Sherlock has cast Lars Mikkelsen as a villain in its third series. The Danish actor - who appeared in the original version of The Killing - will play 'Sherlock's new nemesis', Charles Augustus Magnussen. Executive producer Sue Vertue confirmed Mikkelsen's casting on Twitter. 
Though further details of his character are yet to be revealed, Magnussen appears to have been based on the character of Charles Augustus Milverton, who appeared in a 1904 short story by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton saw Holmes and Watson confront the title character - a murderous blackmailer of some renown. Mikkelsen - the brother of Casino Royale and Hannibal star Mads Mikkelsen - is best known for his roles in The Killing and Borgen, both of which were shown on BBC4 in the UK. Sherlock is expected to return to BBC1 in late 2013.
The Mill launched to almost two and a half million viewers on Sunday evening, according to overnight figures. John Fay's Nineteenth Century drama had an audience of 2.46m at 8pm on Channel Four. The finale of the Channel's imported French supernatural drama, The Returned, followed with nine hundred and twenty seven thousand viewers at 9pm.
On BBC1, Antiques Roadshow - with Fiona Bruce wearing Diana Rigg's Avengers catsuit - appealed to 4.39m at 7pm, while Countryfile was the most-watched show of the night with 5.48m at 8pm. The White Queen continued with 3.54m at 9pm. BBC2's Top Gear gained over four hundred thousand overnight viewers week-on-week to 4.56m at 8pm. The documentary The Mystery of Rome's X Tomb was seen by 2.05m at 9pm. On ITV, Tipping Point: Lucky Stars was watched by 3.59m at 7pm, followed by All Star Mr & Mrs with 3.06m at 8pm. Law & Order: UK held steady at 4.30m at 9pm. Channel Five's latest episode of Once Upon A Time entertained seven hundred and fifty six thousand viewers at 8pm (116k/0.5%). Big Brother continued with 1.38m at 9pm.
Much-trailed BBC2 drama Top Of The Lake dropped to under a million overnight viewers on Saturday. The third episode of the Elisabeth Moss six-part series lost three hundred thousand punters from the previous episode to end with nine hundred and thirty eight thousand viewers at 9.15pm. Earlier, the first of this year's Proms Extra 2013 was seen by four hundred and seventy four thousand at 7pm. On BBC2, a nine hundred and seventy eighth broadcast of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom attracted 3.79 million at 7pm. The National Lottery draw brought in 3.85m at 8.45pm. The most-watched programme on Saturday night was - again - a repeat of Mrs Brown's Boys with 4.15m at 10pm.
ITV's You've Been Framed completely failed to amuse 3.04m at 7pm, followed by the penultimate episode of the odious and risible Your Face Sounds Familiar which had 3.40m at 8pm. All Star Family Fortunes was watched by 3.37m at 8.45pm, while the latest episode of The Americans appealed to 1.2m at 9.45pm. Channel Four's special When Bjork Met Attenborough interested four hundred and fifty five thousand at 7pm. X-Men Origins: Wolverine had an audience of 1.71m at 9pm. Channel Five's evening of NCIS episodes peaked at seven hundred and eighty seven thousand punters at 8pm, while Big Brother continued with 1.06m at 10pm. On BBC3, a repeat of the Olympics Opening Ceremony gathered eight hundred and twenty five thousand viewers who - presumably - didn't buy it on DVD like this blogger. The highest-rated show on the multichannels was a repeat of Lewis on ITV3 with 1.01m at 9pm.
Here are the final and consolidated figures for the Top Twenty programmes in Britain for week-ending 21 July 2013:-
1 Coronation Street - Mon ITV - 8.45m
2 EastEnders - Mon BBC1 - 6.96m
3 The Apprentice: The Final - Wed BBC1 - 6.74m
4 Emmerdale - Thurs ITV - 6.17m
5 Long Lost Family - Mon ITV - 5.97m
6 Luther - Tues BBC1 - 5.57m
7 Top Gear - Sun BBC2 - 5.36m
8 Casualty - Sat BBC1 - 5.18m
9 Law & Order: UK - Sun ITV - 4.91*
10 Countryfile - Sun BBC1 - 4.62m
11 The White Queen - Sun BBC1 - 4.59m
12 Ten O'Clock News - Wed BBC1 - 4.55m
13 The National Lottery: In It To Win It - Sat BBC1 - 4.43m
14 BBC News - Sun BBC1 - 4.29m
15 Mrs Brown's Boys - Sat BBC1 - 4.29m
17 Holby City - Tues BBC1 - 4.11m
18 Eat Well For Less - Mon BBC1 - 4.04m
19 Six O'Clock News - Mon BBC1 - 4.03m
20 Nick & Margaret: We Pay Your Benefits - Thurs BBC1 - 3.75m
Programmes marked '*' do not include HD figures.
Around the world, a select band of Doctor Who fans are hard at work in their spare time building their own personal TARDIS. It is a secretive community, though members do share their tips and experiences on a website, TARDIS Builders. The BBC's LJ Rich caught up with TARDIS-builder Yoz, to find out why she wanted to build a time machine in her living room - and how she did it. And, indeed, why.
Amanda Redman has claimed that she quit New Tricks because of the show's punishing schedule. And, nothing whatsoever to do with that shit-storm she caused amongst her own writers last year with some rather daft talk about the quality of the scripts on the show. Oh no, not because of that. Very hot water. The actress - who will bow out as Sandra Pullman in the BBC crime drama's new series - told the Sun that a ten-episode shoot was 'too long. You can't fit in other work as there just isn't enough time,' she said. 'It's good to challenge yourself because otherwise you stagnate and I want to do so much more.' Redman added that her exit from the series had been 'a very tearful goodbye. I do feel how Sandra leaves is spot on,' she added. 'She is faced with some very difficult decisions. What the writers did was take my own reasons for leaving New Tricks and use the same arguments with Sandra, which I thought was clever.' Redman's character will be replaced by a new female lead played by Tamzin Outhwaite, while Nicholas Lyndhurst will also join the show in place of the also departing Alun Armstrong. James Bolam - who played Jack Halford between 2003 and 2012 - was replaced by Denis Lawson in the previous ninth series. Deenis Waterman is, apparently, going nowhere.
