TV blog Feed

Must-see telly moments – on BBC iPlayer now

2016-05-16T16:13:26+00:00

Cock-eyed squids, roflcopters, Your-ovision… Get tongue tied with some of the best moments available to watch until Wednesday, 8 June.

Be slightly freaked out by these extraordinary creatures of the deep

Dive into nature - Life That Glows with David Attenborough, BBC Two

And discover more eye-opening documentaries on iPlayer.

Plus, find out which shows presenter Alex Jones has been loving in this week’s Frank Skinner On Demand With...

Russell Kane: I'd like to travel with Jimmy Carr in his exploring shorts

2016-05-05T16:14:00+00:00

Comedian Russell Kane is known to be a man who likes his home comforts. So when tasked with navigating through some of the world’s most remote locations, with just an internet star and a smart phone for company, would it be the trip of a lifetime or a travelling nightmare?

Filming Stupid Man, Smart Phone is the most exhausted I've ever been. I'm still catching up now from that exhaustion.

I'm in decent nick, but I've never done any survivalism before. I've never camped out in the open stars, I've never skinned an animal, I've never done anything like that. So that type of stuff was horrific.

I've never pooed in a bush. Here's a psychological hurdle that if you haven't crossed it in the first 30 or 40 years of your life, you're going to struggle to cross it, and I had to. I've never been without a toilet in my life and I never want to do it ever again. Unless it goes to a second series, in which case, I'll poo wherever you want!

This external content is available at its source: https://twitter.com/russell_kane/status/676684405407162369

Travelling with different internet celebrities was just mental, man. Everyone reacts to it in different ways. Vine star Arron Crascall got quite teary missing his family. Other people were more bothered by the bugs and the wilderness.

Some people were just bang up for it, like Conor Maynard - he made me look stupid. And Jenny Jones, the snowboarder, was building a raft in 40 degree heat with her bare hands while I stood in a bush with borderline sunstroke.

YouTubers Rose and Rosie were the most useless of my companions. No question. They were just like me, scared of everything, falling over. And Rosie is vegan. I took a vegan to the Arctic Circle… where there's basically just blubber, fat, blood and meat. She was sobbing every time there was a scene with a dead animal.

This external content is available at its source: https://twitter.com/russell_kane/status/665878736949141504

I'd like to take other comics with me next time. Someone like Rob Beckett. Or even, if I could talk him into it, Romesh Ranganathan. Maybe we could do one in Sri Lanka when he's filming the next Asian Provocateur. Or Jimmy Carr... it'd be quite funny to see him out of his comfort zone, in exploring shorts!

The third character on the trip is the phone. It is my robot companion. It's as close as we've got to an R2D2 or C3PO.

When you're making a programme called Stupid Man, Smart Phone, it's pointless just trying to be a rubbish Bear Grylls. The phone was the centre of the experiment, of the comedy, of the narrative. The phone's solving every quandary, that's what makes this programme completely unique.

But it taught me there's no substitute for the human element. Maybe my co-hosts would say differently, but you can't beat that feeling of an expert walking in and it's a real person, shaking your hand, talking you through it and helping you. It's just not the same.

This external content is available at its source: https://twitter.com/russell_kane/status/686900910493184000

I’m really close to my mum and she was just worried for me. I'm always falling over, always injuring myself, so I'm not the best person to be climbing up a mountain or trekking across the desert leading a beast. We were Skyping them all the time while I was away.

But I learnt I could prepare an animal. And I can light a fire without wood - we burnt camel poo one night. I used a tampon and hand sanitizer to start a fire. I've inadvertently learnt quite a lot of survival knowledge.

Thankfully for the team, I'm still a worrier. If we cure that, we don't have a show! A lot of the comedy comes out of seeing me screaming at a spider or a snake or a car door that didn't close.

Interview by Kieran Coyle.

Russell Kane is a comedian and stars in Stupid Man, Smart Phone.

The series continues on Sunday, 8 May from midday on BBC iPlayer. Each episode will be available to watch in BBC iPlayer for six months.

Comments made by writers on the BBC TV blog are their own opinions and not necessarily those of the BBC.

What we discovered in 10 minutes with Zoe Boyle and Kerry Howard

2016-04-20T11:15:28+00:00

Flatmates Rhona and Leanne couldn't be more different. One is a weekday vegetarian who wants to quit their friendship, the other a clingy BTEC-qualified actress whose bra and knickers don’t match. All of a sudden they are forced into the complex world of witness protection after stumbling across a gangland shooting. What could go wrong?

We met actresses Zoe Boyle and Kerry Howard who play the unlikely friends in new BBC Three comedy Witless – to see what else we should know about them…

Rhona (Zoe Boyle) is ready to leave the flat she shares with Leanne (Kerry Howard)

We discovered that Zoe and Kerry have had their own flat-sharing experiences…

Zoe: Well I lived with a drummer at university for a bit which was horrendous. It was a whole big mess. I think we thought it would be really cool to live with a drummer but it’s not cool, it’s not fun, it’s not big or clever.

Kerry: Probably my worst experience was when I was living in my dad’s apartment, and my brother Daniel was living there too. There were only two bedrooms, so my dad had his bedroom obviously and Daniel had the other one because he had a job. So I had to sleep in the lounge.

Dad would wake up really early in the morning, so my mum’s answer was to get me a pop up tent. So I slept in a tent inside the lounge… for about a year. I mean luckily [laughing] I didn’t have a boyfriend!

Zoe: “Oh come back to my pop up!”

Kerry: Yeah it’s amazing what you suddenly remember, I’d blocked that out! But the thing is, it’s not soundproof, I could still hear dad at 5.30 in the morning.

Zoe: It wouldn’t even block out the light either?

Kerry: No! It was awful.

This external content is available at its source: https://twitter.com/bbcthree/status/720600314538233856

…that their characters, Rhona and Leanne could learn a lot from each other…

Kerry: Leanne can learn to have a bit of breathing space to think things through before doing them.

