The Doctor Who production crew have been filming in Tenerife this week, and an interesting tweet from on-location appears to reveal a new alien from the opening series nine two-parter, The Magician's Apprentice and The Witch's Familiar. The actress, Gina Beck revealed her jealousy of her friend, Ben Freeman, accompanied by a photo of Peter Capaldi, Jenna Coleman, Freeman and a mysterious charred fourth figure.
Prior to relocating to the Balearics, some filming for series nine had already been taking place in the slightly less exotic surroundings of Howard Gardens in Cardiff. The episodes, the second recording block of the new series, have been written by The Lord Thy God Steven Moffat and are directed by Hettie MacDonald, the first Doctor Who serial that she has handled since 2007's fan-favourite, Blink. Block One of series nine, which commenced shooting at the start of this year, featured another - as yet unnamed - two-parter, possibly set on a Russian air base, written by Toby Whithouse and directed by Being Human's Daniel O'Hara.
Death In Paradise continued to perform strongly in the ratings, according to overnight figures for Thursday. The BBC1 Caribbean crime drama was the night's most watched programme with 6.52m at 9pm. Earlier, DIY SOS: The Big Build attracted 4.28m at 8pm. Question Time was watched by 2.68m at 10.45pm. On BBC2, Wanted In Paradise interested 1.04m at 7pm, before The Great British Sewing Bee was watched by 2.72m and Reinventing The Royals averaged 1.80m at 9pm. 
Charlie Brooker's Weekly Wipe brought in 1.04m at 10pm. It was a rotten night for ITV with coverage of The Everton's Europa League tie being watched by but 1.82m between 7.45pm and 10.15pm. Channel Four's Location, Location, Location continued with 1.18m at 8pm, while Cucumber's audience rose to five hundred and seventy thousand for its sixth episode at 9pm. Channel Five's Benefits Britain: Life On The Dole attracted five hundred and seventy eight thousand punters at 8pm and Britain's Biggest Primary School was watched by seven hundred and fifty six thousand at 9pm. The new season of The Mentalist continued with five hundred an sixty six thousand at 10pm. Sky Atlantic's Fortitude saw its overnight audience drop to three hundred and twenty three thousand at 9pm.
Bear Grylls: Mission Survive's Friday overnight viewing figures were up on the series' launch episode. The second episode in the z-list celebrity survival show was watched by an average of 3.03 million, which was slightly up on the previous week's overnight average of 2.91 million. Earlier in the evening, ITV's Barging Round Britain With John Sergeant was seen by 2.83 million. The ONE Show was once again the evening's highest-rated programme outside of soaps, attracting an average audience of 4.01 million from 7pm on BBC1.
It outperformed the likes of A Question Of Sport with 3.2 million, Room 101 with 3.13 million and The Musketeers with 2.84 million. BBC1's evening ended with 3.72 million for The Graham Norton Show at 10.35pm. On BBC2, Wanted In Paradise had an audience of nine hundred and seventy thousand viewers at 7pm, followed by 2.02 million for Mastermind at 8pm and 1.89 million for Britain's Supermarket Revolution at 8.30pm. Italy Unpacked continued with 1.70 million while a repeat of Qi rounded the evening off with 1.27 million. The second episode in the latest series of Gogglebox achieved overnight ratings of 3.28 million for Channel Four at 9pm. It was followed by 1.34 million for The Last Leg at 10pm and preceded by nine hundred and seventy thousand for The Million Pound Drop. NCIS: New Orleans was Channel Five's highest-rated show of the evening, entertaining 1.01 million at 9pm. The new series of NCIS continued with nine hundred and forty six thousand at 10pm. Elsewhere, Agatha Christie's Marple was seen by an average of five hundred and fifty five thousand at 8pm.
The Voice rose to more than 7.2 million overnight viewers as the Battle Rounds began on Saturday. BBC1's singing contest averaged 7.23m from 7.15pm, according to overnight figures, up by around four hundred thousand from the previous episode. Casualty then appealed to 4.8m. The evening ended with 2.9m for Match Of The Day featuring yer actual Keith Telly Topping's beloved (though unsellable) Magpies giving relegation-haunted Aston Villains and their notoriously fickle support a damned good thrashing and leave the Second City Scum facing the prospect of life down among the dead men in The Championship next year. Who's laughing now then, eh?
BBC2's How We Got To Now with Steven Johnson was watched by eight hundred and sixteen thousand from 7.45pm. A Dad's Army repeat entertained 1.51m, before Reginald D Hunter's Songs Of The South continued with 1.16m. On ITV, Ant and/or Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway managed 6.03m from 7pm a fall of one hundred and fifty thousand punters from the previous week's series opener. Afterwards, rotten as a badger's wound Take Me Out - featuring professional Northern berk Paddy McGuinness, as usual, clowning around and acting the fool - and The Jonathan Ross Show attracted 3.36m and 2.17m respectively. Channel Four's Homes By The Sea had an audience of five hundred and twenty three thousand in the 7pm hour, with The World's Weirdest Weather attracting eight hundred and twelve thousand afterwards. The Nick Frost movie Cuban Fury averaged 1.15m from 9pm. On Channel Five, the latest episode of CSI was watched by seven hundred and thirty one thousand in the 9pm hour. ITV3's Foyle's War won the multichannels, drawing eight hundred and eighty two thousand from 8pm.
Match Of The Day also saw Round Two of Alan Shearer's continuing 'not letting Ruud Gullit forget about that night he thought it was a good idea to drop Alan against Blunderland' (the first round, if you missed it, occurred during the BBC's coverage of the World Cup last summer. And was effing hilarious). The pair who are, reportedly, quite chummy golfing buddies these days - in stark contrast to the period when yer actual Ruudi Can't Fail his very self was Shearer's manager at The Toon - were discussing The Scum's 2-0 victory over Blunderland on Saturday and, specifically, Radamel Falcao's current drought in front of goal. 'I had a problem at Newcastle when I was going through a bit of a tough time,' noted Big Al. 'Some managers didn't really believe in me,' he added with a short, knowing look over to his fellow BBC pundit. Fortunately, perhaps, he didn't elbow Gullit in the mush at this point. Times have certainly changed. 'Then Bobby Robson came in and within a week he identified the problem and said: "You're too easy to play against." What he meant was that defenders keep looking at my number and I wasn't running in behind [them]. I wasn't making it tough enough for them and Falcao has exactly the same problem.'
Cheeky chappie national treasure and notorious crisp stealer Gary Lineker joined in the fun and games with a second dig at Ruudi, suggesting: 'If you'd have seen that in Alan Shearer's game you might still be manager of Newcastle!' Ouch. For those younger dear blog reader who haven't got a clue what all this is about, a short history lesson: In September 1999 when Gullit was the manager at Newcastle, the Dutch legend had something of a falling out with his star centre forward, Shearer, and took the with hindsight disastrous and unpopular decision to drop the big man for a local derby which United needed to win as they'd had a dreadful start to the season. It was a, frankly daft, call from Gullit, and one which effectively cost him his job after The Great Mackem Unwashed won the game at St James' Park 2-1 (in a monsoon) with fans, predictably, wondering why he had left the club's two biggest signings - Shearer and big hard Duncan Ferguson - on the bench and started with a young lad called Paul Robinson up front on his own. So it was perhaps not surprising that Shearer, with a twinkle in his eye, took another opportunity to embarrass his former manager in front of a couple of million viewers, albeit in a jovial and light-hearted manner.