Olympic bronze medallist Tom Daley says that he will 'consult a psychologist' in a bid to overcome his issues diving from ten metres. Daley finished sixth in the ten metre platform World Championship final, having suffered a recurrence of an arm injury. Daley, was in contention for a medal in Barcelona, but a poor routine in the piked position ended his hopes. Whether this will mean the cancellation of his ITV fiasco Pro-Celebrity Drowning is not known at this time. Though, we can dream, at least. Dreaming, as Blondie once noted, is free.
Sometimes, dear blog reader, even the comments section of the Daily Scum Mail online is worth reading. Check out, for instance, one Petra of Wallsend's reply to the Scum Mail's latest trashy 'Top Gear FAKES its stunts' cut-and-paste job. Now, that's funny. Petra, if you're out there, Stately Telly Topping Manor is but a stones throw away from auld Waalsend its very self, pop round for a cuppa sometime! Of course, wherever the Daily Scum Mail goes in search of a chance to bash the BBC, you can guarantee that some louse of no importance at the Gruniad Morning Star will not be far behind with its collective tongue hanging out looking for a good hard lick. Scum.
The Queen, triumphant in this sixtieth summer since the coronation, has to admit defeat in one corner of British cultural life. Doctor Who has now been the subject of more front cover features on the Radio Times than even Her Maj during the listings magazine's ninety years. The history of the publication, which began life in 1923 when radio was a fledgling medium, is to be marked in a free exhibition starting Friday 2 August at the Museum of London. The displays will feature many early covers and tell the story of British broadcasting, from the BBC's first radio transmission in London to the modern multi-channel offerings which so get up the nose of various odious pond-scum at the Daily Scum Mail and the Gruniad Morning Star. Exhibits will include a 1941 Luftwaffe map that pinpoints the Radio Times's Waterlows printing plant in London as an air-raid target alongside transport hubs, factories and other national landmarks. The magazine's staff had been moved to the plant from Central London at the beginning of the war and the Germans regarded it as a strategically important target. The map was found by an American air force intelligence officer called Captain Andrew Wilson at the Fritzlar airbase in Germany in 1944. The exhibition will also feature an exclusive Doctor Who display, marking the Time Lord's regular appearances in the magazine since late 1963, alongside an authentic life-size Dalek against a backdrop of Westminster Bridge, recreating the famous 2005 Vote Dalek Radio Times cover. This was voted the Cover of the Century by the Periodical Publishers Association.
Covers of the listings magazine, which launched on 28 September 1923, will be displayed at the museum. Doctor Who, interestingly, was denied a cover for its launch episode in November 1963, so first graced the front of the magazine in February 1964 for a cover promoting the historical story Marco Polo. Other highlights in the exhibition include a 1920s Marconi valve radio. The exhibition runs from 2 August until 3 November 2013 at the Museum which is located at London Wall in the City of London. Entry is free.
Maggie Gyllenhaal's forthcoming BBC thriller series The Honourable Woman has added an extensive list of actors to its cast. Broadchurch's Andrew Buchan, Katherine Parkinson and Stephen Rea have joined the seven-part series, which has been written by BAFTA-winner Hugo Blick (who also wrote The Shadow Line in which Rea was so brilliant a couple of years ago). 
The Honourable Woman is billed as 'a fast paced, labyrinthine thriller' and features Gyllenhaal as lead character, Nessa Stein. Rea will play Hugh Hayden-Hoyle, an MI6 spy on the verge of retirement who is digging into Stein's life and family. Lindsay Duncan is cast as his bitter ex-wife. Buchan stars as Stein's brother and Parkinson plays his 'highly strung, pregnant wife.' Academy and Tony award nominee Janet McTeer plays the head of MI6 Julia Walsh, who has a hold over Hayden-Hoyle. Tobias Menzies (another of The Shadow Line's cast), Genevieve O'Reilly, Israeli actor Igal Naor and Eve Best have also been cast in the series. The Honourable Woman will be broadcast on BBC2 in 2014.
Some of the stars of Auf Wiedersehen, Pet will reunite for the show's thirtieth anniversary later this year. A special weekend-long convention in Newcastle will mark the milestone in September, including a tour of locations used in the series. Yer actual Keith Telly Topping has been to most of them. Just thought I'd mention it. The comedy followed a likable, if amateurish, group of British construction workers overseas, launching in November 1983.
It ran for two series on ITV in 1983 and 1986, before being revived for a stunning third series on BBC1 in 2002. A fourth series followed in 2004, along with a two-part finale special the following year. Timothy Spall, Kevin Whately, Jimmy Nail and Tim Healy led the cast, along with the late Gary Holton, Christopher Fairbank and the late Pat Roach. Healy - who played team leader Dennis Patterson - is confirmed for the event, along with creator Franc Roddam and writers the great Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais. Several other cast members are expected to confirm their attendance in the coming weeks. 'Thirty years, I can't believe where it's gone,' said Healy. 'We're having a brickies' gala dinner and a charity auction with all the money going to the Sunday for Sammy Trust. It will be a great night.' The Sunday for Sammy Trust was formed to help provide funding for creative, talented and enthusiastic young people from the North East who are looking for a career in performing arts. it is named in honour of the late Sammy Johnson, who appeared in Auf Wiedersehen and, subsequently, as Nail's co-star in Spender. When Johnson died, suddenly in 1998, his friends and colleagues decided to create a lasting tribute to his memory.
