BB FANS

Broadcasters in web TV talks




Doctor Who: viewers could be able to watch online if Project Kangaroo is a success. Photograph: BBC

The BBC, Channel 4 and ITV are in talks about a groundbreaking joint venture to develop a video downloads service that will "do for broadband what Freeview did for digital TV".

Called "Project Kangaroo", it is understood the new broadband service would pool BBC, ITV and Channel 4 programming for delivery on demand, so users could download shows such as EastEnders, Coronation Street and Hollyoaks from the same place.

The joint venture aims to create a "one-stop shop" media player for viewers to download their favourite TV shows, according one source familiar with the talks.

Project Kangaroo will "do for broadband what Freeview did for digital television", the source added.

Initially it is expected Project Kangaroo will deliver programming to computers via broadband but the ultimate aim is to deliver it direct to televisions.

The rise of broadband-enabled Freeview boxes and television sets would help drive the project.

"There is still a lot to be agreed, nothing is signed yet, but they want to do what Freeview did for digital TV, but in terms of content delivered via a broadband platform," said the source.

The insider went on: "Ultimately, Freeview boxes provide a clear way into a mass number of homes for their on-demand content."

Project Kangaroo is also designed to make money for the three broadcasters from broadband downloads of programmes beyond the seven day catch-up window viewers will have to watch them online for free.

The BBC's iPlayer, expected to launch later this year, will provide access to any show from the preceding seven days, for free.

But beyond that the corporation could seek extra revenue from popular programmes such as Doctor Who via Project Kangaroo.

Ashley Highfield, the head of future media and technology at the BBC, hinted at the possibility of a one-stop shop media player earlier this year in a discussion about the BBC's digital ambitions.

It is understood that the platform would be designed to be open to other broadcasters - including Channel Five which is not thought not to be involved yet - and content owners to make their programming available on-demand.

One source described the early plans as akin to how Joost - in which CBS and Viacom have a small stake - operates as a platform to deliver programming to all personal computers.

However, Project Kangaroo would concentrate only on on-demand programming, rather than offering live streaming.

It is thought that the BBC, ITV and Channel 4 would look to create a structure of control and ownership for the on demand TV service in a similar way to how Freeview is operated and run. The terrestrial broadcasters all have a stake in Freeview.

The idea for the Project Kangeroo joint venture is believed to have been inspired by Freeview.

The highly-successful digital TV service proved that the terrestrial broadcasters could work together to take on BSkyB in an increasingly competitive digital media world.

Project Kangaroo is likely to come under scrutiny from regulator Ofcom, particularly as it has some parallels with its own public service publisher idea.

The regulator has for some time suggested the idea of setting aside public money for a public service broadband service, which it dubbed a "public service publisher".

It is understood that there have already been conversations about Project Kangaroo with the Digital Television Group.

DTG develops standards for Freeview boxes and to get maximum penetration into UK homes the Project Kangeroo service would need to come as an application in a Freeview box.

Currently, the main broadcasters' individual on-demand offerings are at different stages.

The iPlayer has been in development for almost three years, during which time Channel 4 has launched a similar service, 4oD, and other broadcasters, producers and new entrants such as BT Vision have unveiled their own broadband TV plans.

ITV also has a simulcast catch-up service that via its redesigned website earlier this week, which gives viewers 30 days to have "another chance to see" its programmes. guardian

Satirist draws from life for new Bush cartoon


· President portrayed as troublesome small child
· Critics attack TV show as obvious and crude

Ewen MacAskill in Washington

When Mr Bush appeared at the White House correspondents' dinner last year beside an impersonator, anyone other than those at the front tables had trouble telling who was who. A new cartoon due to go out last night on the US cable channel Comedy Central could pose the same dilemma.

Lil' Bush portrays the Bush administration as a gang of children - Lil' Bush, Lil' Condi and Lil' Cheney - running wild in the White House and worldwide.

