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TV Weekly: Saturday 23rd May 2020

Soap Weekly

TV Weekly: Saturday 23rd May 2020

David Tennant and Michael Sheen are to star as fictionalised versions of themselves in a new lockdown comedy for the BBC. The pair are furloughed when their upcoming West End production is brought to a halt.

Staged follows the cast as they try their best to keep the rehearsals on track while following the government’s stay at home advice. The six-part series- will also feature Nina Sosanya Georgia Tennant, Lucy Eaton and Swedish TV presenter Anna Lundber.

RTS reports that BBC Two is to air a drama to mark 25 years since the Disability Discrimination Act was passed. Written by Jack Thorne and Genevieve Barr, Independence Day? How Disabled Rights Were Won will tell the true story of the bold campaign of direct action that led to the victory of disabled civil rights in Britain.

BBC Four is to become an archive channel, according to reports. The Times reports that the culture channel could be transformed into a “Netflix for the arts” subscription service for international viewers. It’s one of a number of options under consideration as the corporation explores “commercial opportunities” for the channel, which is a target of cuts. 60,000 people have signed a petition to save BBC Four but the BBC says that there are no plans to shut it entirely, noting that its arts and science content will have a “bigger shop window” on BBC Two.

ITV has launched a brand new advertising campaign with Waitrose in support of the farmers’ Pick for Britain initiative. The partnership, including a primetime TV advert which first aired on Tuesday evening, urges the British public to get involved by visiting the pickforbritain.org.uk website.

Former Coronation Street star Ryan Thomas has spoken about his mortification after being late to the set of the soap one day. Speaking to Neighbours star Takaya Honda’s YouTube series ‘takTalks’, he recalled: “It wasn’t that I’d let myself down. It was the fact I was letting other people down in the cast, because there was some older members of the cast who were coming in.” 

Thomas continued: “I went on set and apologised to every single person publicly. It was quite embarrassing, but I had to do that because I had to own up to my own mistake and you learn from that.” However, his apology wasn’t enough to quell the anger of one of the actors he’d held up who apparently shut a door in his face.

Lord Michael Grade has joined a Cultural Renewal Taskforce made up of leaders from the arts, cultural and sporting worlds who will help to develop new COVID-19 secure guidelines for the reopening of public places and businesses as well as the restarting of television production. Grade has held executive roles at both ITV and the BBC.

The other members of  the taskforce are: Tamara Rojo (English National Ballet), Alex Scott (former England international and Arsenal footballer), Sir Nicholas Serota (Arts Council England chair),  Edward Mellors (Mellors Group Events), Neil Mendoza (Commissioner for Cultural Recovery and Renewal, Entrepreneur, publisher and philanthropist), Baroness (Martha) Lane-Fox of Soho (Founder of LastMinute.com), and Mark Cornell (Ambassador Theatre Group)

Julie Walters spoke to Lorraine Kelly about her battle with bowel cancer noting that “I feel like a different person now. People ask me about jobs like Mamma Mia! and Harry Potter, and things like that, and it feels like it should be someone else answering, not me.” Walters added that the UK lockdown has left her pondering retirement; “I’m enjoying being at home, being with my family and being on the farm and noticing things I’ve never noticed before like how fabulous the countryside and the wildlife is.”

The Beeb has defended its decision to skip an episode of Casualty, following complaints from some fans. On May 2, the broadcaster didn’t air the originally scheduled episode after deeming some of its content ‘inappropriate’ in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. The episode which aired instead was preceded by an extended preview recapping ‘key moments’ from the unaired edition to maintain continuity, but some viewers were still enraged enough to complain to Auntie. In response, the BBC said it “wouldn’t be appropriate” to broadcast the episode under the current circumstances.

Strictly Come Dancing is set to ‘axe Blackpool and group dances’ as part of Covid safety measures with a source telling The Daily Star that “It will be a very different show this year”.

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