Sharon Osbourne has reportedly been warned to 'tone down her rants' on The X Factor judging panel. The returning judge is said to have 'used profanities on several occasions' after watching certain acts try out for the show, according to the Sun. ITV producers have now, allegedly, decided to cut out particular pre-recorded auditions to remove her outbursts from ,the family-friendly show., As if anybody actually gives a flying spunk about such utter trivial numskull bollocks as this. Jesus, just when you think z-list celebrity culture has reached its lowest point, along comes the Sun to prove you wrong.
Yer actual Benedict Cumberbatch was 'spotted holding hands with a pretty redhead' on a night out at the weekend according to the Now magazine website. The Sherlock star took the actress Charlotte Asprey to London club Cirque Le Soir, 'where they were entertained by burlesque dancers and dancing dogs at a VIP table.' It aal reet for some, innit?
LA Law actor Blair Underwood is to star in the remake of Ironside, based on the US television detective series, starring Raymond Burr. As in the original programme, Underwood's character, police commissioner Robert Ironside, will use a wheelchair after being paralysed from the waist down. The popular series, set in San Francisco, ran on NBC from 1967 to 1975 and was shown in the UK on BBC1 under the title A Man Called Ironside. it was a particular favourite of yer actual Keith Telly Topping. NBC has ordered thirteen episodes of the new series which will start in the US on 2 October. Ironside is now based in New York City, although it will be filmed in Los Angeles. Underwood said that, apart from the central character, the new series would be 'very different' to the original. 
Which makes one wonder why they're bothering to remake it. His co-stars include Spencer Grammer, the eldest daughter of Kelsey Grammer. 'All new characters, a new city, new texture, new storytelling, new audience,' Underwood told the Television Critics Association in Los Angeles on Saturday. Was it too much, in that case, to come up with a new title? 'It's a crime drama wrapped in a character study.' Underwood said that he got used to the wheelchair by using one at home while learning his lines. He worked with technical adviser David Bryant, who became a paraplegic after a skiing accident at the age of nineteen. 'It's something I had to delve into and continue to delve into as often as possible,' Underwood said. 'Our job is to make you believe it and be authentic in that.' As well as a long-running role in LA Law, Underwood has also appeared Sex And The City and In Treatment. Underwood played the lead role of Stanley in the Broadway revival of A Streetcar Named Desire last year.
Quizzed on stage recently, James Murdoch The Small (the son of billionaire tyrant Rupert) wryly compared his experiences in the UK (and his involvement in the BSkyB ownership row and the phone-hacking scandal) to two books published by an arm of daddy's company, HarperCollins, Hilary Mantel's Tudor novels centred on Thomas Cromwell. Anyone should read them, Murdoch the Small said, who 'wants to think about the intersection of politics and commerce and everything, because it was ever thus. 
It was very helpful to me going through that.' When the BBC adaptation of Wolf Hall arrives on-screen, there will be ample opportunity to spot the parallels – with the ageing, ailing monarch, the courtiers who seem indispensable then fall out of favour, the cast-out wives, the enemy empire, et cetera – that so gripped Murdoch the small. In the interview, he only cites one specific character as especially resonant, saying 'the second book is particularly great on the prosecution of Anne Boleyn.' Of course, the fact that the publicly funded-BBC is making the adaptation instead of Murodch's own Sky is one-in-the-eye for the odious little twerp who once, in a celebrated 'greed is good'-style speech at the Edinburgh TV festival said the corporation was 'incapable of distinguishing between what is good for it, and what is good for the country. Funded by a hypothecated tax, the BBC feels empowered to offer something for everyone, even in areas well served by the market. The scope of its activities and ambitions is chilling.' Twat. Whom, like his billionaire tyrant father, no one is frightened of any more.
The ex-boyfriend of the blogger and author Brooke Magnanti – better known as anonymous call girl Belle de Jour – has launched legal proceedings against her. The revelation comes as The Sunday Times prepares to make an extremely public and grovelling apology in the high court on Monday for its incorrect allegations about Owen Morris, a former RAF officer. The newspaper had, wrongly, claimed that he sought 'to expose Magnanti's identity for money' and that she had taken a restraining order out against him. 'After years of near continuous and exhausting work to fight the libellous press allegations about me, I am obviously very grateful to be vindicated with tomorrow's apology,' said Morris. 'But as a result of further damaging breaches of my privacy, I am currently involved in other proceedings here in Scotland. I remain determined to clear the names of my friends and family, whose private lives were also twisted and used without prior knowledge and consent.' The newspaper had published a short - and not particularly sincere - apology to Morris in February 2012 but he has fought a legal battle for a more full public apology to be read out in court. Magnanti said: 'I can understand that he wants to have his say about how he feels about the court proceedings. But he is straying very, very close to libelling me, and I really don't want to get into that.' Referring to an account in the Scum Mail of the high court apology, Magnanti tweeted: 'It might interest some to know the Herald had to make an apology to me in Feb [sic] for printing the same thing the Mail is printing now.' Later, she told the Gruniad Morning Star that the tweet was 'to make clear' the distinction – which she said the Scum Mail was blurring – between her own stance and what The Sunday Times had wrongly reported. 'The newspaper is apologising on its own behalf. Nobody is apologising on my behalf. I didn't want other papers to fall into the same mistake.' It is understood that after the two parties repeatedly failed to reach a settlement the breach of privacy case will now be heard in court in Scotland. Belle de Jour first found fame in 2003 as a popular, anonymous blog which documented the author's encounters as a prostitute in London, as well as her relationship with Morris – known in her writing as 'The Boy.' The diary blog won the Gruniad's 'best-written British blog award' in 2003 and was later published as a book, The Intimate Adventures of a London Call Girl, which became a top ten bestseller and was turned into a TV series starring yer actual Billie Piper her very self. But, it was only in November 2009 that the identity of Magnanti – then a scientist at Bristol University – was made public, when Magnanti outed herself to The Sunday Times. Subsequent articles in the newspaper, since withdrawn, stated that Morris had 'threatened to reveal her identity for financial gain' and that she had taken a restraining order out against him. Monday's apology admits that these allegations were entirely untrue and accepts the negative impact which they had on Morris's personal and professional life. He believes that they led to his departure from the RAF in 2011. 'After years of relentless libel targeted at my now destroyed personal professional life, I am glad that the truth behind the Belle de Jour media machine is finally starting to come out,' Morris said. 'The grim reality is diametrically opposed to the marketed myth.' The newspaper has paid substantial compensation to Morris, as well as his legal costs. The Week has also previously apologised and paid damages to Morris for printing similar assertions and claiming that he had made threats of violence against Magnanti.
