Russell Brand is to appear on BBC One's Question Time.
The 38-year-old comedian will take part in the political debate show on Thursday, June 20, with London Mayor Boris Johnson also appearing on the panel.
Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Davey, Labour MP for Dulwich and West Norwood Tessa Jowell, and journalist and author Melanie Phillips will also appear on the edition.
The episode, chaired by presenter David Dimbleby, will be broadcast from London's City Hall.
Question Time is broadcast at 10.35pm on Thursdays on BBC One.
Brand recently backed a Green Party petition to look at the effects of UK drug laws.
It was confirmed today (June 6) that Brand's FX series Brand X will not be returning for a third season, although the stand-up is working with the network on a new format.
The 38-year-old comedian will take part in the political debate show on Thursday, June 20, with London Mayor Boris Johnson also appearing on the panel.
Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Davey, Labour MP for Dulwich and West Norwood Tessa Jowell, and journalist and author Melanie Phillips will also appear on the edition.
The episode, chaired by presenter David Dimbleby, will be broadcast from London's City Hall.
Question Time is broadcast at 10.35pm on Thursdays on BBC One.
Brand recently backed a Green Party petition to look at the effects of UK drug laws.
It was confirmed today (June 6) that Brand's FX series Brand X will not be returning for a third season, although the stand-up is working with the network on a new format.
- 6/6/2013
- Digital Spy
Will Smith got schoolchildren (and Chuka Umunna) going when he visited a school in Brixton. Tell us who visited your school
Will Smith has proved that he can still shake the room (boom!) by leading hundreds of screaming Brixton schoolchildren to a rendition of the Fresh Prince of Bel Air theme tune. Even his more politically inclined "peeps" - MPs Chuka Umunna and Tessa Jowell, no less – couldn't help but get caught up in the action. Did you ever have anyone as exciting as Will Smith visit your school? Tell us your stories. And is there anyone you can imagine making you scream in excitement at seeing them?
Will SmithSchoolsCelebrity
guardian.co.uk © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds...
Will Smith has proved that he can still shake the room (boom!) by leading hundreds of screaming Brixton schoolchildren to a rendition of the Fresh Prince of Bel Air theme tune. Even his more politically inclined "peeps" - MPs Chuka Umunna and Tessa Jowell, no less – couldn't help but get caught up in the action. Did you ever have anyone as exciting as Will Smith visit your school? Tell us your stories. And is there anyone you can imagine making you scream in excitement at seeing them?
Will SmithSchoolsCelebrity
guardian.co.uk © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds...
- 3/8/2013
- The Guardian - Film News
Olympic Stadium opens doors to spectators who paid up to £2,012 to see 10,000 performers realise Danny Boyle's spectacular Isles of Wonder
East London has never seen the like of it. Heads of state, royalty, rock stars and 25,000 members of the British public last night descended on a transformed industrial wasteland to celebrate the opening of the 2012 Olympics.
Ticketholders, who paid between £20.12 and an eye-watering £2,012 to see the Olympic cauldron burn in Britain for the first time since 1948, poured through Stratford's new shopping centre at the entrance to the Olympic Park. Across the city at Buckingham Palace, world leaders including Dmitry Medvedev, Russia's prime minister, and the Turkish prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, met the Queen and Prince Philip.
David Cameron, the prime minister, predicted there would be something for everyone in Danny Boyle's £27m Isles of Wonder show, adding that parts of it were "spine-tingling".
Around 240 British athletes, just...
East London has never seen the like of it. Heads of state, royalty, rock stars and 25,000 members of the British public last night descended on a transformed industrial wasteland to celebrate the opening of the 2012 Olympics.
Ticketholders, who paid between £20.12 and an eye-watering £2,012 to see the Olympic cauldron burn in Britain for the first time since 1948, poured through Stratford's new shopping centre at the entrance to the Olympic Park. Across the city at Buckingham Palace, world leaders including Dmitry Medvedev, Russia's prime minister, and the Turkish prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, met the Queen and Prince Philip.
David Cameron, the prime minister, predicted there would be something for everyone in Danny Boyle's £27m Isles of Wonder show, adding that parts of it were "spine-tingling".
Around 240 British athletes, just...
- 7/28/2012
- by Robert Booth
- The Guardian - Film News
Code Club is a free after-school activity which aims to get British children coding. One thing the next generation won't be needing any help with is the dark side of human resources, judging from this montage of interviews with the great and the good. After knocking back the likes of web inventor Tim Berners-Lee, Dame Tessa Jowell and Martha Lane Fox, among others, they eventually settle on one candidate. Created (more)...
- 6/26/2012
- by By Mayer Nissim
- Digital Spy
London -- Kate Winslet has been honored by Queen Elizabeth II for her titanic contribution to the arts.
The actress, who won a best actress Academy Award in 2009 for "The Reader" and made her breakthrough as the feisty Rose in 1997 blockbuster "Titanic," has been named a Commander of the Order of the British Empire, or Cbe, in the queen's Birthday Honors List, published Saturday.
Winslet said the honor made her "very proud to be a Brit."
"I am both surprised and honored to stand alongside so many men and woman who have achieved great things for our country," the 36-year-old star said.
Actor and director Kenneth Branagh was made a knight and will be known as Sir Kenneth. A respected Shakespearean actor whose films as a director range from "Henry V" and "Hamlet" to the comic-book fantasy "Thor," Branagh said he felt "humble, elated, and incredibly lucky" to get the honor.
The actress, who won a best actress Academy Award in 2009 for "The Reader" and made her breakthrough as the feisty Rose in 1997 blockbuster "Titanic," has been named a Commander of the Order of the British Empire, or Cbe, in the queen's Birthday Honors List, published Saturday.
Winslet said the honor made her "very proud to be a Brit."
"I am both surprised and honored to stand alongside so many men and woman who have achieved great things for our country," the 36-year-old star said.
Actor and director Kenneth Branagh was made a knight and will be known as Sir Kenneth. A respected Shakespearean actor whose films as a director range from "Henry V" and "Hamlet" to the comic-book fantasy "Thor," Branagh said he felt "humble, elated, and incredibly lucky" to get the honor.