Zoe: Yes, and Rhona could learn to cut loose a little bit more. She’s really inhibited. And also she really needs Leanne because Leanne is the BTEC qualified actress [they both laugh] but she’s willing to improvise and to take things as they come.

This is a situation that you can’t plan for – Rhona’s planning isn’t working so she’s dependent on Leanne. And that’s a nice dynamic, because they get a bit closer as the show goes on.

Kerry: On their own they wouldn’t manage, I don’t think. But together they are the ‘perfect human’, dealing with everything.

Zoe: …I wouldn’t say perfect! That’s so Leanne!

Kerry: [Does Leanne accent]: THEY SHOULD BE TOGETHER AND THEY SHOULD NEVER BE BROKEN. EVER.

Zoe: But the situation gets worse and worse, so they are more entangled in this thing. And they have to resort to more extreme measures as they go along.

Leanne and Rhona test out their new pseudonyms at the dentist. At least, that's the plan...

We discovered that John Inverdale makes a memorable cameo in the comedy…

Kerry: John appears in a video about how to cope with witness protection. I loved it. We have that in every episode to mix it up and it’s brilliant.

Zoe: But what’s also really funny is that whenever we had a read-through everyone had a version of John Inverdale that they would do. So we’ve met so many different John Inverdales.

…and that they admire a lot of British comedy actresses…

This external content is available at its source: https://twitter.com/THEKERRYHOWARD/status/702960171463667716

Kerry: For me it’s definitely Julie Walters. She’s just amazing. And Patricia Routledge as well. There were a lot of strong really talented women around in the 80s and 90s. Dawn French, Jen Saunders…

Zoe: Mine’s Joanna Lumley. I bloody love her!

Kerry: …Penelope Keith. Judi Dench had her own sitcom. They were all leading shows. They weren’t quite setting up gags for other people but we’re changing that now.

We discovered Kerry wants to work with her brother, Russell Howard again…

This external content is available at its source: https://twitter.com/THEKERRYHOWARD/status/677077653845839872

Kerry: I mean if the opportunity arose we’d definitely work together again. Filming A Gert Lush Christmas together was really really fun actually. But at the moment it’s just getting us tied down to something really because we’re both just so busy. He’s about to do a travel show with my mum!

We’re not really a showbiz family though, I was brought up on jumble sales in church halls you know, very very normal. It’s a bit weird what’s happened.

…and that her Bristolian family like hearing their accent on screen

Kerry: Well they just think I’m playing them, so all my cousins are like: “It’s me isn’t it”.

Discover more comedy shows on BBC iPlayer.

Zoe Boyle plays Rhona and Kerry Howard plays Leanne in Witless.

Witless starts on Friday, 22 April at 6pm on BBC Three and BBC iPlayer. Episode one will also be shown on Friday, 29 April at 11.25pm on BBC One. Each episode will be available to watch in BBC iPlayer for six months after broadcast.

Comments made by writers on the BBC TV blog are their own opinions and not necessarily those of the BBC.

Must-see telly moments – on BBC iPlayer

2016-04-18T13:10:03+00:00

From brilliant babies to glorious goals – remember, there may be spoilers…

When you realise that Michael McIntyre has your phone - and has discovered the ‘send to all’ function

Find out how Michael embarrasses Geri – Michael McIntyre’s Big Show, BBC One

We don’t think Dawn O’Porter will be hiring Angela Scanlon as her stylist any time soon…

See what happened when Angela met Dawn – Angela Scanlon’s Close Encounters, BBC Three

When an 18-year-old slips a goal of pure class straight past you…

Watch Marcus Rashford’s worldy against West Ham – The FA Cup, BBC One

Meet Pat, who has lovingly looked after almost 8,000 babies and counting

See inside the UK's only private maternity hospital – Five Star Babies: Inside Portland Hospital, BBC Two

And finally… these schoolgirls’ reactions when they realise celebrity Nick Jonas is driving them home…

Find out why their school trip was taken over – The School Run, BBC Radio 1

And if you want to see what Michael Ball picks out on BBC iPlayer this week you can watch Frank Skinner On Demand With...

Must-see telly moments – on BBC iPlayer

2016-04-04T10:38:35+00:00

This week’s TV is all about love, lies and one massive leap of faith…

Esteemed actor Adrian Lester tries out a new look in Undercover…

Watch the awkward moment on BBC iPlayer– Undercover, BBC One

This look of pure young love

Watch their stolen moments together – Murdered by My Father, BBC Three

The realisation that Bake Off Crème de la Crème is not all fuzzy and warm

See the professionals under stress – Bake Off Crème de la Crème, BBC Two

This giant leap for quiz-kind

See what this contestant endured to win prizes – Can’t Touch This, BBC One

When someone tells you make-up is just advertising fertility

See why Connie is so shocked about the world of beauty– Connie Fisher on Make-Up, BBC One Wales

And finally, we couldn’t miss the impending return of Top Gear – complete with fancy dress…

Watch Matt LeBlanc being thoroughly unimpressed – Top Gear, BBC Two

And if you want to see what TV presenter Dermot O’Leary picked out on BBC iPlayer this week you can watch Frank Skinner On Demand With...

Murdered by My Father: Creating characters with feeling

2016-03-30T10:30:29+00:00

Murdered by My Father dramatizes a very real human tragedy at the heart of a family. But how did its star and writer ensure its characters had heart, too?

Kiran Sonia Sawar, actress:

It was really important to me that my character, Salma, wasn’t portrayed just as a vulnerable victim. I wanted to make her an intelligent girl who could make her own choices, who had her own will and who had her own backbone – having that behind her was really important to me. Just making her a normal teenager and a really accessible character that you see in the street every day was important.

I also didn’t want it to be a tyrannous relationship with her father – I wanted it to be a really loving relationship in a loving family home where there is a lot of compassion and empathy between herself, her brother and her dad.

Essentially, what I discovered with Salma was all her actions were to protect the people she loved and that’s all she really wanted, and the more she tried to do that, the harder it got for her.

I think it’s important to give a voice to these stories and also to bring light to the fact that it’s not necessarily what people think it is. It’s a human rights issue. Making dramas like this opens up that dialogue – I think that’s really important.

