Just in case you're in the US – or live in the UK are something of a night owl/sky lark (or some kind of bird that gets up early) – I thought you'd like to know that USA Network is hosting a live video webchat with Matt Bomer and Tim DeKay tonight at 7pm ET/6pm CT (which would be 3am UK time, if I've done my sums right). In case you don't know, they're the stars of USA Network's White Collar, which is going to be shown by Bravo in the UK.
The webchat is going to be on the USA Network web site, and to keep yourself entertained until tonight – or to find out what White Collar's like – my review is back here. Or there's this here YouTube video.
Time for our regular look at what TV's on at the South Bank in London in April. Another month of not much, basically, but that's because we don't yet know what's going to be on during what looks like an awesome HBO weekend – previews of Treme and The Pacific, at least, by the looks of it – as well as a The Prisoner viewing and Q&A, and Alan Bennett in conversation.
Time for our regular look at what TV's on at the South Bank in London in March. The short answer is 'not much', bar a couple of iterations of Alice in Wonderland to coincide with Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland, although for film lovers, there is a 'blondes' season, at least – be still my beating heart.
9th/13th:Alice in Wonderland Directed by Jonathan Miller, and starring Wilfred Brambell, Alan Bennett and Michael Gough.
11th/15th:The Wednesday Play: Alice
The template for what became Dreamchild, this Dennis Potter-scripted drama mixes biographical detail with fiction to explore the relationship between Alice Liddell and Lewis Carroll. Stars George Baker, Rosalie Crutchley and Deborah Watling.
Champions' priority booking by phone: 11.30am February 1
Members' priority booking opens: 11.30am February 2
Public booking opens: 11.30am February 9
All shows are £5 on Tuesdays. Conc prices are available to senior citizens, students, unwaged and disability visitors. Proof of eligibility may be required.
As always, visit the BFI web site for more details
Although you can catch up with Lost's first five seasons in just eight minutes if you want, if you have 10 minutes to spare, the Reduced Shakespeare Company are planning on reducing Lost's first five seasons themselves
The final series of Lost starts on Sky1 and Sky1 HD on February 5th and to celebrate The Reduced Shakespeare Company are putting on one of their unique performances condensing the last 5 seasons into less than 10 minutes. The result will be performed in front of a live audience of Lost fans. The event takes place in Covent Garden, London on Thursday 28th January at 7.30pm.
To be in with a chance of getting a pair of tickets to the event all the fans have to do is email their name, contact number and the email address of their plus one to lostonsky1@sky.com. The winners will then be selected and notified if they have received tickets on Tuesday 26th January.
The Reduced Shakespeare Company is a three-man comedy troupe that have succeeded in abridging the complete works of William Shakespeare and even the complete word of God. So surely, the last 5 seasons of Lost will be a walk in the park.
I'm told there'll also be a video preview by Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse and the footage will be available after the event, so I hope to post that for those of you who can't make it or aren't lucky enough to get tickets. Good luck though everyone!
The YouTube one is unembeddable, but BAFTA itself has a nice vid of the recent event where Caitlin Moran of The Times interviewed Russell T Davies and Julie Gardner about Doctor Who. It's 25 minutes so go make yourself a nice cup of tea first. BAFTA also has some other vids as well, if you're interested, so click through to them if you have any more time after that.
UPDATE: BAFTA tell me they're going to take down the embedded version soon, so watch it here before it disappears, or watch it on their web site when it does.
UPDATE 2: BAFTA now tells me their one's going to stop working, but the YouTube one is now embeddable, so I've embedded that instead.
Time for our regular look at what TV's on at the South Bank in London in February. Not much this month, but the big highlight – by which I mean there's three events – is the TV remake season, which has an episode from an old show followed by an episode of a new show. There's also a CITV fun day with preview showings of Horrid Henry and Emu.
Time for our regular look at what TV's on at the South Bank in London in January. Highlights include a David Renwick season, Bernard Cribbins in conversation, a preview of the new series of Skins and Missing Believed Wiped, which offers a chance to see some newly returned episodes of Till Death Us Do Part and Top of the Pops.