The Casual Vacancy concluded with 4.56m on BBC1, according to overnight figures for Sunday. The adaptation of JK Rowling's novel lost around two hundred thousand viewers from the previous week for its final episode at 9pm. Earlier, Countryfile was watched by 7.04m at 7pm. Call The Midwife remained monarch of the ratings jungle with 8.64m at 8pm. On BBC2, The Fifteen Billion Pound Railway interested 1.26m at 7pm, before the latest- very good - episode of Top Gear entertained 5.39m (and pissed-off a few dozen sour-faced Middle Class hippy Communist Gruniad Morning Star reading chebs at the same time. 
Which is, left face it, always worthwhile) at 8pm. Let's Play Darts For Comic Relief averaged 2.88m at 9pm. ITV's Off Their Rockers gathered 3.49m at 7.30pm, while All Star Family Fortunes continued with 3.01m at 8pm. The latest episode of Mr Selfridge was watched by 3.52m at 9pm. Channel Four's Indian Summers shed another four hundred thousand viewers, with 1.46m for its third episode at 9pm. Earlier in the evening, Four Rooms brought in seven hundred and seventy thousand punters at 7pm, while The Auction House attracted nine hundred and forty thousand at 8pm. Channel Five's showing of the movie Ghost Rider drew five hundred and ninety eight thousand at 7pm. Total Recall proved more popular with 1.09m at 9pm.
The unquestioned highlight of Sunday evening's schedule - if not, indeed, all TV ever - was From The North mega-favourite the Goddess that is Gillian Anderson's appearance as the Star In A Reasonably Priced Car on the latest episode of Top Gear. This blogger's life is now complete, dear blog reader. 'I'll decide when it's mildly moist!'
Here are the final and consolidated ratings for the Top Twenty Three programmes for week-ending Sunday 22 February 2015:-
1 EastEnders - Thurs BBC1 - 11.57m
2 Call The Midwife - Sun BBC1 - 10.10m
3 Death In Paradise - Thurs BBC1 - 9.10m
4 The Great Comic Relief Bake Off - Wed BBC1 - 8.39m
5 Broadchurch - Mon ITV - 8.36m
6 Coronation Street - Fri ITV - 8.31m
7 The Voice - Sat BBC1 - 8.08m
8 Countryfile - Sun BBC1 - 7.67m
9 Ant and/or Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway - Sat ITV - 7.30n
10 Emmerdale - Mon ITV - 7.04m
11 EastEnders: Backstage Live - Fri BBC1 - 6.85m
12 Ten O'Clock News - BBC1 Thurs - 6.15m
13 Top Gear - Sun BBC2 - 6.04m
14 The Casual Vacancy - Sun BBC1 - 5.95m
15 FA Cup Match Of The Day Live - Mon BBC1 - 5.77m
16 Casualty - Sat BBC1 - 5.53m
17 Six O'Clock News - Mon BBC1 - 5.51m
18 BBC News - Sat BBC1 - 5.09m
19 Holby City - Tues BBC1 - 4.98m
20 The ONE Show - Tues BBC1 - 4.95m
21 The National Lottery: Win Your Wish List - Sat BBC1 - 4.79m
22 Room 101 - Wed BBC1 - 4.72m
23 Gogglebox - Fri Channel Four - 4.56m
These figures, as usual, do not include iPlayer or ITV Player viewers. ITV programmes marked '*' also do not include HD figures. Aside from Corrie, Broadchurch, Emmerdale and Saturday Night Takeaway, only two ITV programmes achieved a consolidated audience of more than four million viewers (minus HD figures) - Midsomer Murders with 4.19m and Mr Selfridge with 4.18m. Wor Geet Canny Robson Green's More Tales From Northumberland attracted 2.79m. Once again, Get Your Shit Together didn't make ITV's top thirty broadcasts of the week. Bet they're glad to see the back of that heap of diarrhoea. On BBC2, apart from Top Gear (the Monday night repeat of which added a further 1.64m viewers to the six million plus who watched the episode on Sunday), Wolf Hall was watched by 3.72m. Dragon's Den attracted 3.10m and University Challenge had 2.65 million, followed by The Great British Sewing Bee (2.59), Alaska: Earth's Frozen Kingdom (2.58m), Only Connect (2.30m), Alex Polizzi: The Fixer (2.13m) and Reinventing The Royals (2.10m).
Gogglebox was, by miles, Channel Four's most watched programme of the week, followed by Indian Summers (3.40m), Twenty Four Hours In A&E (2.17m) and The Last Leg (1.71m). Channel Five's top-rated broadcasts were Benefits Britain: Life On The Dole (2.18m), and their quartet of popular US drama imports CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (1.53m), NCIS: New Orleans (1.51m), NCIS (1.47m) and The Mentalist (1.44m). Foyle's War was ITV3's most-watched programme with nine hundred and seventy three thousand viewers. The excellent Digging For Britain was BBC4's highest-rated progamme (six hundred and fifty nine thousand), followed by another Alice Roberts-fronted documentary, Roman Britain: A Timewatch Guide (five hundred and twenty three thousand). The opening episode of the Israeli drama Hostages was watched by four hundred and twleve thousand, a repeat of A Very British Murder With Lucy Worsley had three hundred and ninety three thousand whilst the start of Janina Ramirez's Saints & Sinners: Britain's Millennium Of Monastries had an audience of three hundred and seventy seven thousand. BBC3's week was dominated by EastEnders' anniversary with repeats of EastEnders: Backstage Live (2.26m) and Thursday's live episode (nine hundred and fourteen thousand), topping a list which also included the clip-show EastEnders Greatest Cliffhangers (seven hundred and ninety one thousand). The FOX Channel's latest episode of The Waking Dead's fifth series had eight hundred and ninety three thousand viewers whilst NCIS's twelfth series continued (a few weeks ahead of Channel Five) with seven hundred and fifty one thousand. The Universal Channel's most watched programme was Major Crimes with two hundred and thirty one thousand. Sky Atlantic's fourth episode of Fortitude drew 1.16 million viewers on Thursday (the following evening's repeat added one hundred and eighteen thousand). Sky 1's most watched programme was The Flash (1.07m) just ahead of Hawaii Five-0 (nine hundred and twenty five thousand). For the second week running, none of the UK TV channels (Blighty, Dave, Drama, Yesterday et cetera), appear to have presented BARB with their figures for this week. For which, presumably, they with be punished. With really hard bricks.
BBC iPlayer experienced its best month on record in January 2015. The on-demand service received three hundred and forty three million requests last month, with TV content seeing record viewership at two hundred and sixty four million. Mobile and tablet requests accounted for forty eight per cent of that figure in January, breaking another record for the platform thanks to a surge in TV and radio customers. Christmas and New Year specials of EastEnders, Top Gear and Miranda attracted around two million customers per episode, while The Voice, Silent Witness, Wolf Hall and The Dumping Ground were also popular. Radio 1's Fearne Cotton Show was the most popular radio show in January, followed closely by the Chris Evans Breakfast Show. Football coverage, The Now Show, The Unbelievable Truth and new Radio 4 series War & Peace also posted impressive download figures.
Yer actual Benedict Cumberbatch might not have won the Oscar at the Academy Awards for his nominated performance in The Imitation Game, but he deserves a gold statuette for reportedly sending a personal letter to the family of a late Sherlock fan. A funeral for fourteen-year-old Eve Shepherd, who died on 1 February from breathing complications, took place at Padgate Methodist Church on Monday, the Warrington Guardian reported. 
