This Week's News Round-Up.
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Written by Joe McDonald / November 13th, 2015, 10:19am
We have a theme this week. Endings!
The Voice UK leaves the BBC
It was always a controversial programme that wasn’t as successful as the BBC thought it would be but those chairs will be spinning around for the last time next year -- at least on the BBC.
Rumours abound that ITV have poached the UK version of the talent show franchise, despite already having the X Factor as a key part of its yearly line-up. One almost wants to laugh at the hypocrisy - I’m pretty sure ITV were one of the loudest voices - save the government - criticising the BBC for having The Voice in its schedules in the first place.
Last night it occurred to me that The Voice might have worked better if it had one of those 'Bake Off' formulas, with people who have average singing voices put through their paces each week and made to sing different genres. People seem to want the whole 'journey' thing, not yet another sensationalised overhyped X Factor-lite talent show contest.
I’d love to say that this means the BBC won’t be feeling quite as much pressure as before - but alas that is simply not true. It looks like this will be just one of the many changes the BBC will be forced to implement over the next year and beyond if the public want to continue funding it. Not that the public has been officially asked whether they want to continue paying the TV license or explore other options. OK, moving on from petty politics now…
ITV confirm I’m a Celeb Line-Up
I swear the producers of this show are in some sort of bizarre competition with Big Brother and Channel 5 over who can plunge the depths of ‘Zelebrities’. This year we have some well-known names sweating it out in the jungle including some guy from Spandau Ballet whose last name isn’t ‘Kemp’, Hollyoaks ‘star’ Jorgie Porter, Susannah of Trinny and Susannah, Duncan Bannatyne (to be fair, that name surprised me) and um… the woman who exposed Princess Diana’s bulimia and affair with James Hewett.
On the bright side, we get a minimum of reality stars. Wait, what am I talking about? This show is still on. There is never a bright side!
Pixar releases Finding Dory trailer
Great news for those of us who haven’t quite grown up yet! Finding Dory has a trailer which means things finally seem to be gearing up for a cinematic release.
The sequel to Finding Nemo sees Dory, the lovable fish with short-term memory loss, track down her own family. If she can remember the information presumably.
Then again she did remember ‘P. Sherman, 42 Wallaby Way, Sydney’ so there is hope.
The Peep Show is ending
After 12 years, David Mitchell and Robert Webb have decided to bring the sitcom about two blokes sharing a flat to an end. On ending the successful comedy series, the duo told media it would be ‘ridiculous’ to keep making this comedy now both men are in their forties.
It’s their choice obviously but in a world where forty-somethings are being forced to share houses thanks to the evil housing market, it seems a shame that they don’t feel able to reflect something relatable and current.
But hey maybe someone else will pick up on this and we’ll see a comedy on Sky or Netflix in a similar vein.
Those are the highlights of the week. Hopefully next week we'll get news on new shows to replace the ones that are ending!