Vinay Patel, writer:

A 17-year-old girl is a complex person – I remember my sister when she was 17, she was lovely but an absolute nightmare! – and I think you want people to be able to see themselves. You want her to perhaps be a bit bolshy, you want her to have her own thing going on, you also want to see the contrast with that and the way she interacts with her father. We are all different with our friends than what we are with our parents – when you’re 17 that’s an especially big contrast! That was really important to me to get across.

With the father, Shahzad, you come to the programme knowing what an audience’s expectations of that character are roughly going to be. I think it’s important for the writer to try and flip that as much as possible.

It’s weird what having a title like Murdered by My Father does to something like this dramatically because you know what’s going to happen – both what’s going to happen to someone and who does it. You already know everything about the actions of that character so as a writer you want to give that character an arc and a journey.

There are cases where you can see a person’s mind turned by the sort of pressures that sit around them and that’s what helps you really get to the heart of the issue. The act is almost an aside – it’s the way of thinking that causes that to happen. I wanted people to see that he does struggle, because he does genuinely love his daughter and his mind is in conflict.

You want to believe that he might not do it. You want that character, who you know a little bit about, maybe even like a little bit, to tell himself: “Don’t do it, there is a good person in there who doesn’t have to do this”.

Vinay Patel wrote Murdered by My Father. Kiran Sonia Sawar plays Salma.

Murdered by My Father is available to watch in BBC iPlayer until 5pm on Sunday, 25 September.

Comments made by writers on the BBC TV blog are their own opinions and not necessarily those of the BBC.

Must-see telly moments – on BBC iPlayer

2016-03-29T15:00:00+00:00

See the most scene-stealing instances from the latest TV shows - complete with more drama (and laughter) than a family Easter. Remember, there may be spoilers…

Fear? Regret? Relief? Ivy is still a mystery…

Watch the explosive drama finale - Thirteen, BBC Three

The moment the nation held its breath with Olivia Colman

Watch now on BBC iPlayer – The Night Manager, BBC One

When presenting dream team Matt and Alex totally lost the plot

Watch them corpsing while live on air – The Sport Relief Games Show, BBC One

Paloma Faith throws everything – including her shoe – at the coaches’ performance

Watch the coaches’ performance on BBC iPlayer – The Voice UK, BBC One

And finally, this masterclass in giving evils…

This external content is available at its source: https://twitter.com/BBCTwo/status/713114194715873280

Watch the moment on BBC iPlayer – Line of Duty, BBC Two

And if you want to see what Pub Landlord comedian Al Murray picked out on BBC iPlayer this week you can watch Frank Skinner On Demand With...

Must see moments of the week – on BBC iPlayer

2016-03-10T16:58:38+00:00

What were the most scene-stealing ‘did I just see...’ and ‘what just happened...’ moments of telly this week? Here goes:

Put Kate Humble in a darts outfit and this is what you get

Watch the moment on BBC iPlayer - Let's Play Darts for Sport Relief, BBC Two

Catherine Cawood shows her mettle – but who is she taking down?

Watch the moment on BBC iPlayer - Happy Valley, BBC One (this clip contains strong language)

When you realise you weren't invited to the stag party for a reason

Watch the moment on BBC iPlayer - Stag, BBC Two

Tough guy Steve Backshall presents the face of regret on his epic climb

Watch the moment on BBC iPlayer - Steve Backshall’s Extreme Mountain Challenge, BBC Two

Don’t look down! Ivy’s spooked back at her kidnapper’s home

Watch the moment on BBC iPlayer - Thirteen, BBC Three

And if you want to see what Frank Skinner and John Bradley (Game of Thrones, Shameless) picked out on BBC iPlayer this week you can watch Frank Skinner On Demand With...

Botox, big bums and beauty: Producing Young, Welsh and Pretty Skint

2016-03-01T11:00:20+00:00

When I was asked to produce the new series of Young, Welsh and Pretty Skint, I had no real idea about the world I was about to step into.

Growing up, I’d never been a particularly girly girl. I prefer to go for the natural look and apart from the occasional manicure and fake tan (for special events), I’ve never really embraced the cosmetic or beauty industry.

But this series is all about young people living in Wales who spend every last penny on achieving a certain look. I have to admit, I was intrigued to find out why.

Armed with Iwan, the director, and Mali, the researcher we set out to meet those who see Botox and big bums as life’s necessities.

Fitness model Caitlin, 24, spends thousands on custom bikinis for competitions

Before we knew it we were thrust into a world where bikini-clad girls were wearing enough bling to rival any of Beyoncé’s outfits; where muscular men were queuing up for a spray tan with nothing more than a sock to cover their modesty and where the ‘ass class’ is the new going out!

Suddenly, as a thirty-something mother of two, I started to feel slightly old and just a bit scruffy. It didn’t help when I caught glimpses of myself in the many mirrors which seemed to be at every location we filmed in… Were those laughter lines around my eyes calling out for a shot of Botox? Or would life really be so much better with a permanent tan?

I was starting to worry that being immersed in this world may force our small production team to go native! There were several moments where Mali, our young and trendy researcher contemplated having her eyebrows weaved or attempt a fitness modelling competition. Even Iwan - whose beauty regime is very limited - went out to have his hair cut.

Hairdresser Jade lets clients rent hair extensions - made from real human hair

It’s not everyone’s cup of tea and admittedly, there’ll be a few raised eyebrows during the series. But each contributor has his or her own reasons for wanting to look good. Some are doing it to make themselves feel good and boost their confidence. Others use their look as armour to fight against the bullying they endured as a child.

Whatever their reasons, there’s no doubt that while these young people spend the little they have on fake tans, cosmetic procedures and hair extensions, they’re also really enjoying life. Soon enough they’ll have family responsibilities and mortgages to pay and will have to wave goodbye to their extravagant and indulgent beauty regimes, so are they really doing any harm?

Caitlin pays for multiple gym memberships - so she can train wherever she goes

As alien as this world was to me personally, I really enjoyed meeting with all the contributors. Yes, it was an eye-opener and a lot of fun, but before you ask, no, I didn’t reach for the Botox.

