Red Nose 2011
by Celeste Carrigan
Today marks the official Red Nose Day. The BBC tonight sees a jam packed TV show of comic shenanigans.
Many have already started their fundraising from shaving heads to fun runs. Radio 1 DJ Chris Moyles held the longest radio marathon yesterday for 51.5-hours. The show has already got the money rolling in for the Comic Relief fund, with listeners donating over £2 million.
By Steven Robson
Sebastian Vettel topped first practice in Abu Dhabi - Credit- Flickr/ 'Brawnfan'
Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel topped the time sheets of first practice in Abu Dhabi earlier today. The German driver, who is currently third in the overall championship dominated most of the session, which comes exactly one day before the qualifying run that will determine where the drivers will start the final Grand Prix of 2010.
Despite no times being posted in the first 40 minutes of first practice, the session displayed a close fight between the main title contenders.
Lewis Hamilton was only 0.609 seconds off the pace, with his team-mate Jenson Button making up the top three positions.
Second place title contender, Mark Webber finished in forth position, with current championship leader, Fernando Alonso crossing the line in sixth place.
Although the session was predominately dry, rain fell shortly before the cars went out on track. This led to much confusion from experts such as BBC Sport commentator Jonathan Legard: “So much for Saturday forecasts for rain, it’s arrived already – just after I was told there’s no wind!”
Despite Abu Dhabi hosting the final championship battle for the first time, Legard spoke out about the lack of atmosphere within the crowds: “There is a sell out crowd for the weekend (46,000) like last year”, but he added: “They are very quiet compared to Brazil!”
For many, including double World Champion Fernando Alonso, this has been one of the most exciting seasons in the history of Formula One. Speaking in a press conference, he said: “In terms of happiness, motivation, driving, and the team itself, it’s my best season.”
Additionally, this season has produced a very close fight for the championship with the top four championship contenders separated by 24 points.
Many experts, such as former ITV pundit and F1 driver Mark Blundell, have found it particularly difficult to pick out a championship winner: “I feel Alonso has the title in sights,but I also feel he is not deserving”. He continued: “But my dream winner would be Webber – fingers crossed.”
Practice sessions are very important in allowing drivers to test new parts, as well as define their true pace for the race ahead. Mclaren test driver Gary Paffett said: “We use the tests to try out new updates and refine the car balance.”
The second practice session will take place later today, with qualifying starting at 1pm on Saturday and the race commencing 1pm on Sunday.
John Walter Jones, Chairman of S4C
The 19th annual VLV (Voice of the Listener and Viewer) Conference in association with Edinburgh Napier and Stirling University takes place today at the Scottish Storytelling Centre in Edinburgh.
Speakers include John Walter Jones, chairman of S4C and Donald Campbell from MG Alba. The VLV Scottish Conference will compare and contrast the state of broadcasting in Scotland and Wales, just weeks after the controversial licence fee settlement.
The Scottish Director of VLV, the University of Stirling’s Dr Matthew Hibberd, is quoted in a statement issued by the organisers, as saying: “There are major worries that the general economic climate and financial cuts contained in the funding settlement will have a very negative impact on the range and quality of programmes in Scotland and Wales.”
The cuts, made on 20th October of this year, are to ‘deliver certainty and stability for the BBC and licence fee payers through to 2016/17’ according to Sir Michael Lyons, current chairman of the BBC Trust. It has been described as a ‘tough settlement.’
As part of the new deal, S4C will now be part-funded, following similar principles to the BBC Alba service in Scotland.
S4C chairman John Walter Jones and the S4C Authority is unanimous in its desire to seek a Judicial Review of Jeremy Hunt’s plans and the way it was handled; a decision that many feel has damaged the BBC’s reputation:
“My main concern is about the independence of S4C. We find ourselves losing status through the BBC having control of our funding.
“The decision was taken so quickly, and no-one had previously spoken to S4C. I am very concerned. Things next year will be very different from this year.”
Broadcasting north of the border also faces a number of challenges.
The question of quality content remains a significant challenge to be addressed by the projected licence fee, standing in at only £5million per year for content in Scotland alone.
