Children in Need 2011 - A record breaking night

By Jason Wright (Entertainment expert)

RECORDS: Children in Need was very popular again with the public

FAMOUS faces were out in force again at Television Centre for the 32nd staging of the popular BBC Children In Need telethon night.  BBC One, as ever, cleared its Friday night schedules for the seven and a half hour marathon of music and entertainment in the aid of giving disadvantaged children a helping hand.

     Sir Terry Wogan again oversaw the proceedings across the night and was joined by Alisha Dixon (7:30pm-8:30pm), Tess Daly (8:30pm-10:00pm) and finally Fearne Cotton (10:35pm-2:00am.)  With the financial times getting so tough, it was predicted that the appeal night total would be down again for the third year in a row.  They were wrong!

     X-Factor boyband One Direction were the headline act of performances, getting the girls screaming out more as usual.  JLS, Susan Boyle, the reunited Steps, Olly Murs and the Saturdays, which saw Frankie Sandford make a surprise return to the band after several months away due to illness, were among the other musical guests on the show.  For this year’s official single, Take That and new X-Factor head judge, Gary Barlow gathered some of the finest acts from the R&B and hip-hop scene, including Rizzle Kicks, Tinchy Stryder and Tulisa from N-Dubz to perform his self-penned song ‘Teardrop.’  The song however was blighted with a sound failure in the microphones during its performance on the show.

     BBC programmes once again got in on the act.  The cast of EastEnders paid tribute to rock legends Queen, Lord Sugar took on the terrifying Dragons in a special Dragons Den sketch.  There was a special edition of Never Mind the Buzzcocks shown on BBC Two during the interlude on BBC One for the Ten O’clock News and Doctor Who fans were treated to a special sneak preview of the upcoming Christmas episode.  BBC Radio 2 rose over £2 million through their popular ‘Money Can’t Buy’ auction and ‘Music Marathon’ events.

     Of course though, Children In Need wouldn’t be the same without something from the BBC News team.  This year, four of the presenting team – Emily Maitlis, Sophie Raworth, Susanna Reid and Sian Williams joined forces with four professionals from Strictly Come Dancing for a special group dance.  Strictly is one of a few programmes to raise interest in Children In Need, and this weekend’s show is being broadcast from Wembley Arena in front of an audience of 6,000.  In three weeks from now, 10,000 will be seated inside the same arena for the X-Factor final weekend.

     Outside of appeal night, other companies have been offering their support for good causes.  Some of the most highlighted were:

·         ASDA sold a wide variety of Children In Need kitchenware and Pudsey Bear gingerbread biscuits.

·         Greggs sold Children In Need themed cupcakes and doughnuts.

·         Boots sold Pudsey teddy bears along with key rings and wristbands.  Wristbands were also on sale in Post Offices.

·         Welcome Break motorway service stations and CostCo cash & carry stores displayed donation boxes.

·         Build-A-Bear Workshop had Pudsey teddy bears in a wide range of different outfits.

     All that, along with the rolling donations from the night, ensured that Children In Need against all odds broke the record for an on-the-night total, raising a massive £26,332,334.  This was over six million higher than the previous record set in 2008.  The final total is already projected to hit over £45 million.

     It proved that despite the doom and gloom on the financial market that for just that one night, Britain can afford to pick their phones and give some money in the aid of a good cause.

The Royal wedding on TV - The verdict

By Jason Wright (Entertainment Expert)

IT IS unsurprising to think that The Royal Wedding will go down as one of the biggest watched television events in history.  In Britain, the three major networks, BBC, ITV and Sky, all covered the prestigious day in their own unique way. But which of them emerged out on top?

Sky – Making the best of a bad situation

TEETHING: Technical problems hindered Sky's big day

It was Sky News in unprecedented territory.  Although it has covered major royal events down the years, it has never been something on a grand scale like this.  Eamonn Holmes, host of the ‘Sunrise’ breakfast programme was duly promoted to all-day anchor for the coverage, being assisted by several key figures within the team like Dermot Murnaghan, Adam Boulton and Kay Burley.  Sky produced accurate and well detailed reports on the day’s developments and Holmes did a rather reasonable job with the big task in hand.  However, its technical department wasn’t quite up to scratch, cutting out of interviews inappropriately, one being with prime minister David Cameron, cameras sometimes in the wrong position and even worse, its picture was blacked out just as the main service began.  Nevertheless, it was solid effort and they didn’t give up no matter the difficulties of the situation.

BBC – Strong line-up falls short

PREDICTABLE: Huw Edwards was seen by many as bland and boring

It was perhaps the BBC’s crucial hour.  As the official broadcaster to the wedding, they would be distributing the majority of the pictures, not just to the other main UK broadcasters, but to everyone else around the world.