Catrin Rowlands produced the new series of Young, Welsh and Pretty Skint.

Young, Welsh and Pretty Skint starts on Thursday, 3 March at 6pm on BBC Three. It will also be broadcast on BBC One Wales from Monday, 7 March at 10.40pm. Each episode will be available to watch in BBC iPlayer for 30 days after broadcast.

Comments made by writers on the BBC TV blog are their own opinions and not necessarily those of the BBC.

13 things you need to know about Thirteen's Ivy Moxam

2016-02-25T16:49:00+00:00

Imagine returning home after 13 years of captivity. Would your family even recognise you? Would anything be the same?

In new BBC Three drama thriller, Thirteen, Jodie Comer (from Dr Foster and Remember Me) plays Ivy Moxam, a young woman who escapes from a cellar after being abducted as a teenager on her way to school. We caught up with Jodie to find out the 13 things we need to know about this complex character…

1. Ivy is very guarded

Ivy isn’t very intimate – when she first escapes, she doesn’t want physical contact. One thing I had to really focus on was being aware of when people were around me. Being aware of when characters are touching you or trying to make contact and reacting to that. That was a big part of playing Ivy.

2. You’ll never fully understand who she is

Ivy’s like this animal, she is so feral. When she’s around certain people, certain sides of Ivy do show more than others. There is definitely a mystery about her, one minute you think she’s Ivy and the next she’s not giving you the 100 per cent truth. Even playing her you just don’t quite understand who or what she is.

Detective Sergeant Lisa Merchant and Detective Inspector Elliott Carne question who Ivy really is

3. Not everyone feels the same way about Ivy

DI Carne, who is assigned to Ivy’s case, sympathises with what she may have gone through and still sees her as a girl who has been through this turmoil. I think he just sees the innocence within her that his colleague, DS Merchant, maybe doesn’t see. Merchant is a lot more suspicious and isn’t so quick to welcome her with open arms.

4. Her family’s reaction was surprising

The one thing that shocked me when I first read the script was that they’d taken all of her stuff out of her bedroom. So when they put it back in that broke my heart a little bit. Ivy’s effort to find out what her family are thinking and how that affects her unfolds a little bit more as the series goes on.

5. Ivy has to re-build a lot of trust

Even though they’re her family, Ivy doesn’t know them - they’re not familiar people to her. That trust has to be rebuilt - which takes a lot of work.

Familiar strangers: Can the Moxams go back to being a family again?

6. Her own sister doesn’t recognise her

Her sister definitely has her suspicions: she doesn’t think that this is Ivy at all. But then such a long time has passed and Ivy is not that 13-year-old girl who left. She’s experienced so many different things that have completely shaped her into a whole new person.

7. Ivy just wants to be 13 again

She wants to pick up where she left off and there is such a giddiness when she is around her old friend Tim (played by War and Peace's Aneurin Barnard). She tries her best to not be affected by the situation and to brush it off and be 13 again. There is such an innocence about her in those scenes with Tim.

8. But she doesn’t feel like a victim

Ivy doesn’t feel self-pity in all this. She’s become hardened by what she’s gone through. For her that was normality for 13 years, so to then come back and have everyone fuss over her, I think that drives her crazy.

9. She wants to move forward

I think she feels that Tim is someone she can chat to and someone to move forward with rather than treading over old ground. Tim is definitely who she clings to at first.

10. Ivy has such great strength

She’s lived a hard life and it is so alien to what we could ever imagine. She’s missed out on so much, all those chats that you have with your mum when you’re growing up. She has got such strength to have been able to come out the other end.

11. She has to learn what it’s like to live again

I think she sees the world in a completely different light now and she’s probably forgotten a lot of things. When she gets out, she’s reminded of what life is like and what normality is to others.

12. We have to guess about Ivy’s past

We follow Ivy from when she escapes her captivity. There are no flashbacks which leaves a lot to the audience’s imagination. They have to assume what she has gone through by the way she is acting.

13. Ivy’s experiences open your eyes

You spend a lot of time with the detectives and the case which can feel very intrusive but I think it opens people’s eyes to these types of stories. You hear of these things happening and think: ‘What must their mum and dad be going through?’ or ‘Well I wonder what happened when she got home?’ So Thirteen opens that up a little bit. I think it is important to get people thinking and talking about this subject.

Jodie Comer plays Ivy in Thirteen.

Thirteen starts on Sunday, 28 February at 12pm on BBC Three. Each episode will be available to watch in BBC iPlayer for 30 days after broadcast.

Jodie’s byline picture is from Jack Alexander/Notion Magazine.

Comments made by writers on the BBC TV blog are their own opinions and not necessarily those of the BBC.

Jim Chapman’s guide to the vlogging life

2016-02-01T15:20:17+00:00

Jim Chapman has over 2.4 million video subscribers, 1.6 million Twitter followers, and is part of a family of extremely successful UK video bloggers. As Jim takes on his first documentary presenting gig in BBC Three’s Rise of the Superstar Vloggers, he explains the vlogging rules he lives by.

I always say that vlogging, to begin with at least, is a very anti-social way of being social. You can reach millions of people, but you never have to actually put yourself in the social situation of talking face to face.

It’s like a safety net to find out if being yourself will actually result in people liking you. If you watch my videos in some sort of chronological order, you can actually see how I begin to relax as my confidence grows. I rarely feel shy anymore.

This external content is available at its source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WlIblRn3NqQ

The first time I vlogged was exciting, but I didn’t really think much more of it than that. It’s not like I knew it was going to take off and grow into what it has become today. It was just a hobby, something I enjoyed to take my mind off the fact that I had no idea what I wanted my career to be.

Anyone can make videos. All you need is a camera, an internet connection and something to edit on. I don’t think that just because you can upload content that you'll make a success of it though. I actually think this is a good thing. If you make videos because you want fame then you’re doing it for the wrong reasons and the audience will see through it.

