News

Exclusive: Formats powerhouse Banijay, which produces and sells the likes of Big Brother, Survivor and Total Wipeout around the world, has lashed out at social media and YouTube copycat versions of some of TV’s biggest hits.

Lucas Green, the French-headquartered outfit’s Chief Content Officer of Operations, branded copycats “an intrinsic issue facing the industry that we need to have a conversation about,” as they are “hurting the creative economy.”

In recent years, Green said a wealth of copycat examples have sprung up on the likes of YouTube, TikTok and Twitch from a nascent army of social media personalities, which are “very hard” for their original creators to challenge from a legal standpoint. Green declined to point the finger at specific examples but said he is highlighting the issue in the round, and he is now keen to discuss with fellow industry figures, UK trade body Pact and the new government post election.

Exclusive: Caroline Roseman is exiting Banijay UK’s unscripted label Initial to relocate to New York.

The former Fulwell 73 exec has been with the Big Brother producer since January last year in a Creative Director of Development role, but is now moving across the pond for a “huge move personally and professionally.”

Her and her family are moving after receiving “an offer we couldn’t refuse.”

“It’s been a brilliant 18 month journey as [Initial’s] Creative Director of Development with major new series commissions coming down the line that I’m hugely proud of and looking forward to watching in 2025 and beyond,” she added in a LinkedIn post.

Initial parent Banijay UK confirmed her exit, but didn’t provide details of a replacement.

During Roseman’s time at Initial, the production house launched the latest incarnation of Big Brother UK, this time on ITV. The show has played on both Channel 4...

George Kay looks conflicted. Speaking to Deadline before the resolution of the writers strike, the British WGA member had put down his pen on an Amazon Studios movie project and ducked a U.S. publicity round for his Apple TV+ series Hijack. But it’s fair to say that the strikes coincided with Kay having a serious moment.

Not unlike the protagonist in Hijack, Idris Elba’s brooding professional negotiator Sam Nelson, Kay has spent years maneuvering his way between three complex projects for Apple, Netflix and ITV/Sundance—only for them all to launch within four months of each other.

Just like Nelson’s character in Hijack—“He gets brought in, by big companies…when it all kicks off,” Nelson’s wife explains to a police officer in the show—Kay’s the man you bring in when you want to deliver a character-led thriller that will keep viewers hooked over several episodes.

A YouTuber, a prison guard and “the strongest man in Korea” walk into an arena. The set up for a joke? No. This is Physical: 100, a South-Korean reality show and Netflix’s latest hit, in which 100 of “the fittest people in Korea” compete in tests of ultimate strength. The cast consists of Olympic athletes and bodybuilders, mountain rescue workers and soldiers; all linked by their wealth of self-belief and lack of body fat. Unlike in deadly drama Squid Game, nobody actually dies in Physical: 100, but you wouldn’t know it from how seriously everyone takes these games.

When it dropped on Netflix on 24 January, Physical: 100 gained a cult following in South Korea, and has steadily risen up the global charts in the weeks since, securing the No 1 spot in the UK on Friday. As they watched, fans marvelled at the contestants’ intensity and grit, calling the show...

If you’d told me at the beginning of lockdown that the perfect way to lift my spirits would be an online game made in the mold of TV shows like Takeshi’s Castle, Gladiators, and Total Wipeout, I wouldn’t have believed you. And yet, here I am, risking it all in the final stage of Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout, praying that a giant spinning hammer doesn’t smack me off this platform and keep me from the crown. Someone dressed as a pigeon may have just pipped me to the post, but that still hasn’t deterred me from diving back in.

Battle royales are so often about being patient, long, drawn-out matches, and thinking strategically. Fall Guys pleasantly forgoes almost all of that, instead choosing to focus on short, anarchy-filled bursts of play in which 60 players scramble over one another to be the last person standing. There are...

Richard Hammond will take a break from his “Grand Tour” duties to make a series about the world’s biggest structures and machines for Discovery. The former “Top Gear” presenter fronts Amazon’s “Grand Tour” with Jeremy Clarkson and James May, but is going solo for “Richard Hammond’s Big!”

