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Top Gear
Just a couple of Clarkson fans who won’t argue back? Jeremy road-tests a Mercedes CLK Black. 7:30pm Monday on SBS.
Fringe
The Howard Years
Army Wives
Temptation
Rampant: How a City Stopped a Plague
2008: The Top 200
And so as the 2008 ratings year concludes, here’s how they stacked up…
The biggest audience for the year was, unsurprisingly, the Opening Ceremony of the Beijing Olympics, averaging 2.82m viewers. Late on a Friday evening that’s quite a feat -it didn’t start until 10pm AEST.
The biggest locally produced show was the AFL Grand Final at 2.49m viewers.
The most popular series was Packed to the Rafters at 1.94m viewers averaged across its series. If it weren’t for Victoria’s Underbelly ban, the result might have been different.
A note about these lists. As is …
Extra ideas at QTQ
Despite her departure from QTQ9’s newsdesk, Heather Foord could return as presenter of Brisbane’s 5:30pm Extra next year with its host Jillian Whiting redeployed to Nine News.
With Extra being pre-recorded, the set-up would suit Foord (pictured), a mother of four, who wants to spend more time with her daughter.
Last week Melissa Downes was announced as Foord’s replacement for the weeknight bulletin, didn’t News boss Lee Anderson didn’t rule out the speculation about Foord taking over Extra next year.
“At the moment, the main thing for Heather is being home with the kids …
Idol’s $M$ voting
Does Australian Idol really rake in up to $785,000 an hour in phone voting?
Probably says The Sunday Telegraph. Definitely not says FremantleMedia. But it declined to clarify its average.
According to the newspaper, the figure is tallied on information given in on air during the show’s final.
“We’re receiving 280 votes per second at the moment,” said Be.interactive managing director Lara Thom during a live cross last Sunday.
“At this very minute, we’re receiving 7000 1900-votes a minute and the gap has just closed by a further two per cent in the last …
Final week (almost) a Seven sweep
It was the last week of ratings for 2008, and the week all the free to air broadcasters bonded (temporarily) for Freeview with 4 of 5 metro CEOs there for the party, Nine scrambled to refinance its loans, an Australian actress was trapped in international terror, Seven sacked a reporter, former Sunday journos won the Gold Walkley, Nine let go another network celebrity, ACMA slapped Nine three times for A Current Affair, Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares and Spiderman, TEN dumped 90210 and rearranged its summer schedule again, a gangster’s wife was at …
Munro for Sunday Night?
The Sunday Telegraph reports retired Nine newsman Mike Munro has auditioned for the hosting role in Seven’s new Sunday Night current affairs program.
Munro was spotted at Seven’s Epping studios, ‘prompting speculation that screen tests for the supposedly top secret and hot show were underway.’
Others reported to have auditioned include Canberra-based political editor Mark Riley, plus Sydney presenters Chris Bath and Natalie Barr.
Producers are said to be considering a male and female host for the new show. So far there are no guarantees the show will compete head to head against 60 …
Ladettes in flight frenzy
And here is our first pic of Maria De Corrado, Bianca Stevens, Emily Biggs, Nicole Mitchell, Sarah Brunton, Kristyn Gohrt, Zoe Irons and Skye Harper -the girls in the Aussie version of Ladette to Lady.
Filmed at Eggleston Hall in the UK, the girls comprise Nine’s adaptation of the English series.
But in what sounds like a publicist’s dream, they have been reprimanded by an Emirates’ manager at England’s Newcastle Airport for mucking up on the long flight earlier this month.
One passenger said: “It was disgraceful and those girls brought shame on Australia. …
Returning: Inside the Actors Studio
There’s nobody with quite the same interviewing style as James Lipton. The Dean of the Actors Studio never bats an eyelid when asking his A list guests about their career, their methodology or even their ‘favourite curse word.’
Since premiering in 1994, Inside The Actor’s Studio has racked up hundreds of celebrity guests, all of whom impart part of their lives to Lipton and to the audience of aspiring performers.
Lipton has also interviewed several ensemble casts, including The Simpsons, a show on which he has appeared as himself.
It’s back 7:30pm Sunday December …
9AM due for a lift
Morning hosts David Reyne and Kim Watkins have been told to lighten and brighten up by executives at Channel TEN, claims the Sunday Herald Sun.
It is believed Reyne and Watkins have one more year of their contract left and have had no choice in the content and editorial changes.
9AM executive producer Sandy Patterson has hired producers from rival networks to initiate much shorter segments and lighter, pacier topics.
The show has long trailed its rivals on Seven and Nine, averaging between 60,000 – 85,000 viewers, but still pays its way with advertorials. …
Brooke Satchwell ‘lucky’ to be home
Actress Brooke Satchwell flew into Sydney yesterday after fleeing the terrorist attacks in Mumbai with her boyfriend David Gross.
“(We’re) really bloody lucky,” Satchwell told The Sunday Telegraph.
“We’re fortunate the adrenaline’s still pumping – that’s keeping us standing…get some rest, see family and friends and take it from there,” Satchwell said.
Gross said, “(Brooke) was so lucky – a matter of seconds. We all spent time in that lobby before they came in.
“We were moving between hotel rooms to stay safe.”
Satchwell says she was in India with her boyfriend for travel documentary called …
World AIDS Day programming
There was a time when World AIDS Day was acknowledged by all the networks with documentaries and music specials. Specials like Red, Hot and Blue or events hosted by Nelson Mandela dominated our screens. That was a time when awareness was championed by the wider media. In recent years it’s been left largely to pay television and SBS to mark the day. But falling on a Monday, even SBS doesn’t take time out this year from its most-cherished night of the week.
The ABC comes to the rescue tonight (9:40pm) with a …
Airdate: Rock Eisteddfod
An Australian institution, the Rock Eisteddfod will have its broadcast this year at 1pm on Saturday December 6th and 13th on Channel Nine. The shows are hosted by Kendal Nagorcka and Drew Jarvis from The Shak.
The Rock Eisteddfod Challenge Foundation is a not for profit organisation. Nearly 400 Australian schools and 30,000 students compete in Rock Eisteddfod Challenge in 17 regions across Australia.
Who hasn’t participated in, attended or watched one of these over the years?
This year there were 6 Grand Finals staged from Perth to Brisbane during August …