An Idiot Abroad

Law & Order: SVU Double

Thursday June 9 sees two new episodes of Law & Order: SVU from 8.30pm. Law & Order: Criminal Intent was to air at 9.30pm, but Ten have changed their minds on that one.

No love for Burn Notice on Ten.

SYDNEY ONLY. Even though it was set to air only in Sydney from Saturday June 11, Ten have dumped plans to air new episodes of Burn Notice for this weekend. Ten have also replaced Oprah with Talkin’ ‘Bout Your Generation repeats at 7.30pm on Ten in Sydney. The Hawaii Five-O repeat is also out at 8.30pm with movies now to air from 8.30 on Ten. The movie for June 11 will be X Men.

Come on Ten, time to show Burn Notice on ONE in HD isn’t it? Perfect fit for the new ONE.

At this stage, Burn Notice is scheduled for 9.30pm Saturday June 18 in Sydney – but, in light of the June 11 change, Burn Notice may not air. Stay tuned…

More extended Masterchef.

Seems to be the big thing in 2011 – 90 minute episodes of shows that usually run for an hour. Masterchef on Sunday June 12 will be a 90 minute episode. Monday June 13, also a 90 minute episode.

Glee season finale.

Airs Wednesday June 15 on Ten, at 8.30pm.

New York: New Directions hit the Big Apple, ready to win Nationals! From Central Park to the Empire State Building, our favourite Gleeks pay homage to New York City the only way they know how, in song.

An Idiot Abroad goes to Egypt.

Monday June 13, ONE, 8.30pm: One of ONE’s top rating shows now: Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant send reluctant traveller Karl Pilkington on a trip to Egypt to see the Great Pyramids. After heavy fog thwarts his first visit to the pyramids, Karl is forced to spend some time with the locals before returning to the ‘wonder’. He tries out a traditional Egyptian outfit, experiences Cairo nightlife, and comes across a restaurant whose staff are all deaf.

After he finally sees the Pyramids, Karl befriends a couple who believe the ‘wonder’ has special powers and who take him into the middle of the pyramids at night to perform a special meditative chant.

June 20, he goes to Brazil.

Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution Season Finale

Airs Friday June 17, at 9.00pm.

House, TEN 9.30 pm

House is finally back on our screens and Thirteen has been in prison for the past six months, but the real mystery for House is what she did to get there. When she exits the prison, she is taken aback to find him waiting for her, and unaware he’s got plans for the two of them for the next few days. As House probes Thirteen for more information about her crime, intent on solving the puzzle of her mysterious incarceration, they travel to an annual spud-gun competition and join forces to compete against House’s much younger, overconfident rival, and along the journey uncover secrets and truths about each other. At the hospital, the team treats a science teacher suffering from severe respiratory illness, and when the team inspects the patient’s house for clues to his illness; they immediately learn he’s a hoarder. But upon a second visit to obtain more information, they uncover something in the many piles that shocks them.

 

The Big Bang Theory, Nine 7.30pm

Starting with Penny to Amy, a rumour quickly spreads amongst Leonard, Sheldon, Raj and Priya that Bernadette is planning on breaking up with Howard. This rumour is especially of interest to Raj since despite being Howard’s best friend; he has always been in love with Bernadette himself. Additional news comes to light directly from Howard, who is planning on asking Bernadette to marry him. Based on the rumour, the rest of gang believe that Howard is in for a major let-down, much to Raj’s excitement. But will Howard go through with his plan and if he does, will the rumour prove to be true? Meanwhile, Amy and Sheldon, watching the speed with which the rumour has spread, propose another social science experiment of starting two rumours – one of a salacious nature, and one more mundane – to see how quickly both spread amongst the group.

 

Wilfred, SBS ONE 10.30pm

This is the final in this outstanding home grown comedy. Adam enters Wilfred into an illegal dogfighting ring to raise money for his wedding rings. Wilfred gets clobbered by a Doberman called Kosciusko who feels sorry for Wilfred and tries to train him to become a fighting machine. But does Wilfred have enough talent to win? Will the wedding take place? Will Adam be arrested for illegal gambling, and will a cooler version of Adam replace him in Sarah and Wilfred’s life? Now we just have to wait on the US version, due to screen there later this year.

 

Supernatural, ELEVEN 8.30pm

Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) investigate a series of suicides and discover the victims were being told brutal truths that drove them crazy. They find out someone is invoking the Goddess of Truth, Veritas, forcing people to be cruelly honest against their will and Dean is the next victim. Dean is forced to tell Sam the truth about how he feels about his return from Hell. Ooooo!

