TV Weekly: ‘we are keeping our fingers crossed’

More telly news rounded-up and wrapped in TV Weekly.

ITV Soap Classics for Hub offering

Coronation Street and Emmerdale will see classic episodes added to the ITV Hub – finally.

The archive editions have been airing on ITV3 with Corrie running episodes from 1986 onwards and Emmerdale from 1989. Up until now they could only be seen on ITV3 with a screening weekday afternoons and then repeated early the next morning.

The ITV Hub joins the Weatherfield and Beckindale residents in 1995, at the same point as ITV3 are at. Pay to View BritBox is also offering a selection of classic editions with the very first episodes of Emmerdale Farm and Coronation Street uploaded to enjoy.

Previously the ITV website hosted a ‘Best of ITV‘ section that contained a selection of archive programming and that also included Crossroads, Heartbeat and Peak Practice to name a few.

Newswrap Headlines

Jay Blades: Presenter of BBC One favourite The Repair Shop and self-confessed DIY enthusiast, Jay Blades will be sharing personal tips and tricks to help viewers become self-sufficient in their own homes with series Home Fix. Jay will be demonstrating how we can all become a bit more handy at home through a range of simple demonstrations from his own workshop.

Less Juice: Holly Willoughby has quit comedy quiz Celebrity Juice after twelve years. The This Morning presenter has decided to call time on her ITV2 team captain role to ‘spend more time with her family’ that includes producer hubby Dan Baldwin and her three children. In 2018 fellow original ‘rival’ team captain Fearne Cotton decided to depart the series.

CBeebies: has released a ‘mindfulness app experience’ voiced by Stephen Fry. Developed with a mindfulness consultant, and available now for free in the CBeebies Go Explore app, it lets little ones discover three fun activities each day that introduce focus, creativity and calm.

ITV: has suffered in its advertising revenue due to Covid-19. Commercial income slumped 42% in April forcing broadcaster to furlough 800 staff. However there is good news for the broadcaster viewing hours were up 2% in the year to the end of March, while viewing of shows on the ITV Hub – accessible to viewers in England, Wales and NI, was up 75% year on year.

Lifesaver Granted: Danniella Westbrook spoke about her time on EastEnders to a tabloid recently where she recalled how co-star Ross Kemp once helped to save her life. Westbrook, who played Sam Mitchell, told The Daily Star how her on-screen brother Grant came to her rescue when she fainted at the top of the Queen Vic stairs. “I passed out from the top of the stairs at the Queen Vic and just collapsed all the way down and Ross caught me.” After bosses wanted the actress to carry on Ross said no and demanded Danniella was given medical attention. Kemp was backed up by the crew on the studio floor and ‘Enders icon Dame Barbara Windsor who played Mitchell matriarch Peggy.

Coronation Street: Weatherfield characters are to be seen living around the coronavirus pandemic in storylines when filming resumes ITV have revealed. Corrie producer Iain MacLeod said the virus would be in the world of the serial, although it wouldn’t dominate storylines.

Strictly Precaution: Strictly Come Dancing judge Craig Revel Horwood told GMB on ITV that the Beeb producers are plotting contingency plans in an effort to ensure the ratings winner can return to BBC One screens this autumn. “People want to feel good about themselves and what better way of doing that than dancing, so yeah, we are keeping our fingers crossed.”

Costume Charity: Lacey Turner, best known for her roles in EastEnders and Our Girl is auctioning off three of her favourite outfits in order to help fund a campaign to raise money for domestic abuse charity Refuge.

RIP: This week the world of television said farewell to Gogglebox favourite June Bernicoff who died aged 82 on May 5th, after a short illness. June became a popular regular on the Channel 4 show alongside late husband Leon who passed away in 2017 and June quit the show deciding not to go on without him. The couple had been married for 57 years.

Two Sisters One Body

The one-off documentary is to air on Channel 4. Described by the broadcaster as ‘a coming-of-age story of two Omphalopagus twins, a rare conjoined condition.’ About to leave high school Carmen and Lupita have more than their grades or their medical condition to think about, they are Mexicans in Trump’s America.

In 2002 Carmen and Lupita were born in Mexico and given three days to live.  Doctors made frantic efforts to separate them, but fast-forward 19 years, they’re still conjoined and they’re living in small-town Connecticut with their family who gave up their lives in Mexico so that the girls could receive medical treatment.  But as the status of their visa program changes what will that mean for the girls who have known nothing else but life in America?

Carmen and Lupita are growing up fast but dare not plan too far into the future. These fiercely intelligent and funny young women have spent their whole lives coming to terms with their situation. Both have separate medical issues but any operation the twins undergo would pose serious danger to both of them.

“Barcroft Studios surprising, poignant and thought-provoking film offers more than a glimpse into the lives of conjoined twins. Through the experiences of these ferociously smart women we learn about the toughest challenge they face, being Mexican in Trump’s America.” – Alf Lawrie, Head of Factual Entertainment at Channel 4

And Also…

E4: Celebrity Googlebox USA is heading to E4 with Rob Lowe, Meghan Trainor, Joe Buck, Raven-Symoné, Master P and Romeo, JoJo Siwa, Steve Wozniak, Curtis Stone, and Robert and Kym Herjavec the first names announced for the special.

Corrie: Villain Geoff Metcalfe played perfectly by Ian Bartholomew will leave in a ‘dramatic’ exit Coronation Street top brass have said. The abuser will face a ‘fitting end’ with ITV bosses noting someone as deranged as Geoff is very unlikely to ever change so will have to suffer for his actions, there will be no redemption or worse – escape from his crimes. The comments came after an early evening screening of the show saw victim of mental and physical abuse Yasmeen (Shelley King) stab hubby Geoff with a broken wine bottle.

Withered Love: The UK version of Love Island has been canned for 2020. The find-a-shag ITV2 show is taking a break due to the global pandemic making it impossible for the series to go into production. At one point it was believed ITV execs were looking at bringing the programme to the UK and basing it in Cornwall of all places. The show usually films in warm exotic locations.

Michael McIntyre’s Big Laughs: The title of a new series from BBC One that takes a look back at some of the best moments from his Big Show. The four-part series will revisit some of the most memorable surprises and pranks on celebrities and the audience.

Taking the Michael: Jack P Shepherd recalled his first day at Granada Television twenty years ago didn’t get off to the greatest start when he bumped into one of Corrie’s legendary actors. 12-year-old Jack met Jonny Briggs in the green room on his first day playing David Platt, but didn’t reconise the man behind Mike Baldwin. “I saw Johnny Briggs, he was in the green room, And he came over to me and said ‘oh you’re the new David Platt aren’t you?’ I said ‘yeah, who are you?” he told Instagram followers in a video post.

RIP: Doreen Taylor who played regular market stall holder Maude in EastEnders, from 1985 to 2004, passed away aged 86.