- 6/16/2012
- by AP
- Huffington Post
Actors pick up knighthood and Cbe while Pm revives British Empire Medal as reward for 'big society' volunteers
David Cameron's "big society" gong, the anachronistically named British Empire Medal, makes its first appearance for 20 years in the Queen's birthday honours today, rewarding "hands-on" service to local communities.
As actors Kenneth Branagh and Kate Winslet collect a knighthood and Cbe respectively, 293 BEMs, known as the "working-class gong" and scrapped by John Major in 1991 in his efforts to make the honours system "classless", are also awarded.
Revived by Cameron to encourage the "big society" and reward volunteering, Bem recipients include waitress Patricia Carter, for services to the hospitality industry, apiarist Geoffrey Hopkinson, for services to beekeeping, and many others involved with local community work, charities, and sports.
Sir Bob Kerslake, head of the civil service who chairs the main honours committee, said the re-introduction of the Bem for the Diamond Jubilee extended...
David Cameron's "big society" gong, the anachronistically named British Empire Medal, makes its first appearance for 20 years in the Queen's birthday honours today, rewarding "hands-on" service to local communities.
As actors Kenneth Branagh and Kate Winslet collect a knighthood and Cbe respectively, 293 BEMs, known as the "working-class gong" and scrapped by John Major in 1991 in his efforts to make the honours system "classless", are also awarded.
Revived by Cameron to encourage the "big society" and reward volunteering, Bem recipients include waitress Patricia Carter, for services to the hospitality industry, apiarist Geoffrey Hopkinson, for services to beekeeping, and many others involved with local community work, charities, and sports.
Sir Bob Kerslake, head of the civil service who chairs the main honours committee, said the re-introduction of the Bem for the Diamond Jubilee extended...
- 6/15/2012
- by Caroline Davies
- The Guardian - Film News
London — Rupert Murdoch's British newspaper company on Thursday agreed to pay damages to 36 high-profile victims of tabloid phone-hacking, including actor Jude Law, soccer player Ashley Cole and former British Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott.
In the 15 settlements whose financial terms were made public, amounts generally ran into the tens of thousands of pounds (dollars) – although Law received 130,000 pounds (about $200,000) to settle claims against the now-shuttered News of the World tabloid and its sister paper, The Sun.
News Group Newspapers admitted that 16 articles about Law published in the News of the World between 2003 and 2006 had been obtained by phone hacking, and that the actor had also been placed under "repeated and sustained physical surveillance." The company also admitted that articles in The Sun tabloid misused Law's private information – although it didn't go so far as to admit hacking.
In a statement, Law said Murdoch's tabloids had been "prepared to do...
In the 15 settlements whose financial terms were made public, amounts generally ran into the tens of thousands of pounds (dollars) – although Law received 130,000 pounds (about $200,000) to settle claims against the now-shuttered News of the World tabloid and its sister paper, The Sun.
News Group Newspapers admitted that 16 articles about Law published in the News of the World between 2003 and 2006 had been obtained by phone hacking, and that the actor had also been placed under "repeated and sustained physical surveillance." The company also admitted that articles in The Sun tabloid misused Law's private information – although it didn't go so far as to admit hacking.
In a statement, Law said Murdoch's tabloids had been "prepared to do...
- 1/19/2012
- by AP
- Huffington Post
By Michael Holden
London (Reuters) - "Harry Potter" author J.K. Rowling and actor Hugh Grant will be among more than 50 "core participants" at a public inquiry into press standards set up after the phone-hacking scandal that has engulfed Rupert Murdoch's British newspaper arm.
They were among a list of politicians, celebrities and sportsmen who applied for the status and were included on a list announced on Wednesday by Brian Leveson, the senior judge who is heading the judicial inquiry.
All say they have either had their phones hacked or have suffered misreporting or unwarranted press intrusion into their private lives.
As core participants, they have a right to legal representation and to ask for questions to be put to witnesses, and can also submit closing submissions to the head of the inquiry.
News International, the British arm of Murdoch's News Corp which is at the center of the phone-hacking allegations,...
London (Reuters) - "Harry Potter" author J.K. Rowling and actor Hugh Grant will be among more than 50 "core participants" at a public inquiry into press standards set up after the phone-hacking scandal that has engulfed Rupert Murdoch's British newspaper arm.
They were among a list of politicians, celebrities and sportsmen who applied for the status and were included on a list announced on Wednesday by Brian Leveson, the senior judge who is heading the judicial inquiry.
All say they have either had their phones hacked or have suffered misreporting or unwarranted press intrusion into their private lives.
As core participants, they have a right to legal representation and to ask for questions to be put to witnesses, and can also submit closing submissions to the head of the inquiry.
News International, the British arm of Murdoch's News Corp which is at the center of the phone-hacking allegations,...
- 9/14/2011
- by Reuters
- Huffington Post
The South London Press has launched a campaign in partnership with the Prince's Trust to boost work experience opportunities for young people.
It involves encouraging businesses to create placements for young people in Southwark, Lambeth and Lewisham.
The campaign has been endorsed by several celebrities such as Kevin Spacey, Dominic West and Gemma Arterton as well as politicians Ken Livingstone and Tessa Jowell.
Natalie Ross, London regional director of the Prince's Trust, said: "We are delighted to be working with the South London Press to help young people from South London into work... Too many are leaving school here without any hope of ever finding a job."
The paper's editor-in-chief Hannah Walker said: "In South London we have some brilliant businesses and we know we have some extremely talented young people, but times are increasingly challenging and as part of our role in the community we will hopefully be connecting the two.
It involves encouraging businesses to create placements for young people in Southwark, Lambeth and Lewisham.
The campaign has been endorsed by several celebrities such as Kevin Spacey, Dominic West and Gemma Arterton as well as politicians Ken Livingstone and Tessa Jowell.
Natalie Ross, London regional director of the Prince's Trust, said: "We are delighted to be working with the South London Press to help young people from South London into work... Too many are leaving school here without any hope of ever finding a job."
The paper's editor-in-chief Hannah Walker said: "In South London we have some brilliant businesses and we know we have some extremely talented young people, but times are increasingly challenging and as part of our role in the community we will hopefully be connecting the two.
