Message Boards

"Once upon a time there were three little girls who went to the police academy... but I took them away from all that, and now they work for me. My name is Charlie."

Lucky man. But which of the Angels is YOUR favourite?

Hi there - thanks for the message about your favourite toy. If you wanted to be entered into the comp to win a space hooper, you need to post your message on this specific thread: [link]

Hi there - thanks for the message about your favourite toy. If you wanted to be entered into the comp to win a space hooper, you need to post your message on this specific thread: [link]

Hi there - thanks for the message about your favourite toy. If you wanted to be entered into the comp to win a space hooper, you need to post your message on this specific thread: [link]

Not ignoring! Unfortunately I don't have nearly enough time to answer every post.

Hi there - I can't personally answer specific scheduling questions, and it's difficult to answer all of these types of questions. Am trying to get a response from the channel team for you though.

Garrywat - when we were looking into recreating the Cub Scout Fix It, the company that made the show for us tried to track down as many of the original scouts as possible. Unfortunately some, like yourself, must have slipped through the net. Sorry about that. I'll pass your suggestion on about recreating the recreation!

Hi there - you can write to Jim here:
[link]

Unfortunately we can't accept any letters to Jim via e-mail

cheers!

Thanks for everyone who told us about their favourite childhood toy - loads of great messages.

The competition to win a Gold Space Hopper is now closed and we'll be posting the list of winners shortly.

Hi there - you can write to Jim with your wish here: [link]

If you want to write to Jim with a new Fix It wish click here: [link]

If Jim ever granted your wish and you got a 'Jim fixed it for' medal, tell us about it here: [link]

nononono! it'll be on the UKTV Drama channel on monday night. And then - (for those who haven't got access to the UKTV drama channel) - I'll also publish the result on the website on Tuesday for posterity!

We're on a mission - to hear from everyone who Jim ever fixed it for! Did Sir Savile grant your wish? Tell us your story...

If you want to write to Jim with a new Fix It wish click here: [link]

haha - you've rumbled me! We'll have the result on the website Tuesday - you're not going to make me come in on Bank Holiday Monday now are you?!!

Hi there- the result will either be revealed just before Pride & Prejudice at 6.45pm or just before Lady Chatterley at 9pm, depending on how things pan out!

Hi again - the info came from a 2002 interview with Glamour Magazine (UK):

If a knife falls on the floor, he can't pick it up because of a strange supersition he's inherited from his father. "I'm really weird about it," Sean confesses. "The knife stays there until someone comes round and they have to pick it up for me."

Bug away! Yes you have to click 'finish'. I've re-worded the vote so that it's clearer that you have to do that. Let me know if you feel it's still not clear enough. The vote will definitely register as long as you click 'finish' and go to the last page with the stuff about the shows and links to the quizzes.

The quiz was written by one of my writers - not sure where he dug it up. I can ask him if you're interested.

That's odd about the quiz - I thought I'd set it up so that you have to give an answer before you move onto the next question - did it not work like that?

Hi all - I'm so impressed by the messages from both Firth and Bean camps. You really know your men! I only hope our write-ups of Colin and Sean did them justice!

BTW - if anyone belongs to a fansite that's listed on the Colin Firth page [link] or the Sean Bean page [link] that hasn't got a quote up yet give your webmasters a prod! Or if your fan site is missing and you'd like to get on there, let me know!

You can contact me first through this email address:
leadingman@uktv.co.uk

cheers!

The channel want to hold back the results so that they can announce it on-air on Monday 9th April

Hi there - we looked into restricting the vote this time as it was such an issue last time. The only way to do this would be to make you have to register to vote (but even then, technically, someome could make up lots of different user names). Also, we wanted to run the vote on red button and mobile this time as well and it's hard to restrict multiple voting those ways. So we decided to leave it open but we'll monitor the voting to make sure that there isn't any cheating going on!

haha You don't miss a trick! But are you sure about the Boromir photo? We sourced it from ITV's sharpe library...

It's the clash of two titans of telly on UKTV Drama - Colin Firth and Sean Bean. Vote for your favourite leading man here:
[link]

And tell us who deserves to win...... right here!

Hi again - Rules? Rules? There are no rules!!!? Which rules did you mean?

I've put some stuff up just now, although the vote won't go live until 6am tomorrow. Hope I haven't left your fansite off the list!! Check out this link:
[link]

What I'd love to do is put as many good Bean sites on there as poss - so let me know of any others. It would be fab to have a little quote from member/members of each site next to the link. Alert the world that they can send stuff in via this e-mail address:
web@uktv.co.uk

Hope you like the photos and stuff! Don't be too hard on me!

sounds like a plan - will investigate why messages aren't registering

Hi all!!! Sorry for not getting back to you until today! Glad to hear you're up for a Bean/Firth face off! The vote starts this thursday (29th March) and runs to Sunday 8th April. The winner will be announced on the channel on Bank Holiday Monday.