Programmes such as the Weakest Link – which recently moved to studios in Glasgow – is one of the programmes that is reviewed in relation to cultural representation, a key issue Robert Beveridge, lecturer at Edinburgh Napier University, raises:
“It is not evident that the Weakest Link from Glasgow adds much value to Scotland in terms of cultural representation and national identity, although for obvious reasons it was probably wise for the BBC not to transfer production and Anne Robinson to BBC Wales.
“The Weakest Link is not a Scottish programme. We need to ask – what is best for viewers and listeners in and across Scotland and Wales.”
By Rebeca Calvo-Gaspar.
Picket outside BBC Offices in Edinburgh
BBC employees are staging a 48 hour strike, which began at midnight last night, in protest of changes in their pension policy.
Flagship programmes such as Reporting Scotland will not go on air today. The Office of Programmes and Services Enquiries at BBC Scotland in Glasgow says: “Most news programmes will be affected by the strike, any involving major journalism”. An updated TV schedule has been uploaded to the BBC website, but updated information regarding BBC Wales, BBC Northern Ireland and BBC Scotland is expected to be limited.
The strike was called upon by the NUJ (National Union of Journalists) which is the only union that still thinks the agreement is unfair. “We do not want to get more, we are just trying to keep what is ours” says a source from the Press Office at NUJ Scotland in Glasgow. “Our colleagues in London are dealing with the negotiations but if we did not get what is fair there will be another 48 hour strike on the 15th and the 16th of November”.
Pickets around Glasgow and Edinburgh BBC offices were seen this morning, however both offices affirm the protesters did not cause any trouble.
The problem between unions and the broadcasting corporation started last June when the BBC announced its plan to overhaul its pension scheme in an attempt to tackle a £2bn deficit. The corporation was following the government instructions of reviewing public sector pensions. After broadcasting union Bectu condemned the proposal these were subjected to a three months consultation period. Under the first proposed changes an employee’s pensionable salary would raise by no more than 1% a year.
During the following negotiations a rise of 2.5% per year were offered, however, the unions still saw that figures as unfair and asked for new revisions. The latest offer of a 4% per year increase has been seen by Bectu as “the best that can be achieved through negotiation”.
BBC journalists are to stage two 48-hour strikes in the coming weeks as the long running row over pensions rages on.
The National Union of Journalists said its members will walk out on November 5 and 6 and again on November 15 and 16, with further strike dates to be announced in the coming days, including the threat of a Christmas stoppage.
The move follows a 70% majority rejection by NUJ members of the BBC’s “final” offer on pensions. The union described the proposed changes as making journalists “pay more, work longer and receive lower pensions”.
The union makes up 17% of BBC staff, UK-wide, with 300 members in Scotland. They said its 4,000 members at the BBC will also refuse to take on additional duties or volunteer for acting-up duties as part of an indefinite work to rule.
The dispute flared after the BBC announced plans to cap pensionable pay from next April and revalue pensions at a lower level, which unions said effectively devalued pensions already earned. BBC management said the changes were needed to try to tackle a huge pension deficit of more than £1.5 billion.
Speaking at the Edinburgh International Television Festival in August Mark Thompson told delegates: “We’re going through one of the most painful changes of all – confronting the fact that the current pension arrangements for people inside the organisation are simply no longer affordable.”
In what many commentators are predicting will be a winter of discontent, the strikes by BBC journalists could be the first in a long line of industry disputes. Firefighters are also threatening industrial action but it is yet to be seen if either of these groups will gain the level of public support being demonstrated on the streets of Paris, as Nicholas Sarkozy raises the age for the state pension.
By Christopher Hall
Dundee are in it, Liverpool just might be going into it and a number of other football clubs are cautiously striving to avoid it. But just what are the key factors of the phenomenon which is flaunted cautiously in board rooms of football clubs around the United Kingdom?
Administration.
The key points of this are not as complicated as one may think. The main reason for a club going into administration might be viewed by many fans as an utterly dark portion of a club’s existence, with chances of survival bleak. Many clubs, however, have been in and out of administration just as quickly throughout the years and to understand the fundamentals of the process would shed light on a truly fascinating phenomenon of modern football.
