F1 2010 (The Computer Game Review)

BY JASON WRIGHT

Although the support of Formula 1 has grown in recent times, for several years now, its place in the gaming market has been very much in the doldrums.  The axing of EA Sports’ take on the series in 2003 meant the titles became PlayStation exclusive as they were made by Sony.   Though these games still were massive bestsellers, Sony hardly developed and improved the format and with the titles became boring and repetitive, finally having its contract terminated in 2007.

It wasn’t until March 2008 when the FOM decided to award a new contract.  Codemasters was given the rights to restore F1 to its former glory in the games world.  The decision was soon taken to only release a 2009 version of the game on the PSP and Nintendo Wii, intending to put all its effort into 2010 for it to really attract the likes of Xbox 360, PS3 and PC, the former of which has never had an F1 game until now.

Utilising their self-titled ‘EGO’ games engine, which has made the Race Driver and Colin McRae DIRT titles such a success, the task was simple but as always, complicated.  To not only give the player the experience of racing in F1 but to live the life off the track as well.

As expected, the game is mainly built around the career mode.  Unlike in the Sony versions, the player jumps straight into the championship, without having to go through the daunting task of earning a super license, compete in a shoot-out for a race seat or take part in pre-season testing.  Starting with one of the three new teams on the grid for this season, Hispania Racing F1 Team, Virgin Racing or Lotus Racing, it’s the player’s ultimate task to be successful, rise through the ranks to the point that they are eventually racing for a championship challenger like McLaren-Mercedes, Ferrari or Red Bull Racing.  The player has the choice of stopping after their third of fifth season in the sport but after having done seven seasons (in this case, the year 2016), that’s it, they will have to retire.

It is what’s off the grid that adds excitement to the game.  Never before has the player been able to talk to media, which varies from whatever language the game is in, (the English version allows you to speak to BBC Radio 5 Live’s David Croft and Holly Samos.)  These interviews can seem innocent but players have to watch out, just the small word of criticism spoken can land the player in hot water with their team.  Performances in races also matter, out-race your more experienced team-mate and you can get first call in technical upgrades on the car.  You also get an agent, named Gabriella, who sounds Italian, who will handle contract negotiations and transfers to a new team.

Sony’s ultimate letdown in recent years was its tedious AI (Artificial Intelligence) system which usually had the cars racing around in a straight line with no action, changes in order only happened in pit-stops.  Codemasters has been extremely careful not to repeat this mistake and bases each circuit and weather condition on deciding whose best in those particular environments.  Good examples are that Felipe Massa may be the one to beat in Turkey as he’s won three times in the last five years there and Lewis Hamilton could be the one to watch out for in wet weather because of his strong drives in these conditions in real life.  It actually also has cars crashing into one another at any time.  Players have to also watch out for hazards such as bits of bodywork on the track or a stranded car on the racing line.  This does though have a downside that this game does not have any mechanical failures or a Safety Car.  Codemasters has had the decency to admit this before its release and has already confirmed it will work to bring back mechanical retirements for the 2011 game, although whether the safety car will also return remains to be seen.

Advanced technology in games has allowed the opportunity to provide the best wet weather racing yet.  Skill and nerve is what’s required now, just like in real life, in order to master the tricky conditions.  The dynamic weather setting will allow to automatically selecting the most common conditions for each circuit.  Malaysia, Belgium and Japan are perhaps prime examples of where it is most likely to rain.

Other missing features include no race commentary, instead receiving constant feedback from your race engineer via team radio.  Some players though might consider this as a good thing as in-race commentary could distract their progress in trying to listen to it.  After all, who wants to listen to the tedious Jonathan Legard!  It is also not possible to watch live footage of either practice or qualifying when in the garage, instead relying on just the live timing page.  Also, there is no World Championship mode this year though the grand prix weekend mode allows up to all 19 races on the F1 calendar to be contested at any one time, auto saving in between, so players can race the full championship calendar, or for the first time ever, ability to mix up the order of the races (e.g. you could possibly want to go to Singapore first and have Britain as the season finale).

In conclusion, the gamble that Codemasters in rushing through 2009 and fully committing to 2010 has well and truly paid off.  As long as they make significant improvements year after year, this completely heralds a new dawn for F1 games.

