Results tagged “bbc”

The East End at the height of its post-war powers, with working ships unloaded by dockers living in crowded cottages neighbouring recognisable squat warehouses is brought vividly to life this weekend.

Poplar, at the heart of the thriving docks of the '50s, is the setting for Call The Midwife, a new Sunday night drama on the BBC which calls on the memoirs of Jennifer Worth.

For many young people in east London, the Olympics is at best irrelevant and, at worst, a sign of division.

But they have found an unlikely ally in the BBC, which is promising to leave a meaningful legacy in the area.

The top brass of London's Olympic organisers were out and about in Canary Wharf today, although Lord Coe was nowhere to be seen.

Rather it was left to actors Hugh Bonneville and Karl Theobald to carry the, ahem, torch as they filmed scenes for the BBC comedy TwentyTwelve in One Canada Square.

COMEDY
Prom 40: The Comedy Prom
Royal Albert Hall
3/5

IN A NUTSHELL
The first time comedians have been let loose at the proms, while giving a platform to some excellent performers, proved a missed opportunity.

John Reith, pictured, general manager of the BBC, discussed the idea of broadcasting "Greenwich Standard Time" with astronomer royal Sir Frank Dyson in 1923 soon after the Summer Time Act had extended BST.

In December of that year, two clocks used by the Royal Observatory were modified to generate time signals for other users.

By Tabitha Ronson

"I go without food when I am at home but when I'm at school I get free dinners," says eight-year-old Courtney.

I watch Jezza Neumann's documentary Poor Kids with tears rolling down my cheeks. This isn't a child from some Third World nation but a little girl from Bradford, one who, like Peter Pan, is too frightened to grow up because she doesn't know what the future holds.

"The downside of being a comedian is that you always get people asking you to tell them jokes," says comedian Dan Clark.

"In public people do ask you to tell them a joke when you get introduced as a comedian. I suppose that's fair, because they quite often need proof."

More than 40 years after his suicide Tony Hancock is still revered as one of the greats of British comedy.

His impeccable comic timing and hangdog look propelled him to the top of his profession in the 1950s, thanks to his Hancock's Half Hour show. A new book, The Lost Hancock Episodes, revisits some of the classic radio and TV shows wiped by the BBC in the 1960s.

While Fabio Capello agonises over his final World Cup selection football commentator John Motson has no doubt who should be in the England side when they start their campaign on June 12.

Motson wants Capello to field his strongest side against the USA to ensure a better performance than the one against Mexico at Wembley last Monday.

Some of the biggest stars in showbiz have booked a residence at The O2 this summer - but it's not Bon Jovi.

Instead, it's the gang of furry creatures who star in cult kiddies TV show In The Night Garden who will be at the venue in August.

Greenwich was the centre of the antiques world last week when the BBC's Antiques Roadshow rolled into town.

The Painted Hall in the Old Royal Naval College hosted experts from the BBC's popular Sunday night show, prompting hundreds of people to bring their treasures along for valuation.

Start rummaging in the attic and dusting off those heirlooms, the BBC's Antiques Roadshow is rolling into Greenwich.

The Painted Hall at the Old Royal Naval College will host the ever popular show, hosted by Fiona Bruce, on Thursday, October 1.

Television cooks all have their own particular schtick, whether it's potty-mouthed ranting, barely concealed sexual innuendo or just a propensity to get hammered on screen.

For Ainsley Harriott, presenter of BBC's Ready Steady Cook, that means being possibly the most cheerful man currently on the telly.

Giles Broadbent on TV's new-found craze - the manipulative narrative

OK, so I watched the final of Britain's Got Talent. Mostly. I saw the acts then turned down the sound on the bits in between.

Not that I'm overtly cynical about the narrative segments.

A device that allows companies to ping information to passing mobile users is proving popular for an Isle of Dogs firm.

Idscan has reported £100,000 worth of initial sales of the Blue2 broadcasting system, which allows advertisers, businesses and authorities to reach potential customers up to a kilometre away.

See The Wharf's gallery of Top Gear's visit here

Popular BBC show Top Gear swapped the open road for the Wharf estate on Tuesday morning.

Presenters Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May faced a firing squad of mobile phone cameras as they filmed a segment on city cars outside the Jubilee line station.

The Boat That Rocked (15)
Director: Richard Curtis
2/5

"This is Curtis's hymn to the pirate radio days, when the BBC stuck its fingers in its ears and went la, la, la, to drown out the explosion of British rock."

By Victoria Clayton

After sampling plentiful beers, lagers, and ciders on a TV road trip across Britain and Ireland last summer, double act James May, co-host of BBC 2's Top Gear, and wine expert Oz Clarke decided that tea was the drink that defines modern Britain.

Robert Peston gave the lowdown on the slowdown with an entertaining talk at a business reception in Canary Wharf last night.

The BBC business editor, who has become something of an economics guru recently, enthralled a gathering of east London business brains as he gave his personal perspective on the crisis.