- 7/21/2011
- by Roy Greenslade
- The Guardian - Film News
It's got Kristin Scott Thomas, a hotshot director and flawless writing – so why are some critics pausing over this revival of Harold Pinter's classic?
Super groups and dream teams do not always work, of course. Ian Rickson is a superb director, Kristin Scott Thomas is a brilliant actor, Harold Pinter is now just about an official genius. Yet this offers no guarantee that the first directing the second in the third will be any more successful than the Traveling Wilburys, say, or the Real Madrid "galacticos" team of 2004. The play in question is Betrayal, first performed in 1978, which charts the progress of an extramarital affair by travelling backwards through its most important scenes. Opinions on this production vary, but what drift there is puts one in mind of Real's last galactico, David Beckham: good, yes, but short of pace.
Strangely, though, no one can quite work out why.
Super groups and dream teams do not always work, of course. Ian Rickson is a superb director, Kristin Scott Thomas is a brilliant actor, Harold Pinter is now just about an official genius. Yet this offers no guarantee that the first directing the second in the third will be any more successful than the Traveling Wilburys, say, or the Real Madrid "galacticos" team of 2004. The play in question is Betrayal, first performed in 1978, which charts the progress of an extramarital affair by travelling backwards through its most important scenes. Opinions on this production vary, but what drift there is puts one in mind of Real's last galactico, David Beckham: good, yes, but short of pace.
Strangely, though, no one can quite work out why.
- 6/20/2011
- by Leo Benedictus
- The Guardian - Film News
Children's TV character Peppa Pig has withdrawn from attending a Labour party election event. E1 Entertainment, which licenses the show, said that it did not want its creation to attend the latest Labour manifesto launch because it wants to avoid controversy. The show, which airs on Five, has been used previously to promote the government's Sure Start scheme. Peppa was expected to join work and pensions secretary Yvette Cooper and cabinet office minister Tessa Jowell on a visit to a children's centre today. However, Five claimed that it knew nothing about the plans. "Peppa Pig is a well known fan of Sure Start children's centres but, in the interests of avoiding any controversy or misunderstanding, we have agreed she (more)...
- 4/27/2010
- by By Alex Fletcher
- Digital Spy
Dame Judi Dench has spoken of her fears that money for the arts is being taken away to pay for the 2012 Olympics. Dench, 75, said she was shocked at the 'huge cuts' and said the state of the arts was 'precarious'. The Nine star will be appearing on stage in Kingston, London, next year in the Shakespeare play of A Midsummer Night's Dream. She said that she was 'doing my bit to keep [the theatre] open' and added that she was 'concerned that they've taken a lot of the subsidy to the arts away for the Olympics'. The Culture Secretary, Tessa Jowell, said in 2007 that the Arts Council England would lose over £100million of...
- 12/11/2009
- by Sophie Eager
- Monsters and Critics
London -- Former government mandarin and chairman of Abbey National Terry Burns has been appointed Channel 4 chairman, it was announced Thursday by media regulator Ofcom.
Burns, who has never run, or worked for, a media company, will replace outgoing chairman Luke Johnson who leaves at the end of the year, taking up the post of chairman designate of the publicly-owned broadcaster with immediate effect.
Burns will face the immediate task of hiring a replacement for outgoing Channel 4 chief executive Andy Duncan and negotiating a slew of commercial deals with partners including BBC Worldwide.
Burns, who was chief economic advisor and permanent secretary to the Treasury in the late nineties, also advised the then culture secretary Tessa Jowell on a review of the BBC's Charter five years ago.
He was chosen ahead of a slew of senior media industry figures thought to have interviewed for the job, including former BBC director general Greg Dyke,...
Burns, who has never run, or worked for, a media company, will replace outgoing chairman Luke Johnson who leaves at the end of the year, taking up the post of chairman designate of the publicly-owned broadcaster with immediate effect.
Burns will face the immediate task of hiring a replacement for outgoing Channel 4 chief executive Andy Duncan and negotiating a slew of commercial deals with partners including BBC Worldwide.
Burns, who was chief economic advisor and permanent secretary to the Treasury in the late nineties, also advised the then culture secretary Tessa Jowell on a review of the BBC's Charter five years ago.
He was chosen ahead of a slew of senior media industry figures thought to have interviewed for the job, including former BBC director general Greg Dyke,...
- 11/5/2009
- by By Mimi Turner
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Rome -- British attorney David Mills was on Tuesday sentenced to four and a half years in prison for accepting at least $600,000 in bribes from media tycoon and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi more than a decade ago.
The case, which accused Mills of accepting bribes in return for lying to help cover up a system of bogus royalties for the Berlusconi-controlled broadcaster Mediaset, was delayed five times before the final verdict was reached.
Though the guilty verdict against Mills implies that Berlusconi was also guilty of wrongdoing for paying the bribes, Berlusconi himself cannot be tried, at least for the time being.
Last year -- while the case against Mills was making its way through Italian courts -- the Italian government passed a law giving the prime minister and a handful of other ranking government figures immunity against criminal or civil prosecution.
Italian courts are studying whether the immunity law is unconstitutional.
The case, which accused Mills of accepting bribes in return for lying to help cover up a system of bogus royalties for the Berlusconi-controlled broadcaster Mediaset, was delayed five times before the final verdict was reached.
Though the guilty verdict against Mills implies that Berlusconi was also guilty of wrongdoing for paying the bribes, Berlusconi himself cannot be tried, at least for the time being.
Last year -- while the case against Mills was making its way through Italian courts -- the Italian government passed a law giving the prime minister and a handful of other ranking government figures immunity against criminal or civil prosecution.
Italian courts are studying whether the immunity law is unconstitutional.
- 2/18/2009
- by By Eric J. Lyman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
LONDON -- Secretary of state for culture media and sport James Purnell will take personal responsibility for the department's broadcasting brief, but will turn over the film portfolio to Margaret Hodge, minister of state at the department, it was announced Wednesday.
Purnell, who was appointed last week to replace Tessa Jowell, will oversee a review of broadcasting policy and the analog television switch-off process due to complete in 2012.
Hodge will manage the film portfolio as well as other roles within the department, which is responsible for creative industries and tourism.
