ITV

Tag: Business Bizarre

  • BBC to launch series on success stories

    BBC to launch series on success stories

    MUMBAI: The BBC World seriesBusiness Bizarre , making an in-depth look at some unique Indian business success stories, will debut this Sunday 25 April.

    The series will air every Sunday at 11am and will be retelecast on the same day at 10 pm.

    The first of the new programmes this weekend profiles the story of the artificial limb manufacturer, Jaipur Foot. With a winning combination of common sense and uncommon craftsmanship, this organisation has made a difference in thousands of lives.

    Other firms profiled in the series include E-Chaupal, a unique business experiment that has brought about a digital revolution in Indian agriculture and Cry, the welfare organisation that thinks and acts like a corporation to name a few.

    Commenting on the new episodes, BBC World commissioning editor Narendhra Morar says,”After the overwhelming response to the last two series of Business Bizarre, we have decided to commission six new episodes. These programmes will examine a number of fascinating and extraordinary Indian concerns, which will definitely interest our viewers.”

    The current series will give its viewers an opputunity to view some of the original episodes from the previous series such as Amar Chitra Katha; Salim Kagzi and SEWA, a labour co-operative and women’s organisation rolled into one and Nalli Silks, the largest sari brand in India.

  • BBC’s ‘Business Bizarre’ to commence new series with Indian focus

    MUMBAI: From 6 July, BBC World starts a new series of its popular programme Business Bizarre, profiling some unusual businesses in India. They run the gamut from Amul to Amar Chitra Katha. The 13-part series, sponsored by Chevrolet , can be seen every Sunday at 11 am with a repeat at 10 pm
    In the first of seven new episodes, the story of the widely popular Amar Chitra Katha comics takes centrestage. The Amar Chitra Katha saga began in 1967 when Anant Pai realised that Indian children were growing up without any ties to their roots.
    After knocking on several doors, Pai finally found a publisher in India Book House. Amar Chitra Katha was born with sales of less than 60,000 copies in the initial years. By the late 1970s, the comics were published in English as well as in several Indian languages, and were selling nearly 3.5 million copies annually. With plans to make interactive CDs, read-along books, stories in the audio cassette form and more, Amar Chitra Katha is now looking to explore newer avenues.
    Talking about the new series, the executive producer of the programme Kadhambari Chintamani says, “Working on this series has been an exciting journey of discovery as we unravelled the success stories of some interesting business ideas. The series brings out some intriguing facts about how these ideas made it big from scratch and will surely offer viewers valuable insights.”
    BBC World’s commissioning editor Narendhra Morar adds, “The enthusiasm with which the last series of Business Bizarre was received encouraged us to commission seven new episodes. These programmes too explore some fascinatingly unusual and intrinsically Indian businesses and we hope they will appeal to our discerning viewers.”
    Among the other businesses to be profiled in this series are Salim Kagzi, the largest manufacturer of handmade paper from India; SEWA (Self-Employed Women’s Association), organisation of poor, self-employed women workers who earn a living through their own labour or small businesses; and The Honeybee Network, an innovative business that taps the rural ingenuity and reaches out across countries and continents to help innovators share knowledge and expertise.
    Amul, the big white of the Indian Dairy Revolution, will also be featured in this series, as will Himalaya Drug Company, which has managed to combine centuries-old Ayurveda with the rigour of modern clinical research to form the world’s largest database of 500 medicinal herbs. Another episode will showcase Nalli, the market leader in silk sarees, which began as a small retail store in Chennai and has today emerged as the largest silk saree brand in the country with a turnover of over Rs 2200 million.
    The legendary dabbawallas of Mumbai who recently lectured management personnel about their business structure will also feature..Business Bizarre is produced by INTV for BBC World.

  • BBC World brings in new shows to pep up programming

    BBC World brings in new shows to pep up programming

    MUMBAI: BBC World is souping up its fare for the upcoming season.

    Among India-specific shows that have been lined up for the next quarter (July-September) are new series of the quiz showUniversity Challenge , Business Bizarre, Question Time India and Wheels.

