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ITV has been revising some of its crime drama television programs. The company has added new characters to its 'DCI Banks' TV series. It has also commissioned Red Production Co.'s 'Scott and Bailey.'

ITV director of factual and daytime talks Alison Sharman talks about her decision to replace 'GMTV' with 'Daybreak.' Sharman believes brands have to evolve in order to remain working and 'GMTV' was overdue to an overhaul. She also believes Adrian Chiles and Christine Bleakley have a unique partnership that is important to breakfast shows.

Television producer Phil Collinson shares his views about running UK's longest running and most established soap opera. Collinson compares the cultural significance of producing the show to directing the Royal Ballet or as guardian of a national museum. However, Collinson believed it was a massive privilege working on the show despite the intimidating level of responsibility.

Steve Morrison, chief executive of independent television production group All3Media, discusses All3Media's expansion plans. These plans follow successive acquisitions that resulted in All3Media becoming the UK's biggest independent production group.

ITV controller of factual programming Jo Clinton-Davis has been working to usher factual television programs into the mainstream. The company's celebrity authored documentaries have been an area of success. Clinton-Davis' career background and achievements are also given.

Television channel ITV2 is going to invest 1 million pounds sterling in a major off-air marketing push targeted at audience of 16 to 34-year olds. This amount will be spent on print advertisements in tabloid newspapers and celebrity gossip magazines. Some shows to be promoted in the marketing push are described.

Jonathan Stadlen, creative director at Pulse, says that the success of 'Pineapple Dance Studios' changed his view of pitching ideas for shows. The program's performance has allowed Pulse to develop a more ambitious show for Sky. Plans for the new reality TV program, 'Showbusiness,' are discussed.

All3Media production companies Lime Pictures and Objective Productions have partnered for the first time to create 'Fresh Meat,' a comedy drama for Channel 4. Jesse Armstrong and Sam Bain, creators of 'Peep Show,' are set to supervise the comedy drama, which will follow six student roommates as they get on their university education in Manchester.

Scottish comedian Billy Connolly will travel US Route 66 for a second ITV travelogue to be produced by Maverick Television. Connolly will explore landmark moments in United States history. He will also make stops to investigate contemporary aspects of US history.

Princess Productions has signed a deal with Channel 5 to make the TV program which will star Vanessa Feltz. The show is slated to become a regular in C5's schedule. C5 is seen to favor a magazine-style tone for the show.

The United Kingdom HM Revenue and Customs has blacklisted media accountancy firm Christopher Lunn and Co. The move is seen to result in tax problems and extra costs for thousands of television freelancers. The firm has made an urgent application for a judicial review.

Television writer Tony Warren shares his views on his creation 'Coronation Street,' as the TV soap celebrated its 50th anniversary party. Warren believes the show compares very favorably to its debut in 1960 and sees no reason that it would last for another 50 years. He also believed the show is good in the hands of a team of writers who he described as brilliant.

UK Culture Minister Ed Vaizey has announced that nine screen agencies will be restructured into Creative North, Creative Central and Creative South hubs, under the banner of Creative England (CE). John Newbigin, who will head CE, has assured independent producers that projects currently in production will be unaffected. How the move will affect the film industry is also discussed.

Christopher Lunn & Co. has informed its clients that it has commenced legal proceedings against Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) by questioning the manner the tax agency conducted the raid. HMRC has informed a large number of Christopher Lunn's clients that the company filed erroneous tax returns. Insights on the extension of deadline for querying tax returns are also given.

The team behind the television program 'Life On Mars' is going to create the drama series 'Eternal Law' for ITV. 'Eternal Law,' which is inspired by the classic British film 'A Matter of Life and Death,' depicts two angels sent to earth as lawyers in an effort to better understand the human condition.

Sally Head Productions is set to film the three-part television program 'What to Do When Someone Dies,' for ITV. The TV program is based on the novel by Nicci Gerrard and Sean French. It will be filmed on location in Manchester and London.

BBC could save up to 12 million pounds sterling a year by purchasing more documentaries, the Documentary Distributors Association said. The organization has urged the company to take a more 'enlightened' approach to buying films. BBC spends only 2.2 percent of Knowledge's content budget on documentary acquisition.

