ITV

Channel 4, ITV and Sky join forces to promote healthy eating and exercise for children

(credit: ITV)

The three-year partnership aims to tackle obesity in young people by reaching 90% of UK children through the TV. 

The health and wellbeing initiative hopes to change long-term behaviour towards eating and exercise across all communities.

‘Eat Them to Defeat Them’, an advertising campaign partnership between Veg Power and ITV, aims to increase vegetable consumption among children, of whom 80% do not eat enough.

Who’s singing on X Factor: Celebrity?

This series, wannabe popstars looking for their big break will be replaced by celebrities who will sing their hearts out to try and impress the judges.

The line-up includes reality stars, soap stars, models and sporting stars, with Louis Walsh and Nicole Scherzinger joining Simon Cowell on the judging panel.

Cowell is serious about finding a new singing sensation among the celebrities, with a record deal on offer for the winner.

Meet the contestants who are hoping to become the next X Factor champion.

 

ITV announces Ant & Dec documentary

Ant and Dec (credit: ITV)

Ant & Dec’s DNA Journey will follow Ant and Dec as they attempt to uncover their ancestral roots with the help of expert genealogists and historians.

Using their DNA, the duo’s journey will take them to Ireland and the US, meeting far-flung relatives along the way. The show will reveal some astonishing truths about both Ant and Dec’s heritage, including celebrated war heroes, ‘historically important’ ancestral bones and even Royal descendants.

TV producers discuss the importance of locally produced drama in Dublin

Zoe (Amy Manson) in Raw (Credit: RTÉ, Ecosse Films & Octagon Films)

Remaining “local” in terms of story, themes and talent was key. In fact, Paul Marquess – MD of PGM TV and a veteran of soaps including Brookside and Hollyoaks – argued that what worked, in his experience, was being “very local”. 

Marquess said: “It is much harder to build a franchise with global appeal… but there is a huge appetite for quality English-speaking drama.” He called for more locally produced drama in Dublin, adding: “This is a cool place!”

TV writers give a masterclass in scriptwriting for RTS Scotland

April Chamberlain, Lorna Martin and Stuart Hepburn (Credit: Ben Gallacher)

Lorna Martin, who won the inaugural Writers Award at the RTS Scotland Awards in June, encouraged would-be writers in the audience to put pen to paper: “People want your story. There’s so many production companies and they want content.”

Martin – who adapted her best-selling book, Woman on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, for UKTV channel W and RTÉ2 (Women on the Verge) – continued: “Look for the type of production company whose shows resonate with you or [make] shows you like – I think that’s crucial.”

She added: “And send them a nice email.”

ITV cooks up new Sunday morning shows

Nadia Sawalha in Loose Women Late: Girls Night Out (Credit: ITV)

Nadia’s Family Feasts

Presenter and actor Nadia Sawalha will get households ready for the busy weeks ahead with her family recipes in her new cooking series Nadia’s Family Feasts.

Sawalha, who won Celebrity MasterChef in 2009, will be joined by a guest chef each week and together they will cook breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert.

Each episode will be themed around different cuisines including British, Chinese, French, Indian, Italian, Middle Eastern and North American.

Live blog: Content, Consumers and Everything In Between

McCall is joined by Susanna Reid, Neil Mortensen, Kevin Lygo and the consumer panel in Leeds with Ranvir Singh, as they discuss a wide ranging look at the challenges and opportunities for the television industry in a fast-changing world.

Chairs

Susanna ReidJournalist and Broadcaster 

Ranvir Singh, Journalist and Broadcaster

Speakers

Emily Watson to star in adaption of Too Close

Emily Watson (Credit: Pierre Vinet)

Too Close follows Dr Emma Robinson (Emily Watson), a forensic psychiatrist who is assigned to assess Connie, a patient accused of a terrible crime that she cannot remember committing.

Robinson attempts to determine if Connie is fit to stand trial and learns of a complicated relationship between Connie and her beautiful best friend Ness, who appears to have a strong influence on her mental condition.