WHO IS NUMBER ONE?

Peter Kay's Animated All Star Band: The Official BBC Children In Need Medley is number one in the UK singles chart.

Comedian Peter Kay, who entered in both music and television History in 2005 for Comic Relief with his cult video cover of Tony Christie's Is this the way to Amarillo, shows his magic again (he should be given a Knighthood) with the most beautiful music video ever done.

In Peter Kay's Animated All Star Band, a star-studded cast of animated characters performs a medley including Pussycat Dolls' Jai Ho and The Beatles' Hey Jude: Thomas the Tank Engine, Fifi (from Fifi and the Flowertots), Postman Pat, Lady Penelope, Paddington Bear, Scooby Doo, Pingu, Peppa Pig, Bob the Builder, The Wombles, etc (http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/features/2740124/Children-In-Need-charity-single.html).

Two years of preparation for this video shot in the studios of Chapman Entertainment (Fifi and the Flowertots, Roary the Racing Car) with the original voices of the 100 characters - Peter Kay is the voice of Big Chris in Roary and Jane Horrocks is the voice of Fifi (http://www.bbc.co.uk/pudsey/news/news201109.shtml).

While we're in a rare incursion into the music biz, the debut album of Susan Boyle - revealed by Britain's Got Talent, is number one in the UK albums chart.

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/music/news/a189070/peter-kays-charity-single-reaches-no-1.html
http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/music/news/a189068/susan-boyles-debut-album-soars-to-no-1.html

WORKING CLASS HERO

Christopher Eccleston will be John Lennon in a 90-minute one-off drama for BBC Four. Lennon Naked will cover the 1967-1971 period of Lennon's life.

Naoko Mori (Absolutely Fabulous, Torchwood) will play Yoko Ono in this biopic directed by Edmund Coulthard and written by Robert Jones (co-creator of Party Animals with Ben Richards)

This announcement comes as a form of solace, in the premiere week of the laughable Paradox, the five-episode series shown on BBC One and starring Tamzin Outhwaite (The Fixer). A show which is a good candidate to rejoin Bonekickers, Spooks: Code 9 or Demons in the cemetary of the British "high-concept" (sic) fiction experiences.

Lennon Naked is scheduled to air in 2010. The choice of Eccleston to play John Lennon is simply... fantastic.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/nov/27/christopher-eccleston-john-lennon-bbc4
http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/news/a188883/eccleston-to-play-lennon-in-bbc-drama.html

THE BOYLE IDENTITY

[7.02 - French Time] The French edition of Simon Cowell's Got Talent franchise, whose fourth season started on private channel M6 yesterday evening, is revamped to resemble to Britain's Got Talent, thanks to the global impact of Susan Boyle.

Previously titled Incroyable Talent ("Incredible Talent"), the French GT becomes La France a un incroyable talent ("France's got an incredible talent"). Production company FremantleMedia now clearly relates the French version to its British counterpart. So there's this new title, a new logo similar to Britain's Got Talent, a new intro sequence... actually the theme and the visuals of BGT but with French landmarks, and even a new jury.

The new title seems to reveal a dilemma: La France a un incroyable talent is a mix between the Got Talent brand and the old Incroyable Talent title. The concept is now known here since almost four years, FremantleMedia and M6 certainly don't want to lose the benefit of this implantation so they keep the Incroyable Talent but "La France a un incroyable talent" is too long. Maybe something like "La France a du talent" ("France's Got Talent") would have been much better.

Music and television mogul Simon Cowell knows how to pack an entertaining evening (helped by a great sense of dramatization) but the true stars of his shows, and of every talent show in general, are the judges. Of the previous seasons of the French GT, only producer from Quebec Gilbert Rozon (founder and president of the Just for Laughs Festival) remains in the jury. Actress/director Valérie Stroh and comedian Smaïn enter.

« This is the great return of the show which offers to everyone an exceptional chance to show their talents and change their lives. Remember, when in England Susan Boyle... » begins Alex Goude, who co-presents the show with Sandrine Corman (both for the first time). The Susan "SuBo" Boyle effect is indeed the key of the makeover and the rest is routine for a GT: variety, music, dance, eccentricity, pathetic, spectacular... With the same lines that made the salt of Britain’s Got The Pop Factor and Possibly A New Celebrity Jesus Christ Superstar Strictly On Ice - Peter Kay's parody: "That's the reason why we make this show" or "This show exists for people like you".