In simple terms it should be seen as a misdirection of the clubs finances. The common admission of problems, similiar to that of Dundee who recently published a bill of £365,000, is pressure from the tax man. The club then were revealed to have overall debts of around 2 million pounds and the administration proceedings were uncovered.
The next stage of the journey involves the appointment of the “administrator” who will oversee the club’s finances rather than the men in grey suits within the board room. They will look into minimising the club’s losses as well as striving to find a buyer (similiar to the Hicks/Gillett saga currently ongoing at Liverpool FC).
As Dundee football club Chairman Harry Maclean recently uncovered to the BBC, the administrators run and assess everything at the club, short of picking the team on a Saturday:
“Speculating on the amount of figures and players that would be leaving is a bit pointless at this time because there’s only one person that’ll know that and that’s the administrator.”
The administrator may also not be as sympathetic in terms of personal issues which arise, such as the unfortunate and real threat of redundancies. The authorities will do all they can to accrue as much of the lost finances as possible. Gordon Chisholm recently feel victim to this process, being removed from his post as part of the administration proceedings at Dundee FC:
“Their’s boys getting laid off in their with mortgages, its a horrendous time. I’ve never been through been through anything like that in my life and I hope never to see it again“
Finally, If the club is then deemed by administrators to be incapable of saviour, and finances spiral into irreparable levels, then the threat of liquidation (commonly known as a “winding up” order) becomes a very real possibility. The ins and outs of this process can be read in detail at the UK statute law website.
The threat of administration truly is a worrying time for any club. Only time will tell what fate has in store for clubs such as Dundee, Liverpool and Portsmouth. Perhaps the biggest nail in the coffin and realisation of crisis would materialise when clubs of substantial stature fall victim to the perils of a debt ridden management system.
Until then, clubs struggle on as football pulls itself out of the financial culmination of the last decade and beyond.
Scotland is gearing up for what promises to be another record breaking Children in Need fundraising day on the 20th of November.
pudsey bear
After getting past the £2 million mark for the first time last year, efforts are being increased across the country to try to raise the money-making bar even higher.
The BBC’s charity is now in its 29th year and has raised over half a billion pounds for underprivileged children in the UK.
Every penny counts towards giving a child a better future, so whether you sit in a bath of baked beans to raise money, get your legs waxed or cycle over 10,000 miles like Mark Beaumont, every effort is appreciated by Pudsey bear and his team.
going through the pain barrier for Children in Need
“We are overwhelmed by the support of people right across the UK every year as we know that for many people these are difficult times,” said a spokesman.
“The generosity and commitment shown last year which helped us raise £36 million allowed us to make a difference in many young lives.
“We thank all of the people across the country who have organised or are participating in a fundraising event for your amazing efforts.”
Edinburgh student run charity, Children’s Holiday Venture received a £2000 grant from Children in Need in September of this year and are reaping the benefits now.
Claire Austin, the charity’s vice president was delighted to receive the funding: “It was a fantastic boost to get such a generous sum.
“It is really going a long way with helping the children as we help greater numbers in better ways.
“We all enjoy our regular swimming trips but we now have better opportunities to go on day trips which are more fun and educational.”
She added: “The work Children in Need do each year goes such a long way to helping so many charities like us around the UK and the support the receive from the public is fantastic.
“We can’t thank everyone who helps enough for their generous donations.”
The live telethon starts at 7 o’clock on BBC 1 so tune in for all sorts of fundraising fun.
If you want to get involved the check out http://www.bbc.co.uk/pudsey/news/map.shtml to find out what’s happening in your area.
The Olympics are among numerous other events which are free-to-air (http://pictures.thaindian.com)
By Suhayl Afzal and Myles Edwards
Proposed changes to the list of free-to-air sporting events have triggered widespread criticism.
Sporting associations, journalists and the public have reacted angrily to the recommendations put to the department of culture, media and sport by an independent panel. [Read more...]
BY KYLE MCCAIG
Willie Angus - the first ever territorial soldier to win the Victoria cross and a former Celtic player
Celtic football club and “a very small minority or its supporters” were at the centre of a remembrance day row after the weekends match against Falkirk was overshadowed by protests.
