It's Not Size That's Important. It's Depth.

We start, today's blog update, with an extremely alarming claim.Blimey. Anyway, it would seem that yer Keith Telly Topping was not alone in his staggering lack of appreciation for The Delicious Miss Dahl earlier this week, dear blog reader. Oh no. An Audience Appreciation Index score of just seventy (that's 'well below average, bordering on poor' for the uninitiated) must seem like cautiously good news to Sophie when compared to food critic, supersizer (and Victoria's big brother) Giles Coren's opinion of it: 'This Sophie Dahl show - what a crock of bogus, mendacious shite. What a sickening sham. The BBC should be fucking ashamed of itself.' Well, quite. He's a professional, see - never use eighteen words where one 'shite' will do.

'Page Three stunna' Amy Diamond - not to be confused with the Swedish teenage pop singer of the same name - will be among the contestants competing for the role of Dorothy in the new BBC1 show Over The Rainbow. The model has reached the 'initial list of twenty' stage of the West End talent contest and is currently vying for a spot in the final eleven, according to the Sun. On the first episode of the show, which covers the auditions, head judge Andrew Lloyd Webber will apparently expresses doubts about Diamond's suitability for the part, which was, of course, made famous by Judy Garland ... An alcoholic pill-popper. So, no obvious staggering hypocrisy there, then. However Amy was, eventually, put through to the next stage of the competition after impressing panelists John Partridge and Charlotte Church with her considerable assets. Diamond, twenty two, previously appeared on BBC3 series Glamour Girls and has dated ex-Hollyoaks actor Chris Fountain for two years.

BBC4 is to dramatise the beginnings of Coronation Street as controller Richard Klein attempts to prevent the channel becoming 'a drier, dustier world' following the BBC Strategy Review. The sixty-minute Florizel Street will be made by ITV Studios and will tell how writer Tony Warren struggled to get his working-class characters onto the screen in the conservative Britain of 1960s. 'He wrote the template for every single British soap opera since. The show is not about the BBC versus ITV - it's about the mindset as the country was coming out of a long decade,' Klein said. 'Part of BBC4's remit is to reflect culture, and soap opera is part of that. At that moment, Coronation Street was about [the rise of ] the northern, working-class voice.' Klein ordered the drama in advance of the Putting Quality First strategy review, which proposes that BBC4 should return to its highbrow roots. He is understood to be unhappy with the scaled-back remit, and told Broadcast magazine that he would guard against BBC4 becoming a dry, niche channel. 'There is always the danger it could head towards a drier, dustier world,' he said. 'It is absolutely crucial that BBC4 remains a channel that entertains as well as informs, and that plays to hundreds of thousands instead of a few thousand like some channels. I don't want to play to the sound of one hand clapping.' Good man. This blog is behind you all the way in that endeavour. He added that he hopes to be able to continue commissioning comedy on the channel, which in the past has produced hits including The Thick Of It, Lead Balloon and Getting On. Florizel Street will be part of the Great Northern Season of programmes, which will sit alongside a shared BBC2 and BBC4 season about opera. The line-up for the latter will include a Stephen Fry documentary on Wagner, in which he will examine the composer's Nazi sympathies and look at the impact of this 'indelible stain' on Fry's own love of the music.

The government has officially confirmed the fifty pence monthly landline levy for all UK homeowners and businesses to help fund superfast broadband rollout. Chancellor Alistair Darling's final Budget before the general election included the monthly tax, which was first proposed as a surprise measure in Lord Carter's Digital Britain report and then reaffirmed in the pre-Budget report last year. The levy is intended to generate around one hundred and seventy five million pounds a year to go towards the rollout of high-speed broadband networks, with the aim of reaching ninety per cent of the UK population by 2017. In his speech to parliament, Darling said: 'The UK has the potential to be a digital world leader. It needs high-speed broadband for rural areas as well as urban, it must not be limited to the well-off.' However, the levy has faced criticism that it will punish the poor yet produce a fast Internet service which only wealthy households will be able to afford. Virgin Media's current top tier fifty mbps broadband costs over thirty three pounds per month and is only available for around half of the UK, while BT's planned forty mbps Infinity package is excepted to start at around thirty one pounds per month. The Conservatives would rather see a component of the television licence fee being used by the BBC to fund high-speed broadband. The Tories also want BT to more widely open up access to its UK-wide infrastructure to competitors. On Tuesday, Ofcom laid out plans for BT to share its physical assets, including cable ducts and telegraph poles, with rival operators to increase broadband innovation. Also in the Budget, the government included tax relief measures for the UK video games industry in a move broadly welcomed by trade body TIGA. There was, however, quite a bit of negative comment concerning the decision to put ten pence duty on a bottle of cider. But, as far as yer Keith Tellly Topping is concerned any day that's a bad day for the Wurzels and for tramps in shopping centres simply has to be a good day for everyone else. It's The Law.

BBC North director Peter Salmon's efforts to encourage more commissioning from the north of England has kicked off with a first children's order for the Leeds-based factual producer True North. Salmon is urging commissioning editors and channel controllers to work with producers in the north ahead of the BBC's move to MediaCityUK in Salford next year. One of the early results is Pet And Wildlife SOS! (still a working title), a twenty-part series for CBBC. Salmon told Broadcast: 'I encouraged CBBC controller Damian Kavanagh to spend time in the North and [this] commission came out of that. My job is to help fashion a strategy for the North that allows all of the cities to feel part of the radio, TV, digital and storytelling revolution, and reassure them that the BBC will support them.' What, even Sunderland? 'You can expect more commissioners to come to the North.' I repeat, what, even to Sunderland? PAWS will see children that have never previously been exposed to animals given the chance to look after sick pets and wildlife in sanctuaries and rescue centres.

Hayley Tamaddon has claimed that she would happily work on Dancing On Ice all year. Luckily, it's only on for twelve weeks so she'll have to find herself a real job for the rest of the time. The ex-Emmerdale actress, who is the bookmakers' favourite to win the series this weekend, said that she didn't want to leave the ice because she feels like she is just starting to progress as a solo skater. 'I think the most amazing thing about this show - and I think I speak on behalf of all the contestants - is that we could go on longer. We don't want it to stop,' she said.

The BBC is poised to reveal whether there really is a pay gap between men and women at the corporation and, if so, how much it is. They have already carried out a review of pay based on gender as part of a desire to be 'ahead of the game on equal pay,' and will publish the results later this year. Recent Skillset research found that women working in the TV industry earn on average six thousand eight hundred pounds less a year less than their male colleagues, while government research shows a gender pay gap of twenty per cent nationally. The BBC review has been headed up by director of people Lucy Adams. A spokeswoman said: 'As a major public service employer, the BBC wanted to be ahead of the game on equal pay, and therefore decided to conduct an equal-pay audit.' This week, the Equality Bill passed its third reading in the House of Lords and is set to become law before the election. It will require companies with more than two hundred and fifty employees to voluntarily publish gender pay audits.

Channel 4 is folding its factual entertainment commissioning team into the features department, and will hand the head of features, Sue Murphy ,control of the newly created 'super-division.' The shake-up follows the departure of the previous head of factual entertainment, Andrew Mackenzie, to Twofour Group and will see some staff and some features commissioners below Murphy asked to apply for new posts. Head of Channel 4, Julian Bellamy, ordered the restructure to address increasing competition between the factual entertainment and features departments for the 9pm slot, and to ensure there is more co-ordination between the departments. He also wants to put more firepower behind entertainment, which are becoming increasingly important to the broadcaster as it faces the end of Big Brother next year. The move will reduce the number of commissioning posts across the department from eight to seven, but two of them were already vacant so there will not be any actual redundancies.