Compare Lil' George speaking about his role in life - "I hate doing what I'm told. I want to be a decider" - with Mr Bush's: "My job is a job to make decisions. I'm a decision - if the job description were, what do you do, it's decision maker. And I make a lot of big ones and I make a lot of little ones."

Lil' Bush began life in the autumn as a series of short cartoons made specifically for mobile phones.

But the first of the made-for-televison episodes was due to reach a much wider audience last night with its debut on Comedy Central, which has about 90 million subscribers. It began with Lil' George visiting Iraq to hunt for some good news as a Father's Day present for dad, the first President Bush.

In the second episode Lil' Cheney, who bites the heads off chickens and sucks their blood, has an affair with Barbara Bush, with scenes that might be too crude for some tastes.

According to Donick Cary, creator of the new cartoon series, the transformation of Mr Bush into a cartoon character proved to be relatively easy: his short, simplistic and often confused statements helped.

Mr Cary, whose credits include the Simpsons, said: "Somehow, this president that we have lends himself to thinking in a simplistic, cartoony fashion. He's always been about soundbites, one-word answers, move ahead, act from the gut."

Mr Cary sees Washington politics as a schoolyard. At one point Lil' George, left unsupervised by his father in the Oval Office, launches nuclear weapons at schoolmates Lil' Hillary (Clinton) and Lil' John (Kerry).

Iggy Pop provides the voice for Lil' Rummy. With the departure of Donald Rumsfeld as defence secretary in November the makers considered dropping the character, but decided against in order to keep the singer.

Comedy Central has since 2001 been a source of tough satire about the Bush administration. Jon Stewart's Daily Show is a riposte to those Europeans who think Americans are not critical of the Bush administration.

The initial reviews of Lil' Bush have been poor, with critics judging it to be too obvious and too crude. Newsday said yesterday: "So. Who knew South Park was such a beacon of taste and restraint? At least it is by comparison with Comedy Central's new animated satire." guardian

New Quiz For Chris Tarrant

Chris Tarrant has been signed to host a new daytime series for ITV1.

The Great Pretender (working title) is said to be part quiz, part psychological face-off where contestants have to bluff to win.

Liam Keelan, controller of daytime, said: "The Great Pretender is a very exciting prospect for us – an intriguing Q&A quiz with a real twist at the end. We're thrilled to have Chris Tarrant hosting in daytime as it's his first quiz since Millionaire."

The programme is being produced by RDF Television.

ITV has already lined up Jasper Carrot to front new 17:00 game show Goldenballs which sees four contestants battle to win the most from 100 "golden balls" concealing different amounts of cash.

June 14 2007 - waveguide.co.uk

Eamonn Holmes To Front This Morning

Holmes is to return to ITV1 to co-present flagship daytime show This Morning over the summer with his partner Ruth Langsford.

The couple will front the daily magazine show for seven weeks from Monday July 16 until August 31.

Holmes and Langsford have previously presented This Morning together during half-term holidays, but this will be the first time they have presented the show for such a long stretch.

Holmes and Langford said, in a joint statement: "This Morning is an institution in British broadcasting. It's as if Fern and Phillip have left us their car to use while they are away.

"We thoroughly intend to hand it back in one piece, but you can't blame us if we did the odd handbrake turn while they weren't looking."

During the summer, there will be more input from viewers, with some taking part in the regular feature Beat the Stylist, instead of celebrities.

Another weekly feature will be what has been dubbed internally, "tranny transformation", with a trans-sexual given a makeover for a special occasion. Also on the cards is a special psychic week.

The executive producer of This Morning, Siubhan Richmond, said: "Our viewers often ask why This Morning cannot continue over the summer and we are flattered to have been asked to extend this winning format.

"We will continue with the usual mix of showbiz, news and lifestyle features but there will also be some unique new strands to ring the changes."

Holmes will continue doing his Sky News Sunrise show, which is simulcast on Sky One - in addition to his stint on This Morning.