Though the in-demand actor could not attend the funeral in person because he was 'filming the show she loved,' Benny found the time to sent her family his condolences. 'I send my deepest sympathies to Eve's family,' Benny wrote. 'To lose someone so young who fought for her health all her life must be beyond endurance. I hope they can take solace from the fact that she was clearly much loved and her support of our show is hugely appreciated and shall be remembered.' He concluded the letter, which was read aloud to funeral attendees, with 'God rest her soul. With all my love and sympathies.' Eve's parents said that she was a huge fan of the drama and would have been elated to know that Benedict wrote her a personalised letter. 'Eve would find this funny as she was a big TV and film fan. She would be giggling her head off at the thought that she was in the newspaper,' her father, Mark, said. The ceremony concluded as a celebration, the processional leaving the church with the Sherlock theme music playing. 'She would be so happy about the letter from Benedict,"'Mark said.
Arsher Ali has revealed that he auditioned to play Moriarty on Sherlock. The actor - who appears in ITV's new drama Arthur & George - said: 'I went up for Moriarty and just got it spectacularly wrong. I got a callback and I was thinking, "This is great - it's great that they're thinking Moriarty could be like me." But I just completely wasn't expecting or didn't cotton on to what Andrew [Scott] eventually did. He's fantastic in it, but that's not how I saw it at all - so I missed that boat.'
Ali plays George Edalji in Arthur & George - a real-life figure who was falsely accused of committing a violent crime and found an unexpected champion in Arthur Conan Doyle (played by Martin Clunes). The role of good-natured Edalji particularly appealed to Ali after playing the unscrupulous journalist Malik Suri on BBC1's The Missing. 'I knew that [character] would be hated and that everyone would think I was a massive bastard,' he noted. 'I was halfway through filming it and I thought, "Oh God, what have I done?" Maybe I should make him more charming and likeable. But no, you don't do that at all - that's not in the script, that's just the actor getting in the way because he wants to be liked - all actors want to be liked, I don't care what anyone says. So the contrast between that journalist character and George was huge - and when you're an actor that's what you want, the opportunities to show different sides of yourself - your range.'
Performers from a theatre production of The Producers have gate-crashed the opening of the UKiP spring conference in Margate. The performers, clad in Nazi regalia and driving a white tank, made an appearance outside The Winter Gardens and sang a few choruses of 'Springtime For Hitler'. The venue is hosting the start of the UKiP conference this weekend. The UK tour of The Producers opens in Bromley next week.
And, on a somewhat related theme, once again it has been pointed out to this blogger that in a recent From The North article in which UKiP were mentioned, the image used to illustrate the story was not, in actual fact, one of the UKiP leader Nigel Farage but, rather, a photo of Satan. This blogger wishes, sincerely, to apologise for any distress or embarrassment caused. To Satan.
Speaking of Mister Farago his very self, a useful tip; it's normally a good idea to check behind you when you sit down if there are cameras about.
Can't say fairer than that, really.
Intruders has been very cancelled by the BBC. Because it was shit and no one was watching it. Which is the usual reason why shows get cancelled. Showrunner Glen Morgan confirmed that the John Simm drama 'will live only in eight episodes' after failing to impress the broadcaster with its performance or find any sort of an audience. The BBC America and BBC2 co-production starred Simm as Whelan, who has escaped a dark, violent past for a quiet life in the Pacific Northwest. Morgan tweeted: 'Well, Reverti, this life is over. Intruders will live only in eight episodes. We can't thank those that supported us enough.'
Meanwhile, author Michael Marshall Smith - who wrote the novel that the series was adapted from - praised Morgan and his team for the 'brilliant' job they did on the series. He wrote: 'It was never a given there would be more - though we did discuss ideas for future arcs - and for a variety of reasons the first season had to out-perform the norm in order to continue. Unfortunately it did not. Why? Well, they didn't play it safe. The show was distinctive and unusual, narratively uncompromising and texturally bold. In a world where many viewers will bail after twenty minutes because something's not just like everything else, it dared to ask people to care - to keep the faith and wait to see what happens next.' So, there you go dear blog reader, it's all our fault, apparently. Thanks for the heads-up on that score, Michael. 'They didn't sell the book short: they did it proud. As a novelist that makes you feel very privileged, and grateful. A huge thanks to everyone who watched and supported the show - you made the whole thing fun, before and during, and are still doing so afterwards. I'm glad to know you.'
Homer Simpson predicted the mass of the Higgs boson in a 1998 episode of The Simpsons, according to a science writer. Who is not mental, apparently. In the episode The Wizard Of Evergreen Terrace, Homer is shown in front of a blackboard working on an equation concerning doughnuts. Twelve years later, scientists at the Large Hadron Collider discovered the Higgs boson. Well, I'm convinced. Simon Singh, author of The Simpsons & Their Mathematical Secrets, told a literary festival audience that the series is staffed by writers with an interest in maths. 'The Simpsons is the most mathematical TV show on prime-time television in history. A lot of the writers on The Simpsons are mathematicians,' he said. 'That equation predicts the mass of the Higgs boson. If you work it out, you get the mass of a Higgs boson that's only a bit larger than the nano-mass of a Higgs boson actually is. It's kind of amazing as Homer makes this prediction fourteen years before it was discovered.' Particularly as he was thinking about doughnuts at the time. Probably. The Simpsons may 'encourage and nourish' maths lovers, Singh claims, adding that he hoped teenagers would be inspired by the fact the show's creators shared their interests.
An - obviously complete impartial and above-board and not at all corrupt - inquiry in Rwanda has recommended that the government initiate criminal and civil proceedings against the BBC over a documentary which questioned official accounts of the 1994 genocide. Inquiry head Martin Ngoga claimed that the documentary failed to meet the BBC's own editorial standards. The BBC says it is 'extremely disappointed' by the findings. Rwanda suspended broadcasts by the BBC's Kinyarwanda language service after the documentary was aired. 'We stand by our right to produce the independent journalism which has made us the world's most trusted news source,' the BBC said in a statement. It said the programme was still going through its editorial complaints process. 'This process has not yet concluded but the provisional findings are that the documentary does not breach the BBC's editorial standards,' the BBC said. At least eight hundred thousand people died in the genocide over a one hundred-day period in 1994. Those killed are generally believed to be mostly members of the minority ethnic Tutsi group and Hutus opposed to the mass slaughter. 
The BBC programme Rwanda, The Untold Story, included interviews with US-based researchers who say most of those killed may have been Hutus, killed by members of the then-rebel Rwandan Patriotic Front, which has been in power since 1994. The programme also included interviews with former aides of RPF leader President Paul Kagame, accusing him of plotting to shoot down the presidential plane - the act seen as triggering the slaughter. He has strenuously denied previous such accusations. One or two people even believed him. Critics in Rwanda alleged that the documentary was an attempt to revise the history and facts of the genocide and disrespected the memory of those who had died. Although, arguably less disrespectful than the act that some sick and evil fucker killed them in the first place. The BBC 'strongly rejects any suggestion that any part of this documentary constitutes genocide denial.' A parliamentary resolution in October said the programme's producer and presenter, as well as those interviewed for the documentary, should be charged with genocide denial - a punishable crime in Rwanda. The BBC argued around the same time that it had a duty to investigate 'difficult and challenging subjects' and believed the programme was 'a valuable contribution to the understanding of the tragic history of the country and the region.' The BBC also said several attempts to get the Rwandan government to respond to the allegations for the programme had not been taken up.