Former secretary of state Tessa Jowell will retain oversight of preparation for Britain's role as host of the 2012 Olympics.
Purnell, who was appointed last week to replace Tessa Jowell, will oversee a review of broadcasting policy and the analog television switch-off process due to complete in 2012.
Hodge will manage the film portfolio as well as other roles within the department, which is responsible for creative industries and tourism.
Former secretary of state Tessa Jowell will retain oversight of preparation for Britain's role as host of the 2012 Olympics.
LONDON -- Prime Minister Gordon Brown has appointed pensions minister James Purnell as the new secretary of state for culture, media and sport, replacing Tessa Jowell, who will retain responsibility for the 2012 Olympic portfolio, it was announced Thursday.
The move, which came during a day of Cabinet announcements that followed Tony Blair's departure Monday, is a return to the department for the former junior culture minister. Purnell will assume oversight of the broadcasting, film and advertising industries. Two key issues confronting him immediately are a review of the role of public-service broadcasting in the U.K. and negotiations on film co-production treaties.
"This is an incredibly exciting time for the department and the issues it covers, and I'm looking forward to the challenges ahead," Purnell said.
A new broadcasting minister also will be appointed in the next few days following Shaun Woodward's departure to become the new Northern Ireland secretary.
Purnell is inheriting a department that has imposed considerable change on the U.K.
The move, which came during a day of Cabinet announcements that followed Tony Blair's departure Monday, is a return to the department for the former junior culture minister. Purnell will assume oversight of the broadcasting, film and advertising industries. Two key issues confronting him immediately are a review of the role of public-service broadcasting in the U.K. and negotiations on film co-production treaties.
"This is an incredibly exciting time for the department and the issues it covers, and I'm looking forward to the challenges ahead," Purnell said.
A new broadcasting minister also will be appointed in the next few days following Shaun Woodward's departure to become the new Northern Ireland secretary.
Purnell is inheriting a department that has imposed considerable change on the U.K.
- 6/29/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
LONDON -- U.K. creative industries are worth £4 billion ($8 billion) a year in exports, according to research published Monday by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport.
The research, carried out by independent body the Work Foundation, found that the U.K.'s 13 so-called creative sectors -- which include advertising, publishing, radio, television, film, computer services and computer games -- represent about 7.3% of the U.K. economy's annual revenue.
Other sectors covered by the report include architecture, design, music, software, designer fashion, the performing arts and the art and antiques market.
Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell welcomed the research, which she said underlined the "vital" role creative industries play in Britain today and pledged continued support from the government.
"The U.K. creative industries outperform every other European state and, in the 21st century, they have moved to center stage of the U.K. economy," Jowell said. "It is vital to the whole economy that government works with industry to create a framework in which these sectors can flourish."...
The research, carried out by independent body the Work Foundation, found that the U.K.'s 13 so-called creative sectors -- which include advertising, publishing, radio, television, film, computer services and computer games -- represent about 7.3% of the U.K. economy's annual revenue.
Other sectors covered by the report include architecture, design, music, software, designer fashion, the performing arts and the art and antiques market.
Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell welcomed the research, which she said underlined the "vital" role creative industries play in Britain today and pledged continued support from the government.
"The U.K. creative industries outperform every other European state and, in the 21st century, they have moved to center stage of the U.K. economy," Jowell said. "It is vital to the whole economy that government works with industry to create a framework in which these sectors can flourish."...
- 6/26/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
LONDON -- ITV executive chairman Michael Grade on Wednesday warned that consumers who have invested "millions of pounds" in high-definition TV sets will be "bitterly disappointed" unless the government released free high-definition TV spectrum allowing the public service networks here to launch free-to-air HD channels.
To date, HD services are only available on pay television platforms such as BSkyB, which has taken a lead in the HD space and found HD to be a significant driver of consumer demand.
Speaking at a Royal Television Society seminar on the HDTV issue Wednesday morning, Grade said HDTV will become a "digital divide" created by "unequal access to the benefits of new technology," unless Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell and other government ministers take immediate action to release digital terrestrial spectrum to the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Five.
Grade said that government plans to auction off spectrum to the highest bidder will put the price out of reach for commercial broadcasters.
"There is no obvious significant incremental revenue opportunity from simulcasting ITV1 in HD and no evidence from the U.S.
To date, HD services are only available on pay television platforms such as BSkyB, which has taken a lead in the HD space and found HD to be a significant driver of consumer demand.
Speaking at a Royal Television Society seminar on the HDTV issue Wednesday morning, Grade said HDTV will become a "digital divide" created by "unequal access to the benefits of new technology," unless Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell and other government ministers take immediate action to release digital terrestrial spectrum to the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Five.
Grade said that government plans to auction off spectrum to the highest bidder will put the price out of reach for commercial broadcasters.
"There is no obvious significant incremental revenue opportunity from simulcasting ITV1 in HD and no evidence from the U.S.
- 5/24/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
LONDON -- Michael Lyons, a knight of the realm and former market trader, has been named BBC chairman, the government said Thursday.
Lyons takes up the helm of the BBC Trust in place of previous incumbent Michael Grade, who exited the broadcasting giant for commercial pubweb ITV in November.
Lyons told the media it was "a great privilege to be appointed chairman" of the corporation.
The BBC Trust is set up to establish BBC strategy and to ensure that the broadcaster delivers on its commitment to license fee payers to ensure quality and value.
Lyons has held big city council posts and was a professor of public policy at Birmingham University until last year.
Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell welcomed Lyons' appointment in a statement issued by the department of culture, media and sport.
"He (Lyons) has a distinguished track record in local government and a wide range of other sectors," Jowell said. "He will be an excellent chair of the new BBC Trust.
Lyons takes up the helm of the BBC Trust in place of previous incumbent Michael Grade, who exited the broadcasting giant for commercial pubweb ITV in November.
Lyons told the media it was "a great privilege to be appointed chairman" of the corporation.
The BBC Trust is set up to establish BBC strategy and to ensure that the broadcaster delivers on its commitment to license fee payers to ensure quality and value.
Lyons has held big city council posts and was a professor of public policy at Birmingham University until last year.
Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell welcomed Lyons' appointment in a statement issued by the department of culture, media and sport.