 

An Idiot Abroad, ONE 8.30pm

Ok, I know I picked this last week. But if last week in China was anything to go by, I am dying to see what will happen to the hapless Karl Pilkington in India! I am already laughing at the thought of him getting Delhi Belly and experiencing the uniqueness of such an exotic culture.

 

The Amazing Race Australia, Seven 8.30pm

Finally – after 18 US seasons, Australia gets its own version of The Amazing Race, premiering tonight on Seven. The 11 couples start their 50,000 kilometre, 4 continent, 12 country and 23 city race around the world, vying for the $250,000 prize for the team that crosses the finish line first. While it is not quite the $1,000,000 the US series offers, the Australian version is just as good, if not better than the US version. Look out for the team who has not even been overseas prior to taking part in the race.

 

An Idiot Abroad, SBS ONE 8.30pm

Created by and starring Ricky Gervais and his radio show colleagues in Britain, Karl Pilkington and Stephen Merchant, this is a travel documentary series that drops Pilkington into various “New Seven Wonders of The World” locations, without any prior knowledge to where he’s headed. In tonight’s episode he is sent to China, landing in Beijing. Karl in unimpressed by the pollution and that no one speaks English. We see him eat the local cuisine, try there door-less toilets and head to “The Great Wall of China”  where the other men set him a goal. This episode took 2 weeks to complete.

 

Offspring, Ten 8.30pm

This is the season premiere of the show that won Asher Keddie the “Most Popular Actress – Logie Award” this year. In tonight’s double episode, we return to the life of Nina Proudman (Keddie) six months later. She’s had a break but is now thrown back into the chaos and turmoil of her family, after an unexpected emergency. This season will see the continuation of romantic entanglements, crises and upheaval for Nina and her loved ones.

 

Come Fly With Me, Nine 8pm

Come Fly With Me is a mockumentry, spoofing British shows like Airport and Airline. Brought to us by the infamous David Walliams and Matt Lucas of Little Britain fame, it follows a variety of staff and passengers at a fictional airport. With more than 15 main characters and 13 supporting, the boys show their brilliance by playing them all. There are three airlines FlyLo (a low-cost airline), Our Lady Air (an Irish low-cost airline and Great British Air (a spoof of British Airways).

 

The Big C, Gem 11.30pm

This is the first episode of the first season of this niche series. Originally played at Gems debut, it was marketed as a flagship show. For some reason it didn’t get the ratings, so they are giving it another go. This is a show about Cathy Jamison (Laura Linney), a suburban mum diagnosed with cancer – hence the big C! With almost a black comedy feel to it, we see Cathy deal with her illness through humour. With the three times Oscar nominated Laura Linney as the lead and Oliver Platt as her husband, the cast is superb. Also stars Oscar nominee Gabourey Sidibe (Precious).

The new-look ONE is already hitting significant home runs with viewers. In its first three days of prime-time general entertainment programming, ONE has reached 3.27 million viewers.

With the addition of male skewing general entertainment programming in the prime-time schedule, ONE has already grown its audience by 156% on the same week last year. 

This week ONE is averaging 3.4% commercial share in total people and 6.2% commercial share in its target demographic of males 25-54. 

Chief programming officer, David Mott said: “We’ve been trialling a general entertainment line-up on ONE since the start of the year. We’re delighted that ONE’s combination of premium sport and prime-time general entertainment programming is already resonating with viewers and advertisers.” 

 

ONE’s Top 5 Programs of the Week

1. FIA Formula One World Championship (Turkey) – 320,000 viewers

2. Cops Adults Only – 173,000 viewers

3. Monday Night AFL – 137,000 viewers

4. Best of Extreme Fishing with Robson Green – 129,000 viewers

5. Ice Road Truckers – 124,000 viewers

 

This is just the start. There’s plenty more to come with tonight’s premiere of Ewan McGregor’s Long Way Round at 7:30pm, followed by a movie-length episode of the Golden Globe winning, Sons of Anarchy at 9:30pm. Next week Ricky Gervais returns to prime-time with An Idiot Abroad airing at 8:30pm on Monday nights.

Ten have gone to press today, spruiking the “New face of ONE” from May 8 when ONE enters an exciting new realm of programming as premium sporting events join together with a vibrant collection of high octane drama and adventure driven shows.

The free-to-air premiere of US drama Sons of Anarchy will be on ONE along with the Australian premiere of UK hit show An Idiot Abroad featuring Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant and Karl Pilkington.  Plus with other programs including COPS, Long Way Round (Ewan McGregor and Charlie Boorman’s epic world motorcycle journey), Airline and Ice Road Truckers, to sporting favourites AFL, Formula One and the NBA, ONE has you covered.

DRAMA

Sons of Anarchy, launches May 11, 9.30pm.