Formula 1 commentator Murray Walker has revealed that he no longer requires chemotherapy. The eighty nine-year-old was diagnosed with lymphoma, a form of blood cancer, after undergoing routine tests following a fall last month, but has since been told he won't need the treatment. 'I went to have my pre-chemotherapy blood check this week and was understandably delighted when they said:
"Your blood condition has improved so much that it is now nearly normal and you do not need the chemotherapy - well not now, anyway,"' Walker told the Scum Mail on Sunday. 'The theory is that I had a substantial internal blood loss when I fell and fractured my pelvis, which, in turn, caused the anaemic condition. Since then my body has apparently been quietly putting things right in the weird and wonderful way these things happen. Now I'm going to be having regular checks to monitor my condition. If it deteriorates I will have to have the chemo, but if it doesn't I won't. So although I am not completely out of the woods, I can certainly see the sunlit meadows ahead.' He added: 'I feel a bit of a fraud, having generated all the publicity and an outpouring of much appreciated sympathy from literally all over the world about something that hasn't happened and which might not happen during my obviously limited life span, at nearly ninety! In mitigation I have to say that when I was diagnosed my feeling was that the news was bound to come out and the best thing I could do was to announce it openly and get it all over.'
Lewis Hamilton took his first win for Mercedes by dominating the Hungarian Grand Prix on Sunday. Hamilton controlled the race as he beat Lotus's Kimi Raikkonen and Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel into second and third. Vettel's team-mate Mark Webber recovered from tenth on the grid to take fourth ahead of Ferrari's Fernando Alonso. Raikkonen moves one point ahead of Alonso into second in the championship, thirty eight points adrift of Vettel, who is on course for a fourth title. Alonso spent the last stint of the race holding off Lotus's Romain Grosjean, whose podium chances were wiped out by a penalty for overtaking off the track. The Frenchman passed Ferrari's Felipe Massa around the outside of turn four on lap twenty nine, but had all four wheels beyond the white line that demarcates the track limits and he was given a drive-through penalty. Grosjean may yet be given a second punishment - the stewards are to investigate after the race a collision between him and McLaren's Jenson Button.
Grosjean appeared to edge Button off the track on the outside as he passed him into the chicane on lap twenty four. At that stage, Grosjean was battling with Vettel for what was a de facto second place behind Hamilton, who was out of everyone else's reach. 'We really had no idea we could do that well,' said Hamilton. 'The last twenty laps I was just managing my tyres and cruising. I think you can say I was hungry for it today.' Hamilton had said after taking pole position on Saturday that it would be a 'miracle' if he won the race, considering the high temperatures in Hungary and the problems Mercedes have had with tyre wear in recent races. But he was in control throughout, leading off pole position, lost the lead to Grosjean and then Webber after making his first pit stop and then regained it when the Australian made his first stop on lap twenty three, having started on a different tyre following problems in qualifying. Hamilton, who had crucially given himself some clear air to show his pace by passing his former McLaren team-mate Button straight after his first pit stop, made sure of victory with two impressive overtaking moves on Webber. The Mercedes rejoined behind the Red Bull after both his second and third pit stops, and each time immediately passed him around the outside of turn two and into the fast turn three. The moves took place shortly before the same spot that Nigel Mansell famously passed Ayrton Senna for victory in Hungary in 1989 and underlined Hamilton's superiority. The twenty eight-year-old has now won four times in Hungary out of his seven races here. In an intriguing race, Vettel survived problems with a front wing broken when he touched Button trying to pass the McLaren in turn two shortly after the world champion's first pit stop. At the time, Vettel was being urged to cool his car because his Kers power boost system was overheating. As the race developed, it emerged that Vettel was battling Raikkonen for second place. 
The Finn had made up ground impressively on a two-stop strategy - when all the other leading drivers did three - after dropping to tenth following his first pit stop. Vettel rejoined just over two seconds behind the Lotus after his own final pit stop with fifteen laps to go, but with Raikkonen on far older tyres, on which he was asking to do twenty eight laps in his final stint. The German was on Raikkonen's tail with eleven of the seventy laps to go, but the experienced Finn was able to hold him off. Vettel made one attempt to pass Raikkonen around the outside of turn four on lap sixty eight, but he defended and Vettel had to back off. 'I knew it was going to be pretty tight so I saved the tyres with ten laps to go a bit,' said Raikkonen. 'I didn't have any doubts I could keep him behind, I had good speed in the last sector.' The reigning world champion whinged that Raikkonen had not given him enough room, and his team said they would talk to race director Charlie Whiting about the incident. 'I told him [Raikkonen] and he was laughing,' said Vettel on the podium afterwards. 'In the heat of the moment it's quite tight there. It's racing.' Webber recovered well from his tenth place on the grid to run second before his final stop, after which he dropped to fourth. Alonso's Ferrari ran fourth in the early laps after starting fifth but did not have the pace to compete with the cars in front. Alonso was lapping around a second slower than Vettel, despite the damage to the Red Bull, and he was forced to focus on holding off Grosjean to take fifth, exactly where the Spaniard finished in Hungary last year. Button took seventh place, ahead of Ferrari's Felipe Massa, who drove the entire race with a damaged front wing after being hit by Nico Rosberg's Mercedes on the first lap. Rosberg was on course for ninth before retiring with his car in flames with five laps to go, promoting McLaren's Sergio Perez to ninth ahead of Pastor Maldonado, who scored Williams's first point of the season.