The BBC's political editor Nick Robinson is to have an operation to remove a tumour from his lung. The fifty one-year-old slapheed will take a short time off work to recover after the bronchial carcinoid tumour is removed. The BBC said he was aiming to be back working prior to May's general erection. Robinson joined the BBC in 1986 as a trainee producer.
He has been in his current role since 2005, having left the BBC for ITV for a short period. A BBC spokesman said: 'Everyone at the BBC wishes Nick a speedy recovery.' The sentiment was echoed by the oily Prime Minister David Cameron and leader of the opposition Ed Milimolimandi who both tweeted their best wishes. The broadcaster, who has a wife and three children, thanked people on Twitter for their 'many kind and generous messages.' The BBC said he had asked that he and his family be allowed 'the space and privacy he needs in order to rest and recover fully before returning to work.' Carcinoid tumours are rare and tend to be slow growing and may not cause symptoms for several years, according to Cancer Research UK.
Indian Summers will return for a second series in 2016, Channel Four has confirmed. The ten-part second run will be set in 1935, three years after the events of the current series.
Harrison Ford will reprise his role as police officer Rick Deckard in the forthcoming Blade Runner sequel, it has been confirmed. Denis Villeneuve, who directed Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal in the kidnap drama Prisoners, is currently 'in talks' to direct. The story takes place several decades after the conclusion of the cult 1982 steampunk masterpiece, which was based on Philip K Dick novel Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep? The film is scheduled to start shooting in the summer of 2016.
The original movie, directed by Sir Ridley Scott, saw Deckard hunting down genetically engineered replicants in a futuristic Los Angeles,set in 2019. The sequel - reportedly based on an idea from Scott, who will also produce the new film - has been written by Hampton Fancher, who co-wrote the original screenplay. 'We are honoured that Harrison is joining us on this journey,' said producers Andrew Kosove and Broderick Johnson in a joint statement. 'Hampton and Michael, with Sir Ridley Scott, have crafted a uniquely potent and faithful sequel to one of the most universally celebrated films of all time, and we couldn't be more thrilled with this amazing, creative team.' It marks the third occasion that Ford has returned to an iconic role. In 2008, he reprised to the part of Indiana Jones nearly twenty years after the franchise came to a halt in 1989. Later this year, the seventy two-year-old will return to the role of Han Solo in the latest addition to the Star Wars franchise, Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Last year he broke his leg on the set of the film.
James Bond movie director Sam Mendes has revealed that Spectre will focus on 007's childhood as an orphan. Spectre is a movie entirely driven by Bond,"'Mendes explained in a new behind-the-scenes Vlog. 'He is on a mission from the very beginning.' The director also said the storyline would develop the characters of Ralph Fiennes as M, Naomie Harris as Moneypenny and Ben Whishaw as Q.
The vlog also features footage of the characters shooting scenes, in addition to a glimpse of a car chase. Spectre will be Daniel Craig's fourth outing as 007, but he has hinted it could be his final movie in the franchise. 'The reasons I'm doing the second Bond movie are the reasons I would do any movie, really, which is all to do with the story, Mendes said. Bond's tragic childhood in Scotland and the death of his parents featured in the previous movie, Skyfall. Mendes said that the new film returned to the theme: 'It's about whether or not to pursue the life he's always pursued, whether he matters and is he going to continue or not.' The first picture of Dave Bautista as the villainous assassin Mister Hinx was publicly unveiled this week. Spectre's cast also includes Lea Seydoux, Andrew Scott, Christoph Waltz and Monica Bellucci.
The Liverpool childhood home yer actual Sir Paul McCartney his very self has sold for one hundred and fifty thousand smackers at auction. The terraced house in Western Avenue, Speke, was where the musician lived with his parents from 1947 until the mid-1950s. McCartney's mother, Mary, worked as a midwife at the time and the family are said to have been 'well-known in the community.' The sale was held at Liverpool's Cavern Club. Be-Atles guide Paul Beesley said: 'This is an important house because it's where Paul spent his formative schoolboy years. He was exposed to music from an early age and his dad had a jazz band. Paul's first instrument was the trumpet.
There's an interesting anecdote about the lady who moved into this house after the McCartneys left. She found a Rupert The Bear book in the loft, which was signed with "this book belongs to Paul and Mike McCartney." Paul was a big Rupert The Bear fan and he actually met this lady after hearing she had found the book.' Stephen Giddins, of estate agents Entwistle Green, said that the property had sold well above the guide price of a hundred thousand knicker. 'We are delighted for our client, as we were consciously aware that there was a lot of interest in the property and we wanted to ensure that this translated into achieving the best price possible for them,' he said. News of the auction comes three months after a home once lived in by McCartney's fellow band member yer actual George Harrison was sold for one hundred and fifty six grand. Other recent sales of Be-Atles memorabilia have included a toilet seat once owned by alcoholic wife-beating Scouse junkie John Lennon - which sold for nine thousand five hundred quid - and one of his guitars. The Be-Atles were a popular beat combo of the 1960s, dear blog reader. You might have heard of them.
Filthy old nonce and disgusting disgraceful kiddie-fiddler Gary Glitter has been extremely jailed for a total of sixteen years for sexually abusing three young girls between 1975 and 1980. What an effing twat, eh? Glitter, real name Paul Gadd, was sentenced for one attempted rape, four counts of indecent assault and one of having sex with a girl under thirteen. Which means that now, he's the leader, he's the leader, he's the leader of the (chain) gang, he is. Sentencing, Judge Alistair McCreath said that he could find 'no real evidence' that Glitter had atoned for his sick and terrible crimes. The seventy-year-old showed no emotion as he left the dock at Southwark Crown Court to begin his life in stir. Judge McCreath told Glitter that it was clear his victims 'were all profoundly affected' by his abuse of them. 'You did all of them real and lasting damage and you did so for no other reason than to obtain sexual gratification for yourself of a wholly improper kind,' he said. McCreath said the guidelines dictated that he must take the current sentencing options into account for the historical offences, which had taken place at a time when 'the sentencing climate was less severe' for kiddie-fiddlers. He said: 
'The offences for which I must pass sentence today took place many years ago at a time when in particular, in respect of one of them, the maximum sentence was considerably lower than that which is now available.' McCreath said the modern equivalent offence of unlawful intercourse with a child under thirteen would be equivalent to rape of a child, but said that he was not permitted to pass a life sentence. He said the offence of attempted rape was 'so serious' as to justify the maximum available sentence available under the old regime of seven years which, he noted, could be considered as a lenient sentence under modern guidelines. Sallie Bennett-Jenkins QC, defending, told the court that Glitter had been subject to a 'very high degree of vilification' and 'demonification' in the press after being jailed in Viet'nam in 2006 for molesting two girls aged eleven and twelve. All of which is probably true but, we're supposed to, what, feel sorry for him? She said that Glitter had led 'an increasingly isolated life' for the last decade - in which case, one could suggest a good long stretch in solitary should be no problem for him whatsoever - and had been unable to walk down the street 'without being the subject of vilification.' Yes but, to be fair, he used to get that from people who didn't like his records as much as from those horrified by his, at the time, alleged sinful and naughty ways. Glitter was found very guilty at the end of a three-week-long trial earlier this month. He had been at the height of his fame when he attacked two girls aged twelve and thirteen after inviting them backstage to his dressing room. His youngest victim had been younger than ten when he crept into her bed and tried to rape her in 1975. One is forced to repeat, what a twat.