Holmes will be motorbiked between Sky's headquarters in Isleworth and the London Studios on the South Bank when This Morning is produced.


Deal Or No Deal Anniversary Special

Posh frocks and tuxedos will be the order of the day as Channel 4's Deal or No Deal celebrates its 500th episode on Friday, June 29.

In the special programme, the person sitting in the hot seat will be playing for a top prize of £500,000.

The programme promises a number of surprises and an audience full of previous Deal Or No Deal contestants.

June 14 2007 - waveguide.co.uk

Wish You Were Here Again

Mark Durden-Smith, son of Judith Chalmers, is to follow in his mother's footsteps and visit some of Britain's favourite holiday destinations for a new ITV daytime series.

The twenty-five, 30-minute programmes called Do You Still Wish You Were Here? see Durden-Smith return to holiday destinations shown in the first series in 1974, to see how much they have changed.

The series, which is being made by Talkback Thames, will also feature excerpts from the original programme.

Wish You Were Here was axed in 2003.

Do You Still Wish You Were Here? was commissioned by controller of daytime Liam Keelan. Lewis and John Comerford are the executive producers.

Comerford was executive producer for the BBC's Holiday programme before joining Talkback Thames, he was also producer of the BBC's Airport.

June 14 2007 - waveguide.co.uk

60 SECONDS: Jessica Alba


Actress Jessica Alba regularly tops lads' mags 'sexiest woman' polls. She came to a minor level of fame on sci-fi action show Dark Angel before landing the role of a stripper in Sin City. Alba starred as the Invisible Woman in disappointing superhero flick Fantastic Four and reprises her role in Fantastic Four: Rise Of The Silver Surfer, in cinemas today.

Your character Sue in the Fantastic Four is famous, like you. Are you similar as celebs?
It’s different for her because she didn’t choose it. I chose to do this. On the other hand, I don’t have people relying on me to save the world. The stakes are much higher for her than for me, fortunately. n Who would be the other three in your fantasy Fantastic Four? US Presidential candidate Barack Obama, Oprah Winfrey and Bill Gates. They’d be my Superhero Team. I’d be the cook. Give me a recipe and I can probably knock it out. The only thing I’m bad at is baking.

Why them?
I’m inspired by people trying to make this world a better place. I’m inspired by all kinds of people, not just those who appear in the media. My grandmother inspires me. Obama seems to be pretty sure about his direction and has a clear head.

You have said you are never going to be a skinny girl. Is your cooking just too good?
That, plus the fact I’m a naturally curvy girl. I figured out that being too curvy wouldn’t help with the acting, so exercising has been part of my life for a long time. I do Tae Bo, weights and cardio four times a week. I should do Pilates. I wouldn’t have weak joints and bones if I did.

How does it feel to be named the world’s sexiest woman?
It’s flattering but I don’t see myself like that. I even heard someone call me a sex goddess. I don’t celebrate it but I’m grateful for it. I don’t really think about it. When I go home, I wash it all away. I need to find time to be myself and not just a personality or a part of this business.

You’re dating a film producer, Cash Warren. Is it a relief not be dating an actor?
Totally. All actors need to be conscious of their appearance in the same way that women are. There’s really only room for so much self-consciousness in a relationship. All women feel the pressure of just being a woman. Add actress on top of that and it’s even more pressure. So to have your man as insecure and caught up about his looks as you isn’t good. It’s nice not to have to talk about that facialist or this electrolysis or this skin product. That’s stuff to talk to your girlfriends about. Also I think all actors are crazy – including myself. You have to be a little bit cuckoo to cope with us.

I think all actors are crazy – including myself. You have to be a little bit cuckoo to cope with us

What items could you not leave home without?
Chapstick and chewing gum.

Going out wearing no underwear seems very popular in Hollywood.
I am a very conservative person. I try not to make headlines with my clothes. I have my fashion style and don’t try to fit in. I don’t have my breasts under my chin, I’m not showing butt cheeks or much leg. I don’t go for the trendiest look.

