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Tag: BBC

  • BBC to make new adaptation of the Bronte classic ‘Jane Eyre’

    BBC to make new adaptation of the Bronte classic ‘Jane Eyre’

    MUMBAI: UK pubcaster BBC will make a new mini series of the classic Charlotte Bronte novel Jane Eyre. This will air on BBC One.

    The serial stars Francesca Annis as Lady Ingram, Christina Cole as Blanche Ingram, Lorraine Ashbourne as Mrs Fairfax, Pam Ferris as Grace Poole and Tara Fitzgerald as Mrs Reed.

    Georgie Henley, who recently starred in The Chronicles of Narnia plays young Jane while Aidan McArdle plays the visionary John Eshton.

    BBC drama commissioning controller Jane Tranter says, “Sandy Welch’s wonderful version of Jane Eyre for BBC One will add that special ingredient to the mix of dramas due for transmission this autumn.”

    The BBC adds that the sustainability and appeal of Jane Eyre lies in her universality and the audience’s appetite for a well-told romantic tale. Orphaned at a young age, Jane (Ruth Wilson) is placed with her wealthy aunt Mrs Reed (Tara Fitzgerald) who neglects Jane in favour of her own three spoiled children.

    Mrs Reed’s spitefulness leads her to withhold news that could change Jane’s life for the better. Instead she brands her a liar and sends Jane to Lowood School where she remains until the age of 19. When she finally leaves the dark memories of Lowood behind, she embarks on a career as a governess and her first position is at Thornfield Hall, the home of the alluring and unpredictable Edward Rochester. Jane’s journey into the world and as a woman begins.

    The mini series producer Diederick Santer adds, “In her brand new adaptation of Jane Eyre, Sandy Welch has mined Bronte’s novel for every ounce of passion, drama, colour, madness and horror available, bringing to life Jane’s inner world with beauty, humour and at times great sadness.

    “The locations we have chosen are stormy and majestic and I hope that Sandy’s original take on the story will be enjoyed as much by long-term fans of the book as by those who have never read it.”

    Filming is underway until June at the historical medieval castle Haddon Hall, owned by Lord Edward Manners, and other locations across Derbyshire.

  • BBC boosts coverage of MotoGP

    BBC boosts coverage of MotoGP

    MUMBAI: UK pubcaster the BBC has announced that its coverage of MotoGP will be the biggest yet, with more live races than ever before and extended interactive coverage of both qualifying and post race action. In India viewers can catch MotoGP action on Ten Sports and ESS.

    All 17 races will be shown live either on BBC Two. There’s also a new addition to the team with the arrival of former Dorna Sports MotoGP commentator, Matt Roberts.

    Matt will join presenter Suzi Perry and expert duo Charlie Cox and Steve Parrish in bringing viewers all the latest pit-lane action from all 17 races to be shown in 2006.

    For the first race of the season, coming live from Jerez, the BBC will also have extended qualifying coverage and post-race reaction on BBCi – the BBC’s interactive service available to digital viewers. Commenting on the 2006 season, the series producer Belinda Rogerson says, “This is our fourth year of broadcasting the MotoGP Championship, and we are delighted to be providing viewers with more live and interactive coverage than ever before.”

  • BBC, Reuters to host global media conference

    BBC, Reuters to host global media conference

    MUMBAI: The power of trust in the media and citizen journalism are among the topics to be discussed by top media names at a two-day forum in London next month, to be hosted by the BBC and Reuters.

    The 2006 We Media Global Forum will bring together personalities from media, business and technology to discuss and collaborate on how the media can foster trust and influence global issues in a world made smaller by the Internet. The Forum takes place on May 3 and 4, presented by The Media Center, a US-based non-profit think tank committed to building a better-informed society in a connected world.

    The speakers include actor Richard Dreyfuss, Google partnerships dierctor Joanna Fields, Reuters CEO Tom Glocer, Meetup.com founder and CEO Scott Heiferman, Al Jazeera DG Wadah Khanfar, Global Voices co-founder Rebecca MacKinnon, Guardian Newspapers CEO Carolyn McCall, BBC global news director Richard Sambrook, Reuters Global Managing Editor David Schlesinger.