The auditions from the premiere gave us a Claude François fan (Claude François is in notoriety the French equivalent of Elvis Presley), a "speed painting" artist, a French cancan troup, a guy who sings the title song of Japanese anime series Saint Seya, a Brazilian carnival orchestra, etc. There was also a 15 year singer girl who held the public and the jury with her rendition of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah (a song you can hear in every modern US TV series in its Jeff Buckley version). « I must confess that when you arrived...» said Gilbert Rozon. Sounds familiar?

Some of the numbers were really depressing regarding the state of the nation but it's a feeling shared by every viewer of the world at a point of each episode of a GT. However Les Echos- Liés, a funny group of humoristic breakdance (remember Diversity won the 2009 BGT edition) and Rachid, an impressive flame spewer, already win my sympathy.

This season La France a un incroyable talent has a companion show called La France a un incroyable talent, ça continue (mentioned as "Incroyable talent, ça continue" in the M6 bumper!) and presented by Jérôme Anthony and comic Anthony Joubert (finalist of last season). No doubt that this duo has been inspired by Ant & Dec, presenters of BGT, but they would be better as presenters of the main show.

At least LFAIT (let's call it so) didn't try too much the SuBo/Kevin Skinner (1) stunt for the first episode, even if - in some respects - we were close with the lady who performed Calling you at the end. The real question is: will Susan Boyle bless French viewers with an appearance in the show? Maybe in the finale?

Verdict: 5/10.

http://www.m6.fr/emission-la_france_a_un_incroyable_talent/

See also:

http://tattard2.blogspot.com/2009/11/get-ready-for-susanne-boule.html

(1) Singer, winner of the season 4 of America's Got Talent.

NO SECOND CHANCE (AT ALL)

[16.36 - French Time ] Seconde chance, French channel TF1's 28 million euro ill-fated feuilleton quotidien (daily Soap Opera), didn't win the International Emmy Award 2009 of the Best Telenovela.

The winner is Caminho das Índias/India - A Love Story, the rather original brazilian novela from TV Globo. Shot during 10 weeks in several cities around India, in 13.000 m² of back lots and 7.000 m² of studios with a budget of more than US$ 50 million, India - A Love Story is a creation of Glória Peres, author of O Clone/The Clone (2001-2002) - sold to 90 countries.

The costly Seconde Chance is actually one of the numerous failed attempts to duplicate the success of public channel France 3 with Plus belle la vie (a kind of French Eastenders). The other recent spectacular flop of the genre in France is M6's 17 million euro Paris 16ème.

Note that the winner of the International Emmy Award 2009 of the Best Drama Series is Denmark's Livvagterne/The Protectors. Shown since 2008, produced by DR and distributed by ZDF Enterprises, The Protectors is the Danish answer to Spooks, the British hit from Kudos (among the contenders this year).

http://tattard2.blogspot.com/2009/03/seconde-chance-road-to-eldorado.html
http://tattard2.blogspot.com/2009/03/is-paris-burning-about-paris-16eme.html

See also:

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/news/a188317/international-emmy-awards-2009-the-winners.html
http://www.iemmys.tv/awards_nominees.aspx
http://www.globotvinternational.com/prodDet.asp?catId=1&prodId=115

GET READY FOR SUSANNE BOULE

[6.49 - French Time] Shown since 2006, Incroyable Talent ("Incredible talent") is the French adaptation of Simon Cowell's Got Talent franchise. Tomorrow night on private channel M6 starts the revamped version of the show, now titled La France a un incroyable talent ("France's got an incredible talent").

In spite of the fact that your humble servant is still searching what can be France's "incroyable talent" there is absolutely now doubt that the changes on this new season (the fourth) are the result of the amazing global impact of Susan Boyle in Britain's Got Talent and of the wish of production company FremantleMedia to relate the French version to its British counterpart. So there's a new title, a new logo closer to BGT - we can suppose there's a new theme intro too - and there's even a new jury.

On season 1, the judges were Sophie Edelstein (artistic director of the prestigious Pinder Circus), Jean-Pierre Domboy (artistic agent), and producer from Quebec Gilbert Rozon (founder and president of the Just for Laughs Festival). For season 2 ballet dancer Patrick Dupond replaced Jean-Pierre Domboy and the trio remained for season 3. But this year only Gilbert Rozon comes back. Edelstein and Dupond are replaced by actress/director Valérie Stroh and comedian Smaïn.