Sons Of Anarchy revolves around the lives of a close-knit outlaw motorcycle club operating in ‘Charming’, a fictional town in Northern California. The show centres on protagonist Jackson “Jax” Teller, the Vice President of the club who begins questioning the club and himself.

Lights Out – Coming soon.

Lights Out revolves around an aging former heavyweight boxing champion who struggles to find his identity and support his wife and three daughters after retiring from the ring. Financial problems leave him at a perilous crossroads – battling the urge to return to boxing or reluctantly accepting a job as a brutal and intimidating debt collector.

Cops – launches Tuesday May 10 and airs Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 8.30pm and 9.00pm.

COPS follows the men and women of U.S law enforcement every week as they take on everything from domestic disputes to car chases. Crazy, bizarre and often seriously dangerous, COPS never fails to surprise, startle and entertain. Over 20 seasons and more than 750 episodes later, the show remains as compelling and unpredictable as ever, regularly winning its Saturday night time slot in the U.S.

Breakout Kings – coming soon.

Breakout Kings plots the story of a squad of U.S. Marshals who recruit several current prisoners, in order to catch escaped convicts. If the prisoners agree to help, their sentences will be reduced and they will be transferred to a minimum-security facility.

Terriers – coming soon.

Terriers follows ex-cop and recovering alcoholic Hank Dolworth along with his best friend and former criminal Britt Pollack in an unlicensed investigation business.

ADVENTURE

An Idiot Abroad – launches Monday May 16, 8.30pm.

An Idiot Abroad follows Karl Pilkington’s travels around the globe as Ricky Gervais sends him on an adventure visiting the New Seven Wonders of the World. Without prior warning or knowledge of the situations he is to be placed in, the country’s cultural habits or their idiosyncrasies, each episode charts his hilarious reactions and encounters

Ross Noble’s Australia Road Trip – coming soon.

Roaring across the outback during his recent stand-up tour, Ross presents us with his idiosyncratic eye-view of the most quirky and memorable sights, sounds and encounters of his adopted country.

Airline – landing Tuesday May 10, weeknights at 7pm.

Airline is a fly-on-the-wall look at the daily happenings of passengers, ground workers and on-board staff of UK airlines Britannia and Easy Jet.

Emergency Search & Rescue – weeknights from May 10, 6.30pm [UPDATED].

Emergency Search & Rescue offers more access-all-areas to the emergency services, discovering the unique challenges faced by search and rescue teams in one of the world’s most inhospitable and isolated areas.

Bondi Rescue – Weeknights 6.00pm from May 10 [UPDATED].

Now in its sixth series – Bondi Rescue follows the work of the elite lifeguards in charge of safety at the world’s busiest and most spectacular beach. With people’s lives literally in their hands, these lifeguards ensure safety is their number one priority.

Extreme Fishing with Robson Green – Best of special Sunday May 8, 7.00pm.

Kicking off with a best of special on Sunday 8 May at 7pm, acclaimed British actor Robson Green moves permanently to Sundays from May 22 (7pm). He tackles some of the world’s wildest marine life as he takes to the waters on a global adventure with some of the world’s most daring fishermen and women.

Megastructure Breakdown – coming soon

It’s Megastructures in reverse: the planet’s biggest recycling projects, where mega-ton machines are hacked, sawed and sliced down to their smallest components, then given a second life. This isn’t just a demolition job – here, the goal is to salvage as many reusable parts as possible. These structures are complex, and busting them apart demands a combination of tools and techniques. Some parts of the structures contain valuable components that must be extracted carefully, while other sections can be smashed up or blown to bits. There are also toxic materials, from asbestos to highly corrosive chemicals, that make this process extremely dangerous. Hazards abound, and one false move could cost a worker an arm, a leg – or his life. Megastructure Breakdown explores the complicated mechanical processes that get the job done.

Witness all the drama, danger and strategic engineering behind the dismantling of some of the world’s biggest structures in Megastructure Breakdown.

Long Way Round – launches Wednesday May 11, 7.30pm

Long Way Round documents the 31,000 km journey of Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman from London to New York on motorcycles. They travelled eastwards through Europe and Asia, flew to Alaska and continued by road from there to New York.

Ice Road Truckers – continues.

Ice Road Truckers follows the competition and the camaraderie of six truckers over a season on the ice road, as they brave white-outs, thin ice, and the deadly cold to perform one of the most dangerous jobs in the world. Ice Road Truckers takes viewers on a thrilling, adrenaline-pumping ride.

Everest Beyond the Limit – May 12, 7.30pm.