David Miliband Quits Frontline Politics

Yesterday, David Miliband confirmed that he was stepping down from frontline politics, so he could spend more time with his family.  The MP for South Shields told Sky News’s political editor Adam Boulton of his decision at his home in an exclusive interview with the broadcaster.  Saturday’s shock defeat to his brother Ed Miliband in the Labour leadership battle has made him question and think long and hard about his political future, especially after he was the favourite for the role for months.

In the interview with Boulton, David admits the decision was not easy, but it is the right one, both for him, his brother and the future of the Labour party.

"I will serve to my utmost," "But staying in the shadow cabinet would be a route to real difficulty.  "Instead of focusing on winning in 2015 and beyond, the team would be subject to permanent scrutiny of body language - everything from sneezes to comments.  "Ed needs open field to lead as he sees fit. I will be a loyal supporter from the backbenches.  "It is the cleanest and clearest decision to take, though not the easiest."

On the reaction to the news, Ed Miliband was clearly disappointed, but had nothing but praise for David’s commitment and integrity towards the new Labour generation.

"I spoke to David earlier, and while it would have been fantastic to have him serving in my shadow cabinet, he has made a thoughtful and gracious decision.  "It is thoughtful for the family and gracious in terms of the future of the party."  "He is a massive talent for our party, and indeed for our country, I'm not going to hide that fact."  "We would have been a stronger team with him in it.  "But I think that he is right to have made the decision that he has, it is the right decision for him.

If Ed Miliband is going to do the job he is assigned to do, which is to get Labour back into Downing Street in five years time, he already knows how hard the job is going to be and without his brother, who was one of the strongest people in the doomed Gordon Brown regime, it has only got tougher.  He now has to show his commitment to the party on his own and take on the coalition government with all the passion he has available to him.

Ed Gets The Labour Nod of Approval

Ed Miliband has been chosen as Gordon Brown’s long-term successor to lead the Labour party into the next General Election and maybe beyond.  After months of hard campaigning, Ed surprised many by just getting enough votes to edge out his brother and favourite with many bookmakers, David Miliband.  The news was announced at the weekend, at the start of Labour’s annual party conference.  He will take over from Harriet Harman, who has been standing as acting deputy leader during the transitional period in British politics.

After four rounds of vote counting, Ed received a 1.3% bigger majority share to win the role and become the figurehead into challenging the coalition government for the next testing period that politics has to deal with, which is the inevitable spending cuts.  Fellow candidates Ed Balls, Andy Burnham and Diane Abbott were a distant third, fourth and fifth in the final votes, with the leadership already looking like it was heading to one of the Miliband brothers.

In his acceptance speech, Ed was full of praise for his brother:

“David, I love you so much.”  “To the country, I know we lost touch, I know we need to change.”  “Today begins a new generation for Labour.”

There is now intense speculation about the future of David Miliband political career.  Many insiders are expecting him to quit frontline politics to spend more time with his family.  Whatever he decides, his support for the Labour party must remain strong if the party is going to recover from the devastating blow of losing power in Downing Street when we went to vote back in May. 

Can Ed Miliband turn around the fortunes of the Labour party….he certainly has a tough and challenging job on his hands…..

2010 Singapore Grand Prix - Flawless Fernando Triumphs In Singapore Night

Fernando Alonso managed to resist an all-race attack from Sebastian Vettel to clinch a priceless victory in today’s Singapore Grand Prix on the Marina Bay circuit.  The usually spectacular nightline sky was lit up by an eventful race dominated by Alonso and Vettel.  The pair finished a full half a minute ahead of the chasing pack, after sixty-one laps of torturous punishments in very humid conditions.

The real loser on the night was Lewis Hamilton, who suffered another damaging shunt, this time with fellow championship contender Mark Webber which saw the McLaren forced into a very costly retirement.  It was the key incident of the race that allowed Alonso and Vettel to make the decisive break on the rest of the field.  Despite an early Safety Car period to clear Vitantonio Liuzzi’s deranged Force India away from the Turn 10 chicane, the first half of the race turned into a processional affair, with the leading two driving around in circles and no sign of any dramatic action around the corner.