Presenter of seasons 1 to 3, Alessandra Sublet - gone to television public service - is replaced by Sandrine Corman and Alex Goude. Interestingly La France a un incroyable talent will have a companion show called La France a un incroyable talent, ça continue and presented by Jérôme Anthony and comic Anthony Joubert. The ideal would have been to put the duo as presenters of the main show, like Ant & Dec in the Brit edition, but the idea comes probably from BGT anyway.

We'll see if this makeover will match the American and British versions without mimic them and if there's a SuBo Effect a la Française. World, get ready for Susanne Boule!

http://www.m6.fr/emission-la_france_a_un_incroyable_talent/

YOU WANT THIS CHAIR? HAVE A SEAT...

Your humble servant, like Master Chiun, is a big fan of "Beautiful dramas" and Entertainment Weekly published yesterday an excellent interview of Peter Bergman, who will soon celebrate his 20th year playing Jack Abbott on CBS's The Young and the Restless.

Peter Bergman tells many interesting things, about replacing Terry Lester, the evolution of Jack, the future of the Soap Opera genre, or about when the legendary Eric Braeden (Victor "Mr. Mustache" Newman) recently almost left Y&R.

http://hollywoodinsider.ew.com/2009/11/20/young-restless-peter-bergman-eric-braeden/

CHILDREN IN NEED 2009 (BBC ONE)

Each year since 1980 Children in Need, the British Charity appeal, offers great moments of television for a great cause. Presented by Sir Terry Wogan with Alesha Dixon (singer, Strictly Come Dancing former winner and now judge) and Tess Daly, the CIN 2009 show on BBC One lived up to expectations.

Comedian Peter Kay, who entered in both music and television History in 2005 for Comic Relief with his wonderful video cover of Tony Christie's Is this the way to Amarillo, shown his magic touch again with what will simply remain as the most beautiful music video ever done. In Peter Kay's Animated All Star Band, a star-studded cast of animated characters performs a medley: Thomas the Tank Engine, Fifi (from Fifi and the Flowertots), Postman Pat, Lady Penelope, Paddington Bear, Pingu, The Teletubbies, Bob the Builder, The Wombles, etc (http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/features/2740124/Children-In-Need-charity-single.html).

Two years of preparation for this video shot in the studios of Chapman Entertainment (Fifi and the Flowertots, Roary the Racing Car) with the original voices of the 100 characters - Peter Kay is the voice of Big Chris in Roary and the charming and talented Jane Horrocks is the voice of Fifi. The official charity single is now available to purchase (http://www.bbc.co.uk/pudsey/news/news201109.shtml) and your humble servant thinks that Kay should be given a Knighthood.

The Merlin skit was absolutely hilarious, John Barrowman's nod to Risky Business was fantastic and the teaser of the Doctor Who special seems to confirm the return of the good days of the show after a globally satisfaying The Waters of Mars. "Sir Terry of Television center" had a guest spot in Lark Rise to Candleford and the team of Casualty received a very special patient in a very peculiar ward.

Peter Andre, Daniel Radcliffe, David Tennant, the "Dragons" of Dragon's Den, David Suchet as Hercule Poirot, Taylor Swift, Wallace & Gromit, Diversity, Robbie Williams, Westlife, Cheryl Cole, Justin Lee Collins and many, many others, participated with the great British public for this important cause and the actions of Children in Need.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/pudsey/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/pudsey/grants/map.shtml
http://www.bbc.co.uk/pudsey/aboutus/whoyouvehelped.shtml
http://www.noahsarkhospice.org.uk/index.htm
http://www.enfieldindependent.co.uk/news/4743820.Southgate_youngster_stars_in_BBC_s_Children_in_Need/

CHILDREN IN NEED 2009

Since 1980 Children in Need, the British Charity appeal, offers each year great moments of television for a great cause.

Tomorrow night on BBC One, it will be the occasion to have a look to a preview of the Tenth Doctor's dramatic finale in the Doctor Who two-parter special which will be shown on the 2009-2010 Christmas season.

BBC One/BBC Two Friday 20 November (Starting on BBC One 7pm - British Time)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/pudsey/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2009/10_october/23/cin.shtml
http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/s4/features/bulletins/bulletin_091117_01

THE BOAT THAT ROCKED

Former Conservative Member of Parliament and former chief executive of British supermarket chain Asda (a subsidiary of US giant Wal-Mart) Archie Norman will become new chairman of ITV in january 2010 after a problematic search for a successor to Michael Grade.