The soon-to-be-former culture secretary Ben Bradshaw has confirmed the winning bidders for the pilot schemes in England, Wales and Scotland for the government's ITV regional news replacement service. Newspaper publishers Johnston Press, Herald and Times Group and DC Thomson have succeeded in their joint bid for the Scottish trial with independent TV production firm Tinopolis. In the process, they beat a proposal from ITV licence holder in Scotland STV in collaboration with ITN and Bauer Radio, which will act as the reserve choice. The English trial at Tyne Tees and Border will be handled by Trinity Mirror, the Press Association and independent TV production company Ten Alps. The consortium beat strong competition in the shape of a joint proposal from ITN, Johnston Press, Newsquest, Bauer Media and the University of Sunderland. In Wales, ITV Northern Ireland licence holder UTV will take the pilot in collaboration with newspaper publisher NWN Media. The three chosen consortia will share a forty seven million pound pot of public money over the next two years under the independently funded news consortia scheme. Winning bidders will be required to provide ITV local news in their region, along with radio, mobile and online media services. Richard Hooper, who led an independent selection panel for the trials, said that he was 'most impressed' by the quality of submitted applications. 'We asked for innovation and were not disappointed. We asked bidders also to think about longer term sustainability without public funds,' said Hooper. 'Given the political uncertainties surrounding IFNCs, my colleagues and I were particularly impressed by the sustained enthusiasm and resource commitment of the bidders and the momentum that has built up to deliver innovative multi-platform multi-layered news in Wales, Scotland and the Borders/Tyne Tees region of England, competing with the BBC.' Bradshaw said that the regional news trials will be 'an important step towards our goal of ensuring choice for people who value high quality, independent local news.' He added: 'The funding available to these consortia represents a massive commitment from this government to help encourage the long term sustainability of news in the nations, locally and in the regions. I hope this focused work will now continue with everyone working together to ensure these pilots are up and running by the end of the year.' The Trinity Mirror consortium was selected for Tyne Tees and Border after promising a new multi-platform news production studio at the Newcastle Chronicle offices. Under legal requirements, there will now be a ten day 'stand still' period before contract discussions with the winning bidders can recommence. The trials could get underway in April or May, but the Conservative Party has already pledged to fight the scheme from ever going into operation if they win the election. Which they're going to so the whole thing would appear to have been a colossal waste of time and energy. In January, the oily shadow culture secretary, Jeremy Hunt, with the thought of all that potential power being his giving him the biggest stiffy you can imagine, said that the Tories would 'unpick' any agreed trial contracts with bidders.

Emmerdale actor Dominic Brunt has revealed that he ended up with 'a fat lip' when he filmed a fight scene with co-star Danny Miller. In two emotional episodes which aired last night, Miller's troubled character - Aaron Livesy - was seen attacking Brunt's alter-ego Paddy Kirk. The shock moment occurred after Paddy asked Aaron if he is gay. Brunt and Miller performed a number of different takes while filming the fight, with some being more extreme than others. Speaking to the Daily Record, Brunt explained: 'We did a really violent take. It took an hour in make-up to get all the blood on my face but it was too much and not suitable for that time of night, so we did a toned-down version, which is the one they are going to use.' He continued: 'It was intense. I got a fat lip as he caught me one - but he did it by mistake. Danny also hit the table by accident and cut his knuckle.'

Some very bad news, I'm afraid. The great Dennis Hopper is said to be 'terminally ill' and is unable to undergo chemotherapy to treat his prostate cancer, his lawyer has said in court papers. Joseph Mannis said his client was therefore unable to be questioned by lawyers of his wife of fourteen years as part of divorce proceedings which are currently taking place. In previous court documents, Hopper had said he hoped chemotherapy would be successful and that he could recover. The film star, seventy three, filed for divorce from Victoria Hopper in January.

Friends and former colleagues celebrated the life and work of Equalizer actor Edward Woodward at a memorial in London yesterday. The actor's widow, Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em actress Michele Dotrice, had organised the commemoration at the Theatre Royal Haymarket. Celebrities including actors June Whitfield, Sheila Hancock and Simon Pegg attended. The veteran actor, who clocked up more than two thousand television appearances in a career spanning over five decades, died in November at the age of seventy nine. His family also attended, including his father-in-law, the actor Roy Dotrice as well as Edward's four children - Tim, Peter, Sarah and Emily - all of whom have followed in the family tradition of acting. Woodward's breakthrough came in the 1960s and early 1970s in the spy series Callan, which was seen as TV's gritty and downbeat answer to the fantasy world of James Bond. One of his most celebrated roles was in the 1973 cult film The Wicker Man. More recently, he appeared in the action comedy Hot Fuzz and had a short stint in BBC soap EastEnders. Robin Hardy, who directed The Wicker Man, said previously of Woodward: 'He was one of the greatest actors of his generation, without any question, with a broad career on American television as well as British film.'

ITN has appointed former Sky1 commissioner Emma Read as its first creative director of factual, features and factual entertainment. Read, who has also worked at Discovery, has been hired to grow ITN's business in the genres across TV and online in her newly created multiplatform role. At Sky, Read commissioned the likes of Brainiac: Science Abuse, Big Ron Manager, Fat Families, UK Border Force and Bill Bailey's Bird Watching Bonanza. That's pretty much a microcosm of Sky's output in general; some good, some bad and some downright ruddy awful. She took voluntary redundancy late last year as a result of a restructure of Sky's commissioning team. She will report to ITN Productions head of factual, factual entertainment and corporate, Philip Armstrong-Dampier, who has worked with her in the past. Read commissioned several films from him and ITN during her time at Discovery and Animal Planet.

The BBC has asked BBC Worldwide to buy distribution rights to Scarlet Television's back catalogue in a deal that could see up to fifty thousand pounds returned to the independent producer's freelance creditors. Freelancers who worked on BBC2's Delia Through The Decades are owed a total of one hundred and fifty thousand pounds as a result of Scarlet going into administration in February. Delia Smith herself is said to be owed a further fifty thousand pounds and Scarlet's parent company, Motive Television, is owed over three hundred thousand. Before the collapse, Scarlet had signed an 'in-principle' agreement to sell distribution rights for its back catalogue to Digital Rights Group, but BBCW is now preparing a bid to buy the rights itself. The administrator - Janes Insolvency - expects the deal to be worth between one and two hundred thousand pounds, and plans to buy DRG out of its earlier agreement. If the deal is completed, Scarlet's creditors can expect to see between twenty five and thirty three pence-in-the-pound of the money they are owed - considerably more than creditors often receive from a company which has gone int administration. Nevertheless, some freelancers are owed up to fifteen thousand pounds individually and will still be considerably out of pocket. BBC Vision head of operations and business Anne Sullivan has been given the task of representing the corporation's interests in the administration. Negotiations are expected to be completed within a week and Janes will issue a new creditors' report on 27 March.

A rare signed first edition of George Orwell's first full-length work has sold for eighty six thousand pounds at auction. The immaculate copy of Down And Out In Paris And London - complete with dust jacket - had a pre-sale guide price of two and a half thousand pounds. The book was purchased by a private client at Gorringes Auction House in Lewes, East Sussex. Aaron Dean, book specialist at the auction house, said: 'I would be shocked if it isn't a record.' No mate, a record is a seven inch piece of black plastic with a hole in the middle, this is a book. Entirely different thing. Inside the book, Orwell - whose real name was Eric Blair - wrote to his agent Leonard Moore: 'With the author's kind regards, to Mr LP Moore without whose kind assistance this book would never have been published. Eric Blair.' It is dated 24 December 1932. Including the buyers premium, the book sold for a total of one hundred and one thousand and fifty pounds. Dean added: 'The two things that were rare about this were that it was personally inscribed by the author with a nice little ditty. Secondly, it had its dust jacket. No first editions of this book with dust jackets have been seen for twenty seven years. To put the significance of that in perspective, last year a copy which was not in great condition and didn't have a dust jacket sold for thirteen thousand two hundred pounds. This one was an absolutely brilliant copy. The dust jacket had a little bit of wear and tear but, when you took it off, the book was in mint condition.' Dean said there was strong bidding, with ten people on the telephone, and it was bought by a man in the room. He said: 'I opened the bidding at five thousand pounds and someone immediately jumped in to take it to fifteen thousand and from there it bounced up to eight six thousand pounds. I knew it would do well, I had a lot people who were hugely interested in it and the consensus was that it would reach somewhere between thirty and forty thousand. But I wasn't expecting that price. I was absolutely stunned, the room was absolutely stunned and the vendors, who were in the room, were thoroughly happy.' Down And Out In Paris And London is an autobiographical work by Orwell, split into two parts, on the theme of poverty in the two capital cities.

British actress Carey Mulligan is set to play Eliza Doolittle in a remake of My Fair Lady, according to the movie's scriptwriter Emma Thompson. Speaking to BBC 5live at the premiere of her latest movie Nanny McPhee, Emma said that the male lead of Henry Higgins has yet to be cast. It has been reported that Hugh Grant is being linked to the role. Thompson said that she would 'love him to do it,' but added nothing had been confirmed yet. When asked whether it was true that Mulligan had been cast in the musical movie, Thompson said: 'I think Carey is set to play it, yes. But we still don't know about [Henry] Higgins. I love Hugh so I'd love him to do it, he might want to, he might not want to, so we don't know yet. But hopefully we'll make it later this year.' The musical was originally staged on Broadway in 1956, starring Julie Andrews and Rex Harrison, which became a smash hit. It won nine Tony awards before transferring to London's West End. In 1964 Harrison recreated the role in the film version opposite Audrey Hepburn, which scooped eight Oscars, including best director for George Cukor.