I'm going to create a section of the website for sean and colin and would be delighted for some comments from you guys - reasons why your man should win.

Is everyone that's just posted from the same fansite or different ones or neither? If people are connected to more than one site it might make sense to organise things so that each fanbase has it's say. I could then put a link through to the relevant site alongside it. But we don't have to do it that way - just thinking aloud!

Hi all - I don't know if anyone would still get email reminders for this thread, but the UKTV Drama channel were so inspired by the reaction to the Leading Man vote we ran last year that they want to do another vote - this time just Colin Firth and Sean Bean head-to-head.

Would any Bean and Firth fans be interested in writing a bit of blurb championing your leading man?

cheers!

Thanks for all the brilliant messages so far!

Hi there - the site is completely free to use. The only thing that you could do on the site that would incur any charges would be if you actually bought something (like some wine through the UKTV Wine Club for example).

Hi there - the reason for this is because we show programmes like The Bill and Casualty faster than they are shown on ITV and BBC. Which means that we inevitably catch up to the terrestrial transmissions. Therefore we have to take breaks from the programmes every now and then to get them a rest and allow ITV and BBC to regain their headstart.

Tell us about your favourite Comedy Superheroes...

Thanks McYorkie - we'll take those comments on board

Would you like us to start broadcasting some of our programmes in widescreen?
We have a short survey (only 8 questions, so won't take long) for you to fill in and who knows - you might win £100 worth of Currys vouchers in the process!

[link]

Would you like us to start broadcasting some of our programmes in widescreen?
We have a short survey (only 8 questions, so won't take long) for you to fill in and who knows - you might win £100 worth of Currys vouchers in the process!

[link]

Do you have a favourite R&J TV/film adaptation WendyJay? (Or a production of the play that's stood out for you?)

Yep! Thanks for the feedback. Gotta love Jane Seymour....

We're looking for the top 10 ten love stories of all time, and we want to hear your thoughts – it's going to help us decide what to put the channel in the future...

We're getting behind Dirk Benedict in Celebrity Big Brother. We reckon the face behind Face should win the contest hands down.

[link]

Are you with us???

What your favourite Only Fools Moment?

Hi Mark - glad you like him, although we're not really very sure if it's a him, her or it. The little fella is UKTV G2's very own gremlin. His/her/it's name's "Jee-Tu" (G 2... geddit?).

What else did you want to know?

cheers

Hi all - Tenko is on UKTV Drama every Saturday morning at 8am and 9am.

cheers

Did you write to Jim back in the good old days? Did he make your dreams come true?

If you want to write to Jim with a new Fix It wish click here: [link]

We've picked five classic sitcoms and we reckon these are the best-ever episodes:

Blackadder - Goodbyeee
I'm Alan Partridge - Brave Alan
Ab Fab - Hospital
Vicar of Dibley - Love & Marriage
Fawlty Towers - Communication Problems

Do you agree? Disagree? Tell us about your favourite episodes here...

Hi all - this is still to be confirmed, but we're planning to show the entire run of Prison Break series 1 throughout December. It'll be on every weeknight Mon-Fri in a late night slot - probably around midnight. Will update when know confirmed schedule!

cheers

Hi there - yes, it's the new eps on Sunday and it's then repeated in the week. And I believe we've got all the In Justice eps that have been made. Glad you're enjoying it!

cheers

haha - you've turned this message thread into a Sean Bean fan recruitment drive....

love it!

Hmmm.... ok, I formally withdraw my accusations that Daniel Deronda is "wet". In retrospect this was a glib and ill thought through response. He is, in fact, a sweet-natured all round good egg and "nice guy". Not much good in a fight though...

yes he is a little wet I suppose.....

No!! It just looks like he's the man for you.....why fight it?!

Hi all - if you want to find out if Sharpe or Darcy would REALLY be your ideal match - take my new quiz!!

[link]

No probs! We try to maintain continuity as much as possible - honest!

Hi Swannie - we've checked the results taking just one vote from each individual voter and the order is still the same.

I think if we ran something like this again, we'd think seriously about limiting the votes - to be honest, we didn't predict that there would be such a passionate response!

No - it's a lot more complicated than that I'm afraid. When we acquire a series, we HAVE to play it X number of times. Some of those times will be in peak, some of them will be late night. I'm afraid, because of this, some of the scheduling won't seem very logical if you're used to following a series in one of the later slots. Unfortunately, peak time has to take priority.

Yes, the voting has now closed. The percentages on the main page show the order and the winner:

[link]

Haha - thanks for the heads-up on classic Sean. Unfortunately, we've already chosen the six shows for classic books and, sadly, Sean doesn't figure. Not a bean. But who knows what the future will bring......!!