"He (Lyons) has a distinguished track record in local government and a wide range of other sectors," Jowell said. "He will be an excellent chair of the new BBC Trust.
LONDON -- The creative industries here are facing down a funding crisis following a government statement that puts the budget for 2012 London Olympics at just north of £9 billion ($17.4 billion), up almost fourfold from the £2.4 billion cost projected less than two years ago.
The ballooning cost of the Olympics was revealed Thursday by Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell, who informed members of parliament of the scale of the hike and the plan to pay for some of the rise with cash re-directed from other lottery-funded cultural bodies.
Jowell said that the government's contribution has risen to £6 billion ($11.6 billion), adding that the rest will be met from London's council taxpayers and the National Lottery.
The U.K. Film Council was first to react Thursday, in a bid to head off blind panic from a film industry battered by a slew of tough tax changes that have created an uncertain investment climate.
A spokesperson for the council said the organization is confident that -- despite plans that would see £7.5 million ($14.53 million) cut from its budget over the next five years -- it will be able to continue to support such industry activities as production and P&A support funds.
The ballooning cost of the Olympics was revealed Thursday by Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell, who informed members of parliament of the scale of the hike and the plan to pay for some of the rise with cash re-directed from other lottery-funded cultural bodies.
Jowell said that the government's contribution has risen to £6 billion ($11.6 billion), adding that the rest will be met from London's council taxpayers and the National Lottery.
The U.K. Film Council was first to react Thursday, in a bid to head off blind panic from a film industry battered by a slew of tough tax changes that have created an uncertain investment climate.
A spokesperson for the council said the organization is confident that -- despite plans that would see £7.5 million ($14.53 million) cut from its budget over the next five years -- it will be able to continue to support such industry activities as production and P&A support funds.
- 3/16/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
ROME -- The much-heralded corruption trial of Italian media tycoon Silvio Berlusconi is set to restart Tuesda after a series of delays.
Though the former Italian prime minister and his co-defendants are not expected to appear in court during the first few sessions of the trial, the case is nonetheless significant because it could be the first time Berlusconi has been forced to face a judge to answer charges of criminal wrongdoing.
Berlusconi has been charged with crimes on numerous occasions in the past, but has thus far avoided conviction, usually on technicalities or because of expiring statutes of limitations.
The latest case alleges that Berlusconi paid British lawyer David Mills -- the estranged husband of British Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell -- some $800,000 to withhold information in connection with a previous trial.
The trial has so far been delayed four times: twice to hear a motion to have the judge thrown out, once because of Berlusconi's ongoing health issues and once because of a lawyer's strike in Italy.
Though the former Italian prime minister and his co-defendants are not expected to appear in court during the first few sessions of the trial, the case is nonetheless significant because it could be the first time Berlusconi has been forced to face a judge to answer charges of criminal wrongdoing.
Berlusconi has been charged with crimes on numerous occasions in the past, but has thus far avoided conviction, usually on technicalities or because of expiring statutes of limitations.
The latest case alleges that Berlusconi paid British lawyer David Mills -- the estranged husband of British Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell -- some $800,000 to withhold information in connection with a previous trial.
The trial has so far been delayed four times: twice to hear a motion to have the judge thrown out, once because of Berlusconi's ongoing health issues and once because of a lawyer's strike in Italy.
- 3/13/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
LONDON -- BBC director general Mark Thomson said Thursday that the BBC faces a £2 billion ($3.9 billion) funding gap over the next six years under the long-awaited license fee settlement announced by culture secretary Tessa Jowell.
Speaking at a media conference hosted by Broadcast magazine, the director-general said the settlement was a "real disappointment," but said it was "too soon" to give details of where the pubcaster will have to make cutbacks.
The settlement, announced by Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell in the House of Commons, totals more than £20 billion ($39.4 billion) of guaranteed funding over the next six years.
But it severs the traditional relationship between the BBC's income and the annual rate of inflation, effectively amounting to a net cut in income.
The BBC license fee, currently £131.50 ($260), will rise by 3% for the next two years then by 2% for three years and by up to 2% the year after. The compulsory per-household fee will rise to £151.50 by 2012, compared to the £185 a year the BBC had been hoping for.
Speaking at a media conference hosted by Broadcast magazine, the director-general said the settlement was a "real disappointment," but said it was "too soon" to give details of where the pubcaster will have to make cutbacks.
The settlement, announced by Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell in the House of Commons, totals more than £20 billion ($39.4 billion) of guaranteed funding over the next six years.
But it severs the traditional relationship between the BBC's income and the annual rate of inflation, effectively amounting to a net cut in income.
The BBC license fee, currently £131.50 ($260), will rise by 3% for the next two years then by 2% for three years and by up to 2% the year after. The compulsory per-household fee will rise to £151.50 by 2012, compared to the £185 a year the BBC had been hoping for.
- 1/18/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
LONDON -- Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell has waded into the row over the dismissal of former BBC director general Greg Dyke, telling the BBC's flagship morning radio news program that it was "complete and utter rubbish" to suggest she had wanted him fired.
The culture secretary, who called into the news program after it carried an interview with Dyke, conceded that she had "expressed a view" over his role in the Hutton affair but argued that it was up to BBC governors to make up their own view, regardless of what ministers thought.
Jowell went on to refute a claim made in the meeting by former deputy BBC chairman Richard Ryder, who had argued that Dyke was not well liked in government circles and had a "very poor" relationship with the culture secretary.
"What is also rubbish is to suggest that I didn't like Greg Dyke, (or that) I don't like Greg Dyke, and in some way that was material in the (BBC) governors' decision to sack him," she said.
The culture secretary, who called into the news program after it carried an interview with Dyke, conceded that she had "expressed a view" over his role in the Hutton affair but argued that it was up to BBC governors to make up their own view, regardless of what ministers thought.
Jowell went on to refute a claim made in the meeting by former deputy BBC chairman Richard Ryder, who had argued that Dyke was not well liked in government circles and had a "very poor" relationship with the culture secretary.
"What is also rubbish is to suggest that I didn't like Greg Dyke, (or that) I don't like Greg Dyke, and in some way that was material in the (BBC) governors' decision to sack him," she said.