I still have no idea why people enjoy watching me and it scares me that they’ll realise I’m actually not that special. Sometimes I do suspect that this is the very reason it is so special though: I’m a really normal guy and get to take my audience on all the weird and wonderful journeys I go on. It’s not scripted or produced or false, it’s just me.

This external content is available at its source: Jim and wife Tanya pull funny faces for a picture

I think vlogging is contagious. My sisters (Sam Chapman and Nic Haste - beauty vloggers Pixiwoo) started, then my wife Tanya Burr, then me, then my brother John and his friend Leon, then Leon’s girlfriend...

Although it feels like you see everything, we all share only what we want to. We all have a 24 hour day just like everyone else and we’ll make a 10 minute video from that day. There is certainly a learning process involved though. When I first started, I felt a need to share everything and it got a bit too much for me, so I took a step back, realised where my boundaries were and re-evaluated.

On our wedding day, the last thing Tanya and I wanted to do was to keep getting our cameras out and miss the moments we wanted to share with each other. We actually had a no social media rule at the wedding. We just wanted all of our guests to have fun and take a day off with us.

This external content is available at its source: Jim Chapman and Tanya Burr on their wedding day

In general, I do think that people’s private space has become much smaller due to social media. But it’s important to remember that people only post what they want to. There is no automatic life update on Twitter. If people overshare, there’s probably a reason for it.

Presenting this documentary was really different for me. I’m so used to rambling on about whatever I want to, however I want to - there’s nobody giving me any feedback. But with TV all that changes.

I don’t think traditional media will ever disappear, but I certainly see that I am in the right place at the right time. This generation (and seemingly the ones that follow) tends to like the choice of the internet. They can watch shows with high production values and also see people like me attempt to bake a cheesecake and fail miserably.

This external content is available at its source: Jim holidays with other vloggers including Tanya Burr and Zoella

I think the moment you have to think about how real you are online is the moment you lose all credibility. This is the easiest part of my job: I’m me and I can’t not be. I’ve been doing this for about five years now and although I’ve grown up a little and my life has completely changed, I couldn’t fake who I am for all of this time.

But some platforms can be misleading. On Instagram, you may take 100 photos before you find the perfect one you want to post which can lead to a slightly altered version of your reality. Video content doesn’t give you that luxury. I film when I’m all sweaty and gross after the gym!

Jim Chapman is a vlogger and presents Rise of the Superstar Vloggers.

Rise of the Superstar Vloggers is broadcast on Monday, 1 February at 9pm on BBC Three. The programme will be available to watch in BBC iPlayer for 30 days after broadcast on TV.

Comments made by writers on the BBC TV blog are their own opinions and not necessarily those of the BBC.

What were the best TV moments of 2015?

2015-12-23T10:00:25+00:00

With 2015 almost at an end, it’s time to look back at the brilliant – and bonkers – TV witnessed over the past year.

From murderous soap plots to serious sporting achievements, here’s what Team BBC iPlayer picked.

Surprise whale alert on Big Blue Live

When you become a TV presenter, you probably don’t expect to be upstaged by a blue whale. But that was the position Steve Backshall found himself in this August. And he was thoroughly delighted about it.

This extraordinary moment - when he interrupted an interview to cut to live pictures of the biggest animal on earth – became an instant viral hit.

England do us proud in the FIFA Women’s World Cup

Women’s football was in the spotlight this year, with the Lionesses reaching the semi-finals of the Women’s World Cup for the first time. As ever, hopes were high that this time England’s luck would change. But sadly the team was denied victory by an agonising own goal in the 92nd minute of the game.

Doctor Who – just all of it, really

What other show could have its lead character rocking out on top of a tank one week, and delivering a powerful speech about the evils of war just a few episodes later? With all of time and space to play with, and a complex character at its heart, Doctor Who can do anything – and we sure saw that in these two glorious moments.

British triumph in the Davis Cup

The last time the UK won in tennis' Davis Cup, the Golden Gate Bridge had recently opened, the Spanish Civil War was raging, and King George VI was just getting comfy on the throne. So when Andy Murray won with the most majestic cross-court lob, a collective fist-pump rippled throughout the UK.

Jay’s jaw-dropping Strictly jive

We can forgive Bruno for getting characteristically over-excited at Jay McGuiness’ spectacular Pulp Fiction-inspired jive. Up until that moment, Jay had been mostly notable for how nervous he was, spending most of the show hiding behind his hair. But then something changed. Was it Aliona’s choreography? The cool costume? Whatever it was, Jay channelled the spirit of John Travolta and danced his way to the top of the leaderboard, and eventually claimed the glitterball trophy.

Serious sun-gazing

Stargazing Live returned again this March with hosts Professor Brian Cox and Dara O Briain, to observe the Solar Eclipse. And after a few tension-filled minutes when her plane was blown off-course, Liz Bonnin and a camera crew managed to capture the moment when the moon passed fully in front of the sun above the Faroe Islands, filming a rare astronomical occurrence for all to see.

Saga is back in The Bridge – hug at your own peril

Back and equally as brilliant as the previous series, The Bridge returned with a somewhat different Saga. Troubled, on edge, vulnerable - the ending of series two has clearly had a profound effect on her.

And if you needed further proof of the change in her, she even let Hans hug her in this emotional scene. It’s as heartfelt as it is awkward.

Nadiya Hussain winning the Great British Bake Off

Her quirky facial expressions (you always knew how she really felt) entertained us for weeks. And remember that cheesecake, with the can suspended mid-air? Or the giant chocolate peacock she made, feathers and all?

But it wasn’t just her mouth-watering bakes that won us over. It was the way she grew in confidence over the series and her speech at the end that touched us the most: “I’m never going to say I don’t think I can. I can and I will.”

Rowena Kincaid vs cancer

Speaking openly about having terminal cancer in her documentary Before I Kick the Bucket, Rowena bravely bared all.

You don’t often hear of someone picking out a superwoman costume to be buried in or trying out different coffins to find the comfiest one. But Rowena did all that on her quest to find out whether you really need a bucket list.