Nor the trendiest nightclubs – we don’t see photos of you out with party girls like Paris Hilton.
No, I don’t fit in with that group of girls because I didn’t grow up with rich girls. I’m just a regular girl from the suburbs. Those other girls grew up in the limelight and with the world in their palm. For me, going to a party is not a thrill. I love going to movies and talking to directors and writers, people on the technical side, and all sorts of people inspired by arts. I’d rather be travelling if I have time off.

Don’t you hang out with other famous people?
My best friends are Bille Woodruff, who directed me in Honey, and my cousin Mo, whose real name is actually Jessica, too. She’s like my little sister. Most of my other friends are mums. One of them has five children. So when I do get to catch up with them, they always have to run off to get the kids.

What worries you about the world these days?
What doesn’t? The next fundamentalist terrorist, some maniacal politician in favour of ethnic cleansing, companies that stop production on alternative fuels because they don’t make enough money from it. I worry about so many things but I’m not sure what I can do about it. I have always been aware of the world at large. That really started when I was filming Flipper and living in Australia. I was 15 and really began to see another side of the US. When September 11 happened, I think a lot of Americans woke up to the fact that they’re not the only people on this planet.
Metro

17 June 2007
BIG BROTHER WANNABE LAURA AND CHUNK

CORRIE'S most unlikely lothario Norris revealed an intimate secret: "I had this telesales girl under me." You wish Norris.

WHAT was with the tacky music on Emmerdale this week as Marlon lay in hospital? It was like an episode of El Dorado.

AMANDA Holden asked a male performer: "And what will you be doing with your organ this afternoon?" Easy there, tiger.

TRE'S response to the offer of a trip to Barcelona from The Apprentice winner Simon: "It's like telling me I'm going to stab you in the eye with a rusty screwdriver." Give me half a chance...

THE Queen Vic has been infected with annoying, irritating bugs. An extermination team said they could extinguish Li, Sean, Ben and Kevin within the week.

WHY are soap characters always so chuffing dim - kissing on the street and expecting not to be seen in the most gossipy, curtain-twitching neighbourhoods known to mankind.

HOW come every good act Simon Cowell sees is "without doubt, the best act I have ever seen"? Surely that's impossible?

TV irritation: All the execs who keep employing Fearne Cotton thinking she is a good presenter.

People

Meet The Stars Of The 5th Harry Potter Film Sky

Bernard Manning Dies

Controversial comedian Bernard Manning has died at the age of 76.

He first found fame in the 1970s on ITV programme The Comedians.

He was taken to hospital with a kidney problem two weekends ago and had been receiving dialysis.

He had to cancel a show at his famous Embassy Club for the first time in six decades as an entertainer.

Manning was born in 1930 in Ancoats, one of Manchester's poorest suburbs, the second of three brothers and two sisters.

"We had absolutely nothing," he once recalled. "One cold water tap in the house, no bath, outside toilet".

waveguide.co.uk

David Jason ITV Deal

Waveguide - David JasonITV today confirmed that David Jason has been signed to the network in an exclusive three year contract until October 2010.

Executive chairman Michael Grade said: "David is without doubt the UK's most popular and best loved actor and our viewers want to see more of him on ITV. Over the years we have built a terrific relationship with him and I believe that together we can keep creating his best work."

A statement issued by David Jason said: "I feel very comfortable working with the team in [ITV] Yorkshire led by David Reynolds, we work together very well and I feel completely at home with them.

"I am very excited about the next three years and I have a number of projects which I want to develop. I'm keen to keep making high quality, entertaining television for the ITV audience."

waveguide.co.uk

BBC Should Be More Impartial

BBC Television CentreA report commissioned by the BBC has said the corporation needs to make greater effort to remain impartial.

The report said the BBC breached its own guidelines in an episode of The Vicar Of Dibley which promoted the Make Poverty History campaign.