It's true. It's not my competition, but it's true: you can win tickets to an exclusive West End screening of the first two episodes of ITV & AMC's reworking of The Prisoner with Jim Caveizel and Ian McKellen. Equally excitingly, it'll take place 48 hours after the US network premiere.
The competition's being run by ITV and the entry form is over here. Beat the rush while you can!
Time for our regular look at what TV's on at the South Bank in London in December. One hell of a lot of tele this month thanks to the second part of the Radical Television Drama season that started last month and because it's Christmas.
What will most be people interested in? I'm guessing the preview of David Tennant and Patrick Stewart's Hamleton the 14th. Notably, they don't say who's going to be at the Q&A, other than the director, but cross your fingers, hey?
Time for our regular look at what TV's on at the South Bank in London in November. Quite a lot of tele this month as part of the Radical Television Drama season, but nothing else except for the Queen in 3D. Seriously.
4th: The Wednesday Play: The Big Flame+ discussion with Tony Garnett Docu-drama following striking dockers in Liverpool.
4th: The Wednesday Play: Up the Junction + Diary of a Young Man (episode 1) Two Ken Loach films, one by Nell Dunn, one by Troy Kennedy Martin.
8th: The Wednesday Play: Vote, Vote, Vote for Nigel Barton + Play for Today: All Good Men Dennis Potter's attack on the party political system, followed by Trevor Griffiths's blistering polemic on the left/right struggle.
12th: TV preview: The Queen in 3D Yes, 3D films of the Queen that will be part of Channel 4's The Queen in 3D.
13th: Scum + Q&A The famous play set in a borstal that launched Ray Winstone's career. Q&A will include producer Margaret Matheson and writer Roy Minton.
16th: Play for Today: Bloody Kids Stephen Poliakoff's drama about a kid who fakes being stabbed in the chest
18th: TV sold to the highest bidder - Thatcher's television revolution Raymond Snoddy chairs a panel including Sir Michael Grade, Alasdair Milne, Tony Garnett and David Rose to examine the impact of Thatcherism on drama.
18th: Play for Today: The Black Stuff The play that spawned Boys From The Black Stuff.
19th: John Hill: from the The Big Flame to Leeds - United! How TV responded in drama to the industrial conflicts of the 60s and 70s.
25th: Play for Today: Leeds - United! + Q&A The fight of women clothing workers in Leeds for better pay in 1970. Followed by Q&A with producer Kenith Trodd, writer Colin Welland and director Roy Battersby.
26th: Oi for England + Made in Britain Neil Pearson in Trevor Griffiths' play about the National Front, followed by Tim Roth as a disaffected skinhead.
29th: Play for Today: United Kingdom + Q&A A left-wing council is removed from office after overspending. Directed by Roland Joffe. Q&A with producer Kenith Trodd.
Champions' priority booking by phone: September 28 Members' priority booking opens: 11.30am September 29 Public booking opens: 11.30am October 6
All shows are £5 on Tuesdays. Conc prices are available to senior citizens, students, unwaged and disability visitors. Proof of eligibility may be required.
As always, visit the BFI web site for more details
About the blog
This is a UK media blog with daily news, views, exclusive reviews and good conversation. There's a bit of a bias towards the latest and greatest US TV, but we also cover British TV ranging from new Doctor Who to old Z Cars, Property Ladder to Big Brother, and BBC4 to S4C – yes, this blog is firmly part of the conspiracy to promote all things Welsh where possible, particularly Caerdydd.
Add in film, theatre, art, books, events and media journalism and you've (hopefully) got one of the best places on the web for media lovers. Oh yes, and there's The Carusometer, the ultimate guide to quality TV.
About me
I'm Rob Buckley, a freelance journalist who writes for UK media magazines that most people have never heard of. I've edited Dreamwatch, Sprocket and Cambridge Film Festival Daily; been technical editor for trade magazine Televisual; reviewed films for the short-lived newspaper Cambridge Insider; written features for the even shorter-lived newspaper Soho Independent; and contributed sarcastic articles about television to the blink-and-you-missed-it "web site for urban hedonists" The Tribe. I'm freelance now and have contributed to the likes of Broadcast, Total Content + Media, Action TV, Off The Telly and TV Scoop. Have pity on me.
Read more on Friday's Sitting Tennant (week 11, 2010)