Chiles and Bleakley's partnership goes sour

By Jason Wright (Entertainment Expert)

IT SEEMED like a match made in heaven.  When Adrian Chiles and Christine Bleakley left BBC’s The One Show in a massive media frenzy last year to front Daybreak, ITV’s breakfast replacement for the ailing GMTV, it looked like ITV could finally take a hold to the growing popularity of BBC’s Breakfast programme.  They were wrong.  Now, 15 months into the mockery of a project, Chiles and Bleakley have paid for their gamble, with their jobs.

     So where did it all go wrong for Daybreak?  Firstly, the chemistry that was strongly built on The One Show could never be captivated at the time of first thing in the morning.  Many experts commented that Bleakley was “too light-headed” and Chiles “too grumpy” for breakfast television.  Secondly, the way the programme has been run is seen as a total laughingstock.  At times, it looks like as if the production team hardly pay attention to the news stories, often usually focusing on the main entertainment topics and showcasing weird and sometimes stupid talents.  Do people care about seeing what bubble art or speed stacking is like just before going to work?

DEPARTED: Daybreak will no longer feature Adrian or Christine

     Not surprisingly, ratings have rapidly gone down since the show’s launch last September and last week, reached a new low of just 350,000 viewers, compared to a peak of 1.5 million who watch BBC Breakfast.  Chiles is unimpressed with the decision taken, quoted as saying; “We were assured we could go with our dignity intact.  That’s obviously not happened.  We were enjoying the show and we thought things were going well.  We didn’t want to go.”

     Now attention turns to who will take over, with production of the programme being transferred entirely to ITV Studios.  The main favourites are likely to be sports reporter Dan Lobb and showbiz correspondent Kate Garraway, being promoted to full-time presenters.  They have currently been serving as a relief presenting team to Chiles and Bleakley.  Other big names being mentioned including Natasha Kaplinsky, who has recently joined ITV News from Channel 5, Keir Simmons, who currently serves as a reporter on ITV News and Sian Williams, who is due to leave BBC Breakfast next year ahead of the programme’s relocation to the new MediaCityUK studios in Salford.  However, Eamonn Holmes has rejected the chance to rejoin the ITV breakfast franchise, by signing a new three-year deal to front Sunrise on Sky News.

    As with Chiles and Bleakley, they will now move onto concentrating on their main ITV commitments.  As well as being promised new projects, Chiles will remain the broadcaster main anchor for Champions League, FA Cup and next year’s UEFA European Championships football coverage as well as staying on as frontman of That Sunday Night Show.  Bleakley will stay on to host selected entertainment specials, as well as taking over as co-host to Phillip Schofield on the upcoming new series of Dancing On Ice, following Holly Willoughby’s decision to co-host the UK version of the popular US talent contest, The Voice on BBC.

     The pair will certainly have nothing to worry about for the future for now but surely, a failure of a show like this will decrease their already declining popularities with viewers even further.

9/11: My memories

By Simon Wright (Personal piece)

I WENT to bed on Monday September 10 2001 in a normal world.  Not much was happening in the world to be honest, certainly nothing out of the ordinary.  24 hours later and everything had changed.  The world would never be the same again.  We had to face with a new threat in our lives, terrorism.  By the end of September 11, 2001 – thousands of innocent lives had been taken in one of the biggest mass murders ever known to man.  As it was broadcast live all over the world on television, it had a massive impact which affected all of us.  Now, a decade on from that dark day, I want to share my memories of that day and how I dealt with witnessing on television such an appalling loss of life.

     Tuesday September 11 2001 started as a bright, sunny day.  Only a week earlier, I had started at Secondary School in Wolverton, Milton Keynes.  Already, I felt I was struggling with the extra demand of lessons and the ridiculous amount of early homework I was getting in the term.  Also, it didn’t help when you had Maths lessons with a guy who couldn’t speak a clear word of English if his life depended on it.  As it turned out, I was in that lesson, totally oblivious to the devastation that was just occurring in America.  Yep, I was doing some silly mathematical equation when the first plane hit the North Tower of the World Trade Centre.

     With the homework I had and needed doing, I went home at the 3pm dismissal time and walked home for a busy night in the books.  If I was lucky, I might be able to see Liverpool’s first match back in the UEFA Champions League against Boavista on the doomed ITV Sports Channel, but the work needed doing.  Strangely enough, I decided to do some Religious Studies homework, with the topic being some basic research on the six main religions in the world.  A pretty boring task, but I had to meet the new standards.

     My mum came home from her teaching assistant job at the local First School and she looked concerned and asked me whether I had heard about the plane crash in America?  I looked at her, a bit confused.  I thought back to Concorde crashing in Paris a year earlier and hoped the ‘Supersonic’ jet hadn’t had another major accident.  She turned on the television to BBC News and the pictures remain vivid to me today.  Seeing replays of both towers of the World Trade Centre on fire was a massive shock.  As I tried to understand what had happened through the BBC Breaking News strap, it was clear the Religious Studies homework would not be completed tonight.  I wasn’t going to be in the right frame of mind.  Then, I gasped in horror as I saw replays of people hanging out of windows, trapped in the burning towers, knowing that they were faced with the probability of being burnt to a crisp or jumping to their deaths.  Next, the video of the two towers collapsing was shown to the entire world and I simply could not believe my eyes what I was seeing.  Surely this was no accident!