Have a good weekend!

then be sure to drop by next week!!

been a real pleasure!

will update as soon as I have details!

I don't think there's anything in the immediate offing I'm afraid, but there will be later on when the channel does an on-air event around this vote

cheers

Oh - forgot to mention - there will be some sort of channel event around this on UKTV Drama. Not sure what the exact details are at this stage though.

haha!! Get in - vote for Sean (a lot!) - get out!

The next thing we're doing on the UKTV Drama website is stuff around a Classic Books Season that we're running on the channel - but none of the stars in the leading men vote are involved, sadly!

We're going to try and get hold of Sean's people to let him know. He doesn't win anything per se - apart from the adoration of his fans - I'm sure you'll agree that that's priceless ....ahem!

No probs! And thanks for the list of Sean Bean work - got to be the longest post in UKTV's history!

No probs!

Blimey!!!!

Hi there - I'm not aware if five are planning to repeat series 1 from the start, but we will be doing it on UKTV Gold before the year is out- most probably in December. Will update when know exact schedule.

We'll be showing series 2 of Prison Break in July 2007.

cheers

Hi there - we've had just under 97,000 votes in total. No headache involved.

Regarding Windprints - I'm really not sure!! Regarding UKTV, the channel team makes the decisions about which films and series to show - they'll be looking over what programmes people have suggested in these threads at the end of the vote but I can't be more specific about the choices they'll make.

soz!

Hi Kinpower - you can see them this week! We're repeating the last three episodes tonight, tomorrow night and Wednesday night at 11pm:

18/09/06 Monday 23:00 Episode 20: "Tonight"
19/09/06 Tuesday 23:00 Epsiode 21: "Go"
20/09/06 Wednes 23:00 Episode 22: "Flight"

Here's some pics of Firth as Darcy that I've just put up...

[link]

Regarding the end date of the poll - we've decided to end it on Wednesday 20th September at noon. Five days left to vote!!! But is it enough time for Colin to catch up?!!

Hi guys - so just to clarify, the correct answer for number 8 should be that he "struck a sergeant" rather than "struck an officer"?

I'll get that changed - thanks for the info. I'll have our good-for-nothing quiz writer flogged forthwith!!!

Plus, here's a Howards' Way photo gallery to "tide" you over (geddit?) until series 4 begins at the end of September.....

[link]

that certainly is a cracking story!

What's the greatest story ever told? What's your all-time favourite book? Wuthering Heights? Pride and Prejudice? Harry Potter?!

And are you reading anything that's destined to become a classic...?

I think it's on the grounds of a real life case - whether that means it's been pulled indefinitely or not, I'm not sure...

Hi annag - the message I posted a couple of messages above your query outlines the schedule for the last few eps of Prison Break. Basically the last ep (22) is on Sun night - that's the first time you can see it. But we're also showing the last three eps (20-22) Mon-Wed for anyone who missed them.

Regarding your main query - UKTV Gold has the rights to screen Prison Break series 1 once more before the end of the year. This will probably be over the Xmas period, but it's still to be confirmed exactly when. I'll post on this thread as soon as I know definite dates.

cheers!

We want to know what you think of In Justice on UKTV Gold. Love it? Hate it?

There's some more pics of Sean as Sharpe in the Sharpe page I've just put together for UKTV Gold:

[link]

Not a swollen lip in sight.....

truehawk - I think the original picture of Sean as
Mellors...

(which you can see in it's glorious entirety here )
[link]

...was chosen because it's quite a dramatic, well-lit, well-constructed, atmospheric portrait. Plus, he's got his shirt off and he's oiled-up.

I take your point that it doesn't work quite as well as a head shot though and, if we had the chance to do this over again, we might well choose another picture. Hey ho - you live and learn....

Scotty - I think you may have clicked on my link instead of Serhan's (?). This is a link for the vote:

[link]

haha! I wouldn't say that was the reason we picked that image of Sean.... but then again....!

There's a couple of nice pictures of Sean as Sharpe if you click through to the Sean Bean quiz. Also one of him with a great big gun. What more could you want?

BTW - we've got In Justice starring Kyle MacLachlan starting up when Prison Break season 1 ends....

[link]

Hi there - this is the schedule for the last episodes of Prison Break. This Sunday (10th) we're premiering episodes 20 and 21:

10/09/06 Sunday 21:00 Epsiode 20: Tonight
10/09/06 Sunday 22:00 Epsiode 21: Go

Then during the week after we're running the four episodes up to and including 20 and 21:

11/09/06 Monday 23:00 Episode 18: Bluff
12/09/06 Tuesday 23:00 Episode 19: The Key
13/09/06 Wednes 23:00 Epsiode 20: Tonight
14/09/06 Thursday 23:00 Epsiode 21: Go

And then the final episode - 22 - is premiered on Sunday 17:

17/09/06 Sunday 21:00 Episode 22: Flight

If you miss the last episode/s - don't panic! We're also showing the final three eps Mon 18-Wed 20:

18/09/06 Monday 23:00 Epsiode 20: Tonight
19/09/06 Tuesday 23:00 Epsiode 21: Go
20/09/06 Wednes 23:00 Episode 22: Flight

And that's it! Until the second series!

