ITV Christmas / Winter Schedule 1997-98 Launch
The unveiling of ITV’s Christmas and New Year schedule took place at the new La Belle Epoque restaurant in Knightsbridge, a setting which was enough to attract a significant celebrity presence, and which immediately posed the question of whether the content of the presentation could live up to its impressive surroundings.
The early signs were encouraging as a commitment to programming which was “diverse” and “groundbreaking” was given defiantly amid the temptation to move away from such an ethos in an increasingly competitive market for an audience becoming more fragmented. Also announced was that grandmother’s favourite, Robson Greene had signed to ITV until the middle of the year 2000 – and yet no mention of Jerome, what could this mean?
The Saturday night audience was stressed as being of paramount importance to ITV’s schedule, the new flagship programme in this promotion being Ice Warriors, which appears to be a cross between Gladiators and the BBC’s old show It’s A Knockout, only that it takes place on ice. This time the competitors perform as part of a team and the presenter does not. Dani Behr is deemed capable of taking on the Ulrika role without the aid of a John Fashanu or Jeremy Guscott (I guess that Les was too busy trying to save Spurs’ season to save this uninspiring choice of programming!). Only the most optimistic could realistically see this emulating Gladiators which has the appeal of its characters, like ‘Jet’ and ‘Shadow’, and the mental participation of its viewers (many who believe that they ‘could do that’, but will not do so here unless they are accomplished skaters!).
Drama looks far more promising for ITV with its attempt to mix the classics with new scripts. Big name recruits to star in the new year include Keith Allen, John Nettles and of course the evergreen, and ever-popular, David Jason. The use of Allen in the period drama Will Palmer will be a valid attempt to emulate the success of Pride & Prejudice and Tom Jones on the BBC, something which ITV has shown the potential to do already earlier this year with Moll Flanders.
The chance to see what the Americans have done to Cracker will present itself in the form of Fitz, appearing in the after News at Ten 10:40pm slot – a time at which it was stressed that ITV hope to target a new, young audience. The blending of Eastenders‘ stars past and present will prove intriguing as Nick Berry and Todd Carty team up in Black Velvet Band, filmed on location in South Africa and later in the story set in 1880’s Tasmania, quite different from the roles in which we know them best. That said the plot, about convicts on the run, is not the most original…
Lack of originality continues to run into the ideas for factual programmes with Airline (suddenly it seems that we cannot get enough of documentaries revealing the tourist industry, especially what goes on at airports) and another emergency service fly-on-the-wall series in the mould of 999, Police! Camera! Action!, etc hits our screens. Far more interesting, and no doubt amusing, will be the Murray Walker Story in which the former BBC man is the subject of biographical study, the majority of which documents his actions and comments during his first season covering Formula One on ITV. Apartheid Did Not Die are Nelson Mandela’s words, the accuracy of which will be scrutinised in this eagerly anticipated documentary.The Christmas period will see a screening of Christmas At St. Paul’s including Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Sir Harry Secombe and Patricia Routledge celebrating the 300th anniversary of the cathedral’s opening. Maggie Philbin gives valuable advice on how to handle the hectic festive season with “top tips and plans of action” consisting of ideas for recipes, presents and “cost effective decorations” in Countdown to Christmas. ITV certainly has a royal Christmas in store with the Queen’s Christmas Day speech broadcast by them for the first time and two programmes on the late Princess Diana, one a biography and the other examining the legacy of the events during the week after her death, planned.
The revealing of the comedy and entertainment programmes was again disappointing with the opening pledge for “diverse” programming clearly not extending to this genre as the returns of Chris Tarrant, Brian Conley, Freddie Starr and Des O’Connor are confirmed for Christmas. Even worse 21 Years Of It’ll Be Alright On Night will only serve to further confirm that the over-hysterical laughter at Dennis Norden’s wisecracks between clips is either the most unsubtle piece of dubbing or the most harshly coerced in the history of comedy. The decent new British sitcom which has been denied audiences for about 20 years is attempted by ITV with King Leek, starring Tim Healy (as a fanatical leek cultivator) and Su Elliot (his wife). A re-run of The Bare Necessities aims to cash in on The Full Monty which originally cashed in on ITV’s portrayal of working-class men who form a strip troop (both of which probably cashed in on the excellent film Brassed Off!).
CITV does nothing to prevent recent criticisms of the lack of educational kid’s programming as How2 seems isolated amidst the barrage of cartoons.
The Christmas movies essentially miss the pulse of popular opinion with TWO Macaulay Culkin films (his career has dived almost as quickly as Bros’ did), and showing John Travolta when he is not cool (i.e. not in Saturday Night Fever or Pulp Fiction) in Look Who’s Talking Now. Furthermore there appears to be no major blockbuster among them, the closest offering being the appalling On Deadly Ground. Only Cool Runnings, with the late John Candy, looks to have any chance of proving a success.
The review of the Formula One season provides another chance for cigarette sponsors to get more advertising on screen (and they’ll have plenty more chances!) and for Grand Prix fans to remember 1997’s championship story. Next year football fans, and particularly Brian Moore fans, can look forward to coverage of the FA Cup.
Further information – Carol Millward, ITV Network Centre: 0171 843 8217.
Reviewer: Kevin North.