Hammond’s Chimp Productions will make the show, which will see him travel the globe and explore how engineers go about building, maintaining and using the featured superstructures, such as the world’s longest underground railway tunnel and a huge cargo ship. He will explore the science behind them with a series of experiments.

Discovery has set the series up as global commission. In the U.K. it will be on Discovery Channel and in the U.S. on Science Channel. In Germany, Italy, and Spain it will be on Dmax.

“I love engineering and the science behind it,” Hammond said.

Exclusive: Former Big Brother boss Nick Samwell Smith has left Tim Hincks and Peter Fincham’s Expectation.

I hear Samwell Smith, who was Creative Director of Entertainment at the BBC Studios-backed business, left quietly over the last few months.

Samwell Smith was one of the company’s first hires when it launched at the start of last year. He worked alongside Nick Mather, who was also Creative Director, Entertainment, and was responsible for exec producing Channel 5 travelogue Dale’s Florida Fly Drive. Prior to joining Expectation, Samwell Smith was Managing Director of Endemol Shine-owned Initial, which he joined in 1997 before becoming Creative Director in 2006 and MD in 2013. In addition to producing 15 seasons of Big Brother and Celebrity Big Brother, Samwell Smith also produced series including Fame Academy, Total Wipeout, Your Face Sounds Familiar, Dating In The Dark and 101 Ways To Leave A Gameshow.

An Expectation spokeswoman told Deadline,...

Dave Lawrie Jul 6, 2017

Using his experience on Robot Wars, Total Wipeout and more, Dave shares some tips for anyone wanting to appear on a TV gameshow...

Have you ever watched a TV show and thought 'I’d quite like a go at that', quickly replaced by the follow-up thought 'but I’m not sure that I could?'

See related Jurassic World review Looking back at Jurassic Park

Me too.

My name is Dave and I have now been involved with five TV productions at various levels. I have auditioned for The Weakest Link, been part of a pilot that never made it to air, and featured as a contestant on Total Wipeout, Ninja Warrior UK and Robot Wars. I suffer from low self esteem and rollercoaster depression and I have found no finer therapy for it than the character-validating world of television production.

My quest today is to try...

Aaron Birch Jul 13, 2016

The Crystal Maze, Cyber Zone, Fort Boyard... We look back at the UK game shows that dared to ask more than just quiz questions...

If the idea of yet another TV game show with an uninspiring presenter and ever so slight spin on the tried and tested Q&A formula fills you with apathy, you're not alone. Although TV quiz shows often rake in the viewers for a relatively low production budget, hence their popularity with TV studios, the whole genre feels a little stagnant. Perhaps it's the rise of the Internet, a general change in viewer culture, and the changing tastes that come with it. While many shows of the past delighted audiences with images of shiny new appliances, cars, and holidays to far-off destinations, today's shows mostly award cold, hard, and boring cash. Great for the winner, but not too interesting for the viewer. Give...

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Chris Evans, Matt LeBlanc, the Stig and some strawberry-flavoured vomit appear in the first trailer for Top Gear's big comeback...

After hanging out with his 'cousins' and Dermot O'Leary on The Getaway Driver for a few months, The Stig is now back where he belongs - on Top Gear. 

You'll spot him - and his Lego counterpart - in this trailer for BBC Two's upcoming revamp of the iconic motoring series, alongside Chris Evans, Matt LeBlanc, and some colourful vomit... 

Top Gear will return in May. We'll let you know when we hear an exact air-date.

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See related  Top Gear: Matt LeBlanc announced as co-presenter Ninja Warrior vs Getaway Car: can either top Total Wipeout? ITV's Gladiators: where are they now? How much money could you win on Bullseye? A guide to finding love on Blind Date Check out Den of Geek...

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Which new Saturday action gameshow deserves to wear Total Wipeout's crown? Den Of Geek investigates...

Saturday nights are all about falling over. Just look at your average British town centre and you’ll see people all over the ground, stranded where they fell. And Saturday night TV is no different.

But since the sad loss of Total Wipeout in 2012, the people of our televisions have been too upright. There just haven’t been the obstacle courses around to trip them up. That’s all changed though, with the BBC’s The Getaway Car taking on ITV’s Ninja Warrior UK in the family-friendly 7pm-ish timeslot.