This changed on Lap 30 when Kamur Kobayashi, already nursing damage from heavy contact with Michael Schumacher seconds earlier, hit the tyre wall at Turn 18, just underneath the tunnel.  He was collected by the hapless Bruno Senna, which resulted in a second caution period.  At the restart, Webber was badly delayed by Lucas di Grassi’s Virgin which allowed Hamilton to grab a decisive run on the Aussie exiting Turn Five.  Into the braking zone for Turn Six, Hamilton was slightly ahead, but on the outside of the corner.  He turned in, thinking he had given Webber enough space, but slight contact was made.  As in Monza a fortnight ago, it was only relatively minor, but Hamilton had been critically hobbled and parked up the escape road with broken rear suspension, beating his arms on the cockpit in sheer frustration.  Lewis is now twenty points adrift with four races to go, and it now looks like a very tough task to regain the championship he won in such amazing fashion in 2008.  Webber just about survived to finish 3^rd, and maintain his championship lead, which now stands at nine points over Alonso.

All day, Vettel looked to have the measure of the former double world champion, but Alonso, a controversial winner in Singapore in 2008 for Renault was always a step infront and would raise his pace, should he come under any critical danger.  Despite a last-lap attack in backmarkers from the German, Vettel realised the valour was the better part of disgression and settled for the 18 points which keep him firmly in the title proceedings.  The other championship contender, Jenson Button looked unhappy all weekend with the balance of his McLaren kept his car on the road to finish 4^th, and therefore keep his hopes, though slim, still alive.

The most dramatic exit of the race came from the Lotus of Heikki Kovalainen in the dying embers of the race.  Kovalainen had been spun around by the Toro Rosso of Sebastian Buemi, whilst dicing for 13^th place.  The contact damaged the engine on his car and set alight to his Cosworth Powerplant.  Foolishly, the team told Kovalainen to carry on past the pits, but he stopped on the start-finish straight, with his car very quickly turning into a flaming barbeque.  Heikki jumped out and grabbed a fire extinguisher off the clueless Singapore marshals, who looked very reluctant to help out.  Kovalainen did a great job to put the flames out on his own, but it will raise questions of the marshalling structure of street circuits. 

The other star of the race was Robert Kubica.  The Pole was running in a comfortable 6^th, when he had to pit on Lap 45 to replace a punctured tyre.  Undeterred, he drove out of his skin to pass six cars in eight laps, including one of the moves of the season around the outside of Adrian Sutil’s Force India at Turn Seven.  Kubica finished a very creditable 7^th, after his dramas.  Elsewhere, Nico Rosberg and Rubens Barrichello put in very solid drives to finish 5^th and 6^th, whilst the points were completed by Sutil, Nico Hulkenberg and the unlucky Felipe Massa, who after starting last, due to a gearbox glitch in qualifying, spent all afternoon in traffic.  Since the conclusion of the race, Sutil has been penalised twenty seconds for gaining a track advantage at the start, dropping from 8^th to 10^th in the final classification.  Fellow German Nick Heidfeld has a very unhappy return to the sport, clashing with Liuzzi on the first lap, then later, being rammed into the wall by a fired-up Schumacher, who picked up front-wing damage and finished an unlucky 13^th.

Singapore produced a glamorous spectacle and although five men still remain in the championship battle, Lewis Hamilton may well have kissed his chances goodbye for another season.  For Fernando Alonso, the momentum is 100% behind the Spaniard and it will be interesting to see how he will fair in Suzuka in a fortnight’s time, which technically should be a Red Bull walkover.  However, Formula One is never settled on a piece of paper and with the drama that 2010 has thrown up so far this season, anything is possible in Japan next time out.

Commonwealth Chaos

Delhi has taken an absolute battering in the worldwide media, due to its complete lack of disorganisation and preparation that has threatened to completely destroy the Commonwealth Games.  This week’s events have been nothing short of a disgrace, and although some athletes have pulled out for safety reasons, it is surprising that all 71 countries look set to take part in the showpiece event in India which starts next Sunday.

The first signs of trouble were highlighted by concerns over security levels for the athletes around the city, in case terrorists struck.  Next, there were rumours of the standard of accommodation in the athletic village simply not being upto scratch.  Then on Tuesday afternoon, a footbridge collapsed near the main stadium, injuring twenty-three people, the majority being workers on the site.  Five of these were taken to hospital with critical injuries, though luckily, there were no fatalities.  Government officials said that the bridge had been weakened by heavy rain within the area of recent.  Since then, the roof at the weightlifting area has also collapsed, though no-one was hurt in this relatively ‘minor’ incident.

World and European triple jump champion Phillips Idowu has pulled out of the defence of his Commonwealth title that he brilliantly won in Melbourne four years ago.  He announced the news on his Twitter homepage.