    The Beeb has new additions to its global programme line up as well, while reviving a few old shows. Offerings include documentaries, lifestyle entertainment shows, factual programming from the natural kingdom to the corridors of power, and architectural marvels from modern as well as ancient civilizations.

    University Challenge (Thursdays), is presented by Siddhartha Basu (of Mastermind India fame) and is the Indian variant of the succesful UK quiz show.

    Business Bizarre (Sundays from 6 July) returns as a 13-episode series. Question Time India (Fridays from 4 july), Face to Face (Saturdays till 30 August) and Wheels (Saturdays from 6 September presumably replacing Face to Face) are all part of the fresh menu that is being served up by the Beeb.

    Jumpstarting the whole change process as far as the global shows are concerned is the return of the award-winning series Horizon, to be aired on 26 July. A mix of stories ranging from the exhilarating and groundbreaking to the downright sensational will be profiled on the show. In its new format, it will analyse new developments in science, medicine and technology. Horizon promises to saturate the growing global thirst for strong science programmes.

    Holidays in the Axis of Evil , slotted to premiere on 12 July, takes its cue from US President George W Bush’s much-publicised labeling of six countries as ‘axis of evil’, a year ago. In a three-part travelogue, reporter Ben Anderson, armed with a hidden camera and a tourist map, visits all six listed ‘rogue’ states and tries to find the reality of life in the countries labeled as one of the most repressive regimes in the world.

    Profiles returns with further authored portraits of interesting international personalities and key decision-makers, from guest presenters. The list includes the Pope’s enforcer Cardinal Ratzinger, the creator of the medical foundation for the care of victims of torture Helen Bamber and evolutionist and author Richard Dawkins.

    The channel also continues on its hunt for the world’s Greatest Briton. The interesting mix includes Horatio Nelson, William Shakespeare, Elizabeth I, Sir Isaac Newton, Winston Churchill and John Lennon amidst last season’s contenders Charles Darwin, Isambard Kingdom Brunel, Diana, Princess of Wales and Oliver Cromwell. As these contenders battle it out for the top spot as BBC World’s international 21st century role model, the channel will be taking account of the public opinion on its website. Click Online’s presenter Stephen Cole will reveal the result of the poll in a specially commissioned eleventh programme.

    Next in the line is a new, three-part series Bitter Harvest , which starts on 9 August. Telling the inside story of biotechnology, the show will give insights on the revolution it has wrought in the food industry. Besides, three programmes examining some of the major technological advances and scientific discoveries that have helped shape our modern world – the hidden mechanics of global economics to advances in artificial intelligence- will be premiering as The Virtual World on 16 August.

    With a special three part series set to launch on 12 September- Great Spaces Season, the channel will examine stunning architecture around the world, both ancient and modern. The debutante series Heritage ,on the other hand, will explore some of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites and the challenges they face. The 13 programme series will document our disappearing world, from Kathmandu’s temples and the Medina at Essaouira in Morocco, to vanishing cultures and peoples. The locations will include World Heritages Sites and other key cultural and historic places that are unique and face a variety of threats such as war, tourism, population pressures, changing climate and development.

    Yet another show, Dreamspaces will premiere on BBC World on 18 September. The 12-part travelogue will profile the best in modern architectural and contemporary design. Presented by renowned architect David Adjaye, ex-lead singer of the band Elastica Justine Frischman and architect and presenter, Charlie Luxton, each edition features topical issues concerning design and architecture. The show promises to offer a reflective look at some of the greatest modem architects and a visit to cities packed with amazing structures of design and ingenuity.

    Throughout the series the team travel to New York, Helsinki, Puerto Rico, Chicago, Romania, Brazil Israel and many more international destinations, looking at various aspects of design and architecture, and their relationship with contemporary living.

    Last on the list of new launches is a six-series, Andrew Graham-Dixon anchored, 50 minute show offering a view of the Renaissance that will debut on 6 September.