In a weekend of little if any opposition to the remembrance day tributes paid at football grounds across the country, a minutes silence respected almost impeccably by those inside the Falkirk stadium, was ruined by chants and songs of Irish republican protest seemingly from Celtic fans outside the stadium.
After Sky sports, the broadcasters of the match, dubbed out the singing many were shocked to hear of the protests after fans video’s of the offending actions were posted on YOUTUBE.
A Celtic Fc spokesman said this about the furor ”As expected the minutes silence was impeccably observed by supporters inside the stadium” they also said they “understand that outside the stadium a very small minority were singing and, whether intentionally or not, disrupted the silence” In further contact with the club, they refused to be drawn further on the incidents and instead consider the matter closed.
Neil Griffiths of the British Legion was incensed about the protests citing a lack of knowledge from the offending fans ”like everybody we were horrified by what happened . . . If they knew more about the history of the club and their links to the armed forces they would perhaps have a different view”
Griffiths also referred to former Celtic player Willie Angus ,who was a awarded the Victoria cross and was the first ever Scottish territorial soldier to win the award, as an example of the clubs history to which the fans should be aware.
By Caroline Fraser
Edinburgh Lectures and The Open University are holding a lecture about the making of BBC programme, A History of Scotland, a two-part series which began its second installment on Sunday, November 8 on BBC 1. The programme is presented by Scottish archaeologist, historian, author and broadcaster Neil Oliver, famous for hosting hit BBC show Coast.
The lecture will take place on Wednesday, November 11 in The Hub, Royal Mile, Edinburgh and will begin at 6.30pm. The lecture is going to be chaired by journalist and broadcaster Ruth Wishart with the rest of the panel consisting of Dr Catriona MacDonald, Senior Lecturer in History, Glasgow Caledonian University and members of BBC staff who help make the programme, including Neil McDonald, the series producer who is also Creative Director of Documentaries at BBC Scotland. Other staff on the panel include Richard Downes, the BBC series producer for A History of Scotland and the series historian Dr Mark Jardine.
Courtesy of 1adventure
The Open University, who also co-produce the BBC programme, will have a panel ready to hold an interesting and lively debate Wednesday evening, which is also open to the public.
The topics to be addressed include how the production team decided just what aspects of Scotland’s history and culture should be included in the series as it is limited to 10 hours broadcasting time. Therefore, the debate hopes to discuss the content of the programme and what has been left out. Also, the debate will ask pertinent questions such as can television history programmes be made without compromise? And, how does national BBC 1 manage to secure a wide range of audiences from a programme solely about Scotland? These issues and questions, among others, will be raised at the lecture.
The first programme of the second installment entitled God’s Chosen People educated and entertained audiences as Oliver travelled through Scotland’s past recalling the story of the Covenanters whose religious beliefs were declared in the National Convenant of 1638. It is Scottish history such as this that will be examined in the debate as the series producers will discuss why such topics are included in the programme.
Professor Ian Donnachie, Professor in History at The Open University is looking forward to the upcoming 60 minute programmes in the new series as he says, ‘As the series moves on in time it highlights major themes in the history of Scotland to our own times. ‘ Donnachie continues to say, ‘Many important and controversial issues that are addressed and debated in the programmes help to explain how Scotland came to be the country it is today.’
The debate hopes to reinforce this view as the panel discuss and put forward their views in support of the programme as it continues to educate, and entertain for the remainder of the series.
By Ryan Culling
The BBC has launched a new website which provides on demand coverage of the UK’s national political institutions and the European Parliament. Democracy Live, at bbc.co.uk/democracylive, aims to provide the public with unparalleled access to democratic institutions across Britain.
The website boasts technology which allows the user to search for the political debates which matter to them most. There is no other website in the world which offers the same.
Democracy Live covers the main chambers of the House of Commons, House of Lords, the Scottish Parliament, Northern Ireland Assembly, Welsh Assembly and full sittings of the European Parliament.
Another feature of Democracy Live is that, unlike other BBC services, for example iPlayer, Democracy Live has no geographical restrictions, allowing those outside the UK to view as well.
