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Alan Partridge Returns To The BBC
Nearly 25 years after his debut on BBC Television, Alan Partridge is to return to the BBC shortly on “This Time With Alan Partridge”.
Alan is a stand-in host on a weekday evening magazine show “This Time”, described as a heady mix of consumer affairs, current affairs, viewer interaction, highbrow interview and lightweight froth. Filming started a year ago, and the series is expected to air shortly. Felicity Montague will also reprise her role as Alan’s PA Lynn.
BBC Scotland
To make sense of the BBC’s programming strategy you have to understand it is largely concerned with the corporation’s political survival.
Before the last BBC licence fee settlement, faced with a hostile Tory Government, the BBC chose of its own volition to close down BBC3 as a linear broadcast TV channel.
Ostensibly, this because the future of TV was on-demand streaming, but in reality its budget had been slashed. As a consequence, the BBC significantly reduced its reach amongst 18-34 year olds – who are vital to its licence fee funded future.
Then, out of nowhere, the BBC found £30m to launch BBC Scotland. The channel launches on Sunday 24 February 2019 and will be available across the UK on the iPlayer and on Sky / Virgin Media. Meanwhile from Monday 4 March, BBC1 is to introduce a new slot to showcase BBC3 programming after a shortened News At Ten. (BBC)
Also of note this week:
The BBC is to revive cult children’s TV show Crackerjack. (Crackerjack)
LBC’s James O’Brien fighting Brexit, one caller at a time. (New York Times)
Sky’s Adam Boulton: Why I’ve spent 30 years at Sky News. (Sky)
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