But are either of them a worthy successor to the great of the genre?

Falling over

Falling over is integral to the joy of the Saturday night obstacle course. And Total Wipeout lived up to its name; the whole show was...

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Which new Saturday action gameshow deserves to wear Total Wipeout's crown? Den Of Geek investigates...

Saturday nights are all about falling over. Just look at your average British town centre and you’ll see people all over the ground, stranded where they fell. And Saturday night TV is no different.

But since the sad loss of Total Wipeout in 2012, the people of our televisions have been too upright. There just haven’t been the obstacle courses around to trip them up. That’s all changed though, with the BBC’s The Getaway Car taking on ITV’s Ninja Warrior UK in the family-friendly 7pm-ish timeslot.

But are either of them a worthy successor to the great of the genre?

Falling over

Falling over is integral to the joy of the Saturday night obstacle course. And Total Wipeout lived up to its name; the whole show was...

All together now, Heroes Reborn fans: “Yatta!”

Not only does Thursday’s episode of the NBC drama bring the return of Hiro Nakamura — a reason for celebration in itself — but it also unites a few key characters and, at last, sets them on the path to saving the world.

First, let’s break down the eventful moments in Midian during “Game Over” — and there are a whole lot of complicated details involved here, so I’m going to try to make it as easy as possible.

Related2016 Renewal Scorecard: What’s Coming Back? What’s Getting Cancelled? What’s on the Bubble?...

From the sequin-tastic return of Strictly Come Dancing to the promising prospect of The West Wing and Birds Of A Feather colliding as Rob Lowe and Pauline Quirke star in You, Me and The Apocalypse - pull up an easy chair for Digital Spy's top TV picks for the next seven days.

1. CSI - Tuesday, 10pm on Channel 5

After 15 years and uncountable grisly murders in Las Vegas, the CSI team will say farewell in a feature-length movie. Rejoice as William Petersen is back as Gil Grissom, alongside a host of former faces to solve one last case.

It's not a complete end, as Ted Danson has moved sideways to spinoff show CSI: Cyber, but it should be a tough act to follow.

2. You, Me and the Apocalypse - Wednesday, 9pm on Sky1

Like a TV supergroup, this needs to be seen purely because of the eye-rubbingly impressive cast. The West Wing...

I'll admit to once having been something of a Ninja Warrior addict - back in my university days, I would while away many an hour (when I probably should have been writing coursework) watching the original Japanese series, Sasuke, on Challenge.

So I was rather excited when ITV announced plans to bring the format to the UK - just as G4 / NBC had launched American Ninja Warrior in the Us some years previous.

British television - and ITV in particular - is crying out for a new light-entertainment format that's not another song-and-dance contest - and that has at least a little more class than the late, un-lamented Splash!.

Ninja Warrior UK seemed like a strong bet - but now that it's finally reached our screens, it's clear that this is not really the same show as Sasuke.

Ninja Warrior UK is here: Can it possibly be as tough as Japan and Us?...

ITV1's new Saturday night show Ninja Warrior UK hit our screens for the first time tonight.

Based on a Japanese original and already adapted for an American audience, those versions have already been screened on various channels in the UK. ITV has now created its own version of the hit show with British contestants ranging from firefighters and pole fitness instructors to family care workers and wedding singers.

Ben Shephard, Rochelle Humes and Chris Kamara are fronting the show but what was the reaction to it? Digital Spy took a closer look at Twitter during the show to find out.

First impressions were similarities with other shows - which, let's be honest, is expected. An obstacle course show is an obstacle course show:

Itv's ninja warrior is the biggest rip-off of total wipeout, however they are forgiven for getting Chris kamara on my TV

— Tom Kidman (@tKidman1) April 11, 2015

Ninja Warrior is basically Total Wipeout.

ITV1's new Saturday night show Ninja Warrior UK hit our screens for the first time tonight.

Based on a Japanese original and already adapted for an American audience, those versions have already been screened on various channels in the UK. ITV has now created its own version of the hit show with British contestants ranging from firefighters and pole fitness instructors to family care workers and wedding singers.