    The event will have a live broadcast of the BBC’s World Service programmes, World Have Your Say, and an interactive experience with the Digital Assassins, a group of disruptors and innovators in digital media. Day 2, at Reuters global headquarters in CanaryWharf, includes a series of satellite-linked “town hall” meetings around the world, and an in-depth look by venture capitalists and business leaders at the changing economics of media and value of social capital.

    The Global Forum will offer glimpses of the future in short “Future Forward” segments – first looks at emerging technologies and media from leading developers, entrepreneurs and companies. BBC DG Mark Thompson said, “Trust has always been central to BBC values. We all know the pressures that news organizations face in this fast changing multi-media world. I am delighted to welcome participants to the We Media Global Forum and I hope that it will provide a valuable opportunity for all of us to share our insights.”

    Glocer said, “The balance of power between content creators, suppliers and consumers is changing, with an end to the notion of a passive audience. The ramifications of this new phenomenon are most acutely felt in the area of trust. As consumers, this democratization of media will have profound effects on where we source news and entertainment, and whom we trust. For a company like Reuters, this is a great time to be taking a 150 year-old news brand in exciting new directions.”

  • BBC current affairs veteran Robinson to call it a day

    BBC current affairs veteran Robinson to call it a day

    MUMBAI: UK pubcaster BBC’s current afairs veteran Mike Robinson has decided to step down as editor of the Panorama block. He is retiring from the BBC after spending 25 years with the organisation. He has been the editor of the BBC’s flagship current affairs strand for more than five years.

    He and his team have produced many shows including the story of the row between the government and BBC which culminated in the death of David Kelly, which won the RTS Home Current Affairs journalism award and was the first of a number of Panoramas examining the government’s case for war.

    Other programmes include John Simpson and Tom Giles’s tale of death by friendly fire in the Iraq war, which won the RTS International programme award; and the trilogy of investigations into the anti-depressant Seroxat, which had a significant impact on both the programme’s audiences and the field of drug policy and regulation.

    Panorama’s RTS award winning investigation into corruption in horse racing also had significant impact, forcing the Jockey Club to hold an internal enquiry and strengthen its security measures. Before joining Panorama, Robinson had worked in a variety of roles including Editor of the One O’Clock News and News Editor across BBC TV News as a whole.

    After joining Panorama as a film-maker in 1992, he produced a number of documentaries, including The Story of Child B; Valentina’s Story and When Good Men do Nothing on the genocide in Rwanda, and the famous Martin Bashir interview with Princess Diana. The latter recorded one of the largest TV audiences in BBC history and picked up a Bafta, one of two which he won.

    BBC News director Helen Boaden said, “Mike’s passion for Panorama and his commitment to serious current affairs have made him an outstanding Editor of the series over many years. He’s never been afraid of tackling vested interests, current orthodoxies and unfashionable issues and subjecting them to rigorous, scrutiny and appraisal. We shall miss his vision and his tenacity very much and wish him good fortune in the coming years.”

    Robinson said, “I am delighted to have been worked for so many years with a talented Panorama team still committed to producing ambitious and significant television journalism across a broad agenda. With its public funding, the BBC still occupies a privileged position within British society and I greatly appreciate the backing I’ve enjoyed for the difficult and challenging journalism for which I have had responsibility. After 25 years with one broadcaster, I relish the challenges and opportunities that the future holds.”

  • British government asks BBC to adapt to digital era

    British government asks BBC to adapt to digital era

    MUMBAI: The British government has granted the BBC its license fee for the next 10 years, but also asked the broadcaster to adapt those principles to the digital era and that it needs to return to its roots of “informing, educating and entertaining”.

    Suggesting that the corporation should put entertainment at the heart of its mission, these recommendations came in the form of a White Paper on the future of the BBC.

    It also called for the BBC to avoid copycat programming and expensive foreign acquisitions, and confirmed new regulations designed to prevent the BBC from bullying commercial competitors.

    Both the charter renewal, valid until 2016, and the White Paper come just two years after the devastating Hutton Report, which found that the BBC had engaged in irresponsible journalism.

    The paper did lay out some new goals for the BBC. One of them is that the broadcaster should convert to full digital transmission by 2012. Another is that the BBC’s programs and websites should be of high quality and engaging.

    According to media reports, the report also commends the announced goal of BBC director general Mark Thompson to cut 4,000 jobs and re-invest the resulting £355 million a year in savings back into programming.