Get Into That Kitchen (And Rattle Them Pots And Pans)

Last night's episode of MasterChef was, seemingly, cancelled and replaced with the first of a new series, What Meat is This? Out of six contestants in a palate test, four of them failed to identify the (rather tasty looking) lamb that John Tordoe had cooked; two suggested it was pork, one duck and one - Geordie Graham whom yer Keith Telly Topping was backing on geographical as well as 'seems like a sound bloke' grounds - thought that it was beef. One of the girls made it even worse by daring to suggest that a chef with twenty five years experience and his own upmarket restaurant in Smithfield had simply gone out and bought some curry powder! The look on John's face when she said that was a straight cross between frothing outrage and incandescent outrage. Whilst his oppo Gregg Wallace stood to one side smirking, quietly! Constantly crying student Mitra ultimately triumphed in the episode. The twenty seven-year-old, who missed out in last year's competition, impressed the judges and will now face the winner of tonight's second 'comeback' heat for a spot in the semi-finals. Mitra cooked a spaghetti carbonara in the opening challenge, which won the approval of Torode and Wallace. However, she tripped up in the ingredients challenge, when she identified the lamb dish cooked by John as duck. In the final test, she won over the duo with cauliflower and barberry fritters with a yogurt dip, followed by Iranian lamb stew with apples and sour dried plums. 'The fritters are delicious and if Gregg wasn't there, I'd eat the whole lot. That's the sort of the food that I love,' said Torode. 'It looks like you cooked it at the side of the road, but it tastes lovely,' added Wallace. Monday's episode was also a hilarious one. 'I've cooked that dish hundreds of times,' one lady contestant whinged after she'd cooked Moules Mariniere (that's mussels in white wine to you and me, dear blog reader) to which she had added cream. Well, if you've cooked it 'a hundred times,' love, you've always cooked it wrong, it would appear. But, I was particularly glad she went thereafter because when Gregg asked her the standard 'why do you deserve to stay in?' question she tried the oldest trick in the book of bursting into tears and blubbing 'I need it to change my life' like this was The X Factor. No mercy! God, there's never been a programme that turns one into such a horrible - judgemental - individual for thirty minutes as this! And that, dear blog reader, is why it's currently yer Keith Telly Topping's favourite show on TV. At least until 3 April, anyway.

The Countdown co-presenter Rachel Riley was left cringing with embarrassment on Tuesday's show after the F-word cropped up on the letters board, according to delightfully lurid reports in both the Sun and the Daily Star. The show's host, Jeff Stelling, grinned in that way of his when he noticed that the letters U, D, F, C, K, and E spelling out an anagram of a particularly naughty six-lettered word which, of course, none of the newspapers would actually say out loud. 'Fucked,' I believe was the word you were trying to avoid, guys. The contestants - helpfully - prevented any further embarassment by opting for the five-letter words 'faced' and 'caged' instead. Cowards! Meanwhile, the team in dictionary corner picked the seven-letter 'dockage' and 'dogface.' Reminds me of the best Countdown joke I've heard - from Mock The Week a couple of years ago shortly after Des and Carol had both left the show. Mad Frankie Boyle said that he hoped those in dictionary corner were unionised to which sharp-as-a-tack Andy Parsons replied 'I hope they are too, cos it's a nine letter word!'

The Daily Mail has, seemingly, taken exception to the length of Amy Pond's skirt in the upcoming series of Doctor Who. Because, of course, there isn't any real news to report, is there? I mean, it was only budget day after all. Writing in the Femail section, columnist Allison Pearson displayed an amusingly woeful and spectacular ignorance of the series history (particularly for someone born in the UK in 1960 and who, therefore, grew up during the Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker eras of the show) when she asks - apparently straightfaced - 'since when was Doctor Who's assistant supposed to be sexy?' Err ... since about 1963, Allison. 1966, at the outside. Next question? As any, even casual, Doctor Who viewer could tell her, the Doctor has a very long tradition of travelling with sexy young female companions in short skirts which dates right back to the likes of Polly and Zoe in the sixties. And, at least one sexy young male companion in a short skirt, too. And, let's not even get into the whole question of the tin dog... 'What's next,' Allison asks, 'Cybermen become Cyberchicks with metal boobs?' Perhaps Allison should avoid checking out the 2007 Torchwood episode Cyberwoman in that case. Pearson is the author of a novel, I Don't Know How She Does It (2002), a chick-lit examination of the pressures of modern motherhood. In May 2008, she angered Sarah Ferguson (so, you know, she's not all bad) by suggesting that the Duchess of York's daughter, Princess Beatrice, was overweight. The following display of public support for the princess included some of those commenting noting, with some glee, about Ms Pearson's own apparent lack of anatomical perfection. Ah, we're all of us flawed, kids. Noel Gallagher has described the moment when he was attacked on stage in Toronto, telling a Canadian court that it was akin to 'being hit by a bus.' The former Oasis guitarist and songwriter (the talented one) said he had been told he may never recover from the rib injuries he sustained during a gig in July 2008. Gallagher's 'victim impact statement' was read out during a sentencing hearing for his attacker, Daniel Sullivan. Sullivan, forty eight, pleaded guilty to assault causing bodily harm last November. His sentencing, due to take place on Tuesday, has been postponed until 21 April. Gallagher, who was not at the hearing, said he was completely taken by surprise when Sullivan ran on stage and pushed him over. 'I ended up in a heap on the floor,' he wrote. 'I had no idea what had happened.' Gallagher, who was performing with his former band Oasis, tried to continue with the show but had to be taken to hospital after experiencing 'acute pain.' A subsequent examination in London revealed that he had sustained three broken ribs in the attack which kept him 'in some degree of pain' for eight months afterwards, he said. Gallagher added that the attack had forced Oasis to cancel a number of gigs and promotional appearances, potentially affecting the sales of their Dig Out Your Soul CD. Sullivan, of Pickering in Ontario, has claimed he was drunk during the incident and has no idea of how he got backstage.

Sky News has issued a call for viewers to submit their own questions for the main political party leaders at the forthcoming TV election debates. I've got one - why are all politicians such lying, cheating, sleazy scum? There you go - answer that and stay fashionable. As announced earlier in the month, Sky, the BBC and ITV have agreed a format with Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Nick Clegg for three peak-time televised debates ahead of the general election. Hosted by Sky News political editor, Adam Boulton, Sky's programme will be broadcast from the South West and feature the theme of foreign policy. Under the agreed format, each broadcaster will be able to take their own approach to gathering questions for the debates. Sky News - seemingly unable to think up any questions of their own - have, therefore, issued a request for viewers to submit questions via a dedicated section on its official website. Despite the theme of foreign affairs, viewers can submit questions on any election issues, with all submissions being edited by Boulton. Any viewer whose question is selected will be invited to join the studio audience at the debate and put their question directly to the leaders. Sky News executive editor Chris Birkett said: 'Sky News has campaigned hard for these debates and this is a fantastic chance for members of the public to put the three main party leaders on the spot, and get them to address the issues that matter in this election.' Viewers are also being asked to send in questions for Sky's additional TV debates featuring the main political parties in Scotland and Wales.

The government yesterday put controversial legislation before Parliament to enable product placement on UK television programmes. Culture secretary Ben Bradshaw officially gave product placement the go ahead on 9 February, despite staunch opposition from cabinet colleagues and public health groups, including the British Medical Association. The legislation, which is an amendment to the 1972 European Communities Act, will include a raft of exemptions and conditions, reports the Gruniad Morning Star. Bradshaw has maintained the exclusion of all alcohol, junk food, tobacco and gambling products from placement on UK television, along with the national lottery and infant baby milk. Children's shows aimed at under-eighteens, religious programming, news and current affairs will also remain exempt from product placement. Broadcasters will be unable to place commercial products until Ofcom has launched a full public consultation and amended the broadcasting code. However, programme makers will be able to use placement in their current productions on the proviso that they are not screened until the new regulations are agreed, most likely in late autumn. In its consultation, Ofcom will ask viewers whether they want to be notified at the start and end of the each commercial break that product placement has been used. Bradshaw has also said that the use of product placement must not affect the programme's editorial independence or directly encourage viewers into purchases or rentals. Despite previous bullish forecasts, the restrictions are expected to mean that revenue derived from product placement will be relatively modest.

