Much Ado About Nothing

Very clever of BBC to use a virtually identical ITV regional news set for their parody of "Wessex News" in their modern remake of Shakespears's "Much Ado About Nothing".

I do wonder why they didn't use a generic BBC regional set - it surely would have been cheaper

Nothing like kicking ITV News when they're down

you're one of those posters that turns everything into an anti-itv slant arn't you?

Could you explain how a ITV style set on a BBC drama is kicking them while they are down?

I didn't mean it in that way, I am sure it's just coincidence

I am NOT "anti-ITV" in anyway, certainly in terms of their current presentation techniques (I will be sorry to see the 4 squares go ). ITV have spent considerable amounts of money updating their regional sets so that they look the same (We have the best one in Westcountry now for many a year).

I just think it is odd that a BBC production (won't know which independent produced it until the end) would use a set so similar to ITV regional news that they may of well have filmed it in one (perhaps they did).

ITV News/NC has taken some knocks over the last few weeks, because of the time-sharing issue with ITV4, I just think that either it's kicking ITV News when they are down or a remarkable coincidence that it parodies them (by mistake - of course )

May find out whether it's an in-house production if they do credits at 10pm

EDIT:
Mmmm....Horsebridge Productions & BBC Drama & Northern Ireland, perhaps it was all just a coincidence then

Whilst the set looked similar to an ITV Region - the opening titles was pure pre-corporate South Today.

AIUI the production team shadowed the South Today team for a day to get a feel for a regional news operation - so that might explain it...

Didn't see all of it - but the behind the scenes stuff was spectacularly unrealistic. You wouldn't find a director or PA wearing a moulded earpiece - only in-vision people are suppose to wear them for HSE reasons, and in many news galleries loud speakers and desk mics are used - though headset mics and occasionally headset earpieces are sometimes used.

The lighting on the floor was also very unusual - you'd not expect to see floor lighting stands in a studio - far too likely that a ped would hit them. That is why there is a lighting grid - though there are some occasions when you'd use a floorstand admittedly - you don't see them usually on a set like that.

(Also - the counts out were VERY quick...)

Intersting facts there Noggin - I stll wonder why they didn't follow a BBC regional team around. It looked realistic enough for me....and I suppose any other viewer not accustomed to the practices.

South Today is a BBC regional news programme...

I withdraw my comments about "Much Ado About Nothing" having a go at ITV News............. "Breaking News" on BBC2 was far better at poking fun at both BBC N24 & ITV NC..............and regional banter between male hosts and the weatherman!

.......I bet I missed half the jokes 'cos I was laughing so much! (especially liked "...and now time for the standing news" , with some poor actress walking around the set unneccesarily...up and down steps), and the US presenters trying to have conversations to make the news intersting (so FOX/ABC/CBS News)

LOVED IT !!!!!!!!!!!

See the website: Broken News

Aside from the sometimes obvious flaws in the way "Wessex Today" was produced - I found "Much Ado About Nothing" VERY good. Never been a fan of raw Shakespeare (though who is these days!) but KNOWING Much Ado About Nothing in the Shakespeare form made the BBC production absolutely fantastic. I don't watch loads on the BBC anymore, but this kind of production makes you realise they really still have got it.

Fantastic casting, fantastic scenario, fantastic acting and a great 90 minutes of commercial free television.

Not sure how you can stretch the point that far. The News Channel problems on Freeview have come to the fore in the last week or two. I would imagine that Much Ado About Nothing was probably shot earlier this year sometime. It's ridiculous to link the two in that way.

I'm closing this thread as the following two topics already exist in the other forum...
Much ado about nothing: http://www.tvforum.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=18397
Broken News: http://www.tvforum.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=18191