- 1/12/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
LONDON -- BBC bosses are expected to hear the outcome of their long-awaited license fee negotiations next week, with a result expected Jan. 18, according to senior sources at the pubcaster.
The result of the protracted negotiations between the BBC, the Treasury and the culture department is expected to be discussed at a government cabinet meeting on the 18th, with a formal announcement regarding the BBC's funding levels announced to the House of Commons by Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell the week after.
The BBC currently receives about £3.3 billion ($4.3 billion) a year to cover its television, radio and new media operations. About £3 billion ($3.9 billion) of that comes from the license fee, an annual per-household payment of £140 ($181), with the remainder generated by the BBC's commercial operations.
The BBC's senior managers already have resigned themselves to a significantly lower funding settlement than the pubcaster had originally called for, and director general Mark Thompson has described leaked government estimates of the settlement as "very disappointing."
According to the leaked reports, the BBC is expected to receive an annual funding increase of 3% for the two years beginning in April, followed by 2% for the next three years and a rise of up to 2% in the final year of the deal.
The result of the protracted negotiations between the BBC, the Treasury and the culture department is expected to be discussed at a government cabinet meeting on the 18th, with a formal announcement regarding the BBC's funding levels announced to the House of Commons by Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell the week after.
The BBC currently receives about £3.3 billion ($4.3 billion) a year to cover its television, radio and new media operations. About £3 billion ($3.9 billion) of that comes from the license fee, an annual per-household payment of £140 ($181), with the remainder generated by the BBC's commercial operations.
The BBC's senior managers already have resigned themselves to a significantly lower funding settlement than the pubcaster had originally called for, and director general Mark Thompson has described leaked government estimates of the settlement as "very disappointing."
According to the leaked reports, the BBC is expected to receive an annual funding increase of 3% for the two years beginning in April, followed by 2% for the next three years and a rise of up to 2% in the final year of the deal.
- 1/10/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
LONDON -- The bill for helping elderly and disabled householders switch off their analog sets and convert to digital television will total £600 million ($1.2 billion) and be paid for by the BBC, U.K. Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell said Tuesday.
The pubcaster will use license fee cash to pay for the program.
The culture secretary's announcement came as U.K. media regulator Ofcom on Tuesday outlined the timetable for selling off the spectrum that will be freed up when the analog system is switched off in 2012.
The auction is set for 2008 and will allow the winners to bid for national television or telecoms services.
Ofcom said that the overall benefit to the U.K economy of re-using the spectrum will be between £5 billion ($9.8 billion) and £10 billion ($19.7 billion) over a 20-year period.
Mobile phone operators and broadcasters are expected to bid to use the new frequencies to launch such services as mobile television, local television, high-definition television and next-generation mobile video services.
The pubcaster will use license fee cash to pay for the program.
The culture secretary's announcement came as U.K. media regulator Ofcom on Tuesday outlined the timetable for selling off the spectrum that will be freed up when the analog system is switched off in 2012.
The auction is set for 2008 and will allow the winners to bid for national television or telecoms services.
Ofcom said that the overall benefit to the U.K economy of re-using the spectrum will be between £5 billion ($9.8 billion) and £10 billion ($19.7 billion) over a 20-year period.
Mobile phone operators and broadcasters are expected to bid to use the new frequencies to launch such services as mobile television, local television, high-definition television and next-generation mobile video services.
- 12/19/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
LONDON -- All3Media co-founder, consultant and non-executive creative director David Liddiment is among the final eight names to be signed up for the new BBC Trust, the government said Thursday. The new structure is tasked with bringing the BBC closer to license fee payers and ensuring that the BBC is accountable and transparent. The new members appointed to the 12-strong trust, chaired by Michael Grade, also includes British Board of Film Classification vp Janet Lewis-Jones. The appointments were announced by Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell.
- 10/12/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
LONDON -- As media regulator Ofcom deliberates on its review of junk food advertising on television, Britain's leading commercial broadcasters have written to culture secretary Tessa Jowell in a last ditch attempt to stave off a pre-watershed ban on high fat-, salt- and sugar-laden foods. The move, which could cost commercial channels around £130 million ($240 million) a year in lost airtime sales, according to media regulator Ofcom, is being lobbied for by leading health and children's welfare bodies. In a letter to Jowell from ITV chief executive Charles Allen and Channel Five chief executive Jane Lighting, the broadcasters warned that a ban would impact their ability to produce children's programming.
- 6/30/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
LONDON -- CBS president and CEO Les Moonves will deliver the keynote address at this year's Royal Television Society annual conference Sept. 14, it was announced Wednesday. The daylong seminar entitled "The TV Networks Strike Back" will analyze the U.K. digital TV market and the strategies adopted by the main networks to combat audience fragmentation and position themselves in the new media space. Confirmed speakers include BBC director general Mark Thompson, ITV chief executive Charles Allen, BSkyB chief executive James Murdoch, Google European vp Nikesh Arora and RTL chief executive Gerhard Zeiler. Culture secretary Tessa Jowell will open the conference. "Doomsday technologies, promiscuous consumers, disloyal advertisers ... there's a tendency for network television conferences to construct agendas calculated to make us all panic and head for the hills," Endemol chief creative officer Peter Bazalgette, chair of the conference planning committee, said in a statement. "But not this time. We'll be looking at all the positive ways in which traditional television networks and platforms are now colonizing the digital space."...
- 6/28/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
LONDON -- Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell on Monday talked up Britain's creative industries, arguing that the fast-growing sector would help Britain compete against the burgeoning global economies of India, China and others. Speaking to an audience of industry heavy hitters, Jowell said that the success of such industries as the U.K.'s thriving independent production sector, commercial and pay television businesses and advertising industry would give Britain a role among the top tier global economies. "The breakneck pace of development in Brazil, Russia, India and China is well known ... the Asian market for the creative industries has almost doubled in size over the last five years," she told a seminar hosted by the Social Market Foundation.