The Co-operative has given lads' mags six weeks to cover up their front pages with sealed 'modesty bags' or be taken off sale in its stores. The four thousand-outlet retailer said that it was 'responding to concerns' by its members, customers and colleagues about images of scantily-clad women on covers. Titles such as Front, Loaded, Nuts and Zoo have been given a deadline of 9 September. The Co-op, which is owned and run by its more than seven million members, introduced opaque screens for lads' magazines on some shelves earlier this month. Steve Murrells, retail chief executive for the Co-operative Group, said:
'As a community-based retailer, we have listened to the concerns of our customers and members, many of whom say they object to their children being able to see overt sexual images in our stores. Whilst we have tried to mitigate the likelihood of young children seeing the images with a number of measures in store, the most effective way of doing this is for these magazines to be put in individual, sealed modesty bags.' Cathryn Higgs, a policy manager at the Co-op, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that the group was currently 'in dialogue' with the magazine publishers. 'I've got every hope they will take what we believe is the responsible approach and put them in a bag,' she said. She added that the Co-op believed it was the first retailer in the UK to take this step but other supermarkets were probably having 'similar conversations with their customers.' The Daily Sport newspaper has already agreed to comply with the Co-op's new policy. Women and Equalities Minister Jo Swinson said that the Co-op's move was 'very welcome. Many parents aren't comfortable with the way sexualised imagery has become like wallpaper - everywhere from the bus stop to the corner shop,' she said. 'Adults should be left to make their own decisions about what legal sexual images they look at, but the place for these is not next to the sweets at children's eye-level. I hope other retailers will follow the Co-operative's lead.' But campaign group Lose The Lads' Mags said that the Co-op was 'not going far enough.' Spokeswoman Sophie Bennett said: 
'The so-called "modesty bags" they are demanding from publishers are designed to allow the Co-operative to continue profiting from sexist, harmful lads' mags - but just a bit more discreetly.' The Professional Publishers Association, which represents some magazine publishers, said: 'Men's lifestyle magazines are mainstream titles enjoyed by a readership of millions and feature content to reflect the diverse interests of the nation's young men. Publishers support the guidelines on the appropriate display of men's lifestyle magazines, which have been drawn up with the National Federation of Retail Newsagents and endorsed by the Home Office.' A former editor of Front magazine, one Piers Hernu, told BBC 5Live that the Co-op's decision was 'very dangerous' and 'amounted to censorship.' The firm, he claimed, had 'caved in' to a 'vociferous campaign from some fanatical feminists', showing itself to be 'weak-willed and spineless.' Hey, Piers mate, a quick tip. When you're in a hole it's, generally, a good idea to stop digging.
And so to today's Keith Telly Topping's 45 of the Day. For a very hot summer, here's an extremely hot single from Di, Mary and Flo.
Though further details of his character are yet to be revealed, Magnussen appears to have been based on the character of Charles Augustus Milverton, who appeared in a 1904 short story by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton saw Holmes and Watson confront the title character - a murderous blackmailer of some renown. Mikkelsen - the brother of Casino Royale and Hannibal star Mads Mikkelsen - is best known for his roles in The Killing and Borgen, both of which were shown on BBC4 in the UK. Sherlock is expected to return to BBC1 in late 2013.The Mill launched to almost two and a half million viewers on Sunday evening, according to overnight figures. John Fay's Nineteenth Century drama had an audience of 2.46m at 8pm on Channel Four. The finale of the Channel's imported French supernatural drama, The Returned, followed with nine hundred and twenty seven thousand viewers at 9pm.
On BBC1, Antiques Roadshow - with Fiona Bruce wearing Diana Rigg's Avengers catsuit - appealed to 4.39m at 7pm, while Countryfile was the most-watched show of the night with 5.48m at 8pm. The White Queen continued with 3.54m at 9pm. BBC2's Top Gear gained over four hundred thousand overnight viewers week-on-week to 4.56m at 8pm. The documentary The Mystery of Rome's X Tomb was seen by 2.05m at 9pm. On ITV, Tipping Point: Lucky Stars was watched by 3.59m at 7pm, followed by All Star Mr & Mrs with 3.06m at 8pm. Law & Order: UK held steady at 4.30m at 9pm. Channel Five's latest episode of Once Upon A Time entertained seven hundred and fifty six thousand viewers at 8pm (116k/0.5%). Big Brother continued with 1.38m at 9pm. Much-trailed BBC2 drama Top Of The Lake dropped to under a million overnight viewers on Saturday. The third episode of the Elisabeth Moss six-part series lost three hundred thousand punters from the previous episode to end with nine hundred and thirty eight thousand viewers at 9.15pm. Earlier, the first of this year's Proms Extra 2013 was seen by four hundred and seventy four thousand at 7pm. On BBC2, a nine hundred and seventy eighth broadcast of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom attracted 3.79 million at 7pm. The National Lottery draw brought in 3.85m at 8.45pm. The most-watched programme on Saturday night was - again - a repeat of Mrs Brown's Boys with 4.15m at 10pm.
