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    TV Editor’s blog

    TV Editor's Blog
    • Every other day there's a story about who's been attached to be a judge on the next series of 'The X Factor' both in the UK and in the US. Either side of the pond the list of names being rumoured is quickly outgrowing the list of names who haven't.

      Noel Gallagher, Britney Spears, Janet Jackson, Whitney Houston (so says Simon Cowell), the list grows every day

      The research was tough and laborious but we did it. We found the only nine people on the planet who are yet to have their name inserted into the headline: 'Will [X] be a judge on next year's 'X Factor'?' And here they are...

      Charlie Brooker

      TV rant-merchant and Guardian columnist Charlie Brooker is not exactly a fan of Britain's biggest TV show. The closest he's come to it was writing the second episode of his Channel 4 psycho-dramedy 'Black Mirror' which scathingly lampooned the idea of reality television.  His wife Konnie Huq once presented 'The Xtra Factor', an experience bad enough that it was the inspiration behind the

      Read More »from Who HASN’T been rumoured to become a judge on ‘The X Factor’?
    • It's only been a couple of weeks since we saw her totter off the 'Corrie' cobbles for good, but Katherine Kelly is already treading the boards in her first post-soap role.

      The actress is starring in 18th century farce 'She Stoops To Conquer', which is playing at London's National Theatre until 21 April.

      Katherine Kelly in She Stoops To Conquer

      Kelly plays Kate Hardcastle, with 'Benidorm' and 'League Of Gentlemen' star Steve Pemberton as her father and Sophie Thompson, known to millions of 'EastEnders' viewers as Stella, playing her mother.

      The comedy follows Pemberton's Hardcastle as he attempts to match his daughter with the son of an old and respected friend. However, a series of misunderstandings sees potential son-in-law Marlow mistake Hardcastle for an innkeeper and his daughter for a barmaid.

      Pemberton is excellent as the increasingly exasperated father who finds himself caught up in the story's tangled web, while Thompson draws belly laughs as Mrs Hardcastle.

      [See also: 11.5 million viewers watch Becky's exit]

      Read More »from Corrie’s Becky swaps cobbles for stage
    • Why people still watch television live


      Despite the rise of on-demand services and recording features like Sky+, surprise figures have revealed that 90% of TV shows are still watched live.

      The Broadcasters' Audience Research Board (BARB) presented the findings, also stating that TV viewers watched four hours and two minutes of television on an average every day, matching the 2010 data.

      90% is a surprising statistic but not indicative of any failings on the part of alternative services, particularly online, which continue to thrive. BBC recorded their best-ever week for iPlayer over the Christmas period with 30 million programmes viewed, capping off a year in which almost 2 billion shows were streamed.

      Allowing people to view TV how, where and when they want to is definitely a reality now and more lies ahead with iPad style tablet devices, but these figures suggest it's not quite the game-changer many thought it to be.

      [See also: Major 'Desperate Housewives' character to be killed off]

      People clearly still want to watch TV

      Read More »from Why people still watch television live
    • Sherlock finale – Our verdict

      With 'Sherlock', co-creators Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat have gripped the nation in a way TV shows over the decades have rarely achieved. The perfect blend of contemporary setting, classic characters, brilliant acting, unparalleled fun and cunning smarts have turned this updated take on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's books into the most compelling screen-version of the character's tales to date.

      Each of the preceding five episodes of the show had built to last night's epic crescendo, which saw Sherlock pitted once again against his fierce rival Jim Moriarty, this time with everything on the line for the genius detective.

      Read More »from Sherlock finale – Our verdict

    Pagination

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