Charlton Not Very Athletic have admitted that video footage of a couple apparently having sex on the centre spot of the pitch at The Valley was, in fact, a publicity stunt. The video of the man and woman had more than a million views on social media. The Addicks had claimed that the amorous pair had broken into the ground and they were 'investigating' the footage. 'We decided to own up and explain that it was set up by us to launch our pitch hire campaign,' said commercial manager Mark Hassan-Ali. The club are hiring out their pitch for fans to play on in the summer and launched the offer on their website under the headline Score at the Valley.
An unexploded Second World War bomb has been discovered close to Borussia Dortmund's Signal Iduna Park ground. The five hundred and fifty pound device, reported by German broadcaster DW as being 'of British origin', was found on Thursday and plans are in place to try and defuse it. The discovery came just hours before Dortmund boss Jurgen Klopp was due to give a news conference ahead of Saturday's derby against Schalke. The eighty thousand capacity stadium and the surrounding area was evacuated. 
'It is not yet known how long the stadium area will remain off limits,' Dortmund, who shut their Fan World space and club museum, said in a brief statement. The bomb was found at a parking area to the west of the Signal Iduna Park and was discovered after viewing aerial photographs. Finding unexploded World War II bombs is a relatively common occurrence in Germany where several million tonnes of bombs were dropped by Bomber Command and the Soviet air force. The city of Dortmund suffered extensive destruction during bombing raids. Mind you, they did start the war in the first place so, you know, one could argue that those who live by the sword, die by the sword. Of course, the pen is mightier than the sword (and, much easier to fit into your top pocket as well).
China should start 'training babies' if the country is to be successful at football, according to President Xi Jinping. Who is, obviously, not mental nor nothing. The government has approved the country's 'football reform plan' and says that being good at football is the 'ardent wish of the whole nation.' As, it is indeed, the fervent wish of England.
And, it's equally unlikely to happen any time soon. In its summary of the reform plan, state news agency Xinhua said: 'Grasp the development opportunity as babies.' Xi, a football fan, reportedly has three wishes for China - to qualify for another World Cup, to host one and to win one. This blogger also had three wishes although, to be fair, one of them doesn't involve football. Instead, it involves a paradise island, a big dirty woman, a swimming pool and nice plate of tasty prawn chow mein. Swings and roundabouts, innit. But, perhaps this blogger has said too much. Anyway, the Asian nation, which has a population of around 1.35 billion people, is currently placed eighty second in the FIFA world rankings. China qualified for its one and only World Cup appearance at the 2002 finals, which were held in Japan and South Korea, losing all three group games, without scoring a goal.
For the latest Keith Telly Topping's 45 of the Day dear blog reader, this blogger has dug out one of his very favouritist records of all time (naff video, though). Sing, Modfather.
This week, incidentally, a truly superb piece on The Jam had cropped up, written by yer actual Keith Telly Topping's old mucker Doug Morris at the very excellent IBWM website. One which this blogger urges you all to check out, dear blog reader. Fire and skill, just as it should be.
Charlie Brooker's Weekly Wipe brought in 1.04m at 10pm. It was a rotten night for ITV with coverage of The Everton's Europa League tie being watched by but 1.82m between 7.45pm and 10.15pm. Channel Four's Location, Location, Location continued with 1.18m at 8pm, while Cucumber's audience rose to five hundred and seventy thousand for its sixth episode at 9pm. Channel Five's Benefits Britain: Life On The Dole attracted five hundred and seventy eight thousand punters at 8pm and Britain's Biggest Primary School was watched by seven hundred and fifty six thousand at 9pm. The new season of The Mentalist continued with five hundred an sixty six thousand at 10pm. Sky Atlantic's Fortitude saw its overnight audience drop to three hundred and twenty three thousand at 9pm.Bear Grylls: Mission Survive's Friday overnight viewing figures were up on the series' launch episode. The second episode in the z-list celebrity survival show was watched by an average of 3.03 million, which was slightly up on the previous week's overnight average of 2.91 million. Earlier in the evening, ITV's Barging Round Britain With John Sergeant was seen by 2.83 million. The ONE Show was once again the evening's highest-rated programme outside of soaps, attracting an average audience of 4.01 million from 7pm on BBC1.
It outperformed the likes of A Question Of Sport with 3.2 million, Room 101 with 3.13 million and The Musketeers with 2.84 million. BBC1's evening ended with 3.72 million for The Graham Norton Show at 10.35pm. On BBC2, Wanted In Paradise had an audience of nine hundred and seventy thousand viewers at 7pm, followed by 2.02 million for Mastermind at 8pm and 1.89 million for Britain's Supermarket Revolution at 8.30pm. Italy Unpacked continued with 1.70 million while a repeat of Qi rounded the evening off with 1.27 million. The second episode in the latest series of Gogglebox achieved overnight ratings of 3.28 million for Channel Four at 9pm. It was followed by 1.34 million for The Last Leg at 10pm and preceded by nine hundred and seventy thousand for The Million Pound Drop. NCIS: New Orleans was Channel Five's highest-rated show of the evening, entertaining 1.01 million at 9pm. The new series of NCIS continued with nine hundred and forty six thousand at 10pm. Elsewhere, Agatha Christie's Marple was seen by an average of five hundred and fifty five thousand at 8pm. The Voice rose to more than 7.2 million overnight viewers as the Battle Rounds began on Saturday. BBC1's singing contest averaged 7.23m from 7.15pm, according to overnight figures, up by around four hundred thousand from the previous episode. Casualty then appealed to 4.8m. The evening ended with 2.9m for Match Of The Day featuring yer actual Keith Telly Topping's beloved (though unsellable) Magpies giving relegation-haunted Aston Villains and their notoriously fickle support a damned good thrashing and leave the Second City Scum facing the prospect of life down among the dead men in The Championship next year. Who's laughing now then, eh?
BBC2's How We Got To Now with Steven Johnson was watched by eight hundred and sixteen thousand from 7.45pm. A Dad's Army repeat entertained 1.51m, before Reginald D Hunter's Songs Of The South continued with 1.16m. On ITV, Ant and/or Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway managed 6.03m from 7pm a fall of one hundred and fifty thousand punters from the previous week's series opener. Afterwards, rotten as a badger's wound Take Me Out - featuring professional Northern berk Paddy McGuinness, as usual, clowning around and acting the fool - and The Jonathan Ross Show attracted 3.36m and 2.17m respectively. Channel Four's Homes By The Sea had an audience of five hundred and twenty three thousand in the 7pm hour, with The World's Weirdest Weather attracting eight hundred and twelve thousand afterwards. The Nick Frost movie Cuban Fury averaged 1.15m from 9pm. On Channel Five, the latest episode of CSI was watched by seven hundred and thirty one thousand in the 9pm hour. ITV3's Foyle's War won the multichannels, drawing eight hundred and eighty two thousand from 8pm. Match Of The Day also saw Round Two of Alan Shearer's continuing 'not letting Ruud Gullit forget about that night he thought it was a good idea to drop Alan against Blunderland' (the first round, if you missed it, occurred during the BBC's coverage of the World Cup last summer. And was effing hilarious). The pair who are, reportedly, quite chummy golfing buddies these days - in stark contrast to the period when yer actual Ruudi Can't Fail his very self was Shearer's manager at The Toon - were discussing The Scum's 2-0 victory over Blunderland on Saturday and, specifically, Radamel Falcao's current drought in front of goal. 'I had a problem at Newcastle when I was going through a bit of a tough time,' noted Big Al. 'Some managers didn't really believe in me,' he added with a short, knowing look over to his fellow BBC pundit. Fortunately, perhaps, he didn't elbow Gullit in the mush at this point. Times have certainly changed. 'Then Bobby Robson came in and within a week he identified the problem and said: "You're too easy to play against." What he meant was that defenders keep looking at my number and I wasn't running in behind [them]. I wasn't making it tough enough for them and Falcao has exactly the same problem.'