Fiona Phillips has claimed that she would appear 'bitter and twisted' if she complained about ageism in the TV industry. That's always assuming that you don't appear bitter and twisted already, Fi. The forty nine-year-old broadcaster stood down as a GMTV anchor in December 2008 in order to spend more time with her family and pursue new projects. She had been with the programme for fifteen years. Phillips, who is currently appearing as the host of Sky Real Lives show Forces Reunited, confirmed that she has no intention of blaming discrimination if work offers dry up in the future. The Daily Express quotes her as saying: 'I think it's a bandwagon you shouldn't jump on unless you want to end up looking bitter and twisted. I don't want to get up on a soapbox and preach. I much prefer to shut up, keep my head down and get on with it.' The was probably something about Princess Diana in there as well, of course, this being the Express. Phillips, who has two sons, also spoke about how her life has changed since husband Martin Frizell left his role as GMTV's editor. She commented: 'With both of us at home there have been a few rows. He's used to working but he's a grafter. He won't be unemployed for long. He says he'll do whatever it takes - drive cabs, bar work, anything. There are positives to it, too. We often drop the boys at school together and then go and have a relaxing breakfast in a cafe. It's nice to be able to take time out like that, when life is so hectic.'

The iconic Hollywood sign in Beverley Hills is facing demolition unless a conservation group can raise three million dollars in the next three weeks to stop the site from being developed. The sign is still owned by the city, but the property around it belongs to a group of Chicago-based investors. They had planned to sell the land to developers, but agreed to sell it to the trust for twelve and a half million dollars if the money was raised by 14 April. Actor Tom Hanks and director Steven Spielberg have donated to the campaign which has so far raised three quarters of the total needed. Tim Ahern, from the Trust for Public Land, said: 'We feel good about where we are and we feel good about our chances to do this.' Los Angeles council member Tom LaBonge also remained positive about the situation. 'We're getting closer to our goal and if we continue working hard, I know we'll reach it,' he said. Last month the sign was draped with a banner which read, 'Save the Peak,' to raise awareness of the campaign. The Hollywood sign itself, which is set high up in the hills, was initially created in 1923 as an advert for a real estate development called Hollywoodland.

We end with some particularly sad news. The actor Robert Culp died on Wednesday at the age of seventy nine, according to the The Associated Press. The 1960s and 70s TV and movie star died after collapsing and hitting his head outside of his home in Hollywood. He was taken to hospital and doctors pronounced him dead shortly before noon. Culp's son was apparently told that his father had died of a heart attack, although an official cause of death has yet to be released. The actor co-starred with Bill Cosby as the tennis-playing secret agent Kelly Robinson on the popular NBC series I, Spy and also appeared in the 1980s ABC show The Greatest American Hero as well as making notable guest appearances on many other series. I, Spy greatly advanced the careers of both Culp and Cosby and forged a lifelong friendship between the two men. Cosby said that Culp was 'like an older brother' to him. 'The first born in every family is always dreaming of the older brother or sister he or she doesn't have, to protect, to be the buffer, provide the wisdom, shoulder the blows and make things right,' he said. 'Bob was the answer to my dreams.' Some of Robert's most memorable performances were in three episodes of the classic science-fiction anthology series The Outer Limits (1963-1965), including what is generally considered to be the series' finest ever play, Demon With A Glass Hand, written by Harlan Ellison and the almost-as-good Architects Of Fear. He also played the murderer in three separate Columbo episodes including two of the very best of that fine series - Death Lends A Hand and Double Exposure. Prior to that, he, Peter Falk, Robert Wagner and Darren McGavin each took turns in Anthony Franciosa's rotation of NBC's series The Name Of The Game after Franciosa was fired, alternating a lead role of the lavish ninety-minute show about the magazine business with Gene Barry and Robert Stack. Robert's acting career spanned forty years and included the films Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice and The Pelican Brief. He came to national attention early in his career as the star of the 1957 Western television series Trackdown in which he played Texas Ranger Hoby Gilman. Trackdown was a spin-off from Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theater and was so popular that it spawned its own spin-off, Wanted: Dead or Alive, which propelled Steve McQueen to stardom. Robert most recently had a recurring role on the sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond and had been writing screenplays before his death. Born in Oakland in 1930, Robert was five times married and has two daughters and three sons - including Mad Men's Joseph Culp.

Well, Fancy That!

Yer Keith Telly Topping has to confess, dear blog reader, that it's been a very long time since he was rendered quite as impotently angry and appalled by any television programme as The Delicious Miss Dahl on BBC2 last night. It's difficult, exactly, to work out what was the worst aspect of this ... thing. Was it the sickeningly smart-alec title? The thoroughly nauseating full-of-her-own-importance host herself? The quite disgustingly smug and self-congratulatory nature of the programme? It could have been any of those things, frankly. It could also be the fact that it wasn't even a particularly original conceit. As anyone who'd seen the trailer which the BBC have been running, ad nausea, for the past week could've easily worked out, Dahl appears to have based her cookery presentation style wholly on that of Nigella Lawson. Food-as-pornography, basically. Only without Nigella's cheeky wit (and cookery skills for that matter). But, I think what most offended my sensibilities was a question I kept on asking myself over and over as this abomination continued. Who is this for? What is the average, 'normal' (and I do use that word carefully) viewer supposed to gain from this peek into Sophie's posh little world of lah-di-dah? What, in short, is somebody who doesn't live in one of the nicer areas of North London but, rather, on a council estate supposed to make of it all? Sophie spent a good five minutes - of what was, remember, supposed to be a cookery programme - shopping for antiques. Because that's what she does to remember her 'special days' - when her new book deal is signed, and so on. Like you do. Then, she headed home to make a dirty martini. And boy did she get a ton-and-a-half of mileage from the use of the word 'dirty.' It was like she'd found a new toy to play with. The theme of the show was 'being selfish' and Sophie Dahl - and her producers - seemingly would like us to believe that after a hard day's 'work' (which, in Sohpie Dahl's case seems to involve ... getting her book deal. Did she happen to mention that she's got a book deal? Don't worry if you missed it, she'll be mentioning it again in about two minutes. And every two minutes thereafter), cooking something in the kitchen is her idea of the epitome of indulgence. Personally, after a day doing some proper work, this blogger likes to come home, slump on the sofa, ring for a takeaway and watch something on television that makes him feel, slightly, better about himself. This, sad to report, was not it. Sophie's sloane-y witterings however, did have one unexpected beneficial side-effect; a nice soothing somnambulist aura. After about quarter of an hour of listening to her drone on about how 'absolutely lovely' her life is, I was nodding off and ready for a bath and bed. Sophie Dahl, she's better than Horlicks anyday. Oh, and minus several points to the production team for using The Smiths' 'Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want' as background music whilst Sophie prepared her brandy-soaked cherries. People used to get hanged for lesser crimes than that. Just over two million viewers tuned in to the first episode. I wonder how many of them will be back for more next week.

And, speaking of shite cookery shows, Michael Winner's Dining Stars is likely to be axed by ITV after just one series, a press report has claimed. The show, which saw Winner gate-crashing people's houses to judge their home-cooking, failed to find any sort of an audience during its recent run in a prime-time Friday night slot. According to the Sun, ITV executive had told the former movie director that his programme would only be recommissioned if it pulled in an average audience of four and a half million, or more. However, when the final episode aired last week, a mere 1.92m viewers were watching. The newspaper claims that network chiefs now believe Dining Stars would have been better suited to a daytime slot like Channel 4's Come Dine With Me. A source said: 'ITV executives really believed in the show, but it just didn't work out. Programmes can't survive with ratings that low in a 9pm slot. There is a chance it could come back as a daytime show, but it is unlikely.' This is, of course, also a nasty blow for Mr Winner's co-star, his towering ego.

Thankfully, there is some good stuff around on TV these days, if you know where to look. After last week's quite astonishing Sawyer episode comes another piece of Lost's intricate, complex, multi-layered jigsaw. Ab Aeterno told, in far more detail than you might expect - Richard Alpert's lengthy back-story in a swashbuckling tale full of murder, betrayal, Faustian metaphors and clever character shading. In short, it was Paradise Lost for the nineteenth and twenty first centuries with Nestor Carbonell putting in a magnificent performance. Hurley got some stuff to do and Ben had a couple of good one-liners. What more can you ask, really?

