Throng

In a landmark occasion for the channel, CBBC is to unveil its first ever in-house long-form animation series, Muddle Earth.

The 13x11 minute series follows the adventures of Randalf the wizard and his human apprentice Newt as they attempt to thwart the devious attempts of Dr Cuddles, an evil blue teddy bear, from taking over the land.

Aimed at six to nine year olds, the comedy-fantasy series features the vocal magic of Sir David Jason (Randalf), and music performed by the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra – another first for the Channel.

The BBC today announced the six acts hoping to take part in music's biggest annual extravaganza as they compete to represent the UK at the Eurovision Song Contest in Your Country Needs You! on Friday 12 March 2010 at 8.30pm on BBC One.

Performing live in the studio, the Eurovision hopefuls will be out to impress Pete Waterman – producing this year's entry with long-time collaborator Mike Stock – plus a specially-selected panel consisting of Pete, with last year's UK entrant Jade Ewen and performance-judge supremo Bruno Tonioli.

They will hear four solo singers, one all-girl trio and a five-piece group – all vying for the opportunity to sing for the UK in Oslo this May.

Land Girls, BBC One Daytime's highly popular and award-winning drama, is to return for a second series. Liam Keelan, Controller of BBC Daytime, has commissioned five new episodes of the uplifting original drama created by Roland Moore.

The second series of Land Girls returns to the rural Forties, and continues to examine how a whole generation of women helped the war effort, and adapted to their new lives working as part of the Women's Land Army.

Speaking about the new series, Liam Keelan says: "The first series of Land Girls was something completely new for BBC One Daytime, as it was the first time a period drama had been commissioned and made for the daytime audience.

BBC One Daytime will be marking the 50th anniversary of the beginning of the Swinging Sixties with an original new drama, and a week-long series of special factual programmes looking back at the decade.

The Indian Doctor (working title), a new drama series starring Sanjeev Bhaskar, tells the story of Dr Prem Patel, one of the thousands of doctors who – encouraged by Enoch Powell – moved from the Indian Sub-Continent to the UK to begin new lives.

Rewind The 60s (working title) explores the social changes and major news events that took place in the decade.

For the first time in the show's history, EastEnders will be beamed live to the nation's screens in celebration of its 25th Anniversary on Friday 19 February 2010.

Over the past 25 years, EastEnders has brought some of the most notorious characters and memorable moments in British soap history to the small screen.

We've had magical matrimonies which have captured the hearts of millions of viewers, family feuds full of intrigue and menace, the joy of many surprise new arrivals, and of course those unforgettable storylines which have tackled issues from teenage pregnancy and HIV through to the more recent mental health and child abuse storylines.

Charlotte Church, John Partridge and Sheila Hancock to join Andrew Lloyd Webber in the search for Dorothy and Toto

A new line-up of judges will be helping Andrew Lloyd Webber and the nation to decide who will make the perfect Dorothy, in the forthcoming Over The Rainbow for BBC One.

Charlotte Church, John Partridge (Christian Clarke, EastEnders) and Sheila Hancock are to form the expert panel providing insightful opinions and comments but, ultimately, the viewers determine the rightful heir of those famous ruby red slippers.

BBC One announces today that production has commenced on the second series of Reggie Perrin, which will return to screens later this year.

Martin Clunes stars once again in the title role of the troubled everyman Reggie Perrin, alongside Fay Ripley, Wendy Craig, Geoffrey Whitehead, Neil Stuke, Kerry Howard and Jim Howick.

Simon Nye, the writer behind Men Behaving Badly, and David Nobbs, the creator of the original Seventies show The Fall And Rise Of Reginald Perrin, have joined forces once more to pen the next instalment of the popular sitcom.

The BBC today announced the first celebrity names lining up to trip the light fantastic for this year's Let's Dance For Sport Relief.

Katy Brand, Rufus Hound and Shappi Khorsandi represent the world of comedy, alongside some of the nations favourite Grumpy Old Women, Jenny Eclair, Linda Robson, Lesley Joseph and Susie Blake.