However, the report said that the BBC is "generally seen as impartial" and sets out new guidelines for avoiding bias.

The BBC's weather forecasts came under fire and the maps, introduced in 2005, were used as an example of how the corporation can be seen as biased towards the south-east of England.

Because of the way the maps were displayed and tilted, they appeared to suggest that northern Scotland was on the periphery.

Although the problem was quickly rectified, the report warned that "the continuing practice of giving temperature forecasts for conurbations rather than rural areas may suggest a presumption that the bulk of the audience lives in large cities, whereas the opposite is in fact the case".

In compiling the report, the BBC commissioned a survey into its audience's views on impartiality.

Sixty-one per cent of people questioned said that broadcasters may think they give a fair and informed view but much of the time they do not.

A further 83 per cent agreed that broadcasters should report on all views and opinions, however unpopular or extreme some of them may be.

BBC Trust member Richard Tait, who was in charge of the report, said: "BBC audiences believe that impartiality should not lead to political correctness.

"The BBC agrees and one of our new principles makes clear that impartiality is no excuse for insipid programme-making."

The BBC's deputy director general, Mark Byford, said: "Safeguarding impartiality is a big and challenging topic and the publication of the report should be the catalyst to a wide conversation and debate across the BBC."

The guidelines in the report are:

1. Impartiality is and should remain the hallmark of the BBC as the leading provider of information and entertainment in the United Kingdom, and as a pre-eminent broadcaster internationally. It is a legal requirement, but it should also be a source of pride.

2. Impartiality is an essential part of the BBC's contract with its audience, which owns and funds the BBC. Because of that, the audience itself will often be a factor in determining impartiality.

3. Impartiality must continue to be applied to matters of party political or industrial controversy. But in today's more diverse political, social and cultural landscape, it requires a wider and deeper application.

4. Impartiality involves breadth of view, and can be breached by omission. It is not necessarily to be found on the centre ground.

5. Impartiality is no excuse for insipid programming. It allows room for fair-minded, evidence-based judgments by senior journalists and documentary-makers, and for controversial, passionate and polemical arguments by contributors and writers.

6. Impartiality applies across all BBC platforms and all types of programme. No genre is exempt. But the way it is applied and assessed will vary in different genres.

7. Impartiality is most obviously at risk in areas of sharp public controversy. But there is a less visible risk, demanding particular vigilance, when programmes purport to reflect a consensus for "the common good", or become involved with campaigns.

8. Impartiality is often not easy. There is no template of wisdom which will eliminate fierce internal debate over difficult dilemmas. But the BBC’s journalistic expertise is an invaluable resource for all departments to draw on.

9. Impartiality can often be affected by the stance and experience of programme-makers, who need constantly to examine and challenge their own assumptions.

10. Impartiality requires the BBC to examine its own institutional values, and to assess the effect they have on its audiences.

11. Impartiality is a process, about which the BBC should be honest and transparent with its audience: this should permit greater boldness in its programming decisions. But impartiality can never be fully achieved to everyone’s satisfaction: the BBC should not be defensive about this but ready to acknowledge and correct significant breaches as and when they occur.

12. Impartiality is required of everyone involved in output. It applies as much to the most junior researcher as it does to the Director-General. But editors and executive producers must give a strong lead to their teams. They must ensure that the impartiality process begins at the conception of a programme and lasts throughout production: if left until the approval stage, it is usually too late.

waveguide.co.uk

New Drama For ITV

ITV has commissioned a new £2 million drama adaptation of the Sarah Waters novel Affinity.

The novel will be adapted for television by writer Andrew Davies, who also adapted Waters' Tipping the Velvet.

It is said to be an affecting and erotic love story with a supernatural twist which explores the Victorian fascination with spiritualism.

ITV's director of drama Laura Mackie said: "Set in and around a women's prison at Millbank in the 1870s, Sarah Waters' brilliant novel is an utterly compelling ghost story, an intriguing literary mystery and a poignant love story with an unexpected sting in the tail."