"I can't afford to risk my safety in the slightest.  "All the press today about bridges collapsing and 23+ people being hurt, floods and inhabitable living conditions, getting my daughter ready for school this morning and seeing all of that put me off.  "So statements like toughen up, I'm toughening up, was a tough choice to make but I made it for my children."

Pictures attained by the BBC on Friday afternoon showed the state that some of the accommodation is in.  To be honest, a typical room at University’s Halls of Residence looks better, so no wonder why Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has entered into the debate, by saying that “time is running out.”  However, it does look like the Games have been pulled back from the brink of being totally obliterated by the travelling nations.

Competitors were due to start arriving in preparation for the games on Thursday.  After consultation with the leading delegates from all sports taking place, the English team began leaving for Delhi on Friday afternoon, with another batch due to fly out tomorrow.  The Scottish, Australian and Canadian teams, who had all delayed their journeys out to Asia, before getting absolute total guarantee of necessary improvements, are all on the way out to the location in the next 48 hours.  The only question mark of a country participating seems to be the New Zealand team, who seem to have been the country that has been the most outspoken about the events over the past five days.

The English team will also be missing the likes of Mo Farah, Jessica Ennis and Lisa Dobrinsky.  All four will not be competing due to fatigue of injuries, though Dobrinsky’s absence is also thought to be around a safety issue.  Sprinting ace Usain Bolt will also not take part in the games for Jamaica, due to injury.

Considering that India was awarded the Commonwealth Games for 2010 way back in 2004, this is a startling story, but one that doesn’t surprise many.  Warnings were adhered last year, and don’t seem to have been taken seriously by the Indian government.  To me, although it can make for fantastic television, I think the Commonwealth Games are largely a waste of time, especially when so many top stars pull out of what used to be such a star-studied event on the sporting calendar every four years.  I just hope that when the Commonwealth Games begin next Sunday, the two weeks of competition will go off without a hitch and make all the messy and confrontational build-up a storm in a teacup.  However, that may take quite a bit of convincing for many experts and fans across the world.

ASDA Purchases Netto's

The cheapest supermarket in the UK has been given the green light by the Office of Fair Trading to purchase the low-price discount supermarket, Netto’s.

Netto’s, which is currently owned by the Danish group, Dansk will sell its stake over to ASDA, but under the regulation, ASDA must sell 47 of the existing 195 Netto stores in the UK.  Netto’s certainly struggles to attract a decent reputation, especially against its rivals in the low-cost supermarket industry, such as LDL and ALDI.  Also, with the emergence of the Poundland and £Stretcher stores, Netto’s has gradually slipped down the order in recent years.  However, this news can only be seen as good news for the company, as it not only secures their long-term future, but they are now in the hands of a well-respected and a national leader in the supermarket industry.

ASDA has said that customers will expect to see a wider range of products for customers due to the impending takeover, which is set to create over 1,000 new jobs in England and Wales.  ASDA has also confirmed that it in talks with several potential buyers over the selling structure of the 47 stores it must get rid as part of the deal.  All Netto supermarkets that remain after the cutbacks will be renamed ASDA with the completion of all activities expected to be in the summer of 2011.

The chief financial officer of ASDA, Judith McKenna was delighted with the commitment and the decision that the Office of Fair Trading had made:

"We’ve already learned so much from Netto colleagues and I appreciate their hard work and commitment.  "I’m looking forward to continuing to work together to ensure we make the transition to ASDA a success and putting into practice what we’ve learned.  "I continue to be excited at what we can achieve together."

Although on a financial basis, ASDA is having its worst economic year since 2006, slipping 0.6% on its expected profits from 2009, this news can only been seen as a winning move for all beneficial parties.  There will be more exposure for ASDA, a secure future for Netto’s and the public sector, as more jobs are set to become available in these tough climates.

FA Barclays Premiership Report (18th - 19th September)

The Barclays Premiership’s latest round of action served up another stroll for the champions, another failed test by the North London perennial underachievers and a surprising hat-trick from a misfiring striker who once did cost £30million!