     That evening, I watched an ITN News special, presented by the legendary Sir Trevor McDonald and I struggled to comprehend the day’s events as it was replayed on the broadcast.  I didn’t feel sick or anything, just generally numb and confused.  How could this happen and more so, who was responsible for this disgusting act?  I must admit, my first thought was Iraq was responsible, but once the Al-Qaeda name was ran around the news, it started to make more sense.  I remember having a 72-minute phone conversation with one of my school friends on the day’s tragic events, but I don’t remember much of that conversation.  By that stage, nothing else mattered to me on that day.  I knew I had witnessed a life-changing moment and it would have a direct impact on everyone’s life, for many, through no fault of their own.

     My brother, and entertainment expert for this website, Jason Wright spoke to me about his memories of the day and the implications of what was to come for the world.  He was ten years old and had just started third year at a middle school around the same area where I was with secondary school.  “I heard nothing about 9/11 until I got home, as mobile phone breaking news was non-existent in this day.  My first emotion was; was it really happening and I felt really scared watching the pictures.  I do remember Kay Burley and Jeremy Thompson presenting Sky News and their voices as the devastating pictures came in said it all really.  As for going to war with Afghanistan, I always felt it was a grave mistake and let the US go in and do the job, without our help.  Finally, my deepest symphonies go out to the families and friends of the bereaved.  I feel justice has been done with the death of Al-Qaeda’s ringleader back in May, but ultimately, it won’t bring back his victims and my thoughts are with you on what is bound to be a poignant day on Sunday.”

     Ultimately, I can only echo those last thoughts of my brother.  It will be a tough day for the families’ victims, but hand-in-hand, the world will stand on Sunday to remember America’s darkest day and remember those innocent lives, so cruelly taken away.

R.I.P to the victims of 9/11 in New York, Washington and Pittsburgh – You will not be forgotten, ten years on.

More Woe For Toyota

TOYOTA’S worldwide reputation, already having been completely battered in 2010, took another significant smashing on Wednesday.  The company announced the recall of over 1.5million cars worldwide to fix a brake fluid leak which was seriously harming the braking capabilities of some of its models.

Most of the cars affected are believed to have been in Japan and the US and the move is also said to be a precautionary one.  The Japanese company has confirmed that GS300 models built between September 2004 and February 2006 were the affected models.  It is thought that around 2,000 Lexus models, built underneath the Toyota name have also been recalled from the UK.  IS and RX models built between February 2003 and November 2005 could also have a smaller braking issue, caused by the brake master cylinder. 

Like BMW at the start of the month, Toyota has said that it is working closely with the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency to contact owners to tell them how to get their cars repaired.  No accidents have been reported by the glitches so far.  It is positive news that action is being taken instantly, but for how long Toyota can continue with these problems is another matter.

Miracle of the Miners

SOMETIMES in the world, we remember moments and never forget them.  Wednesday’s dramatic rescue of the 33 men who have been trapped for 69 days in a collapsed Chilean mineshaft will go down as one of those moments, where joy, relief and celebration dominated the headlines, rather than the traditional political conflict, wars and deaths that fill up our newspapers and TV news stations.

Mario Gomez, one of the 33 to have been trapped, said on his return to earth: “I have come back to life.”  To survive such extreme conditions underground goes down to a lot of teamwork, bravery, skill and courageous ability.  None of the men gave up on the pure delight of being able to see their beloved families again.  Together with the fantastic rescue teams, who produced a yellow capsule which with every hour, went down the 620ft hole that had been drilled to return another man to human earth.  This is a result that no-one could have predicted nearly three months ago.

The disaster began on August 5^th, when the 33 miners became trapped underground when part of the San Jose mine they were working on collapsed.  Two days later, a second collapse prevents early rescue attempts to free the trapped miners and it seemed like they were doomed.  However, failure was simply not an option to all of those involved and immediately, rescuers recovered from this potentially devastating setback and began drilling in a desperate attempt to find the men.  From this early stage, authorities were warning everyone that the chances of finding anyone alive were very slim.  Hope grew on August 22^nd, when a rescue probe returned with a message, shown by president Pinera to Chilean television, which proved that all 33 miners are remarkably still alive.  Suddenly, the rescue team involved manage to make voice contact with the men and begin sending down the vital supplies they need to keep them alive.  Initial reports suggested it might not be until Christmas when they might end up being rescued, so this result is even better than what first could have been predicted.

