THE news came in from the House of Commons just after 5pm yesterday.
First there was confirmation that a government decision on the BBC’s next licence fee settlement had been delayed until the New Year.
No surprise there. But what happened next caught just about everyone out.
Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell – speaking in a debate about the digital TV switchover – unexpectedly turned her attention to the BBC’s move to Salford.
In what may turn out to be the decisive moment for the future of the £400m project, she appeared to back the BBC into a corner.
Author: ianwylie
DOCTOR Who star David Tennant gave nothing away about his future at today’s first screening of the Time Lord’s latest Christmas special.
It was a relatively early start in London’s Soho, bearing in mind he’d been at yesterday’s wedding of Little Britain star Matt Lucas.
For those anxious to know about Matt’s panto-themed reception, David went as Buttons and Doctor Who writer Russell T Davies was, of course, a Dame.
Doctor Who: The Runaway Bride is an hour-long festive adventure which will be shown on BBC1 at 7pm on Christmas Day.
Catherine Tate guest stars as woman in white Donna Noble, a grown-up and toned down version of her schoolgirl comedy character Lauren – but still very definitely “bovvered”.
WHY is Coronation Street’s Eileen Grimshaw holding a baby on Christmas Day?
If you want to find out, the online version of today’s MEN interview with actress Sue Cleaver, who plays Eileen, provides a few answers.
“It’s made me completely broody,” Sue told me when we met recently just a short pram push away from the cobbles.
There wasn’t enough room in the feature to cover all aspects of our conversation.
But it does include a flavour of how – like many others in the public eye – Sue sometimes finds it difficult to cope with the attention of fans.
It’s not a new problem. The late John Thaw once told me how bemused he was to be asked to sign till receipts and packets of frozen peas in his local supermarket.
AN early morning train to the countryside today to meet up with John Nettles on location for the new series of Midsomer Murders.
Sitting in the drawing room of a grand old house, he was relaxed and dry-witted as ever, despite the demands of the filming schedule.
More from John in the New Year, including his adventures in a helicopter while filming in Snowdonia.
Fans will be glad to know that he has no thoughts of retiring from the role of Det Chief Inspector Tom Barnaby as he heads into his 10th series.
But Midsomer Murders executive producer Brian True-May is looking ahead to a possible new project for John when he finally hands in his police ID.
It’s called Over Here, a drama which could replace Foyle’s War, with Nettles playing the leader of an English village during World War Two.
THE shocking murders of five women in Ipswich have sparked memories of the reign of terror of serial killer Peter Sutcliffe.
Known as the Yorkshire Ripper, lorry driver Sutcliffe was sentenced to life in May 1981 on 13 counts of murder and seven counts of attempted murder between 1975 and 1980.
The trial at the Old Bailey in London was my first experience of the historic Court No 1.
Although a junior member of the MEN reporting team covering the case, it was still a baptism of fire.
And sitting just a few feet from the dock, I soon came face to face with Sutcliffe as he turned at a lunch adjournment at glared at the press benches.
Not a face you would ever forget.
THE mad dash towards the end of the year continues.
ITV held launches today for a second outing in 2007 of Manchester drama Cold Blood, plus the return of Trial and Retribution.
Meanwhile BBC2 revealed highlights of its winter / spring season of programmes – including The Verdict and new films from Louis Theroux.
The former sees a jury of famous faces sitting in judgement on a four day trial, presided over by a real judge in a real courtroom with real barristers.
Ex-Nottingham Forest and Liverpool player Stan Collymore will be one of the 12 jurors, along with disgraced former MP Jeffrey Archer, who served two years in prison for perjury, and actresses Patsy Palmer, Honor Blackman and Jennifer Ellison.
Ahh, we were all so much thinner back in the seventies.
One of the highlights of this year’s festive telly is It Started With Swap Shop.
As previously discussed in this blog, it will reunite Saturday morning presenters Noel Edmonds, Keith Chegwin, Maggie Philbin and John Craven.
Screened on BBC2 at 9pm on Thursday December 28, the marathon 130-minute show also features successors Saturday Superstore, Going Live and Live And Kicking.
THE boys are back in town – and here’s a new pic to prove it.
Sam Tyler (John Simm) and Gene Hunt (Philip Glenister) return for the second – and final – series of the best show on TV.
The conclusion of Life On Mars will finally reveal just what present day detective Sam is doing in 1973, and what becomes of Gene.
This new image was released yesterday as part of BBC1’s launch of its winter/spring 2007 new season of programmes.
It shows our two heroes with the iconic Ford Cortina against the backdrop of the Stockport council building used as the exterior for the seventies’ nick.
Although schedules are always liable to change, the new series is due back on screen in a month or two.
IT’S a strange time of the year in TV land.
While normal souls are looking forward to Christmas telly, we’re already watching the stuff that’ll be screened in January and beyond.
That includes a second series of Wild At Heart, which was a huge hit for ITV1 earlier this year, with audiences of over 10 million.
Which is why I put off the festive shopping yet again today and headed for ITV Network Centre in London to watch two new episodes filmed in the heat of the African plains.
RAVE reviews for An Audience With Take That Live.
And there’s good news for fans who complained that Saturday night’s show was over far too soon.
The hour-long spectacular came in at around 47 minutes long, thanks to ad and sponsorship breaks.
Aside from not being long enough and far too many shots of celebs in the audience, it was mainly all good fun.
So why did ITV bosses restrict Take That to just one hour in the schedule? Surely Parky could have been put back by 30 minutes to make extra room?
Life of Wylie 