Denise O'Donoghue has been appointed as ITV Studios' United Kingdom managing director. O'Donoghue will be responsible for the production firms' UK commercial strategy. More high-profile appointments in the company are expected.

Channel 4 has ordered 50 episodes of the cookery TV program 'Cookery School.' Red House TV has been selected to produce the show. The show will be hosted by chef Gizzi Erskine.

ITV is planning to relocate its north-west operations to Salford. The company's news arm is set to move to a pre-existing building. ITV may take a space of around 60,000 square feet at the Trafford Wharfside development.

ITV Studios (ITVS) Global Entertainment has signed a first-look, multi-year global distribution deal with documentary producer Wild Pictures. Under the agreement, existing content and future productions of Wild Pictures would be sold by ITVS' distribution unit. Programs involved in the deal are described.

ITV chief executive Adam Crozier has blamed the Contract Rights Renewal (CRR) scheme for what he calls the 'remarkable lack of diversity' in ITV1. Crozier believes that the CRR scheme has led his company to pursue ratings to maintain ad revenues by scheduling banker brands. According to Crozier, the scheme also destroyed ITV's risk-taking and content-investing abilities.

BBC is planning to create a laboratory that will test next generation of digital and television formats. The company has entered into a deal with Conker Media to create the Digital Fiction Factory. The new unit will target BBC children's drama and radio commissioners for new commissions.

The trade union Broadcasting, Entertainment, Cinematograph and Theatre Union and accountancy firms are planning support groups for television freelancers affected by the HM Revenue & Customs' investigations of media accountants Christopher Lunn & Company. Involvement of Lunn's more than 7,000 clients on possible tax return irregularities is being probed by the HMRC.

All3Media International is investing in the development of mobile apps and other multiplatform projects. The company is working with Swipe Entertainment and The App Business to produce mobile apps for shows such as 'Undercover Boss' and 'Cash Cab.' It has also launched an app for ITV's gameshow 'The Cube.'

HBO has purchased BBC3's television program 'Lip Service.' HBO will show the series across South America. The television program is made by Kuros Production.

ITV has commissioned Hat Trick Productions to produce 'The Point of Rescue' television program. The series will star Olivia Williams and Darren Boyd. It is based on the novel by Sophie Hannah.

Television program distributors who attended the Mipcom in October 2010 expressed optimism over improved market conditions and brand-building content. In this event, distributors discussed about the emergence of Australia and Latin Americas as territories to do production. The potential for 360-degree brands to improve people's lives was also emphasized at Mipcom.

ITV has commissioned Wild Pictures to produce the television program 'London Zoo.' The show will investigate all areas of the zoo. It will also feature some of the Zoological Society of London's most exotic animals and staff.

United Kingdom-based DCD Media is set to acquire Steadfast. DCD has appointed Charles Thompson as creative director of its new division DCD Factual. The acquisition is part of DCD's plan for international expansion.

The United Kingdom HM Revenue and Customs will investigate television broadcasting industry freelancers' tax returns. The move comes as the agency investigates Christopher Lunn and Co. for alleged tax fraud. Concerns over omissions and understatement of incomes have been raised.

All3Media head Steve Morrison has warned that playing with the BBC license fee for political or demagogic reasons would be the same as 'pulling a pin out of a grenade' in the UK creative production sector. His statement came as a response to the BBC Trust's calls to hold the license fee at 143.45 pounds sterling over the next two years.

ITV is set to introduce the first social networking game devised for the British soap 'Coronation Street.' Corrie Nation will be launched on Facebook and on ITV.com, wherein fans are pit against each other to build a like-minded community of viewers who will utilize their knowledge of the drama. Insights on plans to generate revenue from the game are also given.

BBC3 has commissioned Endemol-owned Remarkable Television to make the 4 x 60 minute series 'Working Girls.' The series would have successful businesswomen to train whipped two different young women into shape through their paces over an eight day period. Insights on BBC3's other factual commissions with female-twists are also given.

