Is the BP theme broken?

A musical shipwreck?

As the BBC’s - ahem - flagship children’s programme readies for its 50th birthday celebrations, Michael Hoskin, from cult TV website TV Cream, is asking a pertinent question. Has the theme tune been ‘broken’?

The show returned to our screens last month after its traditional summer break, and sporting an updated version of the famous signature tune - ‘Barnacle Bill’. Nothing odd in that… except is that tune actually still ‘Barnacle Bill’? Or is it now the equally nautical ‘The Sailor’s Hornpipe’? Read the story »

Brooker C. and the zombies

Jaime Winstone crashes Big Brother

Charlie Brooker’s new comedy-drama, Dead Set, was launched to the press tonight. A zombie drama set in the Big Brother house, it stars Jaime Winstone, Riz Ahmed, Andy Nyman, Davina McCall (who’s very good indeed) and, er, Bubble from BB series two.

The screening was introduced by Andrew Newman, C4’s Head of Entertainment and Comedy, and a fittingly Nathan Barley-esque (now that’s a phrase that’s gone out of heavy rotation) figure. “It’s gripping, dark, excting, gruesome and really original,” he said, before going on to rubbish rival networks. Read the story »

The Third Coming

Zachary Quinto as Sylar

The morning after Heroes series three debuted in the US, the BBC screened the opener for journalists at the Curzon cinema, Soho.

Roly Keating, Controller of BBC2, introduced the preview: “Huge apologies for the short notice, as you may have gathered we didn’t know till the last minute if we were going to have the materials to do this screening, as what you’re about to see only broadcast in America in the small hours of last night. This is as close to an American premiere as you’re ever going to get. Read the story »