Nobody messes with Doctor Foster

Possibly the most complex character on our screens in 2015, Doctor Foster – played phenomenally by Suranne Jones - toyed with our emotions, kept us guessing and she left us wanting more.

Considering Suranne received the script just before going on her honeymoon, you would have forgiven her for passing it up. But luckily for us she didn’t.

Maisie Williams joins Doctor Who

Game of Thrones actress Maisie Williams burst onto our screens this year as the fiery Ashildr in Doctor Who. Whether it was launching a war against the Mire or carrying out highway robbery under the disguise of Knightmare (and let’s be honest, we haven’t quite forgiven her for Clara’s death yet), she has been responsible for some of the most gripping scenes of the series. And Maisie is equally watchable in real life, from her super-funny Vines to her very contagious laugh.

Who killed Lucy?

This external content is available at its source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABl9rl9Pqns

EastEnders’ most hotly-debated storyline this year has to be the Lucy Beale murder mystery. With lots of characters in the frame - the majority red herrings, as it turned out – no-one had their bets hedged on angel-faced Bobby Beale.

But the real plot twist came as protective stepmother Jane Beale misguidedly covered up the crime and was even prepared to take the wrap for baby Beale’s murderous misdemeanour. And luckily for Bobby, the Beales have kept his terrible secret well and truly hidden…

The Radio 1 Ibiza Prom

This external content is available at its source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xs3BXVTF7mw

Who’d have thought that combining Jules Buckley’s Heritage Orchestra and Radio 1’s Pete Tong would create such a dance masterpiece and a social media storm? Ibiza Prom was different to anything heard at the BBC Proms before. With every Ibiza classic from Fatboy Slim to Faithless being performed at the Royal Albert Hall, it was like being transported back to San Antonio.

Adele pranked her biggest fans

This external content is available at its source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHXjxWaQs9o

You’re a global superstar, you’ve been on a break for a couple of years – what better way to make a comeback than to surprise some of your biggest fans? When Adele disguised herself as one of the tribute acts auditioning for a fictional pilot TV show, no-one seems to catch on. But the look of sheer joy on her fans’ faces when she begins to sing (and the penny drops!) makes for some of the best TV of the year.

What were your greatest TV moments of 2015?

Josh Widdicombe and Tom Craine debate TV's best and worst flat-mates

2015-11-18T15:00:17+00:00

Hi. Tom Craine here. Stand-up comedian and Songs of Praise Christmas special soloist 1992. After spending 23 years dining off a pitch-perfect rendition of Once in Royal David’s City, I co-wrote the new BBC Three sitcom Josh with fellow comedian Josh Widdicombe.

It revolves around three flat-mates and their daily stresses. Flat-sharing is something most people experience at some point. In fact Josh and I lived together a few years ago, and I think it’s safe to say he’d suggest I was an incredible housemate: kind, wise, and with a body in peak condition. Not too muscly. Not too slight. Just right. And I, in turn, would like to take this opportunity to say that Josh was an absolutely fine flatmate. Perfectly adequate. Although he did have a slight belly.

So with our flat-share sitcom hitting the airwaves, and with our house sharing past, the nice people at the BBC have asked us to mull over some famous sitcom roomies, and how we’d feel about living with them…

Josh's pick: Men Behaving Badly

Neil Morrissey and Martin Clunes lived 90s lad culture in their sitcom

Josh: I hate to admit this in print, but when I was an impressionable teenager with dreams of being independent, drunk and anywhere other than Devon, living the impossibly 90s lifestyle of Gary and Tony seemed like a utopia.

Looking back at that now I shudder at my naivety: while Men Behaving Badly remains a brilliant sitcom, how did I ever aspire to Gary and Tony’s eternal adolescence? Consistent trips to an awful local pub, badly functioning relationships, weak lager, and long hours in boring jobs. Having now lived all of these experiences at one time or another I can report back to my 13-year-old self that the reality doesn’t match up to the dream.

Tom's pick: Friends

Rachel Green (actress Jennifer Aniston) was an early crush of Tom's

Tom: I’d enjoy living with this bunch, and not just because I’d get to live in a New York penthouse for diddly-squat. Joey, Monica and I have a love of food in common, while Ross could tell me about dinosaurs, and hopefully loudly enough to drown out Phoebe.

But best of all, I’d get to spend time with Rachel, my number one teenage crush. As a spotty adolescent with nothing to show for myself apart from a crisp packet pencil case, I remember feeling genuinely happy when Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston had marital issues… as if that gave me an in.

Josh's pick: Bottom

Rik Mayall and Ade Edmondson played the neighbours from hell in Bottom

Josh: A lot of problems here for me. Number one: I am quite scared by physical violence and consequently have never been in a fight. As a result I wouldn’t ideally choose to live with two men who would hit you in the face with a frying pan as soon as look at you.

Add this to cleanliness problems and issues with one of your flatmates having the surname Hitler, and you can count me out of this room ad. This is despite the obvious benefit that - for the first time - I'd be considered the household’s resident ladies’ man.

Tom's pick: Father Ted

This external content is available at its source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOWR2LPZ-TI

Tom: The issue here would be Dougal. I’ve had a dopey housemate before, and it was stressful. This was a man who once rushed to the loo after a big shop, and on finding no toilet roll, used a slice of bread.

Although I’m not this bad, I am a dopey person myself, so I need my flat-mates to offset this. In fact, on a recent romantic trip with my girlfriend, I managed to book a hotel room Ted and Dougal would’ve been proud of. Two singles and a dividing wall anyone?

Josh's pick: Josh

Landlord Geoff (Jack Dee) with tenants Kate (Beattie Edmondson), Josh (Josh Widdicombe) and Owen (Elis James)

Josh: For the sake of this article I should say I am presuming I am coming into this flat as a replacement for the character of Josh, rather than dealing with the glitch-in-the-Matrix scenario of sharing a house with someone with my name, face and voice.

I actually believe I would cope better with this set up than any other on offer in this article (for a start, I would find living with or near Jennifer Aniston impossibly intimidating). In fact, often after a day of filming, Elis James (who plays Owen) and I would discuss how even pretending to be these people made us miss the time when you lived with your friends and had no responsibilities. I am a nostalgic person by nature and I worry now that doing this sitcom has just been my way of returning to a house-share for one final time.