Hope that helps.

Hi there - I think the reason that Sean Bean and Colin Firth are way ahead is that the word has gone round the fans sites and they've spread the word and put links on sites like IMBD - and, basically, they're voting like mad!! See the discussion on the main thread:

[link]

Honestly - the voting is working properly!!!! I've tested it many many times. It just seems that Sean Bean and Colin Firth fans are flocking here in their thousands......

Hi all - I just wanted to answer a couple of concerns about the voting mechanism that were posted earlier on. I can assure everyone that the voting system is working properly and that if you vote for a particular leading man then that is the man that will get the vote. (I honestly can't explain the quirk where some people have seen the wrong pictures on the "thanks for voting page", but we've taken down the vote a couple of times and tested it and I'm 100% happy that no votes are going to the wrong people - will continue to monitor the picture anomaly though).

We decided before putting up the vote not to restrict the number of times that someone can vote - however, we can log exactly which IP addresses the votes are coming from to monitor any unusual patterns. Also, when analysing the results we can look at it lots of ways (just one vote per person for example) to make sure that it doesn't produce a completely different outcome.

Hope that helps!

cheers

Hi all - we're looking into this - will let you know.

cheers

Hi guys - I don't know the full story behind this but we can't get "Fugue States", so we have to show series 4 of Waking the Dead without it. Apparently there's some kind of legal problem regarding something in the storyline.

cheers

I think "understated" says it all with Firth - he really is a master of subtlety.

If you haven't already, check out the "Definitive Darcy" video clip on the Summer of Love page with Anna Chancellor talking about Firth in close-up:

[link]

haha - I don't know why I'm so obsessed with Shallow Grave, I'm probably being too harsh!!

Hi Leolib - I really can't explain the "voting page" anomaly - I've had a thorough look and our technical manager has checked it as well. Will keep an eye on it though.

The vote is running until Fri 22 September

cheers

Hi leolib - which page appears to be wrong? I've had a look and I can't see any problems. Is it the "Thanks for voting" page for Richard Armitage?

cheers

Yes, you're right - he was a bit C3PO in Shallow Grave, but that's Ewan for you. He's got star-quality, but his acting varies depending on part and project.

Hmmm.... peep-holes in the attic? Oh come on, we've all done it, surely? Normal teenage phase. Oh, ok - it's a bit more than odd. But I didn't buy the conveniently quick transition of David Stephens from slightly withdrawn everyman to full-blown loon - bit of character development wouldn't have gone amiss.

Yes, I think we might have to
review our "profanity filter" d-a-m-n it... !

Hi ffiondove - UKTV Gold are doing a run of Sharpes in September:

Sharpe's Revenge Wed 6th Sept at 9pm
Sharpe's Justice Wed 13th Sept at 9pm
Sharpe's Waterloo Wed 20th at 9pm
Sharpe's Regiment Wed 27th at 9pm

cheers

The thing about Christopher Eccleston is that he's such a great, versatile actor that it's almost more interesting to look at the (very) few performances that aren't up to scratch.

The film that leaps to mind is Shallow Grave, which I think is completely overrated and, in the long run, proved to be more of a calling card for Danny Boyle than a benchmark British thriller. (I'm aware that the rest of the world seems to disagree with me about this!) I'm not saying that Eccleston is bad in the role of David Stephens - he did the best he could with the script. But it's not so much a brilliantly observed performance of a man's decent into madness as much as someone going a bit iffy after an amateur autopsy...

I have to say that A Month in the County is definitely my favourite Firth film

Hi all - yes, we had a bit of technical difficulty but it's all been sorted out now

cheers

From chivalrous Sean Bean as Sharpe to Colin Firth's dashing Darcy, there have been a multitude of iconic leading men - but who's the greatest ever?

What has been Sean Bean's most impressive performance to date? His best-ever series or film? Clarissa? Sharpe? Lord of the Rings?

What has been Richard Armitage's most impressive performance to date? His best-ever series or film? North and South? The Impressionists?

What has been Ray Winstone's most impressive performance to date? His best-ever series or film? Absolute Hell? Sexy Beast? Nil by Mouth?

What has been Matthew Macfadyen's most impressive performance to date? His best-ever series or film? Spooks? Warriors?

What has been Martin Shaw's most impressive performance to date? His best-ever series or film? The Professionals? Judge John Deed? Death in Holy Orders?