New BBC Comedy Drama

BBC One is to screen a one-off comedy drama called Mutual Friends, starring Marc Warren, Alexander Armstrong and Keeley Hawes.

Warren will play Martin Grantham, who is happily married to Jen, played by Hawes.

The 60-minute comedy drama is written by Richard Pinto and Anil Gupta, produced by Rob Bullock whose credits include Wild at Heart and Monarch of the Glen.

It was commissioned by BBC controller of comedy commissioning Lucy Lumsden and will be broadcast later this year.





From Jekyll To Cinderella


Having just appeared in BBC One's Jekyll, actor James Nesbitt is to star alongside Maxine Peake in Cinderella, the second of four comedy dramas to be made by Hat Trick Productions in Northern Ireland as part of the modern anthology of Fairy Tales for the BBC.

Adapted by Richard Pinto and Anil Gupta, Cinderella is set inside a bustling University and asks the question; who was really responsible for the evolution of the human race – man or woman?

The other Fairy Tales featured in the anthology include Rapunzel, The Emperor's New Clothes and Billy Goat, the last of which filmed last month in Northern Ireland and stars Bernard Hill, Paul Nicholls, Mathew Horne and Sarah Smart.

All four Fairy Tales have been commissioned by BBC Northern Ireland and will transmit later this year on BBC One.




Nick Ross Quits Crimewatch

Nick Ross is to quit Crimewatch after 23 years with the programme, it was announced today.

He leaves Crimewatch at a time when the programme's conviction rate is at its highest, solving one in five cases featured on the programme.

His last programme will be on Monday, July 02 and will include an item celebrating his contribution to Crimewatch and some of the major crimes that have been solved while he has been presenting the programme.

Peter Fincham, Controller, BBC One, said: "Nick has made a gigantic contribution to Crimewatch which for 23 years has been a uniquely important BBC One programme. The BBC is in his debt, as are the countless victims of crime whose cases Crimewatch has taken up and, on many occasions, helped to solve. It's no exaggeration to say that, without Nick, there would have been no Crimewatch. We wish him well for the future and I am hoping that he will be back on BBC One soon."

Nick Ross said: "After more than 23 years at the helm of Crimewatch I shall greatly miss the programme, and I am grateful to the BBC for the privilege of presenting this flagship show. Together we have created something of a national institution which continues to be a phenomenal success in solving crime, winning ratings and maintaining high standards of public service.

"As a direct result of Crimewatch dozens of murders have been solved and undoubtedly many very serious crimes have been averted. All terrestrial audiences have declined in the multichannel era but our last show, as so often, beat all the competition and won some of the highest audience approval ratings on TV.

"I have watched police professionalism grow over more than two decades, and it has often been a humbling experience to work with victims on appeals. I have no bad memories other than of April 1999 and the death of my colleague Jill Dando."

Fiona Bruce will continue to present Crimewatch.






EastEnders Complaints

Waveguide - Albert SquareAround two hundred people have complained to the BBC about last night's episode of EastEnders.

The episode showed a pregnant woman chained to a bed and told she would be forced to have a Caesarean section.

The character Dawn Swann feared for her life after Dr May Wright threatened to cut out her unborn baby. Dawn, who is pregnant by May's ex-husband Rob Minter, eventually managed to escape.

The original storyline was rewritten last month after fears the plot would too closely resemble the abduction of four-year-old Madeleine McCann.

A BBC spokesman said: "Last night's episode involving the characters Dawn, May and Rob reached the climax that many viewers would have been anticipating.

"We are sorry if some people were offended by this drama unfolding, and will be addressing complaints fully in due course."

waveguide.co.uk

Black TV network heads for UK


Lil' Kim
Lil' Kim: shows lined up to appear on BET UK include Lil' Kim - Countdown to Lockdown. Photograph: Mario Tama/Getty

US cable network Black Entertainment Television, or BET, is to launch in the UK.