     The decision on having its lead newscaster Huw Edwards as presenter, instead of special broadcasting veteran David Dimbelby in the end turned out to be a seething mistake.  Whereas he was very descriptive and did talked sense in the unfolding events, he seemed very dreary all day and when commentating on the ceremony; his voice sounded more like commentary of a funeral.  The only members of BBC’s team that were very captivating during the day were fellow newscasters Fiona Bruce and Sophie Raworth.  BBC Breakfast correspondent Chris Hollins blended in well with the crowds at The Mall and BBC F1 host Jake Humphrey proved to be very brave climbing aboard on one of the RAF planes used for the flyover at the end of the day.

     Back to the bad trend and Fearne Cotton seemingly struggled with her role as reporter outside Buckingham Palace.  Being rated as one of the highest acclaimed hosts in TV and radio today, this was bit of an embarrassment by her standards.  Another Radio 1 DJ that came under fire was Edith Bowman, who also had a disaster in her role as reporter at St. Andrews University, where Prince William and Kate Middleton, or Duke and Duchess of Cambridge as they are formally known now, first met.

     Although there were promises of a day to remember, the Beeb will kind of think that they well and truly shot themselves in the foot.

ITV – A surprising triumph

TRIUMPH: Etchingham and Schofield's chemistry was spot-on

Towards the build-up of the wedding, ITV had their fair share of critics who believed they would make very many comparisons to Charles and Diana’s wedding thirty years ago.  In truth, although of course mentioned much from time to time, it wasn’t that bad nor completely biased to the 1981 spectacular.

     In fact, it struck the right notes throughout much of the event.  The risk to employ Phillip Schofield as presenter instead of obvious candidate Alistair Stewart or even the possibility of coaxing legendary Sir Trevor McDonald out of retirement again turned out to be a success. Partnered by News at Ten presenter Julie Etchingham, they formed great chemistry and really introduced and injected a lot of humour into the day.

     With Stewart based outside the Goring Hotel, the Middleton’s base for the day, Mary Nightingale at Westminster Abbey and Nina Hossain with the crowds in Hyde Park, this was a simply basic approach by ITV in using their news team to cover the events.  Only two members of the crew were from outside their news operation.  Kate Garraway, who was live in the bride’s village of Bucklebury, and Matt Smith from ITV Sport who covered events in St. Andrews.  It was main newsreader Mark Austin however who stole the show as try as he might; he was often caught up in the thick of the crowds at The Mall.  The expert approach taken by Austin even saw him trending the most than anyone else on Twitter during the coverage.

     ITV themselves also achieved an unthinkable feat; they didn’t interrupt a single minute of the coverage for an advertisement break!  As soon as the main coverage started at 8:30am, that was it, they ran on continuously for the seven or so hours they were on the air for.

     This simple layout by ITV for once earned them great and deserved reconigition.  A clear winner as they knew what they were doing and importantly, had the right team for the job.

The viewer’s choice

No matter what the experts say, it comes down to who won the most viewers.  When the overnights were published, it was no surprises that the BBC came out on top.

     BBC earned an average of 13.4 million and a peak for the ceremony of 19.3 million.  Despite the glowing coverage, it sadly wasn’t enough to prevent ITV from getting the thrashing that many had initially predicted before the event.  Its coverage could only muster 4.4 million, rising to 5.5 million for the ceremony.

     If there is any consolation, ITV actually rated in more viewers in the afternoon’s section of coverage than BBC, considering they brought actual reaction and celebrations across the country whereas BBC just kept repeating the same footage again and again.  Meanwhile, Sky’s coverage took in 700,000 as their average figures and 1.2 million chose them for the ceremony despite the blackout.

     Although, as predicted, the BBC won the rating battle, it was ITV that won the broadcast war.  I hope it gets recognised at next year’s television BAFTA’s and Royal Television Society awards.

BRIT Awards 2011 - Tinie and Arcade Fire steal the show

NEW: New venue, new trophy - but another special night for the BRITS

TONIGHT’S BRIT awards ceremony in London was a colourful and explosive celebration of music, in many different ways.  Canadian indie band Arcade Fire and British rapper Tinie Tempah were the big winners, as both collected two awards at the 02 Arena.  There were also big wins for Take That, Mumford and Sons and Rihanna.

Tinie Tempah was the favourite to storm the ceremony this evening, as he led last month’s nominations with four.  Sure enough, he claimed two awards; for British Breakthrough Act and Best British Single.  His incredible song ‘Pass Out’ held off stiff competition from the likes of bookies favourite Matt Cardle, Plan B and Scouting for Girls amongst others.  However, he missed out on British Male Solo Artist, which went to the brilliant Plan B.  When Elton John compares you as the male version of Amy Winehouse, it might set some alarm bells ringing, but Plan B has the potential to build massively on his second album ‘The Defamation of Strickland Banks,’ and confirmed to host of the show, James Cordon, that he is planning a hip-hop/reggae mix for his next album.