Sir David Jason has revealed that he shed tears over the final episode of A Touch of Frost. The detective drama will bow out this April after the seventy-year-old actor and TV legend announced his departure from the title role. 'You'd have needed a heart of stone not to feel emotional,' he told What's on TV. 'On the final day of filming there were moments in the script when I had to find tears and let's just say those tears weren't hard to find.' Jason continued: 'I think everyone on set had the feeling [that] something really special, which had been a big part of all our lives, was finally coming to an end. We thought we've got to draw a line in the sand somewhere and if it's not this year it will be next. So we took the decision that Frost, unfortunately, would be leaving the force.' Jason added: 'Whether he just hangs up his hat or is carried out feet first remains to be seen.'

Radio 1 accidentally broadcast Fearne Cotton swearing during a Cheryl Cole Live Lounge session. A - hugely amusing - 'technical error' meant that listeners to the Radio 1 live feed online heard the voices of Cotton, Cole and producers in the studio rather than the music being broadcast. Radio listeners didn't hear the interchange between the DJ and Girls Aloud singer. Cotton was heard on the live feed telling Cole sternly: 'No swearing - and don't make any wanker gestures or anything because people will see them on the webcam.' Cole replied to the presenter that she would 'never do that.' You're from Heaton, love, of course you would!

Over a million more people will soon be able to receive the BBC's digital radio services under expansion plans to the UK's digital radio network. Following recent criticism of its proposed closure of digital stations 6 Music and the Asian Network, the BBC has moved to demonstrate its commitment to digital radio in the UK. The corporation has pledged to invest in a further sixty digital radio transmitters to fulfil its Royal Charter commitment to reach ninety per cent of the UK population. Currently heading through Parliament, the government's digital economy bill has set the target date of 2015 for the digital radio switchover to begin, but that would only come into force should digital account for fifty per cent of radio listening by 2013. It presently stands at just twenty one per cent, with the vast majority on digital audio broadcasting. Under the BBC's roll out plans, fifteen new digital radio transmitters will be launched in Scotland, bringing improved coverage to Glasgow and Dundee, along with first-time availability in the Shetland and the Western Isles. In Wales, ten transmitters will be introduced to expand digital radio reach in mid-Wales, North Wales and South-West Wales. Northern Ireland will get seven new transmitters, bringing digital radio services to Enniskillen and the North Antrim coast, along with improving coverage in Belfast. In England, three new transmitters will be established in Greater London and the Home Counties to boost reception across the capital and provide coverage to the Kent Weald, High Wycombe, Stevenage and Welwyn Garden City. The South West will get nine new transmitters, including digital radio expansion for Newquay, Bodmin, Tiverton and Teignmouth. Derbyshire will get two new transmitters, while Saffron Walden, Shaftesbury, Stroud and Sunderland will also see their digital radio coverage boosted. Following the roll out, listeners in all areas will be able to access the BBC's portfolio of digital-only and national networks, along with other stations available on DAB. The BBC hopes to complete the implementation by 2011, with the first transmitters coming on air in the summer. Commenting on the plans, BBC director of audio and music Tim Davie said: 'The BBC is fully committed to digital radio [and] I'm delighted that we are now in a position to deliver on the BBC Trust's target to bring digital radio to ninety per cent of the UK.'

Comedian Rob Brydon will host his own BBC2 chat show later this year. The Gavin & Stacey actor's programme will mix stand-up comedy with celebrity guests, according to the Sun. 'I don't think I've ever been this excited,' said the forty four-year-old. I've now got Eddie Izzard's voice of Welsh-Pavlov ('verrrrry exciiiiited!') running through my head but, never mind ... At the end of each episode, Brydon will apparently join a pop act and perform a song with them. Aw, cool! The Welsh comic has previously hosted comedy quiz shows Would I Lie To You? and Annually Retentive and is a regular, and much-loved, contributor to Qi. He also presented a spoof chat show as comedy character Keith Barret in 2004.

The thinking Octogenarian's stud, Alan Titchmarsh, has 'hit back' at claims that he was 'too soft' with David Cameron in their recent TV interview. Titchmarsh quizzed the Tory leader for an episode of his afternoon ITV chat show earlier this month, but one critic later described his line of questioning as 'more Paxo than Paxman.' Responding to the criticism, Titchmarsh told the Sun: 'It was never going to be a heavy political interview - there are enough doing that. I wanted to find out more about the man.' Yes, Titch, and that's why Cameron agreed to do the interview with you. Because he knew he'd get an easy time - actually, in this particular case, what was ultimately little short of a sycophantic rimming session - just the same as the Prime Minister knew he'd get an easy time with Piers Morgan. If bell-end amateurs like you stuck to presenting gardening shows and the like and left interviewing politicians to the professionals, the general public might actually see what the sleazy, shifty, oily, lying scum are really like. Defending his more gentle style of rapport, the gardener added: 'I think I get more out of people.' Than whom? Davina McCall? What's that sound I hear? Why, it's Robin Day and Richard Dimbleby turning in their graves. It'll be Peaches Geldof interviewing Harriet Harman about where she buys her shoes next, mark my words. Titchmarsh also confirmed that he thinks the politician is 'likeable' and 'a man on a mission.' So, no need to ask who he'll be voting for in the forthcoming general election, then.

EastEnders actress Lacey Turner has predicted that viewers will see a permanent change in Stacey Branning following the loss of her husband Bradley. The actress's troubled character watched Bradley (Charlie Clements) fall to his death from the roof of the Queen Vic last month while being chased by police who were convinced he was Archie Mitchell's killer. In an interview with the Walford soap's official website, the twenty one-year-old was asked how she expects Stacey to cope with the bereavement in the long-term after already losing best friend Danielle Jones (Lauren Crace) last year. Turner replied: 'She's had quite an unlucky time really, losing so many people. I think Bradley was the love of her life so I don't think she'll ever be the same without Bradley. But I hope that she copes and deals with it as best as she can. I'm sure she will because she's quite a strong character.' Well yeah. She's a murderess for a kick-off.

The Poet Laureate is to write 'something special' to mark Coronation Street's golden anniversary. Carol Ann Duffy - the first woman to hold the ancient office since it was established in medieval times - joined Corrie creator Tony Warren on a tour of the set in Manchester last Friday afternoon, thirty two years after one of her most illustrious predecessors, Sir John Betjeman, did the same. While there, the fifty four-year-old Scottish playwright revealed her intention to create a celebratory piece in time for the soap's fiftieth anniversary on 9 December.

Springwatch, the prime time TV wildlife programme, has confirmed it will return to Pensthorpe Nature Reserve in north Norfolk for a third season. Presenters Kate Humble and Chris Packham will be based on the estate near Fakenham, reporting on the latest wildlife drama from around the UK. 'It's absolutely brilliant news. And a great coup for Norfolk,' said Deb Jordan, owner of Pensthorpe. Springwatch 2010 is on air for three weeks from Monday 31 May, on BBC2. 'Springwatch has proved that nature is endlessly fascinating. It doesn't matter if it's really familiar species like blue tits, as the story changes every year,' said Kate Humble, speaking to BBC Norfolk. 'They are incredibly engaging characters and we do get wrapped up in their lives. Obviously we have concerns every year that nothing going to turn up, but that's part of the joy of making Springwatch - the uncertainty. It's totally up to the will of the wildlife as to what's going to be in the programme. It's brilliant to come back to Pensthorpe and this year we hope to broaden our net and explore more of Norfolk. As anyone who lives in Norfolk knows, it's one of the finest wildlife areas in Britain,' she added.

The Life on Mars detective Gene Hunt has become something of a hero to many viewers because the detective 'verbalises' what people are 'too frightened' to say in today's politically correct times. At least, that's what actor Philip Glenister believes. Glenister, who plays Hunt in the BBC police drama Life on Mars and its sequel Ashes to Ashes, said people identified with the irreverent character and his style of no-nonsense policing. He suggested the character was the antidote to what he describes as Britain's blame culture. 'It took me a while to realise he's my alter ego – he's every man's in some respect,' Glenister told Radio Times. 'We live in a sinister blame culture where victims wait to be offended because there's money to be made. Gene Hunt verbalises what people are frightened to say in case they're labelled misogynistic, racist or homophobic. But I'm not advocating we go around slapping women's arses.' Well, not unless it's between consenting adults as part of some form of role-play scenario, of course. Glenister, forty seven, who has also starred in BBC1 costume drama Cranford, and the political drama State of Play said that when read the script for Life on Mars, he believed it was just another low-rent cop show with an improbable premise. Despite the programme's international success – it scooped several awards, including two International Emmy Awards for Best Drama Series – the American version starring Harvey Keitel playing Hunt was considered a ratings (if not entirely an artistic) failure and it was cancelled after one series. Glenister said this may be in part due to the British having a more developed sense of nostalgia. He said: 'I'm into that. The older you get, the more you embrace it and become an old fart, which I've been all my life. I was a young fart, just a kid in the seventies, watching The Sweeney, and probably see the decade through the rose-tinted spectacles of a ten-year-old. One of the great joys for me with Life on Mars is that I was in a seventies cop show. How great is that in the twenty first century? I'd love to think it could still be made today, but who knows with all this dumbing down. Television executives are so fearful about what others think,' he said.

