News

Start-up indie Raconteur Associates has inked a first look deal with BBC Worldwide. The company, which was launched at the end of last year by William Miller and Ruth Wrigley, will focus on high-end, unscripted programming and formats for the UK and international markets. Raconteur will develop and retain IP while also working with third party party production companies and broadcasters on delivering content. BBC Worldwide will distribute Raconteur’s finished programming…...

Amy Childs has been blasted as "too fake" for 'The Only Way Is Essex'. Show bosses claim the 21-year-old star - who quit the ITV2 series to appear on 'Celebrity Big Brother' - stopped being a real Essex girl during the second season of 'Towie' because she was so preoccupied with becoming a celebrity. Producer Ruth Wrigley said: "Amy wasn't big in series two because she stopped having a real life. "She was writing columns and waiting for filming." Meanwhile, Claire Zolkwer, ITV2 commissioning editor, thinks the departure of the redhead beauty will be a "good" thing for the show. She added: "'Corrie' wouldn't be entertaining...

The Only Way Is Essex was offered to Channel 4 before ITV2, it has been revealed by the show's producers. Lime Pictures' Tony Wood and All3Media's Ruth Wrigley said that they originally pitched the idea for the reality soap to Channel 4, but they were snubbed. Speaking at the Edinburgh TV Festival, the Towie bosses said: "We went to Channel 4 first. We pitched it as Big Brother meets Hollyoaks. "It's a difficult thing to explain and they thought it would be like The (more)...

The Only Way Is Essex's producers have taken a swipe at Made In Chelsea during a Masterclass session at the Edinburgh TV Festival. All3Media's Ruth Wrigley and Lime Pictures' Tony Wood said that the Channel 4 series scripted reality show had missed out the "humour" and "entertainment" that was central to Towie's hit formula. "What it lacked was humour and it was shot upfront so we knew where it was going," said Wrigley. "I think Chelsea lacks the entertainment part of the thought process," argued Wood. ITV's Claire Zolkwer also claimed that filming in advance had ruined the marketing and social media aspects of Made In Chelsea, while Towie cast member Mark Wright said that viewers couldn't "relate" to the wealthier cast of Made In Chelsea. Wood revealed that (more)...

Amy Childs has been blasted as "too fake" for 'The Only Way Is Essex'. Show bosses claim the 21-year-old star - who quit the ITV2 series to appear on 'Celebrity Big Brother' - stopped being a real Essex girl during the second season of 'Towie' because she was so preoccupied with becoming a celebrity. Producer Ruth Wrigley said: "Amy wasn't big in series two because she stopped having a real life. "She was writing columns and waiting for filming." Meanwhile, Claire Zolkwer, ITV2 commissioning editor, thinks the departure of the redhead beauty will be a "good" thing for the show. She added: "'Corrie' wouldn't be entertaining...