Arcade Fire had struggled to hit the heights before 2010, but ‘The Suburbs,’ was their massive breakthrough.  It was the band’s third album, but it went straight to number one in Canada, the US and the UK and they won the Best International Album award, along with International Group.  The eight-piece group looked stunned to have achieved so much success in the last twelve months; “Thank you Britain, we are so honoured.’  Unlike Tinie Tempah, whose live performance was electric and extravagant, Arcade Fire’s live show was okay, without ever being spectacular.

SUCCESS: Take That picked up another award tonight

Robbie Williams decision to rejoin Take That in the summer of last year was one of the big music headlines in the previous calendar year and they look stronger than ever.  They kicked the glitzy ceremony off full of colour and fireworks which surrounded their performance of ‘Kidz.’  Later in the night, they scooped the British Group award, which means it is now a staggering 20 BRIT wins between Robbie as a solo artist and Take That as a group.  Despite this, ‘Progress,’ a massive seller lost out in the prestigious award category of the evening.  Instead, the MasterCard British Album of the year went to the unfancied Mumford and Sons.  Their album ‘Sigh No More,’ has sold over one million copies, but up against the likes of Take That, Plan B and Tinie Tempah, their chances can’t have been great.

Just like the X-Factor final before Christmas, Rihanna decided not to wear much clothing for her live performance.  Sometimes you wonder if she has heard of the word!  Her miming was ridiculous, the dancers looked horrific and quite frankly, it was one of the worst performances I’ve ever seen in BRITS history.  How some people can see her as a hottie is beyond me!  Nevertheless, Rihanna is a general hit with the British public and she denied Katy Perry a deserved success to claim the International Female Solo Artist. 

Other winners on the night were Jessie J, who was the pre-selected winner of the Critics Choice award.  She follows in the footsteps of ADELE and Florence + the Machine, in becoming the fourth female to win this award.  She looked very emotional on claiming the award from last year’s recipient, Ellie Goulding.  “From the bottom of my heart, thank you for making my dreams come true,” she said, almost bursting into tears.  Cee Lo Green won nothing in 2007, having been nominated three times.  Four years later, he returned to win the Best International Male Solo Artist award, with his no.1 single ‘Forget You’ reaching two million hits in one week on YouTube last year.  16-year old Justin Bieber was the unsurprising winner of the International Breakthrough Act, largely down to the viewers of MTV and there was a total shock in the British Female Solo Artist category, as the unheard Laura Marling beat Cheryl Cole and Ellie Goulding to the prize.

With celebrities on the night ranging from Radio 1’s Fearne Cotton, chatty man Alan Carr, F1 ace Lewis Hamilton and former singer, turned actor Will Young giving out awards, other attention went out to the live performers.  There can be no doubt that ADELE wins in this category.  The 21-year old gave a stunning and spine-tingling performance of her new single, which is currently no.1 in 17 countries.  It left everyone in the 02 Arena in shock!  Plan B’s live routine looked more like a violent episode of The Simpsons.  However, his medley of ‘Prayin’ and ‘She Said’ totally rocked.  Aside from Rihanna and a brave, but forgettable live show from Mumford & Sons, most of the performances live were fairly decent this year, compared with some of the drunk, half-hearted attempts of recent years.  As for James Cordon, his performance as host was mellow and decent, but it never reached the expected heights.  I don’t think he will hang onto this position for the 2012 ceremony.

CHANGE: Dame Vivienne Westwood designed the new style

2010 was an unforgettable year of music across the world and the biggest night in the music calendar year certainly didn’t disappoint.  Let’s see what 2011 will bring, but don’t be too surprised if the stars of this year’s BRITS end up dominating next year’s ceremony too.

Take That & Florence Dominate the Q Awards

LAST Sunday night saw the annual Q Awards held at London Grosvenor Hotel.  The big news from the ceremony was the first public appearance by Take That since their reunification. 

They kept their appearance as low-key as possible, and even missed the red carpet proceedings, so they didn’t divert all the attention from the other music and celebrity acts that attended.  With Robbie Williams back in the band, they collected the award for the magazine’s Hall of Fame.  With the surge of popularity from yesterday’s technical issues that led to many frustrated fans missing out on tour tickets, Take That’s popularity doesn’t seem to be disappearing.

The other big winner of the night was Florence + the Machine.  She won two awards for ‘Best Female’ and ‘Best Track for ‘You’ve Got the Love.’  Kasabian were named as the best act in the world and there was also wins for Mark Ronson, Madness and The Chemical Brothers.  Paolo Nutini picked up the ‘Best Male’ award, whilst it was a great night too for the promising Plan B, who took the ‘Best Breakthrough’ award.  Plan B also featured in the ‘Best Music Video’ – which was won by Chase & Status for their hit ‘End Credits.’ 

Some of the stars that attended included Ellie Goulding, Radio 1 presenter Fearne Cotton, Charlotte Church, KT Tunstall and Girls Aloud singer Nadine Coyle.