BBC's blog

The BBC will bring full coverage of the 2012 Ryder Cup, through live radio commentary and TV highlights from the Medinah Country Club, Illinois, Friday 28 to Sunday 30 September.

With one of the strongest fields ever seen, the tournament is sure to be yet another highlight of an extraordinary year of sport.

BBC Radio 5 live brings exclusive live UK commentary of the tournament across all three days plus all the build up throughout the week. John Inverdale leads the radio team with golf correspondent Iain Carter and Andrew Cotter heading up the commentary. Continue reading »

Colin Salmon

One of the UK’s leading actors, Colin Salmon has found fame alongside stars such as Pierce Brosnan and Dame Judi Dench. He has starred in three Bond films as Charles Robinson; Die Another Day, Tomorrow Never Dies and The World is Not Enough alongside numerous other TV and film roles including blockbuster Resident Evil and Doctor Who. An avid football supporter and once ranked in People magazine’s poll of 50 Most Beautiful People in the world, Colin could be set to thrill on the Strictly dance floor. Continue reading »

In spring 2013, BBC Four will super-size the insect world in an ambitious new season – Alien Nation.

The season features six programmes that will cast a light on this miniature realm in a unique and unprecedented way.

The ambitious documentary Planet Ant will unearth the natural home of the Leafcutter ant in the biggest manufactured colony in Europe; Insect Dissection will reveal the anatomies of insects via dissection coupled with cutting edge imaging technology; Can Eating Insects Save The World? will explore whether insect cuisine could be the key to our future; and The Incredible Story Of The Monarch Butterfly: Four Wings And A Prayer focuses on the miraculous migration of the mysterious and beautiful Monarch butterfly. Continue reading »

Eve Myles (Torchwood, Baker Boys) will play the title role in Frankie, a new six-part series created and written by Lucy Gannon (The Best Of Men, Soldier Soldier) and produced by BBC Drama Production for BBC One.

Frankie is a modern and redemptive take on the life and work of a dedicated district nurse whose patients matter more to her than her personal life. A heroine for the modern age, Frankie Maddox (Myles) looks life and death in the eye; her mission is to make a difference. She cares about her patients and their families but never turns into a busybody, knowing that, at the end, what everyone wants is a calm friend who is on the side of the patient not the institution. Continue reading »

A revolting new comedy for CBBC about 13-year-old Stanley Brown, who shares his insatiable curiosity about the revolting world around him with a chaotic time-traveller, Archie, and his best friends Mike and Jess.

Stanley is always in trouble but each week he finds a new and exciting way to come out on top, delighting in the mess and mayhem the world throws at him.

Stanley Brown is a normal but unusually curious kid until his world changes in a way he least expects – with the arrival of his great, great, great, great, great, great… grandson, Archie. Archie has travelled back from the future to spend some time with his hero forefather, using technology destined to be invented by ideas initiated by Stanley and his descendants. Continue reading »

Food and Drink first graced our television screens in the 1980s. This much loved and iconic series is making a timely comeback with world renowned chef Michel Roux Jnr at the helm.

The Roux Family is synonymous with exquisite cooking and Michel is the ideal host for the series, which he remembers fondly from his childhood.

“It is an honour to be involved in the exciting re-launch of Food and Drink.” says Michel.

“The original programme inspired many and with Britain’s appreciation for good food having grown so much in the last 30 years, I am looking forward to exploring fantastic food and drink with old and new friends.” Continue reading »

BBC iPlayer today launched mobile downloads, enabling you to download your favourite BBC TV programmes directly to your smartphone or tablet for free, and keep them to enjoy for up to 30 days.

For the first time, the quality programmes on BBC iPlayer’s award-winning app are available wherever you want to watch them, whether or not you have a Wi-Fi or 3G signal. Watch on the underground, on planes, or any location where internet access is beyond your reach.

Programmes downloaded from the UK can also be viewed abroad for up to 30 days, so you can take the BBC on holiday with you. Once you’ve pressed play, you can keep watching for seven more days. Continue reading »

Set against the iconic backdrop of the War of the Roses, The White Queen is a major new ten-hour adaptation of Philippa Gregory‘s vivid bestselling historical novel series The Cousin’s War, for BBC One.

The White Queen is the thrilling story of the women caught up in the ongoing conflict for the throne – they are some of the most ruthless players in history and will stop at nothing to support their own causes and those of the ones they love.

The White Queen is a stunningly rich tale of love and loss, seduction and deception, betrayal and murder, vibrantly woven through the stories of three different yet equally driven women, in their quest for power as they manipulate behind the scenes of history – Elizabeth Woodville, Margaret Beaufort and Anne Neville. Continue reading »

The summer of 2012 will forever be remembered for a feel good festival of physical perfection that, for a few short weeks, popped up all over the BBC schedules; it might have taken place in London but throughout the country millions embraced milestones being reached, heroes being created and even an emotional victory for Andy Murray. Yes, series 11 of Mock The Week really was special.

In a bid to recreate that magical time, BBC Two are delighted to announce that from 10pm on Thursday 6 September, the hit topical show is returning for its all new Autumn run. Continue reading »

Speaking today at the Edinburgh Television Festival, Controller Danny Cohen talks about BBC One, why it matters, and the channel’s plans for the future, including a host of new commissions.

Danny Cohen says: “It’s a huge privilege to run Britain’s most-watched channel, and I’m greatly enjoying my time at BBC One. There’s always plenty to do though and my focus in the coming months is on consolidating BBC One’s position as the home of the biggest and best programmes – whilst at the same time continuing to develop the channel as a place where we take experimental risks and develop new talent.

“The new programme commissions I am announcing today across Comedy, Drama, Factual and Entertainment underline this creative strategy – with its aim to combine the biggest programmes with the kind of commitment to risk and new talent not normally associated with mainstream channels.” Continue reading »