Ben Shepherd, Rochelle Humes and Chris Kamara are fronting the show but what was the reaction to it? Digital Spy took a closer look at Twitter during the show to find out.

First impressions were similarities with other shows - which, let's be honest, is expected. An obstacle course show is an obstacle course show:

Itv's ninja warrior is the biggest rip-off of total wipeout, however they are forgiven for getting Chris kamara on my TV

— Tom Kidman (@tKidman1) April 11, 2015

Ninja Warrior is basically Total Wipeout.

Britain's Got Talent: ITV, 8pm

The talent show returns for its ninth series as Simon Cowell, David Walliams, Amanda Holden and Alesha Dixon scour the UK to find an act worthy of the £250,000 cash prize and a slot at this year's Royal Variety Performance.

Presented by Ant and Dec, this week's highlights include an air-defying hula hoop dancer and a hypnotising dog capable of giving 2012 winner Pudsey a run for his money.

Atlantis: BBC One, 7:45pm

Returning from its hiatus for a final run of episodes; the fantasy drama ramps up as Ariadne and Jason's wedding plans develop.

When news of the union reaches Pasiphae (Sarah Parish) she attempts to stop the marriage. However, her reach for power has dire consequences for all.

Ninja Warrior UK: ITV, 7pm

New entertainment show presented by Ben Shepard, Rochelle Humes and Chris Kamara in which contestants battle their way through...

WWE.com

So there have been good matches in WWE history. There have been bad matches in WWE history. Then there have been those matches so mind-numbingly abysmal that they’ve passed beyond the realm of serious critical acclaim and into the nether regions of comedy.

Slapstick comedy, literally: “comedy based on deliberately clumsy actions and humorously embarrassing events” has been a staple of films, stage shows and even street entertainers of middle-age Paris in centuries gone by.

It is a physical comedy, often involving tripping, falling, custard tarts, being dowsed in slime or gunk and falling into big pools of water, a la Total Wipeout or Takeshi’s Castle. It is easy, therefore, considering the physical nature of muscled up folk, covered in baby oil, wrestling in tights, to see how a match could slip into slapstick should suspension of disbelief be broken.

Sometimes WWE will deliberately go out...

You only have to look at Zane Lowe's re-scoring of Drive to see how impassioned fans get about film soundtracks. In fairness, that was a brave undertaking, and swapping College & Electric Youth's sublime 'A Real Hero' for The 1975 in that aqueduct scene aside, it wasn't a total disaster. But the DJ's reimagining of the ineffably stylish thriller was still met with widespread scorn.

Admittedly, it was a strange choice of project (why mess with perfection?), although it's perhaps stranger still that altering the soundtrack from a film just three years old could be branded an act of sacrilege and defacement. But it's proof if proof were needed that scores worth their salt can quickly wedge themselves into the Zeitgeist and become as revered as the films themselves.

So will the same be said of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 in a few years' time? Lorde only knows…...

Bollywood superstar Shahrukh Khan is likely to make a comeback to television, say sources close to the development.

Khan, who has hosted television shows like ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’, ‘Kya Aap Paanchvi Pass Se Tez Hain?’ and ‘Zor Ka Jhatka: Total Wipeout’, is said to have been roped in to host a grand live show based on the hugely popular international series ‘Got Talent’.Read More...

Endemol-owned UK production company Initial‘s credits include hit reality shows Big Brother UK and Your Face Sounds Familiar. After promoting Nick Samwell-Smith to managing director in September, the outfit has now hired Mirella Breda as creative director. Breda will join Initial in February after a long stint at the BBC where she has been executive editor of BBC Entertainment commissioning since 2007. Her tenure has included developing and exec producing Masterchef, Dragons Den, Comic Relief and Initial’s Total Wipeout. At Initial, she will look to expand entertainment output with new formats for the UK and international markets.

Comedy Central has announced a new gameshow pilot featuring "spandex, sprouts and a tiny bike".

Called The Almost Impossible Gameshow, the programme has been created and produced by Initial - an offshoot of Endemol - who have also been responsible for Your Face Sounds Familiar and Total Wipeout.

The Almost Impossible Gameshow will see contestants pit themselves against a series of "incredibly simple, yet fiendishly difficult" games.