This comes a day after the announcement of an important restructuring for ITV Studios. And we can expect more major news about ITV in the next months.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/nov/18/archie-norman-itv-chairman1
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/ITV
http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/broadcasting/news/a187344/itv-studios-announces-restructure.html

THE DEVIL'S ALTERNATIVE

Yesterday evening, French digital television channel NRJ12 shown the first two episodes of Torchwood: Children of Earth, the event miniseries (and series three of Torchwood) aired last summer on BBC One in the UK.

NRJ12 keeps the event aspect with two special evenings (Tuesdays, November 17 and 24), an important promotion - the ident voice of NRJ for radio and television is Richard Darbois, revered dubbing artist and the equivalent of Don LaFontaine in France - and special commercial bumpers. Such a treatment means something in a country where series four of Doctor Who will not be released on DVD.

The Torchwood team survivors (after the casualties of series two) are back to "business as usual" when children mysteriously stop everywhere in the same time to deliver a rendition of Village of the Damned. This provokes a panic in the circles of power and John Frobisher, a high ranking official who has a precise idea of what is happening, refers to Number 10.

But the PM won't hear about it and elects Frobisher as his lamb to the slaughter. While Captain Jack Harkness and the team offer their assistance to the Home Office, Frobisher choses to order the eradication of the members of Torchwood and send a ruthless operative woman to eliminate every person implied. "We are coming" chant the children of Earth.

Spooks: Children of Earth? Not some ghostly creatures Torchwood Cardiff is familar with but Spooks, the Kudos television series. Torchwood: Children of Earth is a clever cross between Michael Crichton and Frederick Forsyth with shades of vintage science fiction movies. Nods to the spy genre and to the section D of Thames House are everywhere in the miniseries from the government assassin woman (a less thoughtful Ros Myers) to the cynical technician who shares with Frobisher a lot of information about the situation and looks like a darker version of Q in the Bond movies.

Russell T. Davies, John Fay and James Moran (the writers) take bold risks of the kind British television can take at its very best, with spectacular shocking twists. This is the end of Torchwood as we knew it and they go on the exploration of the personal lives of their characters, going further into their emotions and their dilemmas to the point of tragedy.

John Barrowman (Jack), Eve Myles (Gwen), Gareth David-Lloyd (Ianto), Kai Owen (Rhys) and Tom Price (PC Andy) return. The supporting cast is fabulous: Peter Capaldi - who keeps the suit of The Thick of It's Malcolm Tucker for the role of Frobisher, Nicholas Farrell (recently seen in Collision), Lucy Cohu, etc. The magnificent score is by Ben Foster and Euros Lyn directs.

Torchwood: Children of Earth is brilliant television without concessions. A sci-fi thriller novel for TV, a masterpiece and future classic. And an original creation, which is rare in this age of unnecessary remakes.

Not a number. Don't blink.

LOST KINGDOM

The dream of a resurrection of the recently axed Kingdom - the ITV hit series starring Stephen Fry - through an eventual funding deal like the one which brought back Primeval, will certainly stay just a dream after that: The Daily Mail and The Daily Telegraph report that Fry would like to move to America.

According to the websites of the newspapers, British comedian/actor/humorist/author/presenter/Renaissance man Stephen Fry, one of the UK's "national treasures", would like to settle down in Los Angeles near his friend Hugh "House" Laurie and he considers opting for US citizenship.

In the US Fry is well-known for his documentaries, his books, several roles in some Hollywood movies, and for his appearances in Fox drama Bones.

To quote the great Alan Parker from his book Will write and direct for food (http://tattard2.blogspot.com/2008/05/will-write-and-direct-for-food.html): « I mean what is the British Film Industry anyway? Just a bunch of people in London who can't get Green Cards ».

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1228449/Stephen-Fry-hints-planning-following-fellow-comedian-Ben-Eltons-footsteps-leaving-Britain.html
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/celebritynews/6586145/Stephen-Fry-house-hunting-in-Los-Angeles.html

See also:

http://tattard2.blogspot.com/2009/10/kingdom-fried-next-fixer.html

EDWARD WOODWARD (1930-2009)

I've just read the sad news on Digital Spy: British actor Edward Woodward has died at the age of 79.