Also taking to the dance floor will be sporting greats such as footballers Peter Shilton and Rodney Marsh and snooker legends Willie Thorne and Dennis Taylor.

Written and presented by David Dimbleby

The story of our nation told through its treasures on BBC One

David Dimbleby charts a landmark history of Britain's greatest art and artefacts over 2,000 years, in Seven Ages Of Britain.

International pop icon Leona Lewis is set to take centre stage on BBC One's So You Think You Can Dance.

Leona is one of the leading figures in the modern pop arena, a multi-platinum selling artist and multi-Grammy nominee, scoring number one hits in over 34 countries.

Leona will be performing her new song I Got You, and completes the stellar line-up of musical acts who have appeared throughout So You Think You Can Dance: Alexandra Burke, JLS, Mika, Lemar and – for the grand final on 13 February – Robbie Williams.

It's February 1960 in Orchard Street, Peckham, and the glamorous Joan Trotter is off to work at the Ritz Cinema, strutting down the road with her clickety-clack heels and swinging hips, drawing disdainful glances from her jealous neighbours.

Through a leafy country lane, a 1959 Jaguar Mark 9 races towards London with Freddie "The Frog" Robdal at the wheel, Gerald "Jelly" Kelly alongside.

And a young Del Boy sits with his mates Trigger, Boycie, Denzil and Jumbo Mills polishing off their half-pints of beer while Bobby Day's Rockin' Robin plays on the jukebox of the Nag's Head.

John Simm (Doctor Who, Life On Mars), Corin Redgrave (Turn Of The Screw, Four Weddings And A Funeral), Anna Massey (Hotel du Lac, Tess Of The D'Urbervilles), Robert Glenister (Hustle, Spooks), Gerard Kearns (Shameless, Mark Of Cain), Roy Marsden (The Green Green Grass, Adam Dalgleish in PD James adaptations) and Ewen Bremner (Trainspotting, Snatch) are to star in the new series of BBC One Daytime's critically-acclaimed drama, Moving On, with Dominic West (The Wire, Mona Lisa Smile) directing one of the episodes.

Five of the episodes have now been cast and filmed. The series comprises 10 stand-alone episodes, all linked by the common theme of how to move on in life.

The cast also includes Hannah Gordon, Maggie Steed, Daniel Ryan, Susannah Harker, Pooky Quesnel, Jonty Stephens, Jenny Agutter, Nicola Stephenson, Lisa Faulkner, Jo Hartley, Tachia Newall, Kieran O'Brien and Susan Lynch.

Programme 1: Age Of Conquest (AD 43-1066)
For a thousand years, from Emperor Claudius to William the Conqueror, the British Isles were defined by invasion, each successive wave bringing something new to the mix. The Romans brought figurative art, the Anglo-Saxons epic poetry, the Normans monumental architecture. David Dimbleby travels throughout Britain and beyond – to France, Italy and Turkey – in search of the greatest creations of the age.

For young Inbetweeners' star James Buckley, winning the part of young Del Boy in Rock & Chips was a dream come true. Here he talks about dinner with David Jason and chewing Nicholas Lyndhurst's ear off.

Can you give us a flavour of the teenage Del Boy?

"I wasn't trying to do a David Jason impression but there are very small traits of Del Boy that I tried to put in the part. The young Del is still a bit of a wheeler-dealer, even though he's still at school, but he hasn't yet turned into the Del Boy that we all know."

Best-known in TV for her roles playing lesbian prisoner Cassie in Bad Girls and starring as Ali G's less-than-glamorous girlfriend Me Julie in Ali G Indahouse, Kellie Bright jumped at the chance to pop into a girdle and put the red lippy on for Rock & Chips! Here she talks about playing Peckham's answer to Brigitte Bardot.

Tell us about Joan Trotter...

"My word for Joan would be vivacious. She just has this huge love of life. Being poor in the Sixties really meant being poor but Joan manages to get through it with a spring in her step and a smile on her face. It sounds odd but when I think about the Sixties I think about it in black and white, but Joan would be in technicolour! She's a dreamer but she's also very practical and would never dream above her station or drop her responsibilities and run off into the sunset."