK’s largest commercial broadcaster, ITV.

It saves ITV money not having to run a picture archive, while the content boosts the offering of the agency. ITV is an integrated producer broadcaster and the largest commercial television network in the UK. It is home to popular television including the biggest entertainment events, original dramas, major sports, landmark factual series, and independent news.

With this agreement, Shutterstock houses over 100 years of iconic ITV archival content from regional franchises including the legendary Rank Films collection, iconic celebrity images and historic British series including many of the Carry On Films.

TV highlights from across the years include sitcoms such as YTV’s Rising Damp and Duty Free, ATV’s A Sharp Intake of Breath and George and the Dragon, LWT’s On The Buses and Please Sir! Classic soaps range from YTV’s Emmerdale Farm and Castle Haven, ATV/Central’s Crossroads, LWT’s Night and Day, Anglia Television’s Weavers Green and ATV’s Emergency Ward 10 and Market in Honey Lane.

Action stills showcased include ITC/ATV’s The Prisoner, The Saint, The Persuaders! and Jason King while drama includes Anglia Television’s Tales of the Unexpected, LWT’s Upstairs Downstairs and London’s Burning, ATV’s Love Story and Thriller, Tyne Tees Television’s Catherine Cookson adaptions and YTV’s The Darling Buds of May and Heartbeat.

Music shows and the stars that appeared also are part of the collection including Granada TV’s Marc, ATV’s Supersonic and Oh Boy!, LWT’s Roger Whittaker Show and Tyne Tees Television’s Roxy and The Tube. Comedy memories on Shutterstock include YTV’s Les Dawson Show and Jokers Wild, Granada Television’s The Comedians, LWT’s Michael Barrymore Show and The Laugher Show with Russ Abbott. Children’s archive content featured includes ITC/ATV’s Thunderbirds, Granada’s Children’s Ward, ATV’s Tiswas and LWT’s Metal Mickey.

Additionally, when production resumes, Shutterstock will provide production support by photographing and distributing compelling images from live shows including I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here, Lorraine, This Morning and Good Morning Britain. Lastly, Shutterstock will continue to syndicate new publicity images from popular programming including Coronation Street, Emmerdale, Victoria and Vera to the world’s media.

Shutterstock also market former ITV company Thames Television’s collection that is now part of the Fremantle organisation and not within the ITVplc empire. This deal with Fremantle also sees the Grundy Productions archive with the agency, including shows such as Minder, The Bill, Take Your Pick, Prisoner: Cell Block H, The Des O’Connor Show, Sons and Daughters, The Young Doctors and the original Van Der Valk.

“The breadth of our output as the UK’s largest commercial broadcaster is extensive and we depend on a partner who can not only produce and deliver on our content needs but also provide meticulous and excellent customer service. After 15 years of working with the Shutterstock team and evolving the partnership to meet the needs of the changing media and production landscape, our confidence in Shutterstock’s ability to deliver remains consistent.” – Allan Smith, ITV’s Controller of Rights Governance

And Also…

Neighbours: Australian soap opera Neighbours is also returning to studio production. Having come to a halt due to the Covid-19 shutdown, the Reg Watson devised serial is to resume production with social distancing rules in place that include cast and crew split into groups in separate areas of the Nunawading Studios.

The Fremantle Australia Production will also see scripts and direction adapted so that no physical contact like kissing or hugging and extras will not be used with crew members featuring in the background instead.

Emmerdale: Actress Michelle Hardwick announced this week the joyous news that she is expecting a baby. Michelle is married to ITV soap executive Kate Brooks.

Remembering Lynn Faulds Wood

Former TV-am, Breakfast Time and Watchdog presenter and journalist Lynn Faulds Wood passed away this week at the age of 72. The sudden death of the campaigning personality  – who made every home in the UK a safer place thanks to her newspaper columns and reports on Watchdog – left former colleagues and viewers studded. Lynn who was on social media just hours before her passing died having suffered a massive stroke and a subsequent bleed on the brain.

Lynn hosted Watchdog alongside husband John Stapleton from 1985 to 1993. She was also a regular on children’s magazine series Going Live! with advice for young viewers and brought investigative reports to Granada Television’s World In Action for ITV. She fronted cancer documentaries – leading to a long charity career campaigning for better awareness – and in 2014 returned to BBC One with Watchdog Test House alongside newsreader Sophie Raworth.

Lynn helped make the UK a safer place to live with several campaigns for improvements this included shortening cables on kettles to stop toddlers pulling boiling water onto themselves, having all appliances sold with a plug attached to avoid electrical deaths as well as making microwaves less flammable and ovens safer to use.

“I have known Lynn since I was 14. She inspired me to become a journalist. She has lived next door to my parents for decades. She has been the most wonderful, generous, kind friend to me and my family for such a long time. Can’t believe she has gone.” –  Sophie Raworth

Faulds Wood could also see the funny side of her work, making an appearance as herself in BBC One sketch series French and Saunders alongside Dawn and Jennifer. She also approved of  Rory Bremner’s take on her Watchdog persona, although his catchphrase for Lynn ‘This is a potential death-trap’ she refuted she ever said herself.

“I’m so sad to hear about the death of the brilliant campaigning journalist and fearless consumer champion Lynn Faulds Wood. She was the real thing. She cared genuinely and passionately about people and their rights.When I joined Watchdog hers was the legacy we all aspired to.” – former Watchdog host Nicky Campbell