What has been Ken Stott's most impressive performance to date? His best-ever series or film?

What has been John Simm's most impressive performance to date? His best-ever series or film? State of Play? The Lakes? Life on Mars?

What has been Colin Firth's most impressive performance to date? His best-ever series or film? Tumbledown? Pride & Prejudice? Bridget Jones?

What has been Christopher Eccleston's most impressive performance to date? His best-ever series or film? Doctor Who? Our Friends in the North? Hearts and Minds?

What has been Bill Nighy's most impressive performance to date? His best-ever series or film? The Girl in the Cafe? He Knew He Was Right?

....and here I am!!

The rule is that we're allowed to put up video clips containing commercial music as long as they don't exceed 30 seconds.

That's why we've got the shorter Prison Break promos with the 'In a House in a Heartbeat' track up at the moment, rather than the 60 seconds ones.

haha! you got me rarchy! I'll see what I can do.

cheers

David

Hi rarchy - I wasn't planning to put the other Prison Break promos up, but if there's demand, perhaps I should! Will investigate.

cheers

Hi bewildered - not a very specific answer I'm afraid, but Wogan: Now and Then probably will be released on DVD, but not for a while. If it is, we'll certainly feature details on the website.

cheers

David

haha - it's about time the BBC bought something from us! Will find out if there's any plans for a DVD release

cheers

David

no probs!

Hi Gaz - no it isn't true. Unfortunately "susenUKTV" was a another website user (already registered on our site) who created another log in name with UKTV in the title to make it seem like she (actually he) was working for us. "SusenUKTV" then posted a few answers to queries, apparently with the intention of winding up other website users.

Sorry for the confusion - we've made sure it won't happen again.

Appreciate your questions about specific programmes but I don't think the schedulers will have time to answer any more queries for the time being - soz!

cheers

David

Gaz - some answers!

EastEnders: Now that EastEnders runs 4 times a week on BBC1 we catch up at a much slower rate than previously and we find that needlessly rewinding to older episodes upsets many viewers.

TOTP: TOTP2 has been shown on UKTV G2 for a number of years and as such there are no plans to bring the series to Gold at this time.

Other shows: The Bill, Neighbours and EastEnders will continue in their current slots and Doctor Who will likely return towards the end of the year. Rockcliffe's Babies and Juliet Bravo are also shown regularly on UKTV Drama. The other shows do not really fit well with Gold's profile anymore now that we are more focused on contemporary comedy/drama.

cheers

David

Hi Rexgirl - just responded to a similar query about the confusing "first six eps" message for the Prison Break opening weekend. Here's a clearer (hoepfully!) idea of the scheduling from now on:

Prison Break
Double episodes every Sunday from 9pm from now on, beginning next Sunday 23 with ep 6 & 7, then 8 & 9 on Sun 30 and so on.

In addition to this, we'll be doing a weeknight "catch-up". Mon-Fri at 11pm this week are the first five episodes and Mon-Thu at 11pm from next week onwards will be four eps up to and including the Sunday premieres.

Here's an overview of the scheduling pattern:

Mon 17: Catch-up episode 1 at 11pm
Tue 18: Catch-up episode 2 at 11pm
Wed 19: Catch-up episode 3 at 11pm
Thu 20: Catch-up episode 4 at 11pm
Fri 21: Catch-up episode 5 at 11pm

Sun 23 July: Premiere eps 6 & 7 from 9pm
Mon 24: Catch-up episode 4 at 11pm
Tue 25: Catch-up episode 5 at 11pm
Wed 26: Catch-up episode 6 at 11pm
Thu 27: Catch-up episode 7 at 11pm

Sun 30 July: Premiere eps 8 & 9 from 9pm
Mon 31 July: Catch-up episode 6 at 11pm
Tue 1 August: Catch-up episode 7 at 11pm
Wed 2 August: Catch-up episode 8 at 11pm
Thu 3 August: Catch-up episode 9 at 11pm

Sun 6 August: Premiere eps 10 & 11 from 9pm
Mon 7 August: Catch-up episode 8 at 11pm
Tue 8 August: Catch-up episode 9 at 11pm
Wed 9 August: Catch-up episode 10 at 11pm
Thu 10 August: Catch-up episode 11 at 11pm

and so on.

cheers

DaveDuncan - the song used in the UKTV promos for Prison Break is called 'In a House in a Heartbeat' - the track is taken from the 28 Days Later movie soundtrack (XL-Recordings).

PuppiesPrivates - fair point - I think the message was perhaps a bit misleading about opening weekend for Prison Break. We are showing the entire first season of Prison Break however - it'll be double episodes every Sunday from 9pm from now on, beginning next Sunday 23rd with ep 6 & 7, then 8 & 9 on Sun 30 and so on.