Head of BBC Political Programmes, Sue Inglish, said: “Democracy Live is an important addition to the way the BBC brings politics to our audiences across the UK, allowing people to see first hand the work of their elected representatives and ensuring we have a healthy and informed democracy.
“This is precisely the sort of different content the BBC should be providing in fulfilling our public service remit and representing all of the democratic institutions in the UK.”
Democracy Live also contains an archive of footage which, although limited at the moment, increases in size daily. The archive also contains historic moments from the 1980s.
Democracy Live also offers guides to the individual political institutions as well as an explanation of the UK political system. People will be able to follow representatives they are interested in and Democracy Live will gather video in which they appear and store this to be watched later.
Courtesy of BBC Democracy Live
By Caroline Fraser
The BBC are ready to broadcast many television and radio shows in order to make 2009 a particularly poignant year in the season of Rememberance.
With the news that over 100 British soldiers have lost their lives fighting over the last 12 month alone, the BBC’s programme schedule will pay particular attention to those who lost their lives as well as marking and celebrating the lives of the First World War veterans as we mark the end of that admired generation of men.
The programmes will enable millions of people to pay their respects and celebrate with the commemeration services as Britain remembers its dead. Peter Cleminson, The Royal British Legion’s National Chairman has said, ‘As the National Custodian of Remembrance, the Royal British Legion is grateful that these events are televised in order for the nation to be able to join as one in the act of Remembrance.’ It is very apparent that both the public and the BBC recognise just how important these televised and audio events are this year. Nick Vaughan-Barratt, Head of BBC Events adds, ‘Remembrance is a time when the politics and argument are put aside for the whole nation to unite in paying our respects to those who died in conflict.’
Vaughn-Barratt continues saying, ‘It’s always a privilege to be able to bring these moving and powerful events to our viewers and listeners each year.’ Both the BBC’s television and broadcasting departments are ready to unveil programmes which will inform and entertain the public on a very pressing subject matter. But, as Vaughan-Barratt says, the nation should join in remembering those who bravely fought and gave their lives to serve Britain.
The programmes have attracted some of Britain’s well-known singers Jaime Cullum and teenage singing sweetheart Faryl Smith will be paying their respects and preforming at the live annual Festival of Rememberance event which will be broadcast on BBC 1 on 7 November 2009, 9.15pm. This year’s broadcast will be held at The Royal Albert Hall and will be presented by Huw Edwards, the presenter of the BBC’s News at Ten. This year, the Festival will be telling the tales of brave men and women who dedicated their time to the Services as well as showing rare footage of a trip made by a military transport aircraft, the C-17 Globemaster.
In addition to the televised broadcasts, BBC Radio 2 will be transmitting a programme entitled ‘Behind Enemy Lines’ in which John McCarthy presents a documentary which gives insight into the lives of those who survived captivity amongst other aspects of war. This programme will also be broadcast on 7 November 2009.
It seems that the BBC is determained to grab the public’s attention when it comes to their Rememberance schedule for the upcoming week. One would assume that armed with a schedule so packed with both audio and visual documentaries, celebrations and first-hand interviews with those few so closely associated with the war, it certainly has the potential to be an event Remembered.
Protesters outside Pacific Quay, Glasgow (copyright Duncan Brown, flickr.com/duncanbrown)
Anti-fascism campaigners demonstrated at BBC Scotland’s headquarters in Glasgow on Thursday, in protest at British National Party leader Nick Griffin appearing on ‘Question Time’. [Read more...]
By Lauren Redpath and Fiona Gardner
The BBC were today criticised for focusing too much on the BNP leader’s appearance on Question Time last night and neglecting other important issues.
The Taxpayers Alliance have condemned the BBC for giving too much coverage to Nick Griffin and have said that not enough attention was paid to the other important issues of the day such as the national postal strike.
Mark Wallace, Campaign Director for The Taxpayers Alliance said: “The last thing the BBC should be is dictated to. The licence fee payers did not get a say in the matter and if had been aired on a commercial channel then people could have had the choice to watch it or not. Too much time was focused on Nick Griffin when other matters like the Royal Mail strike should have been discussed.”