Cheeky chappie national treasure and notorious crisp stealer Gary Lineker joined in the fun and games with a second dig at Ruudi, suggesting: 'If you'd have seen that in Alan Shearer's game you might still be manager of Newcastle!' Ouch. For those younger dear blog reader who haven't got a clue what all this is about, a short history lesson: In September 1999 when Gullit was the manager at Newcastle, the Dutch legend had something of a falling out with his star centre forward, Shearer, and took the with hindsight disastrous and unpopular decision to drop the big man for a local derby which United needed to win as they'd had a dreadful start to the season. It was a, frankly daft, call from Gullit, and one which effectively cost him his job after The Great Mackem Unwashed won the game at St James' Park 2-1 (in a monsoon) with fans, predictably, wondering why he had left the club's two biggest signings - Shearer and big hard Duncan Ferguson - on the bench and started with a young lad called Paul Robinson up front on his own. So it was perhaps not surprising that Shearer, with a twinkle in his eye, took another opportunity to embarrass his former manager in front of a couple of million viewers, albeit in a jovial and light-hearted manner.
Which is, left face it, always worthwhile) at 8pm. Let's Play Darts For Comic Relief averaged 2.88m at 9pm. ITV's Off Their Rockers gathered 3.49m at 7.30pm, while All Star Family Fortunes continued with 3.01m at 8pm. The latest episode of Mr Selfridge was watched by 3.52m at 9pm. Channel Four's Indian Summers shed another four hundred thousand viewers, with 1.46m for its third episode at 9pm. Earlier in the evening, Four Rooms brought in seven hundred and seventy thousand punters at 7pm, while The Auction House attracted nine hundred and forty thousand at 8pm. Channel Five's showing of the movie Ghost Rider drew five hundred and ninety eight thousand at 7pm. Total Recall proved more popular with 1.09m at 9pm. The unquestioned highlight of Sunday evening's schedule - if not, indeed, all TV ever - was From The North mega-favourite the Goddess that is Gillian Anderson's appearance as the Star In A Reasonably Priced Car on the latest episode of Top Gear. This blogger's life is now complete, dear blog reader. 'I'll decide when it's mildly moist!'
1 EastEnders - Thurs BBC1 - 11.57m
2 Call The Midwife - Sun BBC1 - 10.10m
3 Death In Paradise - Thurs BBC1 - 9.10m
4 The Great Comic Relief Bake Off - Wed BBC1 - 8.39m
5 Broadchurch - Mon ITV - 8.36m
6 Coronation Street - Fri ITV - 8.31m
7 The Voice - Sat BBC1 - 8.08m
8 Countryfile - Sun BBC1 - 7.67m
9 Ant and/or Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway - Sat ITV - 7.30n
10 Emmerdale - Mon ITV - 7.04m
11 EastEnders: Backstage Live - Fri BBC1 - 6.85m
12 Ten O'Clock News - BBC1 Thurs - 6.15m
13 Top Gear - Sun BBC2 - 6.04m
14 The Casual Vacancy - Sun BBC1 - 5.95m
15 FA Cup Match Of The Day Live - Mon BBC1 - 5.77m
16 Casualty - Sat BBC1 - 5.53m
17 Six O'Clock News - Mon BBC1 - 5.51m
18 BBC News - Sat BBC1 - 5.09m
19 Holby City - Tues BBC1 - 4.98m
20 The ONE Show - Tues BBC1 - 4.95m
21 The National Lottery: Win Your Wish List - Sat BBC1 - 4.79m
22 Room 101 - Wed BBC1 - 4.72m
23 Gogglebox - Fri Channel Four - 4.56m
These figures, as usual, do not include iPlayer or ITV Player viewers. ITV programmes marked '*' also do not include HD figures. Aside from Corrie, Broadchurch, Emmerdale and Saturday Night Takeaway, only two ITV programmes achieved a consolidated audience of more than four million viewers (minus HD figures) - Midsomer Murders with 4.19m and Mr Selfridge with 4.18m. Wor Geet Canny Robson Green's More Tales From Northumberland attracted 2.79m. Once again, Get Your Shit Together didn't make ITV's top thirty broadcasts of the week. Bet they're glad to see the back of that heap of diarrhoea. On BBC2, apart from Top Gear (the Monday night repeat of which added a further 1.64m viewers to the six million plus who watched the episode on Sunday), Wolf Hall was watched by 3.72m. Dragon's Den attracted 3.10m and University Challenge had 2.65 million, followed by The Great British Sewing Bee (2.59), Alaska: Earth's Frozen Kingdom (2.58m), Only Connect (2.30m), Alex Polizzi: The Fixer (2.13m) and Reinventing The Royals (2.10m).
Gogglebox was, by miles, Channel Four's most watched programme of the week, followed by Indian Summers (3.40m), Twenty Four Hours In A&E (2.17m) and The Last Leg (1.71m). Channel Five's top-rated broadcasts were Benefits Britain: Life On The Dole (2.18m), and their quartet of popular US drama imports CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (1.53m), NCIS: New Orleans (1.51m), NCIS (1.47m) and The Mentalist (1.44m). Foyle's War was ITV3's most-watched programme with nine hundred and seventy three thousand viewers. The excellent Digging For Britain was BBC4's highest-rated progamme (six hundred and fifty nine thousand), followed by another Alice Roberts-fronted documentary, Roman Britain: A Timewatch Guide (five hundred and twenty three thousand). The opening episode of the Israeli drama Hostages was watched by four hundred and twleve thousand, a repeat of A Very British Murder With Lucy Worsley had three hundred and ninety three thousand whilst the start of Janina Ramirez's Saints & Sinners: Britain's Millennium Of Monastries had an audience of three hundred and seventy seven thousand. BBC3's week was dominated by EastEnders' anniversary with repeats of EastEnders: Backstage Live (2.26m) and Thursday's live episode (nine hundred and fourteen thousand), topping a list which also included the clip-show EastEnders Greatest Cliffhangers (seven hundred and ninety one thousand). The FOX Channel's latest episode of The Waking Dead's fifth series had eight hundred and ninety three thousand viewers whilst NCIS's twelfth series continued (a few weeks ahead of Channel Five) with seven hundred and fifty one thousand. The Universal Channel's most watched programme was Major Crimes with two hundred and thirty one thousand. Sky Atlantic's fourth episode of Fortitude drew 1.16 million viewers on Thursday (the following evening's repeat added one hundred and eighteen thousand). Sky 1's most watched programme was The Flash (1.07m) just ahead of Hawaii Five-0 (nine hundred and twenty five thousand). For the second week running, none of the UK TV channels (Blighty, Dave, Drama, Yesterday et cetera), appear to have presented BARB with their figures for this week. For which, presumably, they with be punished. With really hard bricks. BBC iPlayer experienced its best month on record in January 2015. The on-demand service received three hundred and forty three million requests last month, with TV content seeing record viewership at two hundred and sixty four million. Mobile and tablet requests accounted for forty eight per cent of that figure in January, breaking another record for the platform thanks to a surge in TV and radio customers. Christmas and New Year specials of EastEnders, Top Gear and Miranda attracted around two million customers per episode, while The Voice, Silent Witness, Wolf Hall and The Dumping Ground were also popular. Radio 1's Fearne Cotton Show was the most popular radio show in January, followed closely by the Chris Evans Breakfast Show. Football coverage, The Now Show, The Unbelievable Truth and new Radio 4 series War & Peace also posted impressive download figures.