In addition to this, we'll be doing a weeknight "catch-up". Mon-Fri at 11pm this week are the first five episodes and Mon-Thu at 11pm from next week onwards will be four eps up to and including the Sunday premieres.

Bit confusing! Here's an overview of the scheduling pattern:

Mon 17: Catch-up episode 1 at 11pm
Tue 18: Catch-up episode 2 at 11pm
Wed 19: Catch-up episode 3 at 11pm
Thu 20: Catch-up episode 4 at 11pm
Fri 21: Catch-up episode 5 at 11pm

Sun 23 July: Premiere eps 6 & 7 from 9pm
Mon 24: Catch-up episode 4 at 11pm
Tue 25: Catch-up episode 5 at 11pm
Wed 26: Catch-up episode 6 at 11pm
Thu 27: Catch-up episode 7 at 11pm

Sun 30 July: Premiere eps 8 & 9 from 9pm
Mon 31 July: Catch-up episode 6 at 11pm
Tue 1 August: Catch-up episode 7 at 11pm
Wed 2 August: Catch-up episode 8 at 11pm
Thu 3 August: Catch-up episode 9 at 11pm

Sun 6 August: Premiere eps 10 & 11 from 9pm
Mon 7 August: Catch-up episode 8 at 11pm
Tue 8 August: Catch-up episode 9 at 11pm
Wed 9 August: Catch-up episode 10 at 11pm
Thu 10 August: Catch-up episode 11 at 11pm

and so on.

Hope that gives you a fairly clear idea of when it's on!

cheers

Hi all - I've started another thread about whether Prison Break should be on UKTV Gold in the first place:

[link]

UKTV Gold is diversifying as a channel - we're starting to show more contemporary shows like Prison Break [link] alongside all-time classic TV...

???!!!!!!!!!!

Hi all - you can view a couple of the 30 second promos here if you like:

[link]

(Thanks for fielding that query BAZA!)

Prison Break Season 2 [link] kicks off on UKTV Gold on Monday 9th July at 10pm with a double episode special. You can then catch the show every Monday night at 10pm, with catch-ups at midnight on Thursdays...

Hi DVD fever - I see you hold the thousands of people willing to press RED on UKTV in high esteem!! We'll have to agree to disagree on that I'm afraid.

- The Knockout Comedy example wasn't meant to be a specific rebuttal to any of the views and opinions expressed in this thread. Just an example that shows that the issue isn't as black and white as some involved in this thread have made out when stating that these graphics are completely redundant and that nobody finds them useful.

And it's not the only way we ascertain the viewing habits of those people sitting in front of the goggle box. It was just an example. In the same way, I presume that we wouldn't make major changes to our behaviour based on one single source - like the views posted here or the lobbying of organisations like "logo free tv". That's not to say we can't take these views into account though, which is why I said I'd pass them on and communicate them.

- We refresh the red button during the programme for the same reason that IPPs, DOGs etc are placed in the programme - there's a better chance of viewers seeing them before they switch over. But, of course, that's what this whole debate is about as, for some, it is too intrusive.

- We're very aware of the way that TV consumption is changing and when, how and where people will watch TV in the future. And indeed, New Media's role in that. That's a natural evolution - I haven't heard of any evidence that suggests that this is being driven to any extent by the way a channel communicates using DOGS etc.

- Thanks for your comments about Sky One - very useful.

- James2001, I see what you're saying with that analogy, but, whilst some see this sort of advertising as aggressive and counter productive, others are simply not that bothered about it or even unaware of it. I've sat it on two focus groups for red button with heavy UKTV viewers and some of them claimed not even to have ever seen a red button trigger graphic on a UKTV channel.

The difference between the figures for people who press RED on UKTV when there's a trigger graphic and when there isn't one is enormous. The simple fact is that advertising does work in this case and we feel that it's currently worth our while to place it before and after an ad break.

Ok guys - I realise that my responses aren't satisfying you to any degree (and seemingly antagonising some!) so there's probably no point me adding anything further to this discussion. Rest assured that I'll return to this thread to pick up new info and also let you know if there's been any development though.

cheers

David

Hi all - I assure you that I haven't simply told you what the "big boys" have told me to tell you. Nobody has told me to tell you anything. I've asked some key people what the thinking behind the use of this kind of communication is.

As I said, this issue is on my radar but I also have to be realistic about what's possible and also be open to the fact that these graphics etc might actually be of benefit.

For example, I've just done some number crunching for our Knockout Comedy event on UKTV Gold. Of all the people that voted using the red button, a large proportion of them did so at a time when there was no continuity or promotional trail prompt but simply a red button trigger graphic on screen. Which means they saw a graphic appear during the end or beginning of a programme part and responded to it in a positive way.