Sunday 19^th September: Manchester United 3-2 Liverpool

A sensational hat-trick from Bulgarian misfit Dimitar Berbatov earnt Manchester United a priceless and deserved victory over Liverpool at Old Trafford.  United dominated the game for large periods, yet were grateful for Berbatov’s contribution, after they had once again, thrown away a two-goal advantage.  Berbatov’s first goal came four minutes from the interval, marching infront of a sleeping Fernando Torres to power the Red Devils infront.  His second goal was pure genius.  Under pressure from Martin Skrtel and with his back to goal, the Bulgarian produced a dynamic scissor kick, which left Pepe Reina stranded, via the underside of his crossbar.  Liverpool’s captain Steven Gerrard dragged his side back into the contest, with two goals in six minutes.  First, via the penalty spot, after the lacklustre Torres was tripped by Jonny Evans.  His second was a brilliant placed free-kick, taking full advantage of Darren Fletcher leaving a wide gap in the United goal.  A totally undeserving point for Liverpool was snatched away when Berbatov beat Jamie Carragher to John O’Shea cross and headed a dramatic winner past the despairing Reina.  The right result for sure, but Sir Alex Ferguson will still be annoyed that his side keep throwing away big leads so far this season.

Saturday 18^th September: Sunderland 1-1 Arsenal

Some dodgy refereeing cost Arsenal two valuable points at the Stadium of Light, though once again, Arsene Wenger’s side lost a great opportunity to put further pressure on Chelsea.  A fluke opener from Cesc Fabregas had the Gunners infront, when he charged down a dithering clearance from the sloppy Anton Ferdinand.  Alex Song was harshly dismissed early in the second half for two debatable yellow cards, but Arsenal had chance after chance to put the home side away.  Fabregas limped off with a hamstring injury, and then Tomas Rosicky whacked a penalty on the hour mark onto the crossbar and over.  With almost the last kick, substitute Asamoah Gyan caused chaos in the Arsenal defence and as they failed to deal with a dangerous ball into the box, Darren Bent pounced to earn an excellent point for Steve Bruce’s side.  Sarcastic comments towards fourth official Martin Atkinson earnt Wenger a one-match touchline ban and £8,000 fine.  All in all, this was a very costly evening on Wearside for the North Londoners.

Sunday 19^th September: Chelsea 4-0 Blackpool

Blackpool’s tremendous start to Premiership life took a hit, as they were no match for Carlo Ancelotti’s champions, who enjoyed another Sunday afternoon stroll at Stamford Bridge.  Once Salomon Kalou had Chelsea infront after only 90 seconds, the result was never in doubt.  In fact, all the goals came in the first half, with Didier Drogba and two more goals from the impressive Florent Malouda wrapping up proceedings.  The second half was simply a training exercise.

 

Saturday 18^th September: Tottenham Hotspur 3-1 Wolves

Despite bossing proceedings at White Hart Lane, Spurs left it very late to beat a brave and well-organised Wolves outfit.  When Steven Fletcher tapped in from close range on the stroke of half-time, it looked like Tottenham’s inconsistent start to the domestic campaign looked set to continue.  However, inspired by new signing Rafael van der Vaart, they scored three goals in the last fifteen minutes.  Van der Vaart’s drew the home side level from the penalty spot, before subs Roman Pavyluchenko and right-back Alan Hutton, via a freaky clearance put the seal on the match in the last five minutes.  The result moves Harry Redknapp’s team into the Premiership top five.

Saturday 18^th September: West Brom 3-1 Birmingham City

An impressive second half display from the Baggies saw West Brom inflict a surprising first defeat on Birmingham City this season in this local grudge match.  The visitors were in complete control in the first half, and led through Cameron Jerome’s close range finish.  However, some inspired words from Roberto di Matteo in the changing room, coupled with elementary errors in the Birmingham backline drove on the fightback for the Albion.  The comeback began through an own goal by defender Scott Dann, who deflected in Jerome Thomas’s driven cross.  Nigerian Peter Odemwingie then pounced on a rare error from Ben Foster to give West Brom the lead and as they continued to pour forward, Jonas Olsson completed the scoring, heading in Chris Brunt’s corner.

Saturday 18^th September: Everton 0-1 Newcastle United

Everton are still looking for their first win of the season, after they played poorly and lost to a well-organised Newcastle outfit.  A brilliant strike from the temperamental Hatem Ben Afra in the first half was the difference between the teams on Merseyside.

Sunday 19^th September: Wigan Athletic 0-2 Manchester City

At a rain-soaked DW Stadium, Wigan produced another top-class defensive performance which would be better suited to a primary school pitch.  Unsurprisingly then, Manchester City left with all three points, with a comfortable, if not spectacular performance.  Carlos Tevez and Yaya Toure were the scorers who accepted the charity offered to him.  This was an important result for Roberto Mancini, as he looks to turn his superstars into a well-drilled outfit.