A TV advert for Premier Inn parodying the horror film The Shining has been banned from children's programming. The Advertising Standards Authority said the scene in which Lenny Henry smashes a door with an axe was likely to frighten young viewers. Henry thrusts his head through the door and says 'Heeeeeeeere's Lenny' in a spoof of the scene starring Jack Nicholson in the movie. The hotel chain argued the scene was 'light-hearted' (first time I've ever heard the words The Shining and 'light-hearted' in the same sentence, it should be noted) and would be considered amusing by most viewers of any age. Henry is later seen calmly declaring: 'A bad night's sleep at some hotels can really make you grumpy.' The ASA ruling follows complaints from eight viewers who saw the advert on children's channel Nick Jr and questioned its suitability. The ASA upheld the complaints, saying Henry's aggressive behaviour and the menacing tone of the music was likely to frighten and distress youngsters. 'We also considered that, because young children would not understand the advert's reference to The Shining, they would be unlikely to appreciate the comic context in which the menacing Lenny appeared, and could find him threatening,' a spokesperson said. It ruled the commercial must not be shown again during or around programmes tailored towards children. Premier Inn said it never intended for the advert to appear on a dedicated children's channel and blamed a technical error. It also denied that the advert would cause most children harm or distress. Clearcast, a body which approves advertising for broadcast, said Henry was a household name and people would be used to seeing him acting out different comedy characters. It also said the reference to the 1980 movie The Shining would be lost on children. Meanwhile, reports that Henry himself has been arrested and charged with 'impersonating a comedian for the last couple of decades' have been dismissed as wishful thinking on behalf of this here blogger. Guilty as charged, guv. I throw myself upon the mercy of this court and ask for Chris Tarrant to be taken into consideration.

I Used To Be Apathetic. But Now, I Can't Be Bothered

Doctor Who show runner Steven Moffat has said that the current financial climate has forced the show's production team to be creative. 'There will never be enough money to make Doctor Who,' Moffat said. 'We could spend Avatar's budget and still ask for more, because it's a show that's set in every point in history and every place in the universe.' Moffat told the BBC he did not consider the budget when writing episodes. 'What we think is what we need to achieve, and how we're to achieve it, given whatever financial circumstance we're in,' he said. 'A lot of the most iconic things about Doctor Who are a direct consequence of financial shortcomings'" He pointed out that the idea of the TARDIS was the result of the original production team in the 1960s making the best use of what was already available. 'They said "we've got a police box from Dixon of Dock Green - let's make a box that's bigger on the inside," and thus was born the single best idea in all of fiction,' said Moffat. He added: 'Budget cuts are tough: I don't like them, but they force you to be creative. You've seen that trailer. Does it look like we've had a budget cut?' Matt Smith's debut adventure - The Eleventh Hour - and a new season trailer were screened to the press in Cardiff last week. 'So much was new,' said Moffat, 'it would have been cowardly not to have a new TARDIS as well.' According to BBC Worldwide, Doctor Who has sold to over fifty territories and was a top five selling programme for the BBC in 2009. There have been over three million DVD sales to date, and more than seven million action figures have been sold meaning that, purely in terms of the money that it brings back into the BBC Doctor Who could be said to be one of only a handful of BBC shows that, actually, pay for themselves.

More Ideal casting news, Graham Fellows and Mark Radcliffe will appear in episodes of the forthcoming - sixth - series which is currently filming in Manchester. And, speaking of the latter ... A new documentary series investigating just what makes the 'perfect' rock band is to air on BBC2 this spring. Currently going by the working title Rock 'n' Roll, the series will examine each band-member's role in detail – from the singer to the lead guitarist to the mysterious 'other one.' In the process it will tell classic tales from rock folklore through comic book-style graphics and in-depth profiles of legendary bands. Rock 'n' Roll will be narrated by Mark Radcliffe, who said the series will 'really look at how a band works from the inside. It will be made all the more fascinating by the stellar cast of rock'n'roll stars who have agreed to take part,' he added. The series will culminate in a live studio finale, bringing together music industry experts and celebrity fans as the 'ultimate rock'n'roll line-up' is announced. This accolade will be voted for in an online poll at the programme's website, and the debate will also continue on Radio 2. Mark Cooper, the executive producer for the project, said: 'We've captured over a hundred interviews with rock'n'roll greats while making this series. It's crammed with great stories, brilliant archive and graphics that bring the mythological moments of the great rock'n'roll bands to life.'

The BBC is said to have received more than one hundred complaints from people dissatisfied with Brian Moore's commentary on England's Six Nations rugby international with France on Saturday. Among the issues raised by viewers were concerns about alleged derogatory references regarding the referee and claims that Moore's commentary was opinionated and biased.

Philip Glenister has claimed that Simon Cowell's TV shows are 'bullying disguised as entertainment.' The actor, who returns with a new series of Ashes To Ashes next week, also criticised the judges on The X Factor and Britain's Got Talent, describing them as 'supposed experts. What I loathe about The X Factor and Britain's Got Talent is this idea that they're going to make someone a star,' Glenister told the Radio Times. 'It's just the Simon Cowell show. He runs the gig. Makes the money. End of.' He continued: 'The audition process is malicious and cruel, watching self-delusional people in front of three supposed experts who are smirking. It's bullying disguised as entertainment and they're lying to themselves if they think otherwise.'

The legacy of George and Joy Adamson will be the focus of a one-off documentary for BBC4. Produced by Icon Films, the sixty-minute The Born Free Legacy will mark the fiftieth anniversary of the publication of Joy Adamson's book about bringing up orphaned lions in Africa. The documentary will be directed by Alex Parkinson. It is expected to be broadcast later in the year.

Dermot O'Leary reportedly received a sinister voicemail message containing a threat to rape his X Factor co-star Cheryl Cole, according to press allegation. Police are currently investigating after O'Leary reported the matter, the Sun claims. The paper suggests that the individual who sent the message may have intended to contact Cole herself but had the wrong phone number. A source told the newspaper: 'The message was of a sexual, threatening and sickening nature. Dermot was horrified when he heard it. He thought at first it was a sick wind-up, but soon realised there was something sinister going on.' They added: 'Somehow this caller has tried to get hold of her number and somehow accidentally got Dermot's. If they were prepared to go to that effort, who knows what they would be prepared to do?' A spokesman for Cole said that the singer's management company is helping police with their enquiries. Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the City of London Police said: 'We are investigating claims of an offensive message being left on a mobile telephone. It follows a complaint from a member of the public.'

Cilla Black has revealed that she may make a cameo appearance in Coronation Street. The former singer and Blind Date host claimed that she has been approached by the soap's producers despite turning down the chance to come to Weatherfield on a number of occasions in the past. Black, sixty six, confirmed that she would like to appear for a one-off episode but is wary of making a greater commitment due to the programme's demanding filming schedule. Speaking to the Mirror, Cilla explained: 'They have asked me to join the show. It's not their first approach - they have asked me several times. I love Corrie, but I keep saying no. I couldn't cope with all the hours they do, they work them like dogs. It's really hard work.' She added: 'It would be nice to do a cameo, but even Ian McKellen worked long hours when he did it for a while. If the role was right, I would do a one-off thing.' Black also admitted that she would like to do 'more acting' in the future and that a movie role would be 'wonderful.'

Coronation Street producers have decided to recast the character of Amy Barlow for the fifth time. Amber Chadwick, who played the Weatherfield youngster for almost four years, has been replaced by another actress, Elle Mulvaney, according to the Sun. The decision ties in with the return of Amy's mother Tracy, who is currently serving a fifteen-year prison sentence for the murder of her lover, Charlie Stubbs. It is thought that the show's producers felt the plot required 'a really good little actress' in the role of Amy. A source said: 'Amber was lovely but Elle is a very natural little actress.' As well as Chadwick, the part of Amy has previously been played by Holly Bower, Rebecca Pike, Louisa Morris and Madison Hampson.

