A final word – for now – on the BBC move to Salford.
Some media commentators and critics are still saying it doesn’t make sense.
They might change their minds if they looked at the full background – and the vision of the future planned at Salford’s Media City.
As highlighted in last Friday’s MEN, in the longer term the BBC is thinking along the lines of moving even more parts of its organisation to Salford.
Author: ianwylie
TIME to inject some calm into the hysteria surrounding a certain reality TV show.
There will be no public crowd at tonight’s Celebrity Big Brother eviction due to the current heightened feelings over the series.
Channel 4’s email in my in-box reads: “Over the past few days, Celebrity Big Brother has generated an intense and, at times, heated public debate which the evicted housemate will be unaware of.
”As a result, Channel 4 and Endemol have taken the decision to conduct tonight’s eviction in front of a studio audience and without a crowd.”
CHAMPAGNE corks were popping in Salford tonight after final confirmation of the BBC’s big move north.
The news was broken first in later editions of today’s MEN and on our website. It’s been a very hectic last 12 hours.
Just over two years ago I sat in BBC director general Mark Thompson’s office as he revealed for the first time plans to move five departments to Greater Manchester.
I spoke to him again last November when he visited the site of the proposed Media City at Salford Quays.
It was clear then that the move was poised to go ahead, even though many still thought it would never happen.
Today the sceptics were proved wrong.
JERMAINE Jackson is in no doubt: “I’m tired of biting my tongue, call it what it is.”
He appears convinced that Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty is the victim of racism in the Celebrity Big Brother House.
Over 10,000 complaints – and counting – have now been received by both regulators Ofcom and Channel 4.
Tonight’s show raised yet more concern for Shilpa at the hands of the trio who are already regarded by some as the “three bitches”.
Housemates Jade Goody, Danielle Lloyd and Jo O’Meara may be guilty, at the very least, of playground bullying, jealousy and cultural ignorance.
And let’s not even go anywhere near Jade’s gormless boyfriend Jack Tweed.
THERE was a running gag in Coronation Street last night about the vast amount of tea and coffee brewed in Weatherfield.
Corner shop kid Amber and missing in action Adam also re-appeared from the Red Rec black hole.
Oh, and Tracy Barlow was charged with murder after builder Charlie Stubbs graduated to an altogether different kind of spirit level.
Thanks to Tracy’s tearful mum Deirdre, hosepipe and sprinkler bans are to be lifted across the nation.
JAMES Bond star Daniel Craig’s nomination for best actor at next month’s Bafta Film Awards reminded me of a previous role far from 007.
It’s the first nomination for an actor playing Bond. But those in the know say it’s not just based on his brilliant performance in Casino Royale.
It’s said to be recognition for some of Chester-born Daniel’s previous parts in films such as Layer Cake, Enduring Love and Sylvia.
Older readers may also remember his role in a 1996 Bafta award-winning production, which remains one of the best TV drama series ever screened.
THE wind of change was blowing in both Salford and London today.
Delegates at the Television from the Nations and Regions Conference at The Lowry heard from BBC Chief Operating Officer Caroline Thomson, who said a BBC future without Salford was now “almost unthinkable”.
She added: “For the BBC it represents a hugely symbolic and significant shift of emphasis from the capital to the regions.”
Further evidence of that came with renewed speculation that the iconic BBC Television Centre in west London (pictured) may close.
REGULAR readers of this blog will know that the MEN has a policy about revealing future soap storylines.
In general, we don’t do it. It annoys many readers who want to watch their favourite show without having it spoiled by advance information.
These “spoilers” are now the stock in trade of the red tops, not to mention soap magazines which flaunt future storylines on a weekly basis.
But it’s not just tabloid newspapers and magazines involved in this game. ITV’s very own website now offers online trailers for several future episodes at a time.
The MEN does make an exception to our general rule when a storyline is so widely known – and trailed – that it would be a bit daft to shy away from it.
That’s the decision we made yesterday when ITV Granada issued a total of 26 new photos from this Friday’s Coronation Street.
IT’S good to see former Coronation Street actress Georgia Taylor back on screen this week.
She guest stars as Phyllis Cook (pictured) in the first episode of new BBC1 drama Lilies.
The eight-part series is about three sisters in 1920s Liverpool and features young Manchester actress Catherine Tyldesley as eldest sister Ruby.
Wigan-born Georgia, 26, quit the Street in 2003 after six years in the role of Toyah Battersby.
She’s since gone on to a variety of parts, including Shyanne Holden in Blackpool and a film debut last year in The History Boys.
Georgia also has a guest role in episode four of the second series of BBC1’s New Street Law, which begins later this month.
WHAT’S in your TV archive?
Mine dates back to the early 1980s and includes thousands of video recordings, as well as more recent DVDs and hard drives.
But in the 1960s, before the invention of cheap video recorders, tape was very expensive.
TV companies routinely wiped programme footage once it had been broadcast so the tape could be used again.
Many live TV shows also vanished as no-one saw the need to record them. Other recordings simply went missing.
Now a new four-part series has unearthed TV footage thought to have been lost forever.
Life of Wylie 