- 6/26/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
LONDON -- Britain is "on the cusp of a digitally led revolution that could secure the British film industry for the 21st century," according to U.K. Film Council chief executive John Woodward. He told U.K. Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell and Shaun Woodward, under secretary, media and sport, Wednesday that the U.K. foundation for the digital future is solidly in place. The UKFC's Woodward -- leading a discussion in front of a select gathering of British-based film industry luminaries such as Film Distributors Assn. chief executive Mark Batey, Pinewood CEO Ivan Dunleavy and Ken Loach's producing partner Rebecca O'Brien -- told government reps that with the 2012 Olympics bringing the world's attention to the U.K., the film industry should be ready to take advantage of the focus.
LONDON -- The British government has signed a movie co-production treaty with South Africa, U.K. culture secretary Tessa Jowell and South African culture minister Pallo Jordan said Wednesday. The deal between the nations aims to enable the U.K. and South African film industries "to pool their resources to create films that will benefit both countries financially and culturally." The agreement aims to encourage South African filmmakers to invest in U.K. talent and locations, and in return such productions "will benefit from U.K. filmmaking expertise."...
- 5/24/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
LONDON -- The British government has signed a movie co-production treaty with South Africa, U.K. culture secretary Tessa Jowell and South African culture minister Pallo Jordan said Wednesday. The deal between the nations aims to enable the U.K. and South African film industries "to pool their resources to create films that will benefit both countries financially and culturally." The agreement aims to encourage South African filmmakers to invest in U.K. talent and locations, and in return such productions "will benefit from U.K. filmmaking expertise."...
- 5/24/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
LONDON -- The BBC Trust, the new body that will succeed the existing board of governors in overseeing the British pubcaster's operations, is taking shape with three governors named Wednesday to join BBC chairman Michael Grade as trustees. Eight new trustees who are still to be named will join businessman Dermott Gleeson, former newsman Richard Tait and economist Jeremy Peat on the Trust. Making the announcement, culture minister Tessa Jowell said that a mix of BBC governors and new trustees would give "the right balance of change and continuity." Grade issued a statement welcoming the appointments. "The three governors going forward to join the eight new trustees bring skills in property, finance and editorial issues that are currently being applied in key areas of the governors' business and are critical to the transition to and early operation of the trust," Grade said.
- 4/12/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
LONDON -- Culture secretary Tessa Jowell put the creation of entertaining and original content at the heart of the BBC's mission for the next decade Tuesday as she brought details of the government's 10-year plan for the pubcaster before Parliament. The pubcaster will continue to receive public funding for the next Royal Charter period -- which runs to 2017 -- but will face closer scrutiny of its new services and the impact of its activities on the commercial sector. Entertainment will be a "vital part" of the BBC's mission, the culture secretary said, arguing that programs must entertain viewers to achieve impact. The pubcaster, home to such shows as The Office and Strictly Come Dancing, must continue to innovate and abandon derivative programming, she added.
- 3/15/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
LONDON -- Culture secretary Tessa Jowell put the creation of entertaining and original content at the heart of the BBC's mission for the next decade Tuesday as she brought details of the government's 10-year plan for the pubcaster before Parliament. The pubcaster will continue to receive public funding for the next Royal Charter period -- which runs to 2017 -- but will face closer scrutiny of its new services and the impact of its activities on the commercial sector. Entertainment will be a "vital part" of the BBC's mission, the culture secretary said, arguing that programs must entertain viewers to achieve impact. The pubcaster, home to such shows as The Office and Strictly Come Dancing, must continue to innovate and abandon derivative programming, she added.
- 3/14/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
LONDON -- Culture secretary Tessa Jowell will outline plans for the role of the BBC over the next decade Tuesday, when she unveils details of the Charter Review white paper -- a policy document on the future of the pubcaster. The embattled culture secretary, who could yet face further parliamentary questions if her husband is indicted by Italian prosecutors, will publish the policy document but will not take questions from the media about its contents. The white paper is expected to focus on the BBC's governance structure, its regulation and the role it will play in the digital switchover. It is not expected to include detail on the pubcaster's proposed license fee settlement, which will be announced separately this summer.
- 3/13/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
LONDON -- Beleaguered U.K. Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell made her first appearance Monday in the House of Commons since the scandal over her husband's finances hit the newsstands and airwaves a week ago. Jowell, who announced over the weekend that she was separating from David Mills, her husband of 27 years, was flanked by Labor party friends and colleagues as she took routine departmental questions from Members of Parliament on both sides of the House. The culture secretary, who oversees the broadcasting and film industries, was not quizzed about her husband's dealings in the House of Commons chamber because parliamentary questions have to be tabled in advance.
LONDON -- U.K. Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell was cleared of breaching the government's ministerial code by Prime Minister Tony Blair on Thursday, after she said she had not known about a £350,000 ($612,000) "gift" that her husband had received four years ago. The inquiry -- carried out by Britain's top civil servant, Cabinet Secretary Gus O' Donnell -- did not investigate whether the cash gift had come from Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. Jowell's lawyer husband David Mills is being investigated by Italian authorities over the payment, which they allege was a reward for legal testimony in support of the Italian premier. He has consistently denied any wrongdoing but could yet face extradition and trial in Italy.
LONDON -- British culture secretary Tessa Jowell on Sunday denied any wrongdoing after being implicated in an alleged financial scandal involving Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi and her husband. Leaked documents from an investigation into Jowell's lawyer husband, David Mills, by Italian authorities suggest that he might have received a £350,000 ($623,000) payment for evidence he gave in support of Berlusconi in a corruption trial in 1999, according to the Sunday Times. Italian prosecutors have been investigating Mills' involvement with Berlusconi for several years but have not brought charges.
- 2/27/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
OXFORD, England -- Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell took European regulators to task Thursday, telling the Oxford Media convention that ongoing plans to overhaul European broadcasting rules could do "lasting damage" to Europe's creative businesses. Citing the Television Without Frontiers directive -- which governs broadcasting rules across the European Union nations and is currently being reviewed by member states -- Jowell said that plans to introduce regulation of the Internet for the first time would damage business prospects. In particular, the draft directive could stifle the development of new media such as TV via the Internet and mobile phones, she said. "If the directive turns its back on wealth creation by imposing a highly bureaucratic regulatory framework, then it will do immense and lasting damage to Europe's creative economy. I can think of no better example of where Europe needs to face up to the realities of globalization," Jowell said.