Edward Woodward was, for many viewers, the ultimate incarnation of the realistic cynical and sometimes melancholic le carré-esque television spy. His magnificent interpretation of David Callan, a professional hitman for a shadowy governement service, brought him stardom and a prestigious BAFTA of Best Actor. Callan (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDdSWjpPJDg) ran from 1967 to 1972 on Thames Television and the character returned for a 1974 feature film and a 1981 television movie.

In the eighties, Woodward became popular in the United States and worldwide with The Equalizer (1) (1985-1989), a CBS TV series created by Michael Sloan and Richard Lindheim. Robert McCall (Woodward) was a former spy turned private eye/freelance operative helping people in dangerous situations. Robert Lansing played Control, his former intelligence boss and sometimes employer.

Edward Woodward's "Mr Jones" in the final season of La Femme Nikita (1997-2001) was an obvious nod to Callan and McCall, and for your humble servant, one of his greatest roles.

Woodward was a stage actor and his movies include classics such as The Wicker Man (1974) and Breaker Morant (1980). In 2007 he appeared in Hot Fuzz and in 2009 in British soap opera Eastenders.

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/movies/news/a187081/edward-woodward-dies-aged-79.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/2914603.stm

(1) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uB1NiNKwueE

ARCHIE'S ANGELS

If you love the 2009-2010 US Network season you will adore 2010-2011. According to Variety, ABC is close to ordering a pilot for a "modern version" of Charlie's Angels.

The original Charlie's Angels ran from 1976 to 1981 on ABC and was a detective show about three young women working for the secretive and invisible boss of the Charles Townsend Detective Agency. Charles "Charlie" Townsend was voiced by a pre-Dynasty John Forsythe and the show, created by Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts (producers of Mannix), made Farrah Fawcett a worldwide sex symbol. TV czars Aaron Spelling and Leonard Goldberg were executive producers.

Josh Friedman (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles) will write and exec produce the new "Angels". Leonard Goldberg and actress/producer Drew Barrymore, who starred and produced in the 2000 movie adaptation and its sequel, are involved in the project (http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118011272.html?categoryid=14&cs=1).

Charlie's Angels 1976 was a conventional cop show with a difference: beautiful young women with a wardrobe specially designed to catch the eyes of male viewers. It popularized the expression "T&A TV". Do Acapulco H.E.A.T, The Dream Team or She Spies ring a bell to the suits at ABC?

Tip to ABC: replace Hank next season by a remake of Three's Company.

WE WANT INFORMATION

You won't get it.

[Absolutely No Spoiler Alert!] Brian Lowry (Variety) reviews the AMC miniseries remake of The Prisoner starting next week on US cable channel AMC. If I know what to think of the idea of a "reinvention" of Patrick McGoohan's masterpiece and of the far too long Comic-Con trailer, I don't know what to think about this review.

Great lines of Brian Lowry's piece: « Granted, Ian McKellen could hold an audience by reading from a dictionary ». It's so true that I hear that many viewers will watch for McKellen, who plays Two. I also like Lowry's « Disney backlot-type surroundings », in June I wrote about « glimpses of a Disneyland meets Meadowlands Village ».

At least, unlike Anna in the V remake, Two doesn't blink. Don't blink.

http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117941588.html?categoryid=32&cs=1

COUNTDOWN TO OBLIVION

Effective today we will note the TV show casualties of the US Network season 2009-2010 (The list will be updated when necessary):

- The Beautiful Life (CW)
- Southland (NBC)
- Eastwick (ABC)
- Hank (ABC)

- Dollhouse (Fox) - According to Michael Aussiello, Josh Whedon's show bites the dust (http://ausiellofiles.ew.com/2009/11/11/this-just-in-dollhouse-axed/).

NAME THAT TUNE... NOT

French journalist Alain Carrazé, renowned television expert often heard or seen on French media, and consultant (through his company 8 Art City), has a popular internet video blog about TV series.

In his latest episode (1) he talks about the progressive extinction on US Network television of TV series regular scores, from the title theme (Neil Patrick Harris made a joke about that during Primetime Emmys) to even incidental music, and explains why songs are the only commercial concession to the musical illustration of an episode.