Everest Beyond The Limit documents a two-month expedition of Everest by veteran guide Russell Brice from start to finish. Highlighting the struggles, highs lows and triumphs as people from around the world attempt to reach the world’s tallest peak.

The Edge of Existence – coming soon.

The Edge of Existence chronicles the people who live in some of the most fantastic, yet inhospitable, places of the world. Donal MacIntyre moves in with members of these remote, resourceful communities, shadowing their every move in attempt to find out how they survive in these harsh environments.

PREMIUM SPORT

And yes – there is still some sport on ONE:

AFL

ONE will broadcast the highest rating sporting event of 2011, the AFL Grand Final, in full high definition.

Our 2011 broadcast fixture is jam-packed with blockbuster games, including the traditional Anzac Day clash and the Grand Final re-match between Collingwood and St.Kilda.

ONE provides significant coverage of AFL across all states and this year launches new AFL panel based programs such as ‘The Final Siren’ and ‘The Game Plan’.

Moto GP

Moto GP is the world’s premier motorcycling championship, with a season of 18 GPs in 14 countries bringing together the world’s top motorcycle manufacturers and riders.

This year Australia’s own Casey Stoner looks set to again produce the stellar performance that led him to the title in 2007.

ONE will broadcast all Moto GP events LIVE, culminating in the Australian Moto GP from Philip Island in October.

Formula 1

One’s LIVE broadcast of Formula 1 has significantly broadened the sport’s appeal in Australia, with the 2011 season already setting new standards.

One will air all 20 events LIVE including 3 full days of the recent Australian F1 Grand Prix.

Australia’s hopes will rest on the ever improving Mark Webber to bring home the title in 2011.

Other sport?

As for the rest of the sport ONE HD used to air, much of the American NBA, NFL and the like will still air outside of prime time. The daytime and post midnight line up so far is still mostly sport based. More details will come to hand once full schedules are released soon.

The competition between general entertainment channels will be fiercer in May.

Ten have now confirmed that ONE will relaunch in May with more entertainment. The channel will include a mix of entertainment and sports, aimed predominantly at males aged 25-54. In addition to sport, will a mix of dramas, movies and factuals – most will be in full HD.

First run content will include An Idiot Abroad (Ricky Gervais), Terriers, Lights Out, Breakout Kings, Everest, Sons of Anarchy, Airline, Long Way Round as well as shows already in the schedule Ice Road Truckers and Extreme Fishing.

The move has come after weeks of trial with general entertainment and movies that has seen shares for the channel increase dramatically on those nights. Last night (Wed April 6), ONE HD reached a prime time (6pm-midnight) share of 2.6%, thanks mostly to the movie Jarhad and Extreme Fishing and ranked higher than GEM in channel shares.

David Mott, now in charge if programming for ONE as David White departs says that the broader, male skewed content offering for ONE will complement the network’s youthful ELEVEN and the broad appeal of Ten itself.

Entertainment content will be predominantly weekdays, with sport on weekends – an idea I put forward as well in a story a few months back about how Ten could improve its network shares by changing ONE programming. Click here to read the story.

Today’s announcement that Ten Holdings’ half year revenue had fallen significantly year on year to the tune of around 10% would have only hastened the move. Interim CEO Lachlan Murdoch described the outcome as “Unacceptable” and went on to say that measures had already been put in place to help overcome that situation.

With the launch of Masterchef on May 1, the new look ONE HD in May, and the ongoing success of ELEVEN, Ten could very well topple Nine off in regular second place in ratings.

Source: TV Tonight.

 

Hammond in trouble with the Mexicans

The BBC is in hot water with the Mexican ambassador in London following Top Gear’s Richard Hammond ‘s call on the show that Mexicans are “lazy, feckless, flatulent and overweight”. The ambassador is calling Hammond’s comments “xenophobic” and “offensive” and is demanding an apology from the presenter.

An Idiot Abroad given second season

Ricky Gervais’ collaborator Karl Pilkington has confirmed that a second season of An Idiot Abroad will be produced which will centre on him completing a bucket list of challenges around the world. The first season of the show has Pilkington travelling around the world visiting the Seven Wonders of the World and complaining a lot.

Coro Street confirms return of Todd Grimshaw

Coronation Street has confirmed that the character of Todd Grimshaw will return to the soap for a storyline in the near future. Grimshaw, played by actor Bruno Langley, was originally on the series for three years in the mid 2000s before returning briefly in 2007.

Gervais not invited back Golden Globes

The head of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association Phil Berk has denied reports that Ricky Gervais has been asked to return as host of the Golden Globes next year. Gervais dropped hints on his blog about being asked to return as host in 2012 but Berk hit back saying: “There is no truth to this rumor. We have not asked him to come back. Nice try, Ricky.”