Tom Craine and Josh Widdicombe co-wrote Josh.

Josh continues on Wednesday, 18 November at 10.30pm on BBC Three. Each episode will be available in BBC iPlayer for 30 days after broadcast on TV.

Comments made by writers on the BBC TV blog are their own opinions and not necessarily those of the BBC.

Romesh Ranganathan proves even TV comedians get embarrassed by their mums

2015-10-01T16:31:37+00:00

Comedian Romesh Ranganathan very reluctantly agreed when his mum asked him to explore his Sri Lankan roots for new BBC Three show Asian Provocateur. So, much to Romesh's regret, we gave him and mum Shanthi a call to see what makes their relationship so special…

When is the last time you went on holiday together?

Romesh: Last time I went on holiday with my mum was when we went to Canada to see some family.

Shanthi: When we arrived at the airport, my relations came to pick us up, and the first thing they said was: ‘Romesh looks exactly like his father’, which brought me to tears. But just spending time with Romesh in Canada was such a wonderful experience. And the way he looked after me when I was there was fantastic.

Romesh: I’m a really good son.

Shanthi: He’s a really good boy. He has got so much love in him, but he doesn’t know how to express it. But when I went to Canada and when we went to Sri Lanka, I was thinking what a lovely boy he is.

Romesh: You can’t put any of this in by the way. I’m going to look like a right idiot.

Shanthi: No I’m telling the truth! It’s how I felt as a mother.

Romesh: Yeah but it makes me look like a…

Shanthi: No it doesn’t make you look like a mummy’s boy. It’s an inspiration for everybody because your mother is important to you.

Romesh: Yeah I’m a great guy.

Shanthi: Maybe. I’m very comfortable talking to Romesh about anything. Since my husband passed away we’ll have long chats, and he’s such a wonderful, kind person and I can ask him anything. I don’t feel sad, because when I think about Romesh he’s there for me. All the time. It’s such a nice feeling.

Shanthi hadn't seen how 'gracelessly' Romesh handled his fishing challenge

What’s your funniest memory of each other?

Romesh: When we were coming back from Canada, mum’s got a Sri Lankan passport, and the guy at customs looked at it and said: ‘You don’t have permission to return to the UK’. So I told him: ‘Well she does, she lives there’. And he said: ‘Not according to this passport. She’s not allowed to go back to the UK.’ And mum just started freaking out!

It was not funny at the time, but it was hilarious afterwards because then he just turned the page and went: ‘Oh wait, yes you do’.

Shanthi: Yeah it was shocking!

Romesh: It’s like, read the whole document! And mum was just freaking out. She’s like (adopts his mum’s Sri Lankan accent): ‘I’m going to kick him in his face! Read the whole bloody passport!’

Shanthi: Yes that worried me so much, I’m frightened to go to Canada again because of that experience. But the thing is in that moment we couldn’t say anything, because he could say: ‘No, you have to be investigated’ or something. So I kept my mouth shut.

Romesh: Yeah but then afterwards… (in mum’s accent): ‘I hope that man loses his job!’

Shanthi: I didn’t say that!

How did it feel to be part of a show together?

Shanthi: To work together with Romesh I found it very comfortable. He’d tell me: ‘This is what we are going to do mum.’ So I just carried on. I didn’t feel nervous or anything at all.

Romesh: The thing is that the whole point of the show is that we’re just like…

Shanthi: Shouting at each other.

Romesh: No not shouting at each other, I mean that just happened to happen, but basically it’s not a lot like doing a TV show because you’re just having these experiences, and we were chatting about them, and we were just filming it. So it was easy in that regard.

But mum was very good, she just got into it and she wasn’t nervous around the cameras and stuff, she was just herself which is exactly what we wanted.

Shanthi: What a compliment Romesh, thank you! I was surprised with myself that I wasn’t nervous at all.

Romesh: Let’s be absolutely honest mum, you do see yourself having a TV career. The crew told her that she was very good, she started quietly going to me: ‘I do believe they think I’m very good Rommy’.

I think for her, in an ideal world, series two would not involve me. It would be a spin-off show where mum’s like: ‘So we got rid of Romesh and now we can really get into the show.’

Shanthi: No, no, no (laughing) that’s what Romesh thinks! But I really enjoyed working with him. It was a fantastic, lovely experience. Sometimes I became emotional, thinking, ‘My god, I’m with my son, and they are filming me’, and then I have to control myself and get back to reality.

And the other thing is that he went and did all the spiritual things like going to the temple. He’s a religious boy. I never forced him to believe in anything. We are Hindu and Romesh always prays before he leaves the home. So I bless him with all my heart. It makes me cry sometimes, he’s such a wonderful son to have.

Romesh: I mean, mum, this is way over the top now. I’m supposed to be a comedian!

Shanthi: I’m telling you the truth Romesh, I don’t want to hide it. You know sometimes when you are facing each other it’s very difficult to express your feelings. You feel embarrassed. But I can’t see you now so I can say how I feel about you and the things I wanted to say. It’s a good opportunity for me.

Romesh: I think this interview was a mistake, I’m beginning to realise.

Shanthi: Is it? OK. Do you want me to keep my mouth shut?

Romesh: No! I’m joking, I’m joking.

Week one, and Romesh is having his head rubbed with a chicken...

Romesh, your mum describes you as a coconut in the first episode (white on the inside). What fruit would you say you are?

Romesh: I think I’m a mango. Just very sweet and lovely.

Shanthi: How can you call yourself a mango?! Darling you’re a coconut I tell you.

Romesh: And I would describe my mum as a pomegranate. No, a passion fruit, like, quite sour.

Shanthi: Oh! Thank you so much.

Romesh: She’s a lemon, my mum’s a lemon! Put that down.

Shanthi: Well when you do something wrong, I’m the only person who can correct you. Sometimes you take it in the wrong way and you don’t like it. But who else is going to tell you?

Romesh: Yeah, alright, thanks mum. You’re a lovely lemon.

