It’s been revealed today that the BBC has hit back at claims made by “international academics” who’ve accused the corporation of promoting prejudice in hit series, Doctor Who.

The Sun’s TV Biz reports, “THE BBC has struck back after a new book branded Doctor Who as ‘thunderingly racist’.

“A collection of essays by international academics accused the Time Lord of being dismissive towards black companions and failing to tackle slavery.” Read more & comment »

Last night, an overjoyed ITV was celebrating as it was revealed that Tuesday night’s edition of the Yorkshire based soap trounced its BBC rival EastEnders in the viewer ratings.

Emmerdale stars Bhasker Patel and Michelle Hardwick – who play the roles of Rishi Sharma and Vanessa Oldfield respectively – retweeted a message posted by ITV bosses which read, “Last night an hour long Emmerdale beat Eastenders by 2 million viewers.

“@EmmerdalePress @EmmerdaleForum THANK YOU for your support.Cheers xx” Read more & comment »

The BBC is set to release a period drama to rival the hugely popular Downton Abbey, the Telegraph newspaper reports.

According to the publication, the network is planning on releasing a remake the hugely popular 1970′s romantic saga Poldark, set around a British officer who had been in the American Revolutionary war in the late 1700′s.
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It’s been announced by the BBC that comedians Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer are heading back to our screens with a new sitcom entitled, House of Fools.

Commissioned by BBC2 Controller Janice Hadlow and Comedy Commissioning Controller Shane Allen, the new show is set to go into production this year with an air date expected for next year.

Here’s what the BBC have to say of the show… Read more & comment »

As fans of David Tennant’s ITV drama Broadchurch will know, the series was one of the most gripping and polished dramas to have aired on the channel not only this year, but for some years…

And it’s been reported today that the BBC are keen to cash in on the viewing public’s renewed lust for crime dramas with their own offering entitled The Fall.

Starring former X Files actress Gillian Anderson in the role of Detective Superintendent Stella Gibson, the drama will focus on the hunt for a serial killer when the show begins next month. Read more & comment »

This post was written by guest blogger and reality TV showbiz observer Daniel Cohen. Catch up with him on Twitter here!

Why he has actually created a FIRST for LGTB TV and was it written for Rowan Atkinson ??

In the last few days review writers have laid into Ben Elton as if he had become the baby-eating Bishop of Bath and Wells himself.

In actual fact he has just written a new sitcom, “The Wright Way”, his first in years. A sitcom that would have been well received coming from any other writer, but because it comes from Ben Elton it will never be good enough… Read more & comment »

Former Downton Abbey star, Dan Stevens, has been announced as starring in a new adaptation of Arthur Ransome’s 1930 children’s novel Swallows and Amazons, the Radio Times reports!

Stevens broke the hearts of Downton fans globally when, at the end of series 3, he decided not to renew his contract, which forced the hands of the writers to kill his character, Matthew Crawley, off during last year’s Christmas special.
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It’s been reported today that the BBC has been hit by a fresh paedophile scandal – the broadcasting body was of course heavily criticized in the wake of allegations of child sex abuse that were made against Jimmy Savile – in a report in The Sun which alleges that paedophiles targeted the show’s fans.

The paper states, “PAEDOPHILES working on EastEnders preyed on under-age fans who hung around the set hoping for autographs, police believe.”

A team of specially trained police officers are reportedly investigating a group of “mature adults” who are thought to have been employed by the BBC soap during the 1980s and ’90s… Read more & comment »

Fans of the hugely popular, yet somewhat controversial, new BBC drama series, Ripper Street, will be thrilled to learn that the Beeb have recommissioned the show for another series next year, the Metro newspaper reports!

Ripper Street, which is set in the Victorian backdrop of a Jack The Ripper terrorised Whitechapel, has not proved to be a hit with everyone who tuned in. The BBC received close to 100 complaints over its graphic, sexual and violent content when it aired for the first time at the beginning of the year.
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It’s been reported today that BBC chiefs have accused ITV of “fixing” the recent National Television Awards so that their flagship soap Coronation Street would win the coveted Best Serial Drama award.

The Daily Mirror reports, “ITV craftily moved Emmerdale from its usual Wednesday 7pm slot and replaced it with Corrie so viewers saw it just moments before the awards show began.”

Viewers were able to cast their votes for Best Serial Drama right up until the last minute during the awards ceremony.

A BBC insider told the paper, “It seems ITV will stop at nothing to win NTAs… Read more & comment »

Silent Witness returns to BBC1 tonight at 9pm with the first of a two-part story entitled, True Love Waits, and will see David Caves starring as Dr Jack Hodgson…

And ahead of it, David has been speaking to TV Biz about his role, and also about the admiration he has for the artists who created the prosthetic dead bodies that we see on the show.

He also revealed that they’re often so convincing, he has the urge to “prod” them to see if they’re real!

David – who’s also currently filming his role as Berenger in Ironclad: Battle for Blood which is the sequel to 2011 movie, Ironclad – explained, “I’m not particularly squeamish, so the dead bodies didn’t bother me… Read more & comment »

Popular BBC hospital drama Casualty has reportedly had to axe a storyline highlighting smoking risks, as the actors cast for the episode were not allowed to smoke inside.

Casualty, which has run on the BBC since 1986, is filmed in Wales, where the ban on smoking has extended from public places to inside houses as well.
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Star of Downton Abbey, Hugh Bonneville, has opened up about his experiences on the hit ITV period drama, as well as his hopes and thoughts about series four.

Fans of the epic series watched in horror during the Christmas special as one of the shows favourites, Matthew Crawley (Dan Stevens) was killed off in a car crash moments after meeting his first born son and heir.

This, coupled with the death of Lady Sybil (Jessica Brown-Findlay) during series 3 sent shock waves through its UK audience, with many wondering about where the show would go from there.
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In what is being described as a “huge blow” to ITV, Laura Mackie and Sally Haynes, the drama executives behind the global sensation Downton Abbey, have quit the show to set up their own independent production company!

Mackie, the director of drama at ITV, and Haynes, controller of drama commissioning, revealed their decision yesterday leaving ITV “in a state of shock” according to the Independent newspaper.
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The BBC has made a hasty apology to viewers who complained to the broadcaster about an episode of childrens’ telly show Tweenies which featured a puppet dressed as the late Sir Jimmy Savile.

Horrified viewers took to internet forums and social networking sites to express their disgust at seeing puppet character Max impersonating the shamed DJ and TV presenter during a repeat showing of an edition of Tweenies.

In a Tweenies spoof of Top of the Pops, stunned viewers watched as Max said, “Hello all you guys and girls out there, ah ah ah. Welcome to the Tweenies chart countdown.

“At No 4 in the Tweenies chart with One Finger, One Thumb, it’s Milo.” Read more & comment »