EastEnders star John Partridge has been criticised by the campaign group Mediawatch after claiming that the soap should take a more candid approach to its handling of gay issues. In an interview with Attitude magazine, the openly gay actor suggested that the BBC drama's producers should continue to push the boundaries as they create storylines for his character Christian Clarke and the barman's love interest Syed Masood (Marc Elliott). Christian and Syed embarked on an affair in the serial last year, but have since ended their fling as Syed wants to concentrate on his new wife Amira (Preeya Kalidas) and 'staying true' to his Muslim faith. Discussing how the plotline should continue, Partridge commented: 'Part of me would like to see Christian and Syed have the first civil partnership in the soap. But there is also another part of me that would like to see them have to deal with things that aren't associated with being a heterosexual couple - the infidelity, the threesomes, the side of gay culture that's not necessarily viewed at 7.30pm. I think we have pushed boundaries so much that it would be a cop-out to wrap it all up in a civil partnership and adopt an Afghan baby.' Mediawatch's director Vivienne Pattison took exception to Partridge's idea of threesomes featuring on the programme. She told the Daily Star: 'This type of storyline would be wholly inappropriate for a pre-watershed show. Thank goodness Mr Partridge isn't a scriptwriter.' Ah, it's always nice to hear from the great silent minority of bigoted, homophobic right-wing scum, isn't it?

ITV has refunded more than five thousand pounds to viewers after the wrong competition phone-in question was read out on antiques show Dickinson's Real Deal. The repeat show broadcast on 19 January had been re-edited to include a new on-screen competition, but an accompanying voiceover was not updated. ITV said it had paid back five thousand and twenty six of the almost sixteen thousand entrants eligible for a refund. Ofcom said it was 'concerned' by the 'materially misleading information' but accepted it was an 'isolated incident.' One viewer complained to the media regulator that it was not clear which question viewers were supposed to answer for the competition. It cost one pound to enter via text message or premium-rate phone number and offered the chance to win two thousand pounds. ITV said the episode had been re-edited for broadcast by its production company, RDF Television. It told Ofcom that RDF had identified the discrepancy at the end of the programme between the voiceover and the on-screen competition, but it had not been corrected due to an 'error in the dubbing process.' The mistake was subsequently not picked up by the ITV compliance adviser prior to transmission. The broadcaster said it cancelled the competition and implemented a refund procedure after it received 'a small number of complaints' about the matter, concluding there was 'a clear possibility of viewer confusion.' ITV said an additional check had been introduced and pledged to be 'extra vigilant' to ensure a similar error did not happen again. Ofcom said it 'accepted this was an isolated incident arising from an unusual sequence of human errors. Further, we noted the prompt refund procedures put in place to compensate entrants, and that the broadcaster had improved its processes to prevent a recurrence. We therefore considered the matter resolved,' it added. ITV was fined over five and a half million pounds by Ofcom two years ago after a string of premium-rate phone-in scandals. The broadcaster said any refunds not claimed within three months of the broadcast would be donated to charity.

Actor Sir Christopher Lee has been ordered to pay six hundred and forty thousand pounds by a court in Spain to an illustrator for work he did for a DVD cover. Gerardo Moreno sued the eighty seven-year-old claiming he was not properly paid for the DVD artwork on 1998 film Jinnah, Spanish paper El Pais reported. The judge ordered the actor's assets to be frozen until the money is paid. Jinnah starred Sir Christopher as the founding father of Pakistan, Muhammed Ali Jinnah. Moreno sued the actor, his official website run by agent and son-in-law Juan Aneiros and production company The Quaid Project at a civil court in Burgos, northern Spain. The artist said he designed and illustrated the cover for the DVD, which was released in 2004, after being hired by Aneiros with the consent of Lee and the film's producers. Moreno said he received a payment for a digital illustration of the DVD cover and was then asked to design more content including interactive menus and an informative book. He claimed he did not receive any further payments for the work which were used again for the second edition of the DVD. Sir Christopher and his associates were not in court for the ruling.

The captain of yer Keith Telly Topping's beloved, though unsellable, Magpies Steven Taylor is in hospital today amid allegations of a training ground bust-up with team-mate Andy Carroll. The club have refused to comment but BBC Radio 5live claims that Taylor was admitted to Newcastle's Royal Victoria Infirmary on Sunday evening. Several national newspapers also claim that the defender suffered a broken jaw in the row. Taylor, who has been out with a knee injury since January, is likely to miss the rest of the Championship season. Newcastle, who visit Doncaster tonight, are seeking an immediate return to the Premier League and are currently two points clear at the top of the Championship, with nine games remaining - and, frankly, needed any further bad publicity like they needed a frigging hole in the head following a period of relative stability for the last few months after a mostly miserable 2009. Centre forward Carroll has played a prominent part recently, having scored nine goals in his last ten games. 'The alleged altercation is believed to have taken place inside Newcastle United's training complex,' said BBC Radio 5live's senior football reporter Ian Dennis. 'And the former England under-21 captain has stayed overnight in hospital for the last two nights. The news is certainly an unwelcome distraction at such a critical stage of the campaign and a broken jaw will mean the end of Taylor's season.' Come on, lads, I know the song says 'we are the boys in the black and white, we know how to sing and we know how to fight' but, seriously, not with each other.

Peter Andre says that Kerry Katona has 'a good heart.' So, he's a surgeon now, is he? Well, he's certainly not a singer.

Scraping Their Life From The Soul Of My Shoe Tonite!

The Lord Thy God Steven Moffat (Thou Shalt Worship No Other Gods Before He) has confirmed that none of the major characters from the Russell Davies era of Doctor Who will appear in his first series of the drama. The new show runner previously revealed that the Weeping Angels, the Daleks and the Silurians would appear in Matt Smith's first year as The Doctor, but ruled out a return of any human characters introduced by his predecessor. Moffat told the Gruniad Morning Star: 'The more you back-reference, the more it feels like a sequel and the sequel is never as good as the original.' Well, except for Whatever Happened To The Likely Lads? Err ... And The Godfather, Part II. But apart from them ... Oh, well there's The Empire Strikes Back as well, I guess. But, that's it. 'Old favourites can return, provided you can do something new and exciting with them,' he added: 'There are no past characters coming back in this series, but I imagine that kids would love to see Captain Jack meet the new Doctor.' On the subject of his changing job from writer to executive producer, Moffat claimed: 'You don't think of it in terms of a challenge. You think "Ooh, wouldn't it be great to do that!" and I'm now in the fortunate position of being able to think that and make it happen.' And The French Connection II. And Superman II. And Aliens. And The Wrath of Khan. Actully, come to think of it, there's load of sequels that are better than whatever they were a sequel to.

Mariah Carey's new LP has been cancelled, according to reports. So, there is a God after all, it would seem.

Christine Bleakley has reportedly ruled out supporting her boyfriend, Frank Lampard, at the World Cup this summer. The ONE Show host has decided that flying out to South Africa for the tournament is out of the question because she wants to carry on 'taking things slowly' with the footballer, according to the Daily Star. Bleakley is said to have told a friend: 'It's going well with Frank. But going to South Africa would send out totally the wrong message. And there's no way I want to be classed as a WAG.'

The BBC and ITV have confirmed their split of matches for this year's World Cup. England's first match against the USA will air at 7.30pm on Saturday 12 June on ITV. Their second game against Algeria will be broadcast on Friday 18 June at 7.30pm, also on ITV. The final group game, against Slovenia will be on Wednesday 23 June at 3pm and that'll go out on BBC1. In the knockout phases, the BBC will have first pick of the round of sixteen and quarter-final matches. If England reach the semi-final the game will be simulcast live by both broadcasters. ITV and the BBC will also both show the final live. And, the BBC will get more viewers because they always do. ITV's controller of sport Niall Sloane said: 'We're delighted that ITV will kick off coverage of this summer's World Cup and that England's two opening games will be shown live on ITV in peak time. There is no bigger event on UK television or online than the World Cup and ITV will be at the heart of the action from the first kick through to the final whistle.' BBC head of TV sport, Philip Bernie added: 'The BBC are very happy with how the TV split of matches for the World Cup has been resolved. The BBC has some of the most appetising of the group fixtures, and will be showing live every England match from their final group game onwards, so we hope to be with them for a long and successful campaign. The BBC will aim again to capture the very best of the biggest event of the year across all its outlets, on TV, on radio and online.'