And - I realise there's no way of tracking how many people, if any, saw the same trigger graphic and decided to switch over and watch another channel purely because they found the graphic intrusive - but these are tangible figures and I have to take them into account.

Just out of interest (the more info I have the better and apologies if this has already been touched upon) - for those of you refuse to watch any channel that uses DOGs, IPPs, Interactive trigger graphics, end credit squeezes, continuity or anything that appears or is heard during programme air time - which non-terrestrial channels do you watch? Or which non-terrestrial channels do you concede to watch because they appear to use less of these or use them more discreetly.

cheers

David

Hi all - as mentioned before I'll feedback responses about the use of logos etc to the company when and where appropriate. I can't be more specific than that I'm afraid.

cheers

David

DVDfever - we have to broadcast in 4:3 because that's the format of most of our programmes. It's not viable for us to switch between 16:9 and 4:3 all the time.

When we show World Cup matches on UKTV G2 next month they will be 16:9, but this is the only time we're doing it.

Soz!

cheers

David

Hi Boosh fan - can I just clarify that you're talking about the UKTV red button graphic rather than the DOG? My understanding is that our red button appears 30 secs before and after an ad break - it's not on permanently - and if you record one of our shows, it won't be there at all.

DVDfever - you're doing it again! How do you know I'm just telling you what management think we want to hear? How do you know that NOBODY finds any of these logos useful? Two people in this discussion have suggested that they don't mind some of them or that's there could be a balance!!

When did I say I didn't care? I've only been realistic in saying that there's very little to no chance that all these messages will be dropped completely. I HAVE said that I'll communicate to the company - it's possible they might have a re-think about how much they use them.

cheers

Hi all - I've tried to explain UKTV's reasoning for using these messages and I've also said that I will communicate your views to the company so that UKTV can make informed decisions about this type of communication. I've also attempted to do this politely and professionally.

Whilst I realise that this is an issue that is very emotive for some, I would emphasise that making sweeping and negative assumptions about UKTV, its business practices and attitudes towards viewers simply undermines the strength of an argument rather than reinforcing it.

cheers

David



cheers

David

Hi DVDfever - I think you've (advertently or inadvertently) hit the nail on the head there. It's precisely BECAUSE

"Viewers watch PROGRAMMES not channels"

that we use these messages.

We're all too aware that, whilst people might have an affinity with a non-terrestrial TV channel, in reality a lot of people dip in and out of channels rather than stay with a channel for more than one show.

If we left our programmes "unblemished", as you suggest, then we'd have FAR LESS chance of retaining viewers who are preparing to switch over. It's as simple as that. Now, this may not apply to the way everyone watches TV, like yourself, but we have to take into consideration the bigger picture and we're trying to appeal to a broad cross section of viewers.

I understand that for the some of the people involved in this thread, the hatred of ANY kind of messages along these lines means that they'll actively stop watching UKTV. Now obviously we don't want to lose viewers on any scale, but I can't foresee us abandoning these messages in the immediate future for the reasons mentioned above.

cheers

David

Hi all - we have recently canvassed opinions about which programmes we could show on UKTV Drama on the Drama messageboards and we hope to do more of that kind of thing in the future. I take your point about the number of repeats. With new shows - we really do have to be careful about which shows we invest in.

Stormcat - one man's Two Pints is another man's poison, but the show has proved very popular on UKTV.

By the way Stormcat - I'm not speaking about the industry as a whole but your description:

"the media industry is run by fresh out of uni kids with a degree in media studies and not much else by way of intelligence, they are just clones with no individualism and you are over the hill by the time you reach 25"

definitely does NOT apply to UKTV staff!!!!

Magicd - Casualty and Holby City are on UKTV Gold at the moment. Sweeny and Minder aren't BBC shows so it's not so easy for us to show them - I believe Paramount currently have the rights for Minder, or at least they did recently.

Magicd - It's not suprising that you haven't been or known anyone that's been surveyed as research groups only take a relatively small cross-section of the millions of potential viewers that can be canvassed.

cheers

Hi Boosh fan - sorry to hear that you won't be returning to UKTV. Just to let you, if you're talking about the red button graphic in the top right corner that always appears 30 seconds before and after an ad break, you can always get rid of it by pressing "back-up". This applies to any red button graphic on any channel.

cheers

I hear you Cactus, I hear you!

Hi there - the shows are going to be recorded at the BBC TV centre, so you'll be able to get them through the BBC website [link]

The shows are recorded about a week and a half in advance of each show, so they won't be listed on the BBC site until nearer the time.

cheers

We don't have any plans to show Knight Rider I'm afraid, but I believe Bravo are currently showing it.

cheers

Hi there - just to clarify, when I spoke about viewer opinions, I wasn't referring to comments in the messageboards, but rather information gathered by our research dept.

