BBC Unveils Autumn Season
The BBC has unveiled its Autumn season, featuring an exclusive set of interviews with former Prime Minister Tony Blair and a new 8pm news summary on BBC One.
The news summary will air on weekdays, with Peter Fincham, controller of BBC One, saying that it is “designed to bridge the gap between the Six and Ten O’Clock news.”
There will also be a look at the monarchy, as the BBC’s cameras go behind closed doors with Her Majesty The Queen, whilst Dame Judi Dench, Sir Michael Gambon and Philip Glenister return to BBC One in the fairy-tale drama series Cranford Chronicles.
There are new programmes from ex-Python Michael Palin and everyone’s favourite sexy gardener, Alan Titchmarsh.
Michael Palin’s New Europe, takes a look at the part of Europe that was once off limits behind the Iron Curtain, whilst Titchmarsh presents The Nature Of Britain, a series the BBC is billing as “the first complete picture of British wildlife ever shown on television, from the tiniest dormouse to the mightiest golden eagle.”
With Any Dream Will Do (see Joseph Is The Word For Saturday Night Viewers) and Dr Who both recently finishing their runs, the BBC unveiled more top programmes to keep us entertained.
Fincham said:”Saturday nights will be bursting at the seams with top entertainment as Strictly Come Dancing and Robin Hood return, along with a dazzling one-off special Eurovision Dance Contest presented by Graham Norton and Claudia Winkleman.”
In addition, Nick Knowles will be hosting a new Saturday night National Lottery show called Who Dares Wins in which complete strangers are coupled up to put their general knowledge and nerve to the ultimate test.
Drama sees a new film from Stephen Poliakoff, Joe’s Palace, and Mark Haddon’s Coming Down The Mountain, as well as returns for Spooks, Waterloo Road, Silent Witness and Murphy’s Law.
Last week the director general of the BBC, Mark Thompson, accused rival broadcaster ITV of plagiarising successful television programme formats such as Any Dream Will Do and The Apprentice, singling out ITV1’s Tycoon and Grease is the Word, amongst other shows (see BBC Director General Accuses ITV Of Plagiarism).
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