Saturday 18^th September: Aston Villa 1-1 Bolton Wanderers

Kevin McDonald’s final game in caretaker charge of Aston Villa saw his side pick up a point at home to an ever-improving Bolton.  With new manager Gerard Houillier and assistant Gary McAllister watching on in the stand, McDonald wanted to sign off on a high and it looked like that would happen, when Ashley Young curled in a brilliant free-kick.  Young’s celebration, which saw all of his team-mates run straight to the temporary gaffer, shows how much unity they still have, despite a testing start.  Kevin Davies scored his 100^th career goal just before half-time to earn a share of the spoils.

Saturday 18^th September: Stoke City 1-1 West Ham United

Despite missing the presence of Avram Grant, who was observing the Jewish holy day Yom Kippur, West Ham earnt their first point of a trying season, with a battling draw at Stoke City.  Scott Parker capitalised on some iffy defending from the home side to put the Hammers infront.  Stoke levelled in the second half, when Robert Green’s World Cup hangover continued, missing a Matthew Etherington cross, that allowed Kenwyne Jones to head home into an unguarded net.  Despite Robert Huth and Ricardo Fuller hitting the woodwork, the Hammers deserved their draw.

Saturday 18^th September: Blackburn Rovers 1-1 Fulham

A return to Ewood Park for Mark Hughes saw the honours shared between Blackburn and Fulham.  Christopher Samba headed Blackburn into the lead, but only after El-Hadji Diouf deliberately fouled Mark Schwarzer in the build-up, leaving Hughes incensed.  The Cottagers edged the second half and deserved their point, coming through a Clint Dempsey header.

National Television Awards - The Shortlist

Tuesday saw the official publication of the shortlist for the National Television Awards.  This year, the public has twelve awards to vote for, with a couple of new awards.  The ‘Best Travel Documentary’ award introduced last year has been axed and has been replaced by the Best Topical Magazine Programme and Best Digital Choice, showcasing the best programme on digital television, which is owned by any of the five terrestrial networks (E4, ITV2, BBC3, Five USA etc)

To get voting now, visit the official NTA website at http://www.nationaltvawards.com/home.  This is the only ceremony which has no critics choice, no judges choice, the only ceremony where you the public decides who wins.  Will Ant & Dec continue their domination of Best Entertainment Presenter?  Can EastEnders hold off the stiff competition from Coronation Street and Emmerdale for Best Serial Drama?  Is Doctor Who going to charge away with the main drama awards?  Can US hit-shows 24 and Lost shake off the stiff competition from E4’s hit treble challenge from Glee, Skins and The Inbetweeners for the new Best Digital Choice award? 

The first round of voting closes on October 11^th, so get voting for your favourite.  The show is live on ITV1 and ITV1 HD from the 02 Arena on Wednesday 26^th January 2011 and is presented by X-Factor host, Dermot O’Leary.

Best of luck to all the nominees!

BEST TALENT SHOW

The X-Factor

Strictly Come Dancing

Britain’s Got Talent

Dancing on Ice

Over The Rainbow

So You Think You Can Dance?

Let’s Dance For Sports Relief

Don’t Stop Believing

BEST COMEDY PROGRAMME

Harry Hill’s TV Burp

Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow

Peep Show

The IT Crowd

Benidorm

My Family

John Bishop’s Britain

The Armstrong and Miller Show

The Impressions Show with Culshaw & Stephenson

Miranda

Live At the Apollo

Last of the Summer Wine

Rev

Outnumbered

Life of Riley

BEST NEWCOMER

Marc Silcock – Emmerdale

Steven Miller – Casualty

Emmett J Scanlan – Hollyoaks

Paula Lane – Coronation Street

Olga Fedori – Holby City

Ricky Norwood – EastEnders

BEST TOPICAL MAGAZINE PROGRAMME

Loose Women

This Morning

BBC Breakfast

The One Show

GMTV

Daybreak

The Wright Stuff

The Alan Titchmarsh Show

BEST SERIAL DRAMA

EastEnders

Emmerdale

Coronation Street

Hollyoaks

Neighbours

Home & Away

BEST FACTUAL PROGRAMME

Top Gear

Celebrity Masterchef

Antiques Roadshow

Joanna Lumley’s Nile

Piers Morgan on Marbella

Junior Apprentice

Who Do You Think You Are?