I admit that it's unlikely anyone's going to feel moved enough to post a message in favour of these logos or argue their case - just like we wouldn't expect anyone to say that they really, really liked TV ads interrupting their viewing experience. We value any comments posted on the message boards but we also have to look at the bigger picture and research indicates that the vast majority of people don't have a problem with logos, credit squeezes etc.

James 2001 has, in passing, highlighted the problem which UKTV and similiar broadcasters face in that the marketplace is ever expanding, offering more and more choice. This is why we take every opportunity to communicate messages about our programming - and we're hardly alone.

In fact, we're one of the few major TV channels not to use a "Navigation Compass" until now - a lot of our competitors (including companies cited above as models of good practise) have been using these types of communication for a long time. It's also unfair to compare our situation to the likes of funded channels like the BBC and terrestial channels like Ch5 or terrestial extensions like ITV2 as they have a completely different footing in the marketplace.

I think the biggest issue is when there's an event with a long name and a countdown like Makeover on Style. In that kind of situation we have to take a step back and think - this is an important event for us - have we got more to gain in putting up that logo even though it's long, or do we have more to lose? Please be assured that these decisions are not taken lightly.

I realise I haven't answered each and every point in this discussion but hopefully I've got across at least some of our thinking behind these logos.

It's highly unlikely that UKTV will change it's behaviour to the extent that you'd wish but I will pass these comments on to the relevant people so that they're as informed as possible about viewer opinion.

cheers!

Hi all.

Coolkama - rest assured that, if we run a competition across red button as well as SMS and web, we don't ignore web entries!! When we pick a winner it's always completely random. In fact, more than half the competitions that we run are just for web (for example, of the six competitions on the competitions page of the website, only two are being run on web and red button) and only a tiny handful throughout the year are available on SMS (red dwarf being the most recent).
BTW - we don't operate red button and SMS to make a profit, but rather to cover costs.

Tommy - we'll try harder to keep our Are you a Winner? list up to date!

Bluerat - we're going to look to do more tiebreakers for competitions run specifically on Gold and G2.

UK Style user - we've got nothing against Nottingham!! It's just the luck of the draw.

cheers

Hi there - this is a bit of a tricky one. On the one hand we appreciate that on-screen "clutter" can be distracting for some - on the other hand we feel want to try and get messages about the channel and channel events across as well.

We take the lead from research into how people view UKTV channels and it seems that, more often than not, people tend not to mind these messages (sometimes they don't even notice them). We'd always strive to get the balance right though but I do think that, by and large, UKTV's logos tend to be farily discreet compared to other non-terrestrial channels.

Thanks for the feedback though

cheers

I think you've used that gag before haven't you rg286? You're not in danger of repeating yourself are you....!?

Glad you liked it! Probably going to do some more galleries - any suggestions for particular shows?

cheers

Hi there - UKTV Gold is planning to show more movies (we've got a midweek movie season in May for example) but, to be honest, a dedicated UKTV movie channel isn't really on the cards. I personally don't find ad breaks that disruptive in a film but I agree with BIGJC that an online DVD company is a good alternative to subscription channels, as long as you don't mind a bit of planning. If you haven't already, go to
www.uk-dvd-rental-guide.com for a comprehensive overview.

cheers

Hi there - 'Allo 'Allo is going to be back in a regular slot on UKTV Drama every weekday in May at 12.40 and 17.40, beginning 1st May

cheers

Hi - as far as I know, the 7am slot won't change

cheers!

Oops - slight mix-up with the listings there. Despite your reference to robots, we are only human (!) and mistakes do happen.

cheers

Hi there - yep you're right - there's only been five Mrs Bradley Mysteries

cheers

Hi there - no plans of yet I'm afraid

cheers

Hi all - many many many apologies for not responding to this discussion!!!!! The reason for all the scheduling changes in the past with Howard's Way comes down to one thing I'm afraid - poor ratings. When we get in a series, we obviously want to try our best to maintain scheduling continuity and not mess viewers around. (Honestly, this is a really big priority!!) On the other hand when a show performs really badly in a particular slot, we're being sent a very strong message that it's the wrong slot. I'm afraid we have to go for maximum appeal and the UKTV Drama schedulers wanted to find the time of day that would suit the most people. Unfortunately, this meant, with Howard's Way, that it leapt around quite a bit. Apologies to everyone that was frustrated by this - your comments have been passed on to the UKTV Drama schedulers. I think Howard's Way has been a bit of an extreme case for us in this regard - it really did perform way below expectations, so it's really heartening to hear the enthusiasm for the show in this message thread!

Howard's Way will be returning to UKTV Drama every weekday at 7am starting on 29 May with the first epsiode of the first series. I know it's not the ideal time of day for everyone, but it's the slot that got the best response.

cheers

David

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