GMTV was wrong to allow consumer expert Martin Lewis to promote his commercial website on Lorraine Kelly's show, the broadcasting watchdog Ofcom has ruled. In its March bulletin, Ofcom said GMTV had breached its broadcasting code by re-directing viewers to Lewis' website from the morning show's own web-page. The ruling referred to a segment on 14 January in which Lewis claimed free gym passes were available on GMTV's site. To obtain them, however, viewers had to 'click through' to the Lewis own site. GMTV said that any suggestion the item in question was intended to direct traffic to its gm.tv site and then the Lewis site was 'inaccurate and disingenuous.' It said its viewers could obtain the benefits of the advice offered without visiting moneysavingexpert.com. But Ofcom ruled that 'by inviting viewers to obtain further information and vouchers on the GMTV website, and then re-directing them to Martin Lewis's commercial website to obtain that information, the programme was effectively promoting his business.' It therefore found GMTV in breach of Rule 10.3 of its broadcasting code, which 'prohibits the promotion of products and services, unless they meet the Code's definition of programme-related material.'

Sky has reportedly instigated an operational restructure involving the departure of commercial director Stephen Nuttall and director of strategic product development Gerry O'Sullivan. The restructure, which was announced internally to staff last week, is part of efforts to ensure Sky is ready to leverage convergence opportunities from its TV, mobile and Internet product portfolio. Over the past eight years, Nuttal has played an important role in shaping Sky's portfolio of services, including the Sky Player web-TV platform, Sky Mobile TV and Sky Songs. During a decade spent at the satellite broadcaster, O'Sullivan has also helped to develop and launch a range of products, such as Sky+, Sky Broadband and 3D television. Sky chief executive Jeremy Darroch has instigated the restructure to create two distinct product divisions, one for research and another for development and design. Alun Webster, current group director of strategic product delivery, will oversee the latter group and report directly to Sky chief operating officer Mike Darcey. In a leaked e-mail to staff, seen - of course - by the Gruniad Morning Star, Darroch said: 'This will bring together, for the first time, management of our full product suite and future product roadmap across all platforms and technologies, something that is essential in a world where convergence is blurring traditional boundaries.'

House actress Olivia Wilde is reportedly in talks to appear in the next Bond movie. According to Ace Showbiz, Wilde would play 'a double-crossing UN worker based in Afghanistan' in the next franchise film. Sam Mendes (American Beauty) is expected to direct the twenty third Bond adventure, with star Daniel Craig expected to return in the title role. Slumdog Millionaire co-star Freida Pinto was also rumoured for a role in the project, but this has been denied by her representatives. 'I would like to confirm that as of today, Freida Pinto has not been approached to be part of the next Bond film,' a spokesperson for Pinto told India's NDTV.

Emmerdale star Danny Miller has admitted that he has received some 'negative' letters from homophobic scum viewers since his character's current gay storyline began. The actor explained that the hate mail comes in addition to heckling which he sometimes receives on the street after his alter-ego Aaron Livesy's sexuality confusion. Speaking on This Morning, Miller explained: 'You do often have people say things on the street and writing to you that are quite negative. It is upsetting.' However, he added: 'On the positive side, I had a couple of [letters] last week saying, "I just feel like I'm watching myself on TV - this is the exact journey I've been through." It's nice when they're giving you praise and saying, "You're playing it well and it's exactly how I was when I was coming out." It's a great feeling.'

Jack Thorne (who wrote The Scouting Book For Boys) has been hired to pen the big screen version of E4 show Skins. According to the Gruniad Morning Star, Thorne will write a movie for Film4 which brings together all the different casts of the popular teen drama. The show helped launch the careers of Nicholas Hoult and Dev Patel, whilst current lead Kaya Scodelario (Effy) will appear in Clash Of The Titans next month. The programme, which revolves around a diverse group of teenagers growing up in Bristol, recently wrapped up its fourth series with the shock death of Freddie McLair (Luke Pasqualino). A completely new cast, the show's third, is expected for its next TV run. Thorne has previously written five episodes of Skins and also worked on Shameless and Cast Offs.

Blog readers who watch Qi regularly - so, that'll be those of you with Dave, basically - may remember a particularly fine episode from a few years ago which covered Death and, in which the guests played a game of Killer Mushroom Roulette. In this, Stephen Fry mentioned that the last case of someone dying when eating poison mushrooms in this country was so long ago that no one could even be sure of an exact date. Well, sadly, that's no longer the case. A woman died from eating poisonous mushrooms which her niece had found growing wild at a botanical garden last month, a coroner has found. John Matthews, the coroner for the Isle of Wight, released a verdict that Amphon Tuckey's death was an accident. The Times reported that both Mrs Tuckey and her niece, Pern, ate the mushrooms, later identified as amanita phalloides, but the younger woman recovered after treatment at a London hospital. Two species of phalloides - commonly known as The Death Cap and The Destroying Angel - were two the deadly mushrooms featured on the Qi episode. They are among of the most dangerous mushrooms known although it should be noted that out of the three thousand five hundred types of mushrooms which grow in Britain only around one hundred are poisonous and, of those, only approximately fifteen are likely to be fatal if the amount ingested is large enough. Pern Tuckey testified that she and her husband were worried about the mushrooms. But she was reassured when her aunt ate a small quantity and felt no ill effects, the report said. Tuckey, after she became sick, told paramedics and her doctor that she had eaten raw sausage - apparently because her husband had warned her about eating the mushrooms and she was afraid he would be angry. Matthews called the lie 'unfortunate. But even if they had been made aware right from the beginning that she had eaten fatal mushrooms, the amount she had ingested meant she would have inevitably died,' he concluded.

Bernard Sumner has admitted to having mixed feelings about the popularity of 1980s-influenced music. The former Joy Division, New Order and Electronic guitarist told The Quietus that he is aware of bands like Delphic, whose debut CD, Acolyte has been accused of ripping off his former bands' sound and style. Sumner said: 'I've actually met them, they're very nice boys. But I don't know. When we started out, in Joy Division, we were influenced by a lot of stuff. I don't think any young musician starts at year zero. We used to listen to Iggy Pop, The Velvet Underground, MC5, Love, Led Zeppelin, even Santana! I don't think anyone should be shot down for having influences, really.' He added: 'But this eighties revival is bit weird for me, because if I was to do a track that sounded like it was from that time, I'd get crucified! Maybe music's gone as far forward as it possibly can, so you have to start looking back, I'm not sure.'

The former Village People singer Victor Willis is apparently planning to sue the producers of The Cleveland Show. Willis, who appeared as the cop in the gay disco group's original line-up, is considering taking legal action over the false suggestion that he provided a voiceover in what he deemed to be an 'offensive' episode of the animated comedy. One which made fun of the 'In The Navy' band. His spokeswoman Linda Smith told WENN: 'Victor was offended by the episode and says he would never have agreed to do a voiceover for such an offensive portrayal of The Village People police character originally created by him.' The episode, titled Buried Pleasure, was broadcast on 14 February, and featured an animated version of The Village People cop parading around in shorts before 'eventually jumping on the backside of a male after effeminately yelling, "Dog pile!"' It probably loses a lot in translation, dear blog reader. Smith added: 'Victor is appalled by the show's portrayal. He never wore shorts as the original Village People lead singer and cop. So how does FOX justify such an outright false portrayal, while publishing to the world that Victor Willis did the voiceover? And now it's all over the Internet, clearly suggesting to the public that the cop character portrayed in the show is Victor Willis. He does not endorse the show or its portrayal. Moreover, he did not do that insulting and effeminate Cleveland Show voiceover.' In a 'cease and desist' letter that makes clear Willis' intention to sue, Willis has demanded an apology from FOX, a ban on the episode airing in future without attendant corrections as well as an unspecified amount in damages. Willis is also currently suing The Village People's latest line-up for unauthorised use of his voice and image, as well as greeting cards company Hallmark for imitating his voice on several musical cards. Blimey. Litigious cop, is he not? Willis, it should be noted, has not performed with The Village People since 1984.

Kerry Katona's estranged husband, Mark Croft, has reportedly decided to launch a new career as a magician. The former cab driver is said to have used the auction website, e-Bay, to stock up on supplies for his new ambition. A 'source' told the Daily Star: 'It's sad really. Only last week Mark was busy telling the world how much he had enjoyed spending Kerry's six million pound fortune. He spent years with her, blowing hundreds of thousands of pounds on flash cars. But now he's spending his days buying magic sets on e-Bay so that he can try to make some money as a magician. His pals reckon he will use his split with Kerry to start a new career in entertainment. He always was a bit of a showman. He's going to have to find a new way to make a living now he's without Kerry and all her cash.'