The network, which is home to American cable TV's highest rating awards show, the BET Awards, is to introduce a UK 24-hour general entertainment service by the end of the year.

Shows lined up to appear on BET UK include Lil' Kim - Countdown to Lockdown, reality series College Hill and a number of music countdown programmes.

BET UK is expected to be a multiplatform and multimedia channel.

The media regulator, Ofcom, last week granted a licence to the network, which has operated in the US for 27 years and is owned by MTV's parent, Viacom.

The UK channel will be run by Viacom Brand Solutions and be based at its London office.

The BET International senior vice-president and general manager, Michael Armstrong, said the company was currently talking to a number of platform operators, including BSkyB.

Discussions are also under way as to whether it will be available free or as part of a monthly subscription package.

"We are absolutely looking for the widest distribution in the market," Mr Armstrong said. "We plan to operate in the UK for a very long time."

He added that the UK channel, the first international launch of the BET brand, would commission its own locally produced shows as well as importing hits from the US.

"We are very interested in bringing a BET channel to the UK that is designed and developed for the UK audience," he said.

"It will be different in the UK. It will be programmed differently and we are definitely looking at commissioning programmes locally."

Mr Armstong said he believed there was a gap in the UK market for such a channel.

"We think we will be filling a void that has been in the UK for quite some time," he added.

"We will super-serve the black British, Caribbean and African communities but we also have programming that is acceptable to all lovers of black culture."

In the mid-90s, BET launched a jazz music spin-off TV channel internationally but it closed several years later. guardian

60 Seconds with Freema Agyeman

Dr Who's Freema Argyeman

Actress Freema Agyeman plays Doctor Who's sidekick Martha. She won the role after impressing producers in a previous series, when she played a Government employee killed by a Cyberman. A former Blockbuster video worker, Agyeman is preparing to resume her role in series four. The current series is nearing the end of its run on Saturdays on BBC1.

How did you get upgraded from being a glorified extra to playing the Doctor’s assistant?
After I did the first show, my agent called and said they wanted me to audition for a role in Torchwood. When I arrived, I found out it was actually for the role of the new companion. I was thrilled because I’d had such a good time before. I guess when you’re enjoying something, it shows. I never forget the advice – do your best no matter how small the part is because you never know what it might lead to. It’s definitely what I did with the first part because it was quite small but I attacked it.

Does your character fancy the Doctor?
Yes, but it changes throughout the series. Early on, it was blatant that she fancied him and, by the end of the series, she has to address it. She has to engage her brain as well as her heart.

What do you make of workplace romances?
I’ve never had one but I know people who have. Some have worked, some haven’t. It all depends on the people. I should imagine getting up, having lunch with them then going home together might get a bit claustrophobic.

Do you collect action figures of yourself?
I don’t have any at the moment. I’ve seen a prototype but I haven’t got one yet. I had friends and family jokingly say they wouldn’t mind one. They don’t know how serious I am about it – they’ll be getting them for every birthday and Christmas [laughs]. It’s bonkers to have your own doll made. I’m really spinning out about it.

What’s the weirdest piece of merchandise you’ve seen your face on?
David [Tennant, who plays Dr Who] has got his face on some pants but I haven’t. I don’t mind, though – slap my face everywhere, that’s what I say. I’ve got a child’s suitcase on wheels in the shape of a Tardis. I think that’s superb.

At Blockbuster, some customers would get really angry and throw chocolate bars at our heads

Are you really getting killed off in the next series?
No, I’m not allowed to discuss series four but they have let me defend myself regarding that story – it’s totally untrue. I don’t know where it came from but I’m not getting axed. It was quite horrible to read it. I’m not going. I’m just focusing on the fact the fans are still really enjoying it.