Though the in-demand actor could not attend the funeral in person because he was 'filming the show she loved,' Benny found the time to sent her family his condolences. 'I send my deepest sympathies to Eve's family,' Benny wrote. 'To lose someone so young who fought for her health all her life must be beyond endurance. I hope they can take solace from the fact that she was clearly much loved and her support of our show is hugely appreciated and shall be remembered.' He concluded the letter, which was read aloud to funeral attendees, with 'God rest her soul. With all my love and sympathies.' Eve's parents said that she was a huge fan of the drama and would have been elated to know that Benedict wrote her a personalised letter. 'Eve would find this funny as she was a big TV and film fan. She would be giggling her head off at the thought that she was in the newspaper,' her father, Mark, said. The ceremony concluded as a celebration, the processional leaving the church with the Sherlock theme music playing. 'She would be so happy about the letter from Benedict,"'Mark said.Arsher Ali has revealed that he auditioned to play Moriarty on Sherlock. The actor - who appears in ITV's new drama Arthur & George - said: 'I went up for Moriarty and just got it spectacularly wrong. I got a callback and I was thinking, "This is great - it's great that they're thinking Moriarty could be like me." But I just completely wasn't expecting or didn't cotton on to what Andrew [Scott] eventually did. He's fantastic in it, but that's not how I saw it at all - so I missed that boat.'
Ali plays George Edalji in Arthur & George - a real-life figure who was falsely accused of committing a violent crime and found an unexpected champion in Arthur Conan Doyle (played by Martin Clunes). The role of good-natured Edalji particularly appealed to Ali after playing the unscrupulous journalist Malik Suri on BBC1's The Missing. 'I knew that [character] would be hated and that everyone would think I was a massive bastard,' he noted. 'I was halfway through filming it and I thought, "Oh God, what have I done?" Maybe I should make him more charming and likeable. But no, you don't do that at all - that's not in the script, that's just the actor getting in the way because he wants to be liked - all actors want to be liked, I don't care what anyone says. So the contrast between that journalist character and George was huge - and when you're an actor that's what you want, the opportunities to show different sides of yourself - your range.'Performers from a theatre production of The Producers have gate-crashed the opening of the UKiP spring conference in Margate. The performers, clad in Nazi regalia and driving a white tank, made an appearance outside The Winter Gardens and sang a few choruses of 'Springtime For Hitler'. The venue is hosting the start of the UKiP conference this weekend. The UK tour of The Producers opens in Bromley next week.
Intruders has been very cancelled by the BBC. Because it was shit and no one was watching it. Which is the usual reason why shows get cancelled. Showrunner Glen Morgan confirmed that the John Simm drama 'will live only in eight episodes' after failing to impress the broadcaster with its performance or find any sort of an audience. The BBC America and BBC2 co-production starred Simm as Whelan, who has escaped a dark, violent past for a quiet life in the Pacific Northwest. Morgan tweeted: 'Well, Reverti, this life is over. Intruders will live only in eight episodes. We can't thank those that supported us enough.'
Meanwhile, author Michael Marshall Smith - who wrote the novel that the series was adapted from - praised Morgan and his team for the 'brilliant' job they did on the series. He wrote: 'It was never a given there would be more - though we did discuss ideas for future arcs - and for a variety of reasons the first season had to out-perform the norm in order to continue. Unfortunately it did not. Why? Well, they didn't play it safe. The show was distinctive and unusual, narratively uncompromising and texturally bold. In a world where many viewers will bail after twenty minutes because something's not just like everything else, it dared to ask people to care - to keep the faith and wait to see what happens next.' So, there you go dear blog reader, it's all our fault, apparently. Thanks for the heads-up on that score, Michael. 'They didn't sell the book short: they did it proud. As a novelist that makes you feel very privileged, and grateful. A huge thanks to everyone who watched and supported the show - you made the whole thing fun, before and during, and are still doing so afterwards. I'm glad to know you.'Homer Simpson predicted the mass of the Higgs boson in a 1998 episode of The Simpsons, according to a science writer. Who is not mental, apparently. In the episode The Wizard Of Evergreen Terrace, Homer is shown in front of a blackboard working on an equation concerning doughnuts. Twelve years later, scientists at the Large Hadron Collider discovered the Higgs boson. Well, I'm convinced. Simon Singh, author of The Simpsons & Their Mathematical Secrets, told a literary festival audience that the series is staffed by writers with an interest in maths. 'The Simpsons is the most mathematical TV show on prime-time television in history. A lot of the writers on The Simpsons are mathematicians,' he said. 'That equation predicts the mass of the Higgs boson. If you work it out, you get the mass of a Higgs boson that's only a bit larger than the nano-mass of a Higgs boson actually is. It's kind of amazing as Homer makes this prediction fourteen years before it was discovered.' Particularly as he was thinking about doughnuts at the time. Probably. The Simpsons may 'encourage and nourish' maths lovers, Singh claims, adding that he hoped teenagers would be inspired by the fact the show's creators shared their interests.
The BBC programme Rwanda, The Untold Story, included interviews with US-based researchers who say most of those killed may have been Hutus, killed by members of the then-rebel Rwandan Patriotic Front, which has been in power since 1994. The programme also included interviews with former aides of RPF leader President Paul Kagame, accusing him of plotting to shoot down the presidential plane - the act seen as triggering the slaughter. He has strenuously denied previous such accusations. One or two people even believed him. Critics in Rwanda alleged that the documentary was an attempt to revise the history and facts of the genocide and disrespected the memory of those who had died. Although, arguably less disrespectful than the act that some sick and evil fucker killed them in the first place. The BBC 'strongly rejects any suggestion that any part of this documentary constitutes genocide denial.' A parliamentary resolution in October said the programme's producer and presenter, as well as those interviewed for the documentary, should be charged with genocide denial - a punishable crime in Rwanda. The BBC argued around the same time that it had a duty to investigate 'difficult and challenging subjects' and believed the programme was 'a valuable contribution to the understanding of the tragic history of the country and the region.' The BBC also said several attempts to get the Rwandan government to respond to the allegations for the programme had not been taken up. The BBC's political editor Nick Robinson is to have an operation to remove a tumour from his lung. The fifty one-year-old slapheed will take a short time off work to recover after the bronchial carcinoid tumour is removed. The BBC said he was aiming to be back working prior to May's general erection. Robinson joined the BBC in 1986 as a trainee producer.
He has been in his current role since 2005, having left the BBC for ITV for a short period. A BBC spokesman said: 'Everyone at the BBC wishes Nick a speedy recovery.' The sentiment was echoed by the oily Prime Minister David Cameron and leader of the opposition Ed Milimolimandi who both tweeted their best wishes. The broadcaster, who has a wife and three children, thanked people on Twitter for their 'many kind and generous messages.' The BBC said he had asked that he and his family be allowed 'the space and privacy he needs in order to rest and recover fully before returning to work.' Carcinoid tumours are rare and tend to be slow growing and may not cause symptoms for several years, according to Cancer Research UK. Indian Summers will return for a second series in 2016, Channel Four has confirmed. The ten-part second run will be set in 1935, three years after the events of the current series.
