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I saw a great trailer for the new series “Jamie’s Dream School”, which starts tonight on Channel 4 TV in the UK. As I understand it the basic premise is that high profile, successfull leaders teach classes in an ordinary British state secondary school and we see how an inspitation, enthusiatic expert, who is probably not a traditionally trained or qualified teacher, can enthuse ordinary children to develop a personal connection with the subject and get results.

Or that’s as I understand it from the previews.

I saw a fantastic promotional clip on YouTube here featuring Rolf Harris “teaching” impressionism art to a class of normal teenagers.

I’ve shot observational documentaries in schools before and am aware of some of the challenges, but despite breaking the “rules” of making a celebrity led, mainstream targetted and prime time entertainment show, it is a facinating and inspirational piece of TV.

It makes me think that rather than just making programmes for TV we should make REAL things happen and then cover them for TV. Yes, obviously do it in an engaging and entertaining way, but prioritise actually make real things happen, not just constructs for the cameras…

Today I’ve been filming with Ben Fogle (a thoroughly nice guy), again for Internet use, in his role as President of the Campain for National Parks. He even signed a copy of his book, The Tea Time Islands, for me (I enjoyed reading it a couple of years ago).

Earlier this week I commandeered 56Meg of satellite space, linking up a multi-site live event. The guys from Links Broadcast did a great job – backups and flashing lights galore!

Chaired by Andrew Neil the speakers included ITV News newscaster Alistair Stewart, Sky News political editor Adam Boulton, BBC head of political programmes Sue Inglish, and ITV head of news Michael Jermey.

A good evening was had. General oppinion was that despite, or perhaps because of, the 76 rules, the debates were very interesting and benefitial. And most people think they will be a regular feature of future general elections. The effect they had was to greater inform the 39% of the population that watched some of one of them, resulting in a greater voter turnout.

Recent projects have included working on the BBC Election Night coverage with Martha Carney. Also as the only independent person across all three British election TV debates, present in the studios with the leaders, as well as attending advance rehearsals and briefings with all the parties & broadcasters.

I have no real excuse, I just kept putting it off until I had something realy interesting to say, but then I’d got out of the habit and, well now it’s 2009.

What’s been happening? Well, the world carrried on, the media industry is stil just as messed up as before, most of the vegetables in my back garden died, and well, you get the picture, life carried on just fine.

I will try and get back to posting my general and industry musings here. Meanwhile, however, do have a have a look at my warious other web presences on Facebook, Twitter, etc…

Richard

The BBC do deserve recognition for continuing with this most excellent of summer festivals, against ever changing fashion, trend and, of course, budgets.

But I still ask, as ever, was it really as musically accessible as it could or should be.

Nevertheless, my congratulations to the Proms & Maistro team. Looking forward to next year already.

It certainly seems that way to me. And that’s good news. I think.

We’ve been through a very long period of decine in studio use. Or rather a major increase in location TV work. But perhaps that has plateaued now and the commissioners have remembered, or maybe rediscovered, the flexibility and real value of the great British TV studio.

In fact we never really lost it. The few regular studio show we managed to keep over the last decade were enough to sustain the facilities and, most importantly, the skill set, in this most perculiar discipline.

Major primetime jugganaut shows like X-Factor and Strictly Come Dancing, both hugely successful exports, completely depend on this incredibly high skillbase.

So I’m glad to say, ‘long live the studio!’ Back here to stay. Again. Hopefully…

A fascinating, good fun series and one that I’ve watched a few times already on Sky. However, since the success of the follow up “Long Way Down” (John O’Grotes to Capetown), which was commissioned and broadcast on BBC1, they’ve picked up the rights to re-show it themselves.

A sensible decision, though I don’t understand why the late night slot or the tendency for double episodes. Rather wastefull. Surely it would be better for a primetime slot on BBC3?

Anyway, what I found interesting was the compliance changes for BBC broadcast. There was an awful lot of pixelation/blurring out of the commercial branding on the bikes. I’m a tad confused by this, to be honest. I always thought it was a bit blatent on Sky, but surely it must have passed their compliance checks, and in theory they should be very similar to the BBC ones now.

However, there also seemed to be quite a lot of editing too. Now, this could have been for timing issues, to a certain extent, as a BBC hour is much longer than a commercial one. But my suspicion is that actually the edits were compliance related again. I distinctly remember bits about the specs of the bikes that were pretty integral to the ‘story’ that were absent tonight.

My question is, who is in the wrong? Was it the BBC being overcautious, since the RDF Queengate scandal? Or was it Sky letting through major paid for branding in the programme content? Or perhaps a bit of both.

Face it, BBC overkill and Sky rule-stretching. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, Either way.

Product Placement is on it’s way to the UK. And it’s needed, as long as we regulate it carefully, which I’m sure Ofcom will do well.

Firstly I needed to fill up the Car with unleaded petrol. £54. Fifty four pounds!!! I still manage 400 miles to the tank, but WOW, that’s SO expensive! It just can’t go on, people can’t afford it. But equally I cannot forsee it going down.

The other fuel run-in was when I went online (not with my nonfunctioning broadband, you understand!) to see about changing my gas & electricity supplier. Amazingly, despite the headlines, I managed to sign up to a new rate for combined duel fuel supply. Going via Uswitch.com not only did Eon present a significant saving on my previous account with Scotish Power, but it is capped until October 2009. Yes, you read correctly, today I signed up for cheap, price capped fuel from Eon. I’ll let you know what happens. Somehow I predict a problem…

And I used moneysupermarket.com to change my car insurance. Various changes to my old policy, but a very good deal.

These price comparison websites are well worthwhile. I’m rather impressed!

Broadband news coming soon…

I watched it and was reminded that we Brits are a nation where international news is consumed at an equal, or perhaps even higher level, than domestic reports. Tales of the Prime Minister’s woes were relegated to much later on in the broadcast.

In part this is due to the success and ratings dominance of the BBC, a well funded state broadcater. However I doubt the commercial ITV/ITN News at 10 would have been much if any different. And that is down to public appetite for international news.

As an industry we have become used to the incredibly detailed, over-regulation by OfCom and it’s predecessors and I often find myself critisising or at least questioning them. However one rule I whole heartedly support is the required absence of direct sponsorship of news programmes.

Overseas broadcaters do not enjoy this particular regulation and as such find their news funding becomes reliant on content that is ‘compatible’ with the sponsor’s brand or image. One only has to look at the ‘Land of the Free’. No bad news and no international news (Well OK, once a week, but that hardly counts).

This is one example where we should infact be grateful for the heavy handed over-regulation we enjoy. Others around then world are not so lucky.

We must not underestimate the value of our Public Service Broadcasters. Please, lets make sure we don’t take them for granted and that we keep them for a long while yet.