ITV's You've Been Framed completely failed to amuse 3.04m at 7pm, followed by the penultimate episode of the odious and risible Your Face Sounds Familiar which had 3.40m at 8pm. All Star Family Fortunes was watched by 3.37m at 8.45pm, while the latest episode of The Americans appealed to 1.2m at 9.45pm. Channel Four's special When Bjork Met Attenborough interested four hundred and fifty five thousand at 7pm. X-Men Origins: Wolverine had an audience of 1.71m at 9pm. Channel Five's evening of NCIS episodes peaked at seven hundred and eighty seven thousand punters at 8pm, while Big Brother continued with 1.06m at 10pm. On BBC3, a repeat of the Olympics Opening Ceremony gathered eight hundred and twenty five thousand viewers who - presumably - didn't buy it on DVD like this blogger. The highest-rated show on the multichannels was a repeat of Lewis on ITV3 with 1.01m at 9pm.Here are the final and consolidated figures for the Top Twenty programmes in Britain for week-ending 21 July 2013:-
1 Coronation Street - Mon ITV - 8.45m
2 EastEnders - Mon BBC1 - 6.96m
3 The Apprentice: The Final - Wed BBC1 - 6.74m
4 Emmerdale - Thurs ITV - 6.17m
5 Long Lost Family - Mon ITV - 5.97m
6 Luther - Tues BBC1 - 5.57m
7 Top Gear - Sun BBC2 - 5.36m
8 Casualty - Sat BBC1 - 5.18m
9 Law & Order: UK - Sun ITV - 4.91*
10 Countryfile - Sun BBC1 - 4.62m
11 The White Queen - Sun BBC1 - 4.59m
12 Ten O'Clock News - Wed BBC1 - 4.55m
13 The National Lottery: In It To Win It - Sat BBC1 - 4.43m
14 BBC News - Sun BBC1 - 4.29m
15 Mrs Brown's Boys - Sat BBC1 - 4.29m
17 Holby City - Tues BBC1 - 4.11m
18 Eat Well For Less - Mon BBC1 - 4.04m
19 Six O'Clock News - Mon BBC1 - 4.03m
20 Nick & Margaret: We Pay Your Benefits - Thurs BBC1 - 3.75m
Programmes marked '*' do not include HD figures.
Around the world, a select band of Doctor Who fans are hard at work in their spare time building their own personal TARDIS. It is a secretive community, though members do share their tips and experiences on a website, TARDIS Builders. The BBC's LJ Rich caught up with TARDIS-builder Yoz, to find out why she wanted to build a time machine in her living room - and how she did it. And, indeed, why.
The Honourable Woman is billed as 'a fast paced, labyrinthine thriller' and features Gyllenhaal as lead character, Nessa Stein. Rea will play Hugh Hayden-Hoyle, an MI6 spy on the verge of retirement who is digging into Stein's life and family. Lindsay Duncan is cast as his bitter ex-wife. Buchan stars as Stein's brother and Parkinson plays his 'highly strung, pregnant wife.' Academy and Tony award nominee Janet McTeer plays the head of MI6 Julia Walsh, who has a hold over Hayden-Hoyle. Tobias Menzies (another of The Shadow Line's cast), Genevieve O'Reilly, Israeli actor Igal Naor and Eve Best have also been cast in the series. The Honourable Woman will be broadcast on BBC2 in 2014.Some of the stars of Auf Wiedersehen, Pet will reunite for the show's thirtieth anniversary later this year. A special weekend-long convention in Newcastle will mark the milestone in September, including a tour of locations used in the series. Yer actual Keith Telly Topping has been to most of them. Just thought I'd mention it. The comedy followed a likable, if amateurish, group of British construction workers overseas, launching in November 1983.
It ran for two series on ITV in 1983 and 1986, before being revived for a stunning third series on BBC1 in 2002. A fourth series followed in 2004, along with a two-part finale special the following year. Timothy Spall, Kevin Whately, Jimmy Nail and Tim Healy led the cast, along with the late Gary Holton, Christopher Fairbank and the late Pat Roach. Healy - who played team leader Dennis Patterson - is confirmed for the event, along with creator Franc Roddam and writers the great Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais. Several other cast members are expected to confirm their attendance in the coming weeks. 'Thirty years, I can't believe where it's gone,' said Healy. 'We're having a brickies' gala dinner and a charity auction with all the money going to the Sunday for Sammy Trust. It will be a great night.' The Sunday for Sammy Trust was formed to help provide funding for creative, talented and enthusiastic young people from the North East who are looking for a career in performing arts. it is named in honour of the late Sammy Johnson, who appeared in Auf Wiedersehen and, subsequently, as Nail's co-star in Spender. When Johnson died, suddenly in 1998, his friends and colleagues decided to create a lasting tribute to his memory.Sharon Osbourne has reportedly been warned to 'tone down her rants' on The X Factor judging panel. The returning judge is said to have 'used profanities on several occasions' after watching certain acts try out for the show, according to the Sun. ITV producers have now, allegedly, decided to cut out particular pre-recorded auditions to remove her outbursts from ,the family-friendly show., As if anybody actually gives a flying spunk about such utter trivial numskull bollocks as this. Jesus, just when you think z-list celebrity culture has reached its lowest point, along comes the Sun to prove you wrong.
Yer actual Benedict Cumberbatch was 'spotted holding hands with a pretty redhead' on a night out at the weekend according to the Now magazine website. The Sherlock star took the actress Charlotte Asprey to London club Cirque Le Soir, 'where they were entertained by burlesque dancers and dancing dogs at a VIP table.' It aal reet for some, innit?
Which makes one wonder why they're bothering to remake it. His co-stars include Spencer Grammer, the eldest daughter of Kelsey Grammer. 'All new characters, a new city, new texture, new storytelling, new audience,' Underwood told the Television Critics Association in Los Angeles on Saturday. Was it too much, in that case, to come up with a new title? 'It's a crime drama wrapped in a character study.' Underwood said that he got used to the wheelchair by using one at home while learning his lines. He worked with technical adviser David Bryant, who became a paraplegic after a skiing accident at the age of nineteen. 'It's something I had to delve into and continue to delve into as often as possible,' Underwood said. 'Our job is to make you believe it and be authentic in that.' As well as a long-running role in LA Law, Underwood has also appeared Sex And The City and In Treatment. Underwood played the lead role of Stanley in the Broadway revival of A Streetcar Named Desire last year.
