Blue Enter Eurovision Song Contest For UK

This year the UK will be represented by former chart topping band Blue. The four lads have reformed and performed several gigs recently, after splitting up in 2005.

Blue have sold over 13 million records, including three number 1 hit singles with 'If You Come Back', 'Too Close' and 'Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word' - a duet with Elton John in December 2002.

Last year the UK came last with just 10 points and this will be the first time the UK public have not chosen the artist to represent them. The Eurovision Song Contest final on May 14th 2011 and will be shown on BBC1 with the two semi-final shows on BBC3 during the week.
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Radio 1 Big Weekend Heads To North Wales

Radio 1's Big Weekend will be heading to North Wales for this years free weekend of music, with Pixie Lott (pictured above) confirmed for the event. The Big Weekend will take place on Saturday 22nd and Sunday 23rd May 2010 at Faenol Park in Bangor, north Wales.

This is the largest free ticketed music event with 40,000 tickets being given away to the public who register on the official BBC Big Weekend website. As in previous years at Swindon, Londonderry, Dundee and Sunderland - priority will be given to local people, who will be encouraged to attend the free event. More details about who will be performing and how to obtain tickets will be revealed over the coming weeks.

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Eastenders Live Viewing Figures

The live Eastenders episode was a massive winner for the BBC as 16.6 million viewers tuned in to find out who murdered Archie for the 25th anniversary special.

Viewing figures peaked as Stacey Slater confessed all as Bradley Branning fell to his death in the dramatic live episode, with the episode averaging just under 15m and another 1.42m tuning in for the repeat on BBC3 later.

Eastenders live had almost six out of every ten viewers watching the conclusion of one of soaps best kept secrets ever, easily beating rivals and producing one of the best Eastenders viewing figures in years. The Christmas Day 1986 episode of 30.15m still remains the most watched British soap as Den Watts handed divorce papers to his wife Angie.

It was also a record night for BBC3, which saw 4.3m tune in for Eastenders Live: The Aftermath. This was the highest viewed programme ever on BBC3 and a new record for a multichannel programme.

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VIDEO: BBC News Weather Girl Blooper

Here is the video of BBC newsreader Fiona Bruce ad-libbing for weather girl Louise Lear, who failed to make it in time to do the weather forecast. When she finally arrived on set, Louise was still doing up her buttons. Just what was she doing off camera??!!


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The Apprentice Winner Is...............

The Apprentice final was a battle between the two remaining women - Kate Walsh and Yasmina Siadatan as the 27-year-olds sought to create a brand of new chocolates with original flavours in just three days.

Sir Alan Sugar eventually hired Yasmina Siadatan as his fifth new Apprentice after whittling down from fifteen hopefuls over the last twelve weeks. This series became the most successful yet for the BBC with a peak of 9.2m tuning in to the weekly business battles.

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New Dr Who Assistant Revealed

The companion for the new series of Dr Who has been revealed as a virtually unknown actress, Karen Gillan. The 21-year-old will appear alongside the new Doctor, Matt Smith in 2010 as the BBC run with a fifth series of the popular Sci-Fi programme.

Gillan has appeared in C4's Stacked, The Kevin Bishop Show and James Nesbitt's forthcoming film Outcast before amazing the producer of Dr Who, who described her as , "funny, and clever, and gorgeous, and sexy." Executive producer Steven Moffat has been singing her praises saying, "A generation of little girls will want to be her."

Filming begins in July and is expected to be shown on BBC1 in April 2010.

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Junior Apprentice To Launch Next Year

Get set for a junior version of The Apprentice in 2010, with Sir Alan Sugar uttering those famous words "You're fired" to a bunch of teenagers.

The current series of The Apprentice is enjoying over 8m viewers each week and Sir Alan has said he would love to make a junior version of the programme, "It is my long held belief that we should be doing more to promote enterprise amongst young people, as the future of our economy relies on them."

Junior Apprentice will feature five boys and five girls aged 16 and 17 in the five part series, from all social backgrounds. Some may be straight A students, from grammar or public school or have no academic qualifications. Sir Alan Sugar left school at 16 with no qualifications but went on to build his empire by hard work and his entrepreneurial skills.

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Eurovison Viewing Figures To Drop

Eurovision looks set to lose even more viewers this year as the song contest once again goes head-to-head with ITV's Britain's Got Talent.

Viewing figures could well drop below seven million for the annual song contest with UK viewers opting for comfort with British talent rather than the prospect of a humiliating finish in Eurovision.

Last year 7.1m watched the Eurovision Song Contest as Andy Abraham came joint last and Terry Wogan bowed out after 30 years of hosting the event. This year less than 7m are expected to tune in as Jade performs 'It's My Time' for the UK. She is looks set to be a surprise hit with voters as the song has been well received across Eurpope and looks set for a decent result. Britain's Got Talent has been enjoying weekly viewing figures above the 11m mark as the programme continues to make headlines around the world, and could help end the UK's love/hate relationship with Eurovision. Two years ago 8.7m viewers were watching Eurovision on the BBC but a dip below 7m could raise calls for the long running event to be axed amid cries of block voting and frustration.