I must say that I consider this phenomenon one of the most irritating problems of contemporary American "generalist" television. To talk only of my favourite TV series, which is British, I can't imagine an episode of Doctor Who without the theme composed by Ron Grainer. A title theme is the signature of a show, its calling card, almost its DNA map.

Incidental music is the "sound blood" of a series. What would be Mission:Impossible without an incidental theme called The Plot? Would Lord Brett Sinclair be the same driving his Aston Martin without Ken Thorne's music? And in a nightmare represent yourself these two shows without their title themes but with just title cards.

(1) http://www.8artcity.com/le-videoblog-dalain-carraze/452-les-bandes-originales-de-series-une-espece-en-voie-de-disparition (In French)

SAVE THE CHEER... SHOWRUNNER

The UK may think twice before fully embracing the US Showrunner system in its TV industry (1) as it seems that another showrunner of an ABC series will give up the keys of the soundstage.

After Marc Guggenheim (FlashForward) and Scott Peters (V), The Forgotten exec producer/showrunner Lukas Reiter is, according to The Hollywood Reporter (2), "not expected to continue" after the choice of ABC to pick up five more episode of the crime drama.

And we learn in the same THR story that ABC drops Eastwick. Based on John Updike's book The Witches of Eastwick, this adaptation is in fact the third attempt to make a TV show out of it (after two failed pilots in 1992 and 2002). Director David Nutter was meant to be the "lucky charm" of this TV version (there's of course the 1987 movie adaptation with Jack Nicholson) with his record of having all his pilots picked up to series (http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117999808.html?categoryid=1300&cs=1).

But that was not enough for what everybody expected to be Desperate Housewives meets Charmed (or is it the reverse?) and it's too bad for the talented Canadian actor Paul Gross.

(1) http://leegoldberg.typepad.com/a_writers_life/2009/10/the-writer-is-god.html
(2) http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i1239cf1a1e13f6232b46e94ce94a799e

COLLISION ON ITV1

Collision, the ITV1 high profile five-part serial created by Anthony Horowitz (Crime Traveller, Midsomer Murders, Foyle's War), starts tonight and will be shown on five consecutive nights - like what the BBC did for Torchwood: Children of Earth.

Written by Anthony Horowitz and Michael A. Walker, Collision stars Douglas Henshall (Primeval) as John Tolin and Kate Ashfield as Ann Stallwood. Tolin and Stallwood are two police officers investigating on a major road tragedy and the mysteries beyond the crash. These mysteries involve millionaire property developer Richard Reeves (Paul McGann), government cover-ups, and more.

Shot on 10 weeks on 120 locations with a 73-person cast (among which Phil Davis and Lenora Crichlow), the five episodes of Collision are directed by Marc Evans. This production Greenlit (http://www.greenlit.co.uk/collision.html) is actually Peter Fincham’s first new independent drama commission, with director of drama Laura Mackie, since joining ITV as director of television.

After the magnificent Murderland, with the great Robbie Coltrane, it's really good to see ITV playing again on a field which made the reputation of quality of British TV all over the world. We'll see if the five nights stripped programming inspired by the Torchwood miniseries (1) will not ruin the huge potential of Collision. The widely popular Torchwood is an extension of the profitable Doctor Who franchise and its series three (reduced to an event miniseries format) was frantically awaited worldwide.

9th-13th November 9pm (British Time) on ITV1

See also:

http://www.itv.com/presscentre/presspacks/collision/default.html
http://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/production/on-location/collision-itv1/5007369.article
http://www.douglashenshall.com/Douglas_Henshall_Collision.html
http://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/news/analysis/serials-and-the-stripped-show-making-waves/5003804.article

(1) International version is in two parts. Collision is distributed by Portman.

MOONRAKER: THIRTY YEARS AGO

Our readers know about the 6th Salon des séries TV et ciné, organised by French association Sérialement Vôtre, which took place in Paris on October 24. Among the debates there was a presentation and discussion about Moonraker, the 11th James Bond film.

Moonraker is the only 007 adventure co-produced by France and Great Britain. The website of Sérialement Vôtre publishes a report about the discussion around this movie with French guests implied in the production

This story is available in English (http://serialement-votre.etron.fr/?p=720) and you'll learn some interesting anecdotes.

THE END IS NOT ENOUGH

[17.20 - French Time] Roland Emmerich, the director/producer of the disaster movie 2012 (opening next week in the US) confirmed to Entertainment Weekly that a television series version is in the pipeline.