UK television industry's top executives are set to participate in the Women in Film and Television mentoring scheme in order to balance the industry's deteriorating gender divide. The mentoring scheme was designed to encourage and support women to continue working in the industry. Insights on research findings about the widening gender gap are also given.

ITV chief executive Adam Crozier has been negotiating with independent television production firms in an effort to maximize value from their content. Crozier has reportedly turned down the idea of giving key suppliers longer commissions. Comments from executives are also given.

The United Kingdom government's relaxation rules on television advertising sales will have minimal impact on the television broadcasting industry. ITV1, Channel 4 and Five will no longer be required to sell all of their advertising minutes. The move is seen to result in lower advertising prices.

Research from consultancy firm Deloitte shows that UK broadcasters are not yet using social-networking websites to the fullest to lure audiences and generate advertising revenue. It has been found out that viewers making online comments on scheduled programming are an 'exception to the rule. Among 18 to 34-year-olds, more than 30 percent occasionally comment on what they are watching.

Hat Trick Productions is going to produce an adaptation of the Victorian period crime book 'The Suspicions of Mr Whicher' for ITV. The drama, with a cast to be led by Paddy Considine, is about the true story of Scotland Yard detective Jack Whicher's investigation into the murder of three-year-old Saville Kent. Other key production people in this drama are named.

Television production company Talkback Thames has answered criticisms that it failed to protect the welfare of ejected 'The X Factor' contestant Shirlena Johnson. Talkback Thames has stressed that its duty-of-care systems were robust and that the welfare of 'The X Factor' contestants are of primary importance. Johnson had been removed from the contest on medical grounds.

British Broadcasting Corp. has received complaints following the airing of its 'Panorama' documentary on the Israeli raid on a Palestinian aid flotilla. Lobbying from groups such as the Muslim Defense League is seen to have resulted in the surge in complaints. BBC has claimed the documentary was impartial and balanced in its investigation of the raid.

Television broadcasting industry groups in the United Kingdom have opposed the introduction of a six-day week contracts for freelance workers. Directors UK said the trend would put undue pressure to staff. Comments from executives are also presented.

ITV's CEO Adam Crozier has revealed plans to change its news strategy in the coming months during the ITV's interim results presentation. Crozier hinted a structural shake-up in which he will try to find a way to make news work commercially. Other details of ITV's agenda are discussed.

STV is undergoing a reinveinton following a recession that significantly decreased it advertising revenue. Rob Woodward, chief executive at STV, says that tapping into a particular commercial market will be vital to the company's overhaul. STV's plans for multiplatform content and adding more shows are also discussed.

British Broadcasting Corp. (BBC) staff are joining unions over plans to overhaul their pension scheme, with parallels being drawn with 2005. The NUJ and Bectu held meetings for members and non-members, with some being run twice. Both groups predicted that hundreds more would join in the run-up to a meeting with the BBC.

Steve Morrison, chief executive at All3Media, expects a double digit increase in the independent TV production company's 2011 profits. Morrison attributes the projected growth to the recovery of confidence in the TV industry. However, All3Media still has a bank debt of 256m pounds sterling.

ITV property-based game show 'May the Best House Win' will be made into a major series in the UK and adapted in Spain for Antena 3. The show was stripped for five days at 2pm on ITV1 in February 2010, averaging 1.19 million viewers. Remy Blumenfeld, director of formats at ITV Studios, stated that the television show is another original format from the company's growing portfolio.

ITV1, ITV's flagship channel, pulled in the worst audience in its 55-year history in June 2010 as BBC sport dominated the schedules. The channel's audience never climbed above a peak of 3.94 million viewers during a 'Lewis' repeat. ITV1 faced overwhelming competition from BBC.

The managing director of Google UK believes that British television broadcasters' willingness to experiment puts them in the vanguard of the online video revolution. Broadcasters in the United Kingdom were alive to the potential to reach new audiences online, resurrect archive footage, and find new advertisers.

The Documentary Distributors' Association (DDA) believes that the BBC and Channel 4 are 'short-changing' viewers by not airing enough acquired documentaries. The DDA has asked both companies to supply figures on their factual acquisitions, including the cost of documentaries that were commissioned versus acquired.