Whatever the result, British viewers will be glued to their TV sets watching men and women desperate for their 15 minutes of fame...................




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Dr Who - Final Tennant Companion Revealed

The final Doctor Who companion for David Tennant has been revealed today and fans of the cult BBC Sci-fi programme will recognise him as Donna Noble's grandfather.

The actor Bernard Cribbins will appear in the final Dr Who specials later this year as Russell T Davies and the crew say farewell to David Tennant. The specials will be broadcast in November and December and promise to be big, as several stars from previous Dr Who episodes on set recently for filming.

Matt Smith will become the eleventh Doctor in 2010 after David Tennant "dies" in the Christmas episodes.

Gavin & Stacey Star Collapes On Stage

Gavin & Stacey star Michael Horne collapsed on stage during a West End performance of Entertaining Mr Sloane, raising fears the comedian actor has been over working in recent weeks. Shocked members of the audience desperately dialled 999, calling for medical assistance and the theater asked if there were any doctors in the house.

It was ten minutes before thirty year-old Michael Horne received medical assistance and the West End theater was cleared as the production ended abruptly following his surprise collapse. At first the audience thought it was part of the play, with one audience member telling the Daily Mail,

"When he fainted, there was a long pause and everyone thought it was part of the play.
But then we realised something was wrong and it was awful. We were all shocked."

After spending a short time in hospital the Gavin & Stacey star was allowed home and is said to be suffering from a mild form of exhaustion after a hectic few months filming and theater work.

BAFTA Nominations 2009

The BAFTA Nominations for 2009 have been revealed (listed below) with The Apprentice up for 'Best Feature' against Top Gear. Channel 4 dominates 'Situation Comedy', while BBC rule in the 'Best Drama' selection. The 2009 British Academy Television Awards will take place in London on 26 April.

Best actor
Stephen Dillane - The Shooting of Thomas Hurndall (Channel 4)
Jason Isaacs - The Curse of Steptoe (BBC Four)
Ken Stott - Hancock and Joan (BBC Four)
Ben Whishaw - Criminal Justice (BBC One)

Best actress
June Brown - EastEnders (BBC One)
Anna Maxwell Martin - Poppy Shakespeare (Channel 4)
Maxine Peake - Hancock and Joan (BBC Four)
Andrea Riseborough - Margaret Thatcher: The Long Walk to Finchley (BBC Four)

Best entertainment performance
Stephen Fry - QI (BBC Two)
Harry Hill - Harry Hill's TV Burp (ITV1)
Anthony McPartlin & Declan Donnelly - I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! (ITV1)
Jonathan Ross - Friday Night with Jonathan Ross (BBC One)

Best comedy performance
Rob Brydon - Gavin and Stacey (BBC Three)
Sharon Horgan - Pulling (BBC Three)
David Mitchell - Peep Show (Channel 4)
Claire Skinner - Outnumbered (BBC One)

Best single drama
Einstein and Eddington (BBC Two)
Hancock and Joan (BBC Four)
The Shooting of Thomas Hurndall (Channel 4)
White Girl (BBC Two)

Best drama serial
Criminal Justice (BBC One)
Dead Set (Channel 4)
The Devil's Whore (Channel 4)
House of Saddam (BBC Two)

Best drama series
Doctor Who (BBC One)
Shameless (Channel 4)
Spooks (BBC One)
Wallander (BBC One)

Best continuing drama
The Bill (ITV1)
Casualty (BBC One)
EastEnders (BBC One)
Emmerdale (ITV1)

Best factual series
Amazon with Bruce Parry (BBC Two)
Blood Sweat and T-Shirts (BBC Three)
The Family (Channel 4)
Ross Kemp in Afghanistan (Sky One)

Best entertainment programme
The Friday/Sunday Night Project (Channel 4)
Harry Hill's TV Burp (ITV1)
QI (BBC One)
The X Factor (ITV1)

Best situation comedy
The Inbetweeners (Channel 4)
The IT Crowd (Channel 4)
Outnumbered (BBC One)
Peep Show (Channel 4)

Best comedy programme
Harry and Paul (BBC One)
The Peter Serafinowicz Show (BBC Two)
Star Stories (Channel 4)
That Mitchell and Webb Look (BBC Two)

Best single documentary
A Boy Called Alex (Channel 4)
Chosen (Channel 4)
The Fallen (BBC Two)
Thriller in Manila (More 4)

Best feature
The Apprentice (BBC One)
Celebrity MasterChef (BBC One)
The Choir: Boys Don't Sing (BBC Two)
Top Gear (BBC Two)

Best international show
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (More 4)
Dexter (ITV1)
Mad Men (BBC Four)
The Wire (FX)

Best specialist factual
Blood and Guts: A History of Surgery (BBC Four)
Life in Cold Blood (BBC One)
Lost Land of the Jaguar (BBC One)
Stephen Fry and the Gutenberg Press: The Machine That Made Us (BBC Four)