With support from millions across the world, the miners have been seen in good spirits from video footage, even managing to see an international friendly in September of their beloved country losing in Kiev to the Ukraine.  Once the first miner, Florencio Gonzalez was winched to the surface amid jubilant scenes, this was going to be a day full of emotion and elation. 

Chile has been in the headlines a lot in 2010, for a varying degree of fortunes.  The devastating earthquake that hit the country in March was followed by the national football team’s charismatic flair and attacking prowess that won over many fans in the World Cup finals in South Africa.  For a country that has suffered its fair bit down the years, and not had the best of international relations, the response to the plight of the miners has redeemed the country in the eyes of everyone across the globe.  It is so nice to see something so heart-warming dominate the headlines.

Some of the miners are receiving treatment in hospital, though it is thought to be mainly precautionary measures.  It is staggering to think that all 33 miners escaped any serious injury, or as a matter of fact, death.  This is a miracle of all proportions.

THE 33 CHILEAN MIRACLE MINERS OF 2010: Florencio Avalos (31), Jorge Galleguillos (55), Dario Segovia (48), Carlos Bugueno (28), Victor Segovia (48), Franklin Lobos (53), Esteban Rojas (44), Renan Avalos (29), Osman Araya (30), Pablo Rojas (45), Claudio Yanez (34), Richard Villarroel (23), Ariel Ticona (29), Carlos Mameni (24), Juan Illanes (52), Juan Aguilar (49), Edison Pena (34), Mario Sepulveda (40), Daniel Herrera (27), Alex Vega (31), Carlos Barrios (27), Jose Henriquez (54), Claudio Acuna (35), Jimmy Sanchez (19), Omar Reygadas (56), Raul Bustos (40), Jose Ojeda (47), Samuel Avalos (43), Pedro Cortez (26), Victor Zamora (34), Luis Urzua (54), Mario Gomez (63), Manuel Gonzalez Pavez (UNKNOWN)

Nine Years On From 9/11

New York is leading the tributes and remembrance ceremonies across America on the 9th anniversary of the terrorist attacks in the United States.


Joseph Biden, the US vice-president was amongst those who attended the traditional memorial service held at Ground Zero, where the names of the 2,752 people killed at the former site of the World Trade Centre was read out.  Barack Obama is attending a similar ceremony over at the Pentagon, where another hijacked plane crashed on September 11th 2001.


No other words can describe the feeling that the US and the world feels about these attacks.  See below for some of the UK TV coverage on the day of 9/11.

RIP to those who lost their lives on that shocking day, you will never be forgotten.

The Labour Leadership Contest Gets All Brotherly

   

He may have only vacated Downing Street and the most important job in politics one week ago, but the race is already underway to become Gordon Brown’s long-term successor of the Labour party.  Whilst Harriet Harman is standing in for now, whilst the party attempts to rebuild itself as an opposition force, it is the forthcoming battle between the Miliband brothers that could be the new storm in British politics.

As the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats settle into their coalition partnership, and sorting out pressing issues, such as the economy, our troops in Afghanistan and taxes, Labour gets ready to become an opposition force after thirteen years in power.  As MP’s return to duty on Wednesday, following the six week election campaign, it will be interesting to see who can lead Labour out of the doldrums on a long-term basis.  Already, former Chancellor Alistair Darling and Peter Mandelson have ruled themselves out of the race, whilst Harman has insisted she will not run long term, only interested in providing the much-needed stability that the party requires now.  However, fellow Labour MP’s, particular from the female side, want Harman to stand to prevent an all-male leadership contest.  Ex Schools-Secretary Ed Balls, an outspoken figure is expected to launch his bid this week, whilst there have been outside mentions for fellow MP’s Andy Burnham and Yvette Cooper.

However, the frontrunners appear to be the Miliband brothers.  On Saturday, the outgoing Energy Minister Ed Miliband announced his intention to stand for Brown’s vacant position.  The MP for Doncaster North, who launched his campaign in London, has insisted that there is no rivalry with his brother, David Miliband.  He also claimed he would support David, should he win and went out with the comment ‘Win or Lose, we will still be the best of friends.’  Whether that will happen, remains to be seen….For David Miliband, this is his chance to take control of the party.  Twice before, he could have challenged Gordon Brown for the leadership, but elected to support him rather than stand against him, and now with the vacant position open, he is the bookmakers favourite to land the Labour role.  A recent YouGov poll showed him coming out with 32% of the vote, more than half the percentage of the next closest, Harriet Harman with 11%.  The former Foreign Secretary, an MP for South Shields since 2001 and having served Labour on the Cabinet for eight years, is known to have some wide support from many sectors of the Labour fraternity.  Many already see him as the figurehead for the fightback to Downing Street.

There is unlikely to be such a complex deal, as there was with Gordon Brown and Tony Blair in 1994, after the untimely death of the popular John Smith, but there could well be many more twists, before the expected announcement, Labour’s annual party conference in September.  The race to be Gordon Brown’s long-term successor is well and truly on and it is really more closer than home than many may have anticipated.