Harrison Ford will reprise his role as police officer Rick Deckard in the forthcoming Blade Runner sequel, it has been confirmed. Denis Villeneuve, who directed Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal in the kidnap drama Prisoners, is currently 'in talks' to direct. The story takes place several decades after the conclusion of the cult 1982 steampunk masterpiece, which was based on Philip K Dick novel Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep? The film is scheduled to start shooting in the summer of 2016.
The original movie, directed by Sir Ridley Scott, saw Deckard hunting down genetically engineered replicants in a futuristic Los Angeles,set in 2019. The sequel - reportedly based on an idea from Scott, who will also produce the new film - has been written by Hampton Fancher, who co-wrote the original screenplay. 'We are honoured that Harrison is joining us on this journey,' said producers Andrew Kosove and Broderick Johnson in a joint statement. 'Hampton and Michael, with Sir Ridley Scott, have crafted a uniquely potent and faithful sequel to one of the most universally celebrated films of all time, and we couldn't be more thrilled with this amazing, creative team.' It marks the third occasion that Ford has returned to an iconic role. In 2008, he reprised to the part of Indiana Jones nearly twenty years after the franchise came to a halt in 1989. Later this year, the seventy two-year-old will return to the role of Han Solo in the latest addition to the Star Wars franchise, Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Last year he broke his leg on the set of the film.James Bond movie director Sam Mendes has revealed that Spectre will focus on 007's childhood as an orphan. Spectre is a movie entirely driven by Bond,"'Mendes explained in a new behind-the-scenes Vlog. 'He is on a mission from the very beginning.' The director also said the storyline would develop the characters of Ralph Fiennes as M, Naomie Harris as Moneypenny and Ben Whishaw as Q.
The vlog also features footage of the characters shooting scenes, in addition to a glimpse of a car chase. Spectre will be Daniel Craig's fourth outing as 007, but he has hinted it could be his final movie in the franchise. 'The reasons I'm doing the second Bond movie are the reasons I would do any movie, really, which is all to do with the story, Mendes said. Bond's tragic childhood in Scotland and the death of his parents featured in the previous movie, Skyfall. Mendes said that the new film returned to the theme: 'It's about whether or not to pursue the life he's always pursued, whether he matters and is he going to continue or not.' The first picture of Dave Bautista as the villainous assassin Mister Hinx was publicly unveiled this week. Spectre's cast also includes Lea Seydoux, Andrew Scott, Christoph Waltz and Monica Bellucci.The Liverpool childhood home yer actual Sir Paul McCartney his very self has sold for one hundred and fifty thousand smackers at auction. The terraced house in Western Avenue, Speke, was where the musician lived with his parents from 1947 until the mid-1950s. McCartney's mother, Mary, worked as a midwife at the time and the family are said to have been 'well-known in the community.' The sale was held at Liverpool's Cavern Club. Be-Atles guide Paul Beesley said: 'This is an important house because it's where Paul spent his formative schoolboy years. He was exposed to music from an early age and his dad had a jazz band. Paul's first instrument was the trumpet.
There's an interesting anecdote about the lady who moved into this house after the McCartneys left. She found a Rupert The Bear book in the loft, which was signed with "this book belongs to Paul and Mike McCartney." Paul was a big Rupert The Bear fan and he actually met this lady after hearing she had found the book.' Stephen Giddins, of estate agents Entwistle Green, said that the property had sold well above the guide price of a hundred thousand knicker. 'We are delighted for our client, as we were consciously aware that there was a lot of interest in the property and we wanted to ensure that this translated into achieving the best price possible for them,' he said. News of the auction comes three months after a home once lived in by McCartney's fellow band member yer actual George Harrison was sold for one hundred and fifty six grand. Other recent sales of Be-Atles memorabilia have included a toilet seat once owned by alcoholic wife-beating Scouse junkie John Lennon - which sold for nine thousand five hundred quid - and one of his guitars. The Be-Atles were a popular beat combo of the 1960s, dear blog reader. You might have heard of them. 
'The offences for which I must pass sentence today took place many years ago at a time when in particular, in respect of one of them, the maximum sentence was considerably lower than that which is now available.' McCreath said the modern equivalent offence of unlawful intercourse with a child under thirteen would be equivalent to rape of a child, but said that he was not permitted to pass a life sentence. He said the offence of attempted rape was 'so serious' as to justify the maximum available sentence available under the old regime of seven years which, he noted, could be considered as a lenient sentence under modern guidelines. Sallie Bennett-Jenkins QC, defending, told the court that Glitter had been subject to a 'very high degree of vilification' and 'demonification' in the press after being jailed in Viet'nam in 2006 for molesting two girls aged eleven and twelve. All of which is probably true but, we're supposed to, what, feel sorry for him? She said that Glitter had led 'an increasingly isolated life' for the last decade - in which case, one could suggest a good long stretch in solitary should be no problem for him whatsoever - and had been unable to walk down the street 'without being the subject of vilification.' Yes but, to be fair, he used to get that from people who didn't like his records as much as from those horrified by his, at the time, alleged sinful and naughty ways. Glitter was found very guilty at the end of a three-week-long trial earlier this month. He had been at the height of his fame when he attacked two girls aged twelve and thirteen after inviting them backstage to his dressing room. His youngest victim had been younger than ten when he crept into her bed and tried to rape her in 1975. One is forced to repeat, what a twat. Charlton Not Very Athletic have admitted that video footage of a couple apparently having sex on the centre spot of the pitch at The Valley was, in fact, a publicity stunt. The video of the man and woman had more than a million views on social media. The Addicks had claimed that the amorous pair had broken into the ground and they were 'investigating' the footage. 'We decided to own up and explain that it was set up by us to launch our pitch hire campaign,' said commercial manager Mark Hassan-Ali. The club are hiring out their pitch for fans to play on in the summer and launched the offer on their website under the headline Score at the Valley.
'It is not yet known how long the stadium area will remain off limits,' Dortmund, who shut their Fan World space and club museum, said in a brief statement. The bomb was found at a parking area to the west of the Signal Iduna Park and was discovered after viewing aerial photographs. Finding unexploded World War II bombs is a relatively common occurrence in Germany where several million tonnes of bombs were dropped by Bomber Command and the Soviet air force. The city of Dortmund suffered extensive destruction during bombing raids. Mind you, they did start the war in the first place so, you know, one could argue that those who live by the sword, die by the sword. Of course, the pen is mightier than the sword (and, much easier to fit into your top pocket as well). China should start 'training babies' if the country is to be successful at football, according to President Xi Jinping. Who is, obviously, not mental nor nothing. The government has approved the country's 'football reform plan' and says that being good at football is the 'ardent wish of the whole nation.' As, it is indeed, the fervent wish of England.
And, it's equally unlikely to happen any time soon. In its summary of the reform plan, state news agency Xinhua said: 'Grasp the development opportunity as babies.' Xi, a football fan, reportedly has three wishes for China - to qualify for another World Cup, to host one and to win one. This blogger also had three wishes although, to be fair, one of them doesn't involve football. Instead, it involves a paradise island, a big dirty woman, a swimming pool and nice plate of tasty prawn chow mein. Swings and roundabouts, innit. But, perhaps this blogger has said too much. Anyway, the Asian nation, which has a population of around 1.35 billion people, is currently placed eighty second in the FIFA world rankings. China qualified for its one and only World Cup appearance at the 2002 finals, which were held in Japan and South Korea, losing all three group games, without scoring a goal. For the latest Keith Telly Topping's 45 of the Day dear blog reader, this blogger has dug out one of his very favouritist records of all time (naff video, though). Sing, Modfather.