Best current affairs
Saving Africa's Witch Children - Dispatches (Channel 4)
Mum Loves Drugs, Not Me - Dispatches (Channel 4)
Omagh: What the Police Were Never Told - Panorama (BBC One)
Ross Kemp: A Kenya Special (Sky One)

Best news coverage
Channel 4 News (Channel 4)
News at Ten - Chinese Earthquake (ITV1)
Sky News - Canoe Man (Sky News)
Sky News - Mumbai (Sky News)

Best sport
Cheltenham Gold Cup - Denman v Kauto Star (Channel 4)
ITV1 F1: Brazilian Grand Prix (ITV1)
Olympics 2008 (BBC One)
Wimbledon - The Men's Final (BBC One)

Best interactivity
Bryony Makes a Zombie Movie (BBC Three)
Embarrassing Bodies Online (Channel 4)
Merlin (BBC One)
Olympics 2008 (BBC One)

The Apprentice Returns!

The Apprentice (BBC1)

The Apprentice returns for a brand new series next Wednesday (25/03/09) but already one of the contestants has dropped out, leaving 15 other young hopefuls with the arduous task of pleasing multi-millionaire Sir Alan Sugar for the next twelve weeks.


The full candidate picture gallery will be available to see on robmaccaEXTRA in the next few hours, meanwhile watch the video of the Best Bits to remind yourself what happened in the last series of The Apprentice. The candidates were Nicholas, Shazia, Ian, Simon, Lindi, Kevin, Jenny, Jennifer, Sara, Raef, Michael, Lucinda, Alex and Helene. Claire Young was runner up and Lee McQueen got hired.

Radio 1 Big Weekend Heads To Swindon

Snow Patrol and N-Dubz will be appearing at the ninth Radio 1's Big Weekend and this year it will be held in Swindon, with up to 40,000 free tickets becoming available over the two days. Lydiard Park will be home for the festival on the weekend of May 9/10th with a whole list of artists to be revealed in the coming weeks.

Four stages are to be placed in the park and most of the tickets will be allocated to local people in Swindon with live coverage on Radio 1 as well as highlights on BBC 3. Tickets for last year's Radio 1 Big Weekend became hot property after it was announced Madonna would be headlining the festival in Kent. Ticket information is available from the official website where you can register your details.

John Barrowman Gets Penis Out On Radio!

John Barrowman has plunged the BBC into another likely controversy by getting his penis out during a Radio 1 interview on 'The Switch'. The Dr Who and Torchwood actor was being interviewed by Annie Mac and Nick Grimshaw and was being filmed for an online feature.

The BBC said John Barrowman had exposed himself during the programme but it was not visible to online viewers. A spokeswoman said, "The YouTube video was taken down because it had overstepped the mark."

Leading up to Barrowman's exposure, the conversation was - Grimshaw: "You're famous, we're told, for getting your willy out in interviews. Is this going to happen today? Should Annie be careful?"
Barrowman asked: "Is the webcam on?"
When he was told it was, he responded: "Alright. I'll get it out for you then, no problem."

The exposure was at 20:15 and pre-watershed, which looks like inflaming another BBC row. Both the BBC and Barrowman have apologised for the incident.

Sargeant Quits Strictly Come Dancing

John Sargeant on Strictly Come Dancing

*PIC: PA/BBC

John Sargeant has sensationally quit the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing contest after fears he could actually win the contest. The ex-political journalist has been constantly slammed for his poor dancing skills by the judges yet loved by the public. Week after week millions of viewers have warmed to his dance moves and consistently voted to keep him in the contest.

At today's press conference John Sargeant talked of his decision to leave saying, "It's like when you decide when you leave a party, and the time to leave a party is before the fight starts, and I think that's really what's happened on this occasion."

Bruce Forsyth, Strictly Come Dancing co-host said, "He was put in the most awkward position, looking at the other dancers and knowing they were better than him. He must have felt guilty in a way." Yet John was worried this may have been a joke too far as concerns grew that he could actually win the contest. Sargeant will return on Saturday for a farewell dance.

What do YOU think?

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Top of the Pops To Return in 2009?

*pic: wikimedia

Top of the Pops could be making a return to the BBC according to media stories in the Telegraph and Times. The programme was axed after 42 years in March 2006 as reported on 'robmacca's entertainment news'. The decision to end the popular music programme caused an outcry, with Oasis singer Noel Gallagher being one of many who have called for it's return. The BBC have now confirmed that there will be two special shows - one on Christmas Day and one on New Years Eve, presented by Fearne Cotton and Reggie Yates, but deny any plans for a return to a weekly TOTP.

X Factor judge, Simon Cowell even offered to buy the rights to show TOTP on ITV, but was turned down by the BBC. The corporation may yet bring back a Christmas TOTP this year, leaving the door open for the show to return to our screens during 2009.

While TV has evolved and Top of the Tops could no longer command 14m viewers like it did at it's peak in the 1970's, it is believed the iconic music programme could cater for the YouTube generation. Exclusive videos could easily be shared through popular websites.