Each contestant will be given multiple attempts to try and complete five physical challenges, but any contestant who manages to complete this "almost impossible" feat will win a cash prize.

Jill Offman, managing director of Comedy Central UK, said: "This ludicrous yet genius format is our stab at the absurd world of Japanese gameshows, with a Comedy Central twist."

Shaun Parry, head of entertainment at Endemol UK, added: "We are delighted that this utterly ridiculous new physical gameshow is being backed by Comedy Central.

Feature Rob Smedley 5 Aug 2013 - 07:00

With Being Human gone, Misfits bowing out, and a year to wait for Doctor Who series 8, Rob helps us navigate the UK geek TV drought...

Shift your brain gears into fifth for a moment - 'no that's reverse, no, just, okay, yes, up and to the right...right, Right! Oh here let me...' - and imagine that all the British-made sci-fi/fantasy shows from the past eight years are water. Lovely refreshing water. You've drunk it, haven't you? All that liquid geeky goodness that's been splooshing through your telly pipes and quenching your thirst for enjoyable quality cult TV. 'Slurp slurp slurp'. Delicious.

Sometime's the water's cool, like a bow tie or a super power, and sometime's the water's hot, like the torso of a vampire in Barry Island or a distinctly Abercrombie & Fitch knight of King Arthur's catalogue. All that fantastic hot and cold water,...

Richard Hammond's BBC One show Secret Service has reportedly been axed.

The Saturday night light entertainment show - that saw the Top Gear star leading a team of secret agents who carry out 'missions' for the public in the form of pranks - will not return for a second series.

A BBC spokesman confirmed the cancellation to The Sun, adding: "We're talking to Richard about other projects."

The show attracted an average audience of two million back in March.

Hammond returned for a 20th series of Top Gear with Jeremy Clarkson and James May on Sunday (June 30).

His previous Saturday night BBC series Total Wipeout was cancelled in 2012 after six series.

Watch a clip from Richard Hammond's Secret Service below:...

Celebs diving, judged by Jo Brand and hosted by Vernon Kay. No, this isn't an Alan Partridge idea, it was last Saturday's biggest show on TV - Tom Daley's Splash!. British TV has a long tradition of silliness on Saturday night TV, from Gladiators and Noel's House Party in the '90s to Hole in the Wall and Total Wipeout in the '00s. It would appear there isn't an idea too daft or a celebrity show too ridiculous that it can't get past a BBC or ITV primetime commissioner. Craziest ever Saturday night TV Shows - photo gallery:

Dale Winton and (more)...

New Delhi, Nov 26: If the grapevine is to be believed, television actor Gaurav Chopraa will host the fourth season of the reality show "Big Switch".

Gaurav has participated in various reality shows like "Zor Ka Jhatka: Total Wipeout", "Pati Patni Aur Woh" and "Nach Baliye 2" in the past, but for the first time he will host a reality show.

Gaurav, who had earlier anchored crime show "Savdhan India@11", is currently seen in television soap "Uttaran".

"Big Switch" airs on Bindass. In the show, rich spoiled brats have to face various hardships to earn money.

The show is expected to go on air in January next year.

Ians...

Nick Lachey would nurse his son 'if he had boobs'. The singer and wife Vanessa welcomed little Camden John into the world in September and the 'Total Wipeout' host says her spouse is a very hands-on dad. In fact she's convinced he'd even take on breastfeeding duties if he could. She said: 'All of my hopes and dreams have come true and he is awesome. 'I was actually joking earlier that if Nick could nurse Camden he would! If he had boobs, he would do it! 'He literally can cradle Camden and swing him around and do, 'Shh, shh, shh.' He does that so perfectly because for the first couple of weeks I couldn't bend ... so Nick took...