It was very helpful to me going through that.' When the BBC adaptation of Wolf Hall arrives on-screen, there will be ample opportunity to spot the parallels – with the ageing, ailing monarch, the courtiers who seem indispensable then fall out of favour, the cast-out wives, the enemy empire, et cetera – that so gripped Murdoch the small. In the interview, he only cites one specific character as especially resonant, saying 'the second book is particularly great on the prosecution of Anne Boleyn.' Of course, the fact that the publicly funded-BBC is making the adaptation instead of Murodch's own Sky is one-in-the-eye for the odious little twerp who once, in a celebrated 'greed is good'-style speech at the Edinburgh TV festival said the corporation was 'incapable of distinguishing between what is good for it, and what is good for the country. Funded by a hypothecated tax, the BBC feels empowered to offer something for everyone, even in areas well served by the market. The scope of its activities and ambitions is chilling.' Twat. Whom, like his billionaire tyrant father, no one is frightened of any more.The ex-boyfriend of the blogger and author Brooke Magnanti – better known as anonymous call girl Belle de Jour – has launched legal proceedings against her. The revelation comes as The Sunday Times prepares to make an extremely public and grovelling apology in the high court on Monday for its incorrect allegations about Owen Morris, a former RAF officer. The newspaper had, wrongly, claimed that he sought 'to expose Magnanti's identity for money' and that she had taken a restraining order out against him. 'After years of near continuous and exhausting work to fight the libellous press allegations about me, I am obviously very grateful to be vindicated with tomorrow's apology,' said Morris. 'But as a result of further damaging breaches of my privacy, I am currently involved in other proceedings here in Scotland. I remain determined to clear the names of my friends and family, whose private lives were also twisted and used without prior knowledge and consent.' The newspaper had published a short - and not particularly sincere - apology to Morris in February 2012 but he has fought a legal battle for a more full public apology to be read out in court. Magnanti said: 'I can understand that he wants to have his say about how he feels about the court proceedings. But he is straying very, very close to libelling me, and I really don't want to get into that.' Referring to an account in the Scum Mail of the high court apology, Magnanti tweeted: 'It might interest some to know the Herald had to make an apology to me in Feb [sic] for printing the same thing the Mail is printing now.' Later, she told the Gruniad Morning Star that the tweet was 'to make clear' the distinction – which she said the Scum Mail was blurring – between her own stance and what The Sunday Times had wrongly reported. 'The newspaper is apologising on its own behalf. Nobody is apologising on my behalf. I didn't want other papers to fall into the same mistake.' It is understood that after the two parties repeatedly failed to reach a settlement the breach of privacy case will now be heard in court in Scotland. Belle de Jour first found fame in 2003 as a popular, anonymous blog which documented the author's encounters as a prostitute in London, as well as her relationship with Morris – known in her writing as 'The Boy.' The diary blog won the Gruniad's 'best-written British blog award' in 2003 and was later published as a book, The Intimate Adventures of a London Call Girl, which became a top ten bestseller and was turned into a TV series starring yer actual Billie Piper her very self. But, it was only in November 2009 that the identity of Magnanti – then a scientist at Bristol University – was made public, when Magnanti outed herself to The Sunday Times. Subsequent articles in the newspaper, since withdrawn, stated that Morris had 'threatened to reveal her identity for financial gain' and that she had taken a restraining order out against him. Monday's apology admits that these allegations were entirely untrue and accepts the negative impact which they had on Morris's personal and professional life. He believes that they led to his departure from the RAF in 2011. 'After years of relentless libel targeted at my now destroyed personal professional life, I am glad that the truth behind the Belle de Jour media machine is finally starting to come out,' Morris said. 'The grim reality is diametrically opposed to the marketed myth.' The newspaper has paid substantial compensation to Morris, as well as his legal costs. The Week has also previously apologised and paid damages to Morris for printing similar assertions and claiming that he had made threats of violence against Magnanti.
Formula 1 commentator Murray Walker has revealed that he no longer requires chemotherapy. The eighty nine-year-old was diagnosed with lymphoma, a form of blood cancer, after undergoing routine tests following a fall last month, but has since been told he won't need the treatment. 'I went to have my pre-chemotherapy blood check this week and was understandably delighted when they said:
"Your blood condition has improved so much that it is now nearly normal and you do not need the chemotherapy - well not now, anyway,"' Walker told the Scum Mail on Sunday. 'The theory is that I had a substantial internal blood loss when I fell and fractured my pelvis, which, in turn, caused the anaemic condition. Since then my body has apparently been quietly putting things right in the weird and wonderful way these things happen. Now I'm going to be having regular checks to monitor my condition. If it deteriorates I will have to have the chemo, but if it doesn't I won't. So although I am not completely out of the woods, I can certainly see the sunlit meadows ahead.' He added: 'I feel a bit of a fraud, having generated all the publicity and an outpouring of much appreciated sympathy from literally all over the world about something that hasn't happened and which might not happen during my obviously limited life span, at nearly ninety! In mitigation I have to say that when I was diagnosed my feeling was that the news was bound to come out and the best thing I could do was to announce it openly and get it all over.'Lewis Hamilton took his first win for Mercedes by dominating the Hungarian Grand Prix on Sunday. Hamilton controlled the race as he beat Lotus's Kimi Raikkonen and Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel into second and third. Vettel's team-mate Mark Webber recovered from tenth on the grid to take fourth ahead of Ferrari's Fernando Alonso. Raikkonen moves one point ahead of Alonso into second in the championship, thirty eight points adrift of Vettel, who is on course for a fourth title. Alonso spent the last stint of the race holding off Lotus's Romain Grosjean, whose podium chances were wiped out by a penalty for overtaking off the track. The Frenchman passed Ferrari's Felipe Massa around the outside of turn four on lap twenty nine, but had all four wheels beyond the white line that demarcates the track limits and he was given a drive-through penalty. Grosjean may yet be given a second punishment - the stewards are to investigate after the race a collision between him and McLaren's Jenson Button.