Have you been to any of the conventions yet?
No, not yet, I haven’t had a chance. I went to a Star Trek convention years ago because I was really into Star Trek: The Next Generation. I watched Deep Space Nine too, so I understand wanting to see the other side of the programme you enjoy and meet the actors. We’re a real sci-fi household. We’re all into Heroes now but we’ll watch anything – Sliders, Stargate.

What were the highs and lows of working at Blockbuster?
Everyone I worked with was really fun and up for a laugh and the majority of the customers were lovely. The not-so-good times were when people lost their temper. At one point, the membership applications got really strict because stuff was going missing. People had to bring two proofs of address dated in the previous four months. They brought in passports and driving licences and shouted at us that if they could open a bank account with them, why couldn’t they get a Blockbuster card. They’d get really angry and throw chocolate bars at our heads.

What is your biggest fear?
Losing those I love is my greatest fear. Then it’s the dark. I’ve got an overactive imagination so I sleep with a lamp on. And I really fear hearing the words ‘you’ve failed’.

Have you ever been attacked by a wild animal?
No, but I had a bad experience with my hamsters when I was younger. We kept two in separate cages. I thought they were lonely so took it upon myself to put them in the same cage and they went mental – they ripped each other to shreds. I put my hands in to separate them and then they went for me. It was quite traumatic.

Your character is a medical student. What would you have done if you hadn’t been an actress?
I actually wanted to be a doctor when I was little, then I wanted to be a marine biologist. I really enjoyed science but I did a 180-degree turn with my A-levels and did English, fine art and theatre studies. So now I guess I’ve got the best of both worlds – I get to play a doctor.

What would you have done if acting hadn’t worked out?
I graduated in 2000 and took a year out to make sure it was what I wanted to dedicate my life to because I knew potentially it could be a long haul. It’s only been six years, so there was never a point when I thought I’d give it up. You do entertain Plan B options, though, so I thought if I couldn’t live off my craft, I might want to work with children. Dr Who is such a family show that I get children coming up to me in the street and it’s great.

What are your favourite aliens on the programme?
I liked the Judoon from episode one. They were the first close-up monsters I saw doing the job. It blew me away, it was a beautiful mask. It was aesthetically lovely. The scarecrows from episodes eight and nine are the scariest. They are definitely sinister.
Metro

The One Show Returns

The BBC announced today that The One Show will return to BBC One on Monday July 9 with new presenters joining host Adrian Chiles every weekday evening at 19:00.

Presenters include Myleene Klass, Hardeep Singh Kohli, Dominic Littlewood and history buff Dan Snow.

Nadia Sawalha, who co-hosted last year's series with Chiles, will not be returning to the show.

Peter Fincham, Controller, BBC One, said: "It is great to have The One Show back in the schedule – and this time for a whole year.

"We have a fantastic family of versatile presenters joining Adrian Chiles, and we are harnessing production talent from all over the BBC – from the Natural History Unit in Bristol to Current Affairs department through to the Consumer Unit and Entertainment Group. The early evening audience is in for a treat."

"Other presenters who will be appearing regularly on the show are Carol Thatcher, Phil Tuffnell, Angellica Bell, Christine Bleakley, Justin Rowlatt and Colin Jackson.




Graham Norton On Challenge

Virgin Media TV-owned Challenge is to feature the best games from Graham Norton's Channel 4 show in a new 30-part series.

Nortonland will air on the channel from Monday, August 6 and will be produced by Tom Miller at Norton's So Television.




BBC To Mark Stephen Fry's 50th

The BBC is to mark Stephen Fry's 50th birthday with two nights of programming on BBC Four.

The first night will start with a 60-minute documentary entitled Stephen Fry: 50 Not Out, and features interviews with celebrities such as Hugh Laurie, Emma Thompson, Richard Curtis and Ben Elton.

The second night will be fronted by Fry and features a 30-minute show with the working title Guilty, in which Fry talks about his guilty pleasures.

The programmes will be shown around August 24.
waveguide.co.uk