The X Factor's audience took another tumble yesterday, despite topping the Saturday overnight ratings for ITV. Last night's hour-long instalment, which featured Geri Halliwell on the judging panel, averaged 7.7m (33.9%) from 8.10pm and added 512k (2.4%) on ITV1 +1.Combining +1, the figures represent a 2.9m drop on last year's equivalent episode. Interestingly, ITV2's The Xtra Factor grew to 1.08m (5%) from 9pm. Doctor Who's 'Dinosaurs on a Spaceship', guest starring David Mitchell and Robert Webb as robots, drew 5.48m (26.2%) for BBC One at 7.35pm. The National Lottery: Secret Fortune (2.95m/13%) and Last Night of the Proms (3.21m/15.7%) followed Who on the corporation's flagship channel, while 2.81m (17.2%) watched Total Wipeout at 6.30pm. Back on ITV, Red or Black?'s first edition (more)...

Noel Edmonds will return to the BBC after 13 years with a big-budget Saturday night show. The 'Deal Or No Deal' presenter fell out with BBC bosses in 1999 when they axed his long-running 'Noel's House Party', but has now agreed to front the pilot for a new 'Total Wipeout' style entertainment show called 'The Bodyguard'. A source told The Sun newspaper: ''Noel back on Saturday nights is obviously a big draw for the BBC - and to be fair it's a big deal for Noel too. He has softened in his view of the Beeb and all the 'House Party' stuff...

Richard Hammond is to front a new hidden camera prank show. The 'Top Gear' star will present 'Secret Service', a six-part BBC One Saturday night show, which will see Richard and fellow conspirators carry out missions given to them by viewers. Producers of the series said: ''Whether you want to propose, impress or get back at your best mate - they'll complete your mission in the most absurd, ridiculous way they can.'' The news comes just weeks after it was announced Richard's other show, 'Total Wipeout', was to be axed after the next series. A BBC spokeswoman said: ''After four very successful series...

'Total Wipeout' has been axed. The BBC One Saturday night game show - which sees contestants tackle a number of wacky obstacle course challenges - will return for one more series before being taken off TV screens. A BBC spokeswoman said: ''After four very successful series of 'Total Wipeout', and one series of 'Winter Wipeout', the BBC has taken the decision that the next series will be the last.'' The show - which is filmed in Argentina and hosted by Richard Hammond and Amanda Byram - often attracts more than 4.5million viewers and fans took to twitter to vent their anger about it...

Looking like an energetic sperm, Richard Hammond ponders how many silly poses he must make until he gets paid.

Total Wipeout, a comedy gameshow hosted by Richard Hammond and Amanda Byram, has been axed by the BBC, it has been confirmed today.

The show, which has run for 4 years, will finish after one final run.

The BBC programme which saw contestants race along an obstacle course in the hopes of winning a cash prize has been an incredibly successful show for the BBC, peaking with over 5 million viewers on average. Sadly however, 2011′s spin off ‘Winter Wipeout’ averaged less than 4 million per episode which, though respectable, most likely isn’t enough for Saturday prime time and has left the show surplus to requirements for the British Broadcasting Corporation.

A BBC rep said:

“After four very successful series of Total Wipeout – and one series of Winter Wipeout – the BBC has taken...

Hit BBC One gameshow Total Wipeout has been axed, it has been confirmed. Hosted by Richard Hammond and Amanda Byram, the programme has run for four years and at one point averaged over 5 million viewers for the broadcaster. However, the BBC today confirmed plans to end the series after one final run of the show. "After four very successful series of Total Wipeout - and one series of Winter Wipeout - the BBC has taken the decision that the next series, due to transmit later this year, will be the last," said a BBC rep. Ratings for the recent (more)...

'The Apprentice' contestant Ricky Martin has previously won £10,000 on another BBC show. The burly recruitment manager - who is also a part-time wrestler known as Ricky Hype - won tough endurance challenge programme 'Total Wipeout' in 2009. The 26-year-old hopeful is described by pals as a ''serial game show junkie'' who loves being in the spotlight and has previously applied for numerous other shows, including 'Big Brother', the Daily Star newspaper reports. During his appearance on 'Total Wipeout', Ricky boasted about his physique and branded rival contestants ''nothing''. He said:'' You better witness the fitness. I'm the hype and you better believe it.'' Speaking...

Amanda Byram has opened up about her separation from fiancé Craig McMullen, saying that "instinct" told her the relationship wasn't working. The presenter confessed that she split from her partner of three and a half years "for no apparent real reason", though her trips to film Total Wipeout in Argentina were a contributing factor. Byram told Hello: "No break up is easy, especially when you're engaged. You've promised yourself to a person and when you break that promise for no apparent real reason, it's hurtful all round. "We're both gutted and in a really hurt place. You realise absence doesn't make the heart (more)...