« The plan is that it is 2013 and it’s about what happens after the disaster », Emerich told EW (http://hollywoodinsider.ew.com/2009/11/04/2012-tv-planned/). But what is fascinating in the Entertainment Weekly story is that ABC would run the show.

After the six-month flashforward and the giant spaceships, now the world after its end. If it is true that ABC picks up the show they'll have to rebrand the network "FEMABC".

Imagine, next we'll have When Time Ran Out - The TV series. End of the world, Ma?

"LIFE" WITHOUT MARS

According to Broadcast, Jane Tranter - BBC Worldwide L.A. EVP of Programming and Production, bets on the duo behind Life on Mars, to sell a project from BBC Worldwide's Los Angeles production branch to US network ABC.

Ashley Pharoah and Matthew Graham, who are also creators of Ashes to Ashes and, er... Bonekickers, run Monastic Productions - their own production company. Their script is pitched as "a Californian Cop show with a British twist" (http://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/news/international/tranter-turns-to-pharoah-and-graham/5007681.article). Broadcast adds that Julie Gardner (former executive producer of Doctor Who) would exec produce and precises that unlike the Life on Mars US remake for ABC, Graham and Pharoah would be "heavily unvolved".

"A Californian Cop show with a British twist"? Does that mean another US show with a Brit star? As long as it doesn't imply Philip Glenister with an American accent.

INTERVIEW OF THE FRENCH-SPEAKING VOICE OF THE DOCTOR (BEANS ON TOAST)

Our friends of Beans On Toast (http://www.doctor-who.fr/), the most important French-speaking resource on the Whoniverse (Doctor Who, Torchwood, The Sarah Jane Adventures, etc), publish today a joint interview of Belgian actor David Manet - also a dubbing artist, and David Macaluso - the dubbing director of Doctor Who since 2005.

David Manet is the French voice of The Doctor as incarnated by Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant.

http://www.doctor-who.fr/d_itw_david.php (In French)

LIFE ON MARS?

[22.16 - French Time] Chuck executive producer Scott Rosenbaum has been named showrunner/executive producer of the remake of V, premiering today on ABC.

Scott Rosenbaum replaces showrunner Scott Peters, who stays executive producer (http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118010788.html?categoryid=14&cs=1). This comes after the news that the new V will go on hiatus after only four episodes (http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/cult/a179211/v-to-go-on-hiatus-after-four-episodes.html) and the scrapping by the network of an ambitious plan to cover the skies of 15 major American cities with giant red "V"s to promote the debut of the show.

« [Still,] this isn't the sort of news you want to break on the day of a show's premiere. (Not that I think it will matter -- the premiere of "V" will likely do well in the ratings, but I'm not so sure about the next few weeks) » writes James Hibberd in The Live Feed (http://www.thrfeed.com/2009/11/v-swaps-showrunners.html).

The first four episodes of V are meant to end with a cliffhanger and the show is supposed to return in spring should the ratings of this first batch justify it. The 2009 version of the classic miniseries is scheduled to resume production in January (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i86ae90f3122997621998ffb7a2773776).

http://abc.go.com/shows/v

See also:

http://tattard2.blogspot.com/2009/10/lizards-eat-skywriting-campaign-for.html

TENNANT GOES STATESIDE

[6.08 - French Time] According to The Hollywood Reporter, David Tennant (Doctor Who) will make his American Television debut.

Rex is Not your Lawyer is a one-hour pilot for a legal dramedy greenlit by NBC. Rex Alexander, played by Tennant, is a top Chicago lawyer who begins suffering panic attacks and takes up coaching clients to represent themselves in court(http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i8161b51e045b5cf6f1b2296423bf7743).

Doc Martin meets Hitch? Will David Tennant be the next Hugh "House" Laurie? Will he be replaced by Christian Slater if a series is ordered like what happened for Rupert Penry-Jones, the Spooks and Whitechapel star? Coincidentally your humble servant reads on Nikki Finke's Deadline.com that Adrian Pasdar is let go from Heroes (http://www.deadline.com/hollywood/adrian-pasdar-let-go-from-nbcs-heroes/) - Now they can cast Pasdar in the US House of Cards or they can remake Profit.

Humble tip to the Peacock: drop the title. And in continental Europe "Rex" evokes an Austrian cop show starring a German shepherd dog. The idea of Tennant playing an attorney escaped from a David Kelley show suffice.