James May’s Toy Stories

Countryfile

Watchdog

The Gadget Show

The Lakes

DIY SOS

Richard Hammond’s Invisible Worlds

Lion Country

Jimmy’s Food Factory

Secret Britain

One Born Every Minute

Nigel Slater’s Simple Suppers

Seven Ages of Britain

BEST DIGITAL CHOICE

Glee

24

Skins

Lost

The Inbetweeners

Desperate Housewives

The Xtra Factor

The Vampire Diaries

House

Bones

Britain’s Got More Talent

What Katie Did Next?

Peter Andre: The Next Chapter

American Idol

Russell Howard’s Good News

Family Guy

Got to Dance

Chris Ryan’s Strike Back

Stargate Universe

Mr. Bean: The Animated Series

Eddie Izzard: Marathon Man

I’m A Celebrity….Get me out of Here Now!

Don’t Tell the Bride

Being Human

BEST DRAMA

Doctor Who

Casualty

Holby City

Shameless

Doc Martin

Ashes to Ashes

Wild At Heart

A Touch of Frost

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

Spooks

Waterloo Road

Heartbeat

Lewis

Collision

Foyle’s War

Silent Witness

Waking the Dead

Midsummer Murders

Identity

Law and Order: UK

Five Days

Luther

Wallander

Lark Rise To Candleford

Above Suspicion: The Red Dahlia

New Tricks

Sherlock

Merlin

Hustle

Married Single Other

Heroes

Murderland

The Mentalist

BEST DRAMA PERFORMANCE

Matt Smith – Doctor Who

Kevin Whately - Lewis

David Jason – A Touch of Frost

Amanda Redman – New Tricks

Stephen Tomkinson – Wild at Heart

Martin Clunes – Doc Martin

Sue Johnston – Waking the Dead

Suranne Jones – Five Days

Phillip Glenister – Ashes to Ashes

Amanda Burton – Waterloo Road

John Nettles – Midsummer Murders

Karen Gillian – Doctor Who

Emila Fox – Silent Witness

Robbie Coltrane - Murderland

Joe McFadden - Heartbeat

Georgia Taylor – Casualty

Kenneth Branagh – Wallander

Dawn Steele – Wild at Heart

Bradley Walsh – Law & Order: UK

Douglas Henshall – Collision

Michael Kitchen – Foyle’s War

Richard Armitage - Spooks

Colin Morgan - Merlin

Robert Glenister – Hustle

Laurence Fox - Lewis

Keeley Hawes – Ashes to Ashes

William Ash – Waterloo Road

Rosie Marcel – Holby City

Alun Armstrong – New Tricks

Simon Baker – The Mentalist

Shaun Dooley – Married, Single Other

David Morrissey – Five Days

Rebecca Atkinson – Shameless

Peter Firth - Spooks

Ciaran Hinds – Above Suspicion – The Red Dahlia

Idris Elba – Luther

Dennis Waterman – New Tricks

Luke Roberts – Holby City

Trevor Eve – Waking the Dead

Bradley James – Merlin

James Bolam – New Tricks

Martin Freeman - Sherlock

David Threlfall - Shameless

Ben Daniels – Law & Order: UK

Adrian Lester – Hustle

Julia Sawalha – Lark Rise to Candleford

Michael French - Casualty

Kelly Reilly – Above Suspicion – The Red Dahlia

Hayden Panetierre – Heroes

Benedict Cumerbach – Sherlock

BEST SERIAL DRAMA PERFORMANCE

Danny Miller - Emmerdale

Lacey Turner - EastEnders

Katherine Kelly – Coronation Street

Steve McFadden - EastEnders

Simon Gregson – Coronation Street

Jorgie Porter - Hollyoaks

Jeff Hordley - Emmerdale

Don Gilet – EastEnders

Kieran Richardson - Hollyoaks

Alison King – Coronation Street

Stefan Dennis - Neighbours

Marc Elliott – EastEnders

Bronagh Waugh - Hollyoaks

Amanda Donohue – Emmerdale

Jane Danson – Coronation Street

Anthony Quinlan - Hollyoaks

Dominic Brunt - Emmerdale

Chris Gascoyne – Coronation Street

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Lindsey Coulsen – EastEnders

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