Amanda Byram has separated from her rugby player fiancé Craig McMullen. The Total Wipeout host confirmed at the National Television Awards on Wednesday (January 25) that her three-and-a-half-year romance with the now-retired sportsman had come to an end. She declined to comment further on the matter, saying only that she was "gutted" about the break-up. McMullen proposed to Byram after she completed a charity trek through Peru with the likes of Denise van Outen and Fearne Cotton in (more)...

Who knew that warning of the zombie apocalypse would arrive in the guise of shiny personal electronics?

Here's a weird fact: only four Resident Evil films have ever been made. I was convinced that the number of sequels ran into the low hundreds, taking in titles like Resident Evil: Apocalypse, Resident Evil: Purgatory, Resident Evil: Total Wipeout and Resident Evil: The Curse of the Haunted Balloon-Poodle. But no – apparently there are only four of them.

Until now. Because this year the fifth Resident Evil film will be released, entitled Resident Evil: Retribution. What's Resident Evil: Retribution about? That's a silly question. It's a Resident Evil film. It's about exactly the same things that happened in every single other Resident Evil film. But, hey, the first Resident Evil: Retribution trailer has appeared online. The least we can do is give it proper attention…

1) Well, this isn't like any...

More lists, taking in Gregg Wallace's happiest feelings and Rihanna chucking up ribbons

8 movie characters you wouldn't want to fuck with, by Jordan Rizzle Kicks

1 Liam Neeson as Bryan Mills (in Taken)

Literally slaps up most of Paris in 96 hours.

2 Brad Pitt as Mickey O'Neil (in Snatch)

One-hit wonder.

3 Gary Oldman as Stansfield (in Leon)

No one plays gun-toting villains like Gary Oldman.

4 Vincent Cassel as Jacques (in Mesrine)

He holds up a judge at gunpoint. Enough said.

5 Keanu Reeves as Neo (in The Matrix)

Can literally do anything.

6 Denzel Washington as Eli (in The Book Of Eli)

Can batter people while wearing a backpack.

7 Samuel L Jackson as Jules (in Pulp Fiction)

Just wants to be the shepherd.

8 Ben Kingsley as Don Logan (in Sexy Beast)

Doesn't take no for an answer.

Rizzle Kicks' single Mama Do The Hump is out on Boxing Day

Alistair Darling's finest...

Never mind me wittering ten to the dozen about TV's greatest ever series, it seems that the world and his wife want to talk about Doctor Who these days. Especially when a brand spanking new series hits the airwaves – that's cause for all sorts of newspapers, magazines, websites and TV shows to promote, discuss and analyse the latest escapades of the good Doctor.

Take the latest season – NuWho Season Six - or Season 32 if we're including the entire history. There's been plenty of drama happening in the latest season, but equally, there's been equal helpings of drama dished up by various critics and scaremongers who can't resist making a meal out of the slightest issue. So before entering the maelstrom of The Impossible Astronaut/Day Of The Moon (Impossible Moon), it's worth having a look at some of the furore surrounding its début. With that in mind, here then is...

A policewoman who appeared on Total Wipeout while on sick leave is suing her former employer after she was medically retired. Lesley Hart was off work due to stress when she competed on the BBC show, hosted by Richard Hammond and Amanda Byram, last year. The 51-year-old was flown to Argentina to complete the challenging obstacle course in an episode broadcast last May, The Daily Telegraph reports. Following complaints from colleagues, Hart was cleared of misconduct after an internal investigation by Devon and Cornwall Police. However, she was deemed unfit to return to her job by occupational therapists and was medically retired. She is now suing the force, claiming that she was not provided with enough support. "Lesley now realises it was a big mistake to go on the show and she only survived two challenges anyway," a friend said. "She saw it (more)...