Romesh Ranganathan is a comedian. He and his mum Shanthi appear in Asian Provocateur.

Asian Provocateur continues on Wednesday, 7 October at 10pm on BBC Three. Each episode will be available in BBC iPlayer for 30 days after broadcast on TV.

Comments made by writers on the BBC TV blog are their own opinions and not necessarily those of the BBC.

Top Coppers: Introducing a new wave of comedy talent

2015-08-26T09:19:48+00:00

C: For pretty much all of the regular Top Coppers cast, it’s their first kind of big outing - except John Hollingworth, who actually has quite a good role in Poldark and has a significant amount of fans already!

One of the big surprising introductions is Donovan Blackwood as Chief. Donovan has been with us since we created a mini-series of Top Coppers in 2010. We put out an advert online, then he just came and auditioned. He’s a session soul singer and he’d not done much TV acting, except for a part in Casualty where he fell off a ladder and got covered in blue paint about 10 years ago. But he came and auditioned and just blew it away.

Donovan Blackwood has played Chief since a 2010 mini-series of Top Coppers

A: It’s like he was born to be the chief, you couldn’t find a better person. He just is the chief. In every episode we have a song, and most of them are sang by Donovan too. He’s got this amazing soulful, deep voice.

C: Then playing John Mahogany you’ve got Steen Raskopoulos who was nominated best newcomer at Edinburgh Fringe last year. And Mitch Rust is played by John Kearns, who won best newcomer at Edinburgh two years ago and last year he won the Fosters Edinburgh award.

John can play a very unusual character, and it was just I think quite fortuitous that we’d also written this really weird character where we were going: ‘Uh who do we get to play THIS?!’ John’s just got something different.

John Kearns improvises about Rust's hatred of actors in this clip

C: For Mahogany, we probably went through maybe 50 to 60 auditions. It was tough because it’s probably the hardest character to play in the show. Mahogany has got to be the voice of the audience in a really surreal world. He’s our Father Ted.

A: He’s the closest to the audience, he’s the only one who can go ‘Um, what?’ you know, question what’s going on. But at the same time he’s ridiculous.

C: Yeah exactly, and that’s a hard part to play, there’s a lot of things to balance there. Steen did a chemistry audition with John and he was absolutely phenomenal. They had chemistry instantly but they met for the first time then in the room.

Gabby Best plays Helga, the precinct's no-nonsense forensics expert

A: And I think Gabby Best has done exactly the same with Helga. A lot of our friends think Helga is their favourite character, they just love her, even though she hardly says anything.

C: In an odd way, we’d written her character quite cold, obviously it’s a reference to Sarah Lund in The Killing and a lot of those sort of Scandinavian crime dramas in more recent years. But Gabby has such a natural warmth to her, that she’s made the character warm without losing any of her steeliness.

A: We’re also very lucky to have a fantastic cast and some really really good cameos in Top Coppers.

C: It was lovely to have Kayvan Novak back. And we got people from The Mighty Boosh, Simon Farnaby and Rich Fulcher. We seem to attract those Boosh kind of guys becausewhat the Boosh had of that kind of other-worldliness we have too.

The show's trailer features several star cameos

C: When we asked Alan Dale to play Mahogany’s father, he really took to it. He was filming a movie in South Africa at the time, so we just had to have him in the sound studio and recorded it all down the line.

The first time he called me I was on a beach with my girlfriend and we were climbing across some rocks when I got this call. So I answered it and started talking to him, and as we were talking she slipped and her foot went into this massive, deep puddle in the middle. So I was kind of like: ‘I’ll help you in a minute, I’m just on a call with Alan Dale…’ [laughs]. But she was somewhat starstruck that Jim Robinson from Neighbours was on the phone, so it was OK!

Cein McGillicuddy and Andy Kinnear co-created Top Coppers.

Top Coppers continues on Wednesday, 26 August at 10pm on BBC Three. Each episode will be available in BBC iPlayer for 30 days after broadcast on TV.

Comments made by writers on the BBC TV blog are their own opinions and not necessarily those of the BBC.

TV blog Feed

Must-see telly moments – on BBC iPlayer now

Be slightly freaked out by these extraordinary creatures of the deep

This properly funny Broadway-style number from Sweden's Eurovision hosts

Did Shakespeare invent the word ‘ceefax’?

This uncanny avatar who’ll represent you after you’ve died

The look Tommy Shelby’s face when he doesn't like what he’s hearing

Russell Kane: I'd like to travel with Jimmy Carr in his exploring shorts

What we discovered in 10 minutes with Zoe Boyle and Kerry Howard

Must-see telly moments – on BBC iPlayer

When you realise that Michael McIntyre has your phone - and has discovered the ‘send to all’ function

We don’t think Dawn O’Porter will be hiring Angela Scanlon as her stylist any time soon…

When an 18-year-old slips a goal of pure class straight past you…

Meet Pat, who has lovingly looked after almost 8,000 babies and counting

Must-see telly moments – on BBC iPlayer

Murdered by My Father: Creating characters with feeling

Must-see telly moments – on BBC iPlayer

Must see moments of the week – on BBC iPlayer

Botox, big bums and beauty: Producing Young, Welsh and Pretty Skint

13 things you need to know about Thirteen's Ivy Moxam

1. Ivy is very guarded

2. You’ll never fully understand who she is

3. Not everyone feels the same way about Ivy

4. Her family’s reaction was surprising

5. Ivy has to re-build a lot of trust

6. Her own sister doesn’t recognise her

7. Ivy just wants to be 13 again

8. But she doesn’t feel like a victim

9. She wants to move forward

10. Ivy has such great strength

11. She has to learn what it’s like to live again

12. We have to guess about Ivy’s past

13. Ivy’s experiences open your eyes

Jim Chapman’s guide to the vlogging life

What were the best TV moments of 2015?

Josh Widdicombe and Tom Craine debate TV's best and worst flat-mates

Romesh Ranganathan proves even TV comedians get embarrassed by their mums

Top Coppers: Introducing a new wave of comedy talent