Griffin faced tough questions from the audience but that didn’t stop him from voicing his opinion and he caused more controversy by calling homosexuals “creepy” and saying the Ku Klux Klan was “almost totally non-violent.”
The BBC faced huge criticism from protestors saying Griffin didn’t deserve the chance to voice his fascist views. Security was stepped up outside the BBC studios in London with a police presence on the ground and in the air to control protestors.
People on the streets of Edinburgh had mixed views this morning and were still debating whether the BBC made the right decision.
Peter Hain, the Welsh Secretary told the Telegraph, “The BBC should be ashamed of single-handedly doing a racist, fascist party the biggest favour in its grubby history.”
The BBC defended its decision to invite Mr Griffin on Question Time saying it was “appropriate”.
21 October 2009
Amy Sutherland
Cbeebies logo taken from their website
A programme broadcast on Cbeebies, the BBC‘s children’s channel, has come under scrutiny for changing the end of the famous nursery rhyme to something more positive. The show ‘Something Special‘ replaced “And all the king’s horses and all the king’s men couldn’t put Humpty together again” with “And all the king’s horses and all the king’s men made Humpty happy again.”
The BBC has defended this as merely being for creative and entertainment reasons but several columnists and Tom Harris – the Labour MP for Glasgow South – who publicized the change after watching the show with his young sons, have condemned it as ridiculous.
According to the Cbeebies site, it is “at all times modern and fresh in its approach” and aims at delivering “entertaining programmes underpinned by learning values.” The channel’s mission statement declares that its content is “developed and produced using pre-school and early-school specialists. Content is bright, exciting and interactive, and covers all aspects of the Early Learning Goals within a stimulating environment for young children.”
One Edinburgh mother of two, who also watched the programme, believes that this is another example of political correctness gone mad: “It’s all very well wrapping our children up in cotton wool and making everything rosy for them, but the original endings of our nursery rhymes didn’t do older generations any harm. Why should our children be any different?”
The same programme has also changed the end of Little Miss Muffet to have her befriending the spider instead of running away.
By Jessica Rodgers
The family of a BBC producer shot dead in Somalia have today questioned the BBC’s lack of planning in sending her to the war-torn country without vital information that could have prevented her death.
Kate Peyton, 39, shot dead by pirates in Somalia
Kate Peyton, 39, from Beyton, Suffolk was shot in the back outside the Sahafi Hotel in Mogadishu in February 2005. An inquest into her death begins today at Ipswich Crown Court. The family will argue that she was not warned about the dangers of the country ahead of her trip, due to ‘lack of planning’ on the BBC’s behalf.
Peyton, accompanied by reporter Peter Greste had been due to film a series of reports in the country when a militiaman fired at them. Greste was unharmed but Peyton died in Mogadishu hospital from internal bleeding.
The militiamen surrounded the hotel where Somali politicians stayed to discuss the transfer of their government from neighboring Kenya. Classified as one of the most dangerous countries in the world for over two decades, it is rare for journalists or aid workers to be sent there. Peyton’s family claim she was ‘under pressure’ from the BBC to complete this assignment.
Her mother, Angela Peyton said: “She came home from work and said, ‘Sorry, I’ve got to go to Somalia next Tuesday’. I have to say that my heart sank but I don’t think I fully understood how dangerous it was.
“She said, ‘This will prove to them that I’m committed’. She told me she had felt under pressure over her contract.” Peyton’s contract was due to end in Summer of 2005.
Ms Peyton’s sister, Rebecca, an actress who lives in Brixton, south London, said: “All the journalists we’ve spoken to who have been to Somalia or who know about it have been quite shocked that she was sent. We say that she didn’t have access to all the information before she went.
Her brother Charles hopes one outcome of the case will be better planning and more information for journalists before being sent to hostile countries. Her family will remain supportive of the BBC, as her sister says “We don’t want anyone’s head on a plate, we don’t want to shut down foreign news – we just want some answers.”
|
Reuters BBC Stv The Guardian Scottish Judiciary Scottish Judiciary – Media NY Times CNN The Scotsman The Herald AllmediaScotland BBC-Weather-UK Reuters – Entertainment