Grosjean appeared to edge Button off the track on the outside as he passed him into the chicane on lap twenty four. At that stage, Grosjean was battling with Vettel for what was a de facto second place behind Hamilton, who was out of everyone else's reach. 'We really had no idea we could do that well,' said Hamilton. 'The last twenty laps I was just managing my tyres and cruising. I think you can say I was hungry for it today.' Hamilton had said after taking pole position on Saturday that it would be a 'miracle' if he won the race, considering the high temperatures in Hungary and the problems Mercedes have had with tyre wear in recent races. But he was in control throughout, leading off pole position, lost the lead to Grosjean and then Webber after making his first pit stop and then regained it when the Australian made his first stop on lap twenty three, having started on a different tyre following problems in qualifying. Hamilton, who had crucially given himself some clear air to show his pace by passing his former McLaren team-mate Button straight after his first pit stop, made sure of victory with two impressive overtaking moves on Webber. The Mercedes rejoined behind the Red Bull after both his second and third pit stops, and each time immediately passed him around the outside of turn two and into the fast turn three. The moves took place shortly before the same spot that Nigel Mansell famously passed Ayrton Senna for victory in Hungary in 1989 and underlined Hamilton's superiority. The twenty eight-year-old has now won four times in Hungary out of his seven races here. In an intriguing race, Vettel survived problems with a front wing broken when he touched Button trying to pass the McLaren in turn two shortly after the world champion's first pit stop. At the time, Vettel was being urged to cool his car because his Kers power boost system was overheating. As the race developed, it emerged that Vettel was battling Raikkonen for second place. 
The Finn had made up ground impressively on a two-stop strategy - when all the other leading drivers did three - after dropping to tenth following his first pit stop. Vettel rejoined just over two seconds behind the Lotus after his own final pit stop with fifteen laps to go, but with Raikkonen on far older tyres, on which he was asking to do twenty eight laps in his final stint. The German was on Raikkonen's tail with eleven of the seventy laps to go, but the experienced Finn was able to hold him off. Vettel made one attempt to pass Raikkonen around the outside of turn four on lap sixty eight, but he defended and Vettel had to back off. 'I knew it was going to be pretty tight so I saved the tyres with ten laps to go a bit,' said Raikkonen. 'I didn't have any doubts I could keep him behind, I had good speed in the last sector.' The reigning world champion whinged that Raikkonen had not given him enough room, and his team said they would talk to race director Charlie Whiting about the incident. 'I told him [Raikkonen] and he was laughing,' said Vettel on the podium afterwards. 'In the heat of the moment it's quite tight there. It's racing.' Webber recovered well from his tenth place on the grid to run second before his final stop, after which he dropped to fourth. Alonso's Ferrari ran fourth in the early laps after starting fifth but did not have the pace to compete with the cars in front. Alonso was lapping around a second slower than Vettel, despite the damage to the Red Bull, and he was forced to focus on holding off Grosjean to take fifth, exactly where the Spaniard finished in Hungary last year. Button took seventh place, ahead of Ferrari's Felipe Massa, who drove the entire race with a damaged front wing after being hit by Nico Rosberg's Mercedes on the first lap. Rosberg was on course for ninth before retiring with his car in flames with five laps to go, promoting McLaren's Sergio Perez to ninth ahead of Pastor Maldonado, who scored Williams's first point of the season.The Co-operative has given lads' mags six weeks to cover up their front pages with sealed 'modesty bags' or be taken off sale in its stores. The four thousand-outlet retailer said that it was 'responding to concerns' by its members, customers and colleagues about images of scantily-clad women on covers. Titles such as Front, Loaded, Nuts and Zoo have been given a deadline of 9 September. The Co-op, which is owned and run by its more than seven million members, introduced opaque screens for lads' magazines on some shelves earlier this month. Steve Murrells, retail chief executive for the Co-operative Group, said:
'As a community-based retailer, we have listened to the concerns of our customers and members, many of whom say they object to their children being able to see overt sexual images in our stores. Whilst we have tried to mitigate the likelihood of young children seeing the images with a number of measures in store, the most effective way of doing this is for these magazines to be put in individual, sealed modesty bags.' Cathryn Higgs, a policy manager at the Co-op, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that the group was currently 'in dialogue' with the magazine publishers. 'I've got every hope they will take what we believe is the responsible approach and put them in a bag,' she said. She added that the Co-op believed it was the first retailer in the UK to take this step but other supermarkets were probably having 'similar conversations with their customers.' The Daily Sport newspaper has already agreed to comply with the Co-op's new policy. Women and Equalities Minister Jo Swinson said that the Co-op's move was 'very welcome. Many parents aren't comfortable with the way sexualised imagery has become like wallpaper - everywhere from the bus stop to the corner shop,' she said. 'Adults should be left to make their own decisions about what legal sexual images they look at, but the place for these is not next to the sweets at children's eye-level. I hope other retailers will follow the Co-operative's lead.' But campaign group Lose The Lads' Mags said that the Co-op was 'not going far enough.' Spokeswoman Sophie Bennett said: 
'The so-called "modesty bags" they are demanding from publishers are designed to allow the Co-operative to continue profiting from sexist, harmful lads' mags - but just a bit more discreetly.' The Professional Publishers Association, which represents some magazine publishers, said: 'Men's lifestyle magazines are mainstream titles enjoyed by a readership of millions and feature content to reflect the diverse interests of the nation's young men. Publishers support the guidelines on the appropriate display of men's lifestyle magazines, which have been drawn up with the National Federation of Retail Newsagents and endorsed by the Home Office.' A former editor of Front magazine, one Piers Hernu, told BBC 5Live that the Co-op's decision was 'very dangerous' and 'amounted to censorship.' The firm, he claimed, had 'caved in' to a 'vociferous campaign from some fanatical feminists', showing itself to be 'weak-willed and spineless.' Hey, Piers mate, a quick tip. When you're in a hole it's, generally, a good idea to stop digging. And so to today's Keith Telly Topping's 45 of the Day. For a very hot summer, here's an extremely hot single from Di, Mary and Flo.