- 1/19/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
LONDON -- The 2012 Olympic Games will be worth nearly £2 billion ($3.5 billion) to the U.K. economy, according to a report published Thursday. The cash boost is predicted in a report entitled The Olympic Games Impact Study, commissioned by the Government's Department of Culture, Media and Sport. According to Olympics minister Tessa Jowell and ITV chief executive and former chairman of the Commonwealth Games in Manchester in 2002, Charles Allen, the Olympics will boost the U.K. economy by "at least £1.9 billion ($3.4 billion)."...
- 12/15/2005
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
LONDON -- The British government met with tourist industry leaders Tuesday to hammer out plans to ensure that the U.K. grabs as large a slice as possible of tourist cash generated by hosting the 2012 Olympic Games. Prime Minister Tony Blair and Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell met tourism leaders -- including reps from hotel chains, the National Trust and museums -- to map out plans to ensure the entire British tourism industry is ready for the Games. The government and tourist chiefs also signed a "Tourism 2012 Charter" on Tuesday, the parties said. The charter commits the industry to driving up standards in Britain's 180,000 tourism businesses, making attractions and accommodation accessible to disabled visitors and improving the skills of tourism workers.
- 11/15/2005
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
LONDON -- Culture secretary Tessa Jowell pledged Wednesday to protect Britain's creative industry from intellectual property theft and warned that European states would have to present a united front to tackle burgeoning piracy in vast growth economies such as India and China. In a speech to European media and business leaders attending a Creative Economy Conference staged as part of the U.K.'s current EU Presidency, Jowell outlined a plan of action she feels must be undertaken to promote intellectual property protection. Initiatives to be undertaken jointly by the departments of culture and trade will include educating young consumers about the importance of IP, sharing best-practice enforcement across anti-piracy agencies and raising the debate at the next G8 economic summit.
- 10/5/2005
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
CAMBRIDGE, England -- Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell on Thursday unveiled long-awaited details of the U.K.'s analog switch-off program and said the cost of switching over elderly and disabled viewers -- thought to run into hundreds of millions of pounds -- will be met by the BBC. Switch-off will begin in the North of England in 2008, extending to Wales and Manchester in 2009 and will be carried out on a region-by-region basis culminating in London in 2012. Speaking at the Royal Television Society Cambridge Convention, Jowell said the move would bring more choice to viewers. "Digital television is no longer a probability, it is a certainty, and I believe it can leave us with a legacy of more choice, for more people, than anywhere else in the world," she told an audience of Britain's most senior television executives.
- 9/15/2005
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
LONDON -- Three hundred of Britain's top broadcast executives will arrive in Cambridge Thursday for a three-day conference set against the elite backdrop of Kings College Cambridge. The biennial Royal Television Society conference is unquestionably the most significant event in the British media calendar, playing host to the industry's biggest powerbrokers. From the opening keynote speech delivered by Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell -- in which she is expected to give details of the analog switch-off timetable -- through three days packed with panels headed by the CEOs of Britain's biggest media players, Cambridge is the forum at which the future direction of U.K. broadcast policy is decided.
- 9/14/2005
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
EDINBURGH, Scotland -- The future of ITV, the cult of celebrity-driven television and the challenge of managing program rights in an on-demand world topped the agenda at this year's Edinburgh International Television Festival. British program makers, producers and policy executives gathered at the three-day annual pilgrimage in Scotland's capital for a whirlwind series of speeches, panels and parties -- the outcome of which likely will set the programming industry's agenda for the next 12 months. At a gathering at least as important for the mingling opportunities in corridors and late-night drinking spots as it is for keynote speech-making, jeans-clad secretary of state for culture Tessa Jowell rubbed shoulders with former BBC director general Greg Dyke, now chairman of preschool kids group HIT Entertainment, while a series of execs including Five channel program head Dan Chambers and Talkback Thames chief executive Lorraine Heggessey took to the conference stage for a one-off executive version of the hit BBC and ABC format "Strictly Come Dancing".
- 8/28/2005
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
LONDON -- The BBC has sold its transmission and branding arm BBC Broadcast to Australian bank Macquarie Group for £166 million ($304 million). The sale of the 1,100-strong division remains subject to approval by culture secretary Tessa Jowell, but ownership is expected to transfer to the Australian group by the end of the summer. The announcement on Monday resulted in a call by broadcast trade union BECTU for urgent talks with the government to voice concerns about the sell-off. The union said it was expecting a round of meetings with other possible buyers to discuss the terms and benefits on offer to the division's staffers.
- 6/27/2005
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
LONDON -- The BBC has sold its transmission and branding arm BBC Broadcast to Australian bank Macquarie Group for £166 million ($304 million). The sale of the 1,100-strong division remains subject to approval by culture secretary Tessa Jowell, but ownership is expected to transfer to the Australian group by the end of the summer. The announcement on Monday resulted in a call by broadcast trade union BECTU for urgent talks with the government to voice concerns about the sell-off. The union said it was expecting a round of meetings with other possible buyers to discuss the terms and benefits on offer to the division's staffers.
- 6/27/2005
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
LONDON -- Former BBC director general John Birt will deliver the keynote MacTaggart Memorial lecture at the Edinburgh Television Festival it was announced Monday. Birt, who left the BBC's top post in 2000, will make his first public speech in some years after recently being appointed by Prime Minister Tony Blair to review broadcasting policy. He is expected to use the speech -- traditionally a platform for controversial and agenda-setting debate -- as a forum to reiterate his recent advice to culture secretary Tessa Jowell that the BBC license fee should be shared with other public service broadcasters. The Edinburgh Television Festival runs Aug. 26-29.
LONDON -- Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell is expected to unveil wide-ranging new proposals relating to the future of the BBC when she presents the government's green paper on the review of the BBC's Royal Charter today to Parliament. The paper's publication will coincide with action from hundreds of BBC staffers, who are protesting director general Mark Thompson's plans to ax 3,000 jobs as part of a cost-cutting plan, unions said Tuesday. "The green paper is expected to cover key areas of governance, funding and the BBC's commercial services," a spokesman for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport said. "It will set out the initial option and will be followed by a further consultation period and a white paper that contains more firm proposals, after which, if it is agreed by Parliament, a Royal Charter is signed off by the queen." That process must be concluded by the end of next year.
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