Amanda Byram has said that she is wary about taking on the hosting job on Channel 5's Big Brother. The Total Wipeout presenter, who has been linked to the returning reality show, claimed that she is concerned about taking over the helm from Davina McCall. "I took over from Johnny and Denise on the Big Breakfast and while it was amazing, I just think that comparisons are such a difficult thing," she told Digital Spy. "It's like a sequel to a really good film. Who wants to see Titantic 2? (more)...

Amanda Byram has insisted that Christine Bleakley can "weather the storm" she has faced since the launch of ITV breakfast show Daybreak. The Total Wipeout host admitted that she had been in a similar position when she joined Channel 4's The Big Breakfast following Denise Van Outen's and Johnny Vaughan's exits. "Well I think Christine is a tough chick," the Irish presenter told Digital Spy. "She's very intelligent and very competent and very good at what she does. I know she'll weather this particular storm and is respected for what she does professionally. "She's with ITV as a whole now, it's not like this is the be all and end all of it. There's rumours of her doing The X Factor and I know ITV really, really nurture their talent. She'll be having that kind of conversations (more)...

Harry Potter star Chris Rankin has revealed that he has signed up to appear on a celebrity edition of Total Wipeout. The fourth series of the BBC gameshow is currently airing, while presenter Amanda Byram is filming the upcoming fifth run in Argentina. Four celebrity specials will be broadcast, although who is taking part has yet to be officially announced. Writing on Twitter, Rankin - Percy Weasley in the magical series - told fans: "I can now announce that at the end (more)...

Chantelle Houghton has reportedly started dating television presenter Rav Wilding. According to the Sunday Mirror, the Big Brother star was introduced to the One Show reporter by mutual friend Dominic Littlewood and the pair became close. A source said: "Chantelle and Rav met about a month ago and were immediately attracted to each other. They went for dinner and there was a definite spark which has since built over a series of dates. "Chantelle had to go to Argentina for eight days to film a celebrity version of Total Wipeout for the BBC, (more)...

The BBC has commissioned two new series of Total Wipeout. The fourth and fifth runs will feature two celebrity specials each and both series will climax with an episode involving previous champions. Meanwhile, the fifth series of the show will introduce a new course to test the contestants in diifferent ways. The BBC's entertainment editor Mirella Breda said: "Total Wipeout has firmly established itself as part of BBC (more)...

Richard Hammond has admitted that he would never be a contestant on Total Wipeout. Hammond, who hosts the show, told the Radio Times that a number of participants end up with injuries. "There's the odd dislocated shoulder," he said. "They have two ambulances on standby. That's why I would never do it - it might be painful." Hammond also revealed that he laughs at the participants when he should not "every week", saying: "It isn't (more)...

I’m Ken Plume, and soon you’ll be listening to “A Bit Of A Chat” with me, Ken Plume.

In this episode, I chat with the UK writing trio The Dawson Bros. - Andrew Dawson, Steve Dawson, & Tim Inman - who’ve toiled in obscurity behind the scenes of The Peter Serafinowicz Show, Total Wipeout, Funny Or Die UK (and much more), and are about to unleash their sketch pilot, Happy Finish, in the near future.

Hope you enjoy…

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You can also find more of my interviews at Fred by clicking Here, and my personal interview archive at Tibby’s Bowl by clicking Here.

Debate over whether a film is good or bad is usually pointless*, because at the end of the day the movie industry is about making money, and though artistic value and box office returns are not mutually exclusive, only one of the two is ensuring that a 3rd Michael Bay Transformers movie is on the way. Can you guess which? But despite the shrivelled, stilted, cynical eyes† through which I view most films, I have some guilty pleasures which I enjoy in spite of their obvious suck-factor. In fact I think revealing guilty pleasures could probably humanise seemingly detached public figures. For example, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad might be treated with a little less animosity by westerners if he announced an appreciation of Richard Hammond’s Total Wipeout. Or Caddyshack. So with that in mind I’ve had a think about some terrible movies that I actually quite like. These...

Strictly Come Dancing's James Jordan has said that he is certain he will win celebrity Total Wipeout. The professional dancer was among the famous faces revealed for the Richard Hammond-helmed BBC gameshow yesterday. "I would rather die than lose. I am so sure I will be in the top three, I'll bet my house and even Ola [Jordan, wife] on it," he told the Daily Star. "I (more)...