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Terrestrial Christmas Schedules Confirmed Mon 24th November

(November 2003)

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ST
STEVE 03
According to 'The Sun Online' the BBC and other terrestrial channels will announce their Christmas schedules for the first time next Monday 24th November, so hopefully, the usual rough early Christmas guides will be released in the daily newspapers on Wednesday or Thursday next week.
The Sun Online has also confirmed that the big BBC1 movie on Christmas Day will be the Robert De Niro film 'Meet the Parents'. There will also be two more big films showing over the Christmas fortnight including 'Stuart Little' and 'What Women Want' with Mel Gibson.
The article goes on to say that the last ever Only Fools and Horses will be the big primetime show for Christmas Day night, which includes a scene in which Del Boy and Rodney ''loose'' their home Nelson Mandella House. Also a festive edition of Absolutely Fabulous, The Office and My Family will be shown, plus a double bill of EastEnders episodes.
It all sounds very good up to now. I also hear that BBC2 will be showing a brand new episode of 'Porridge' featuring Ronnie Barker's return to TV.
DV
dvboy
The papers will have their layouts, previews and guessed schedules all ready so on Monday they just have to fill in the gaps. They'll be on the shelves Tuesday morning probably.
BB
BBC LDN
Worryingly, perhaps, the 'highlight' of C4's Christmas Day line-up will be Live From Mars coming - oddly enough - live from Mars as Europe's Beagle II spacecraft attempts to land on the surface of the red planet and, one assumes, fail miserably in a vast ball of flame.

Only if the latter occurs will this make remotely interesting viewing.
HC
Hatton Cross
I have a feeling The Sun is getting it's dates mixed up.
In previous years the xmas tv countdown has been this..

20th Nov - 25th Nov (changes yearly) Tabloid suppliments (with loads of TBA's)

1st week December - Press launches of Xmas Season telly + first sighting of Christmasy top and tailed promos

1st full weekend in December - Double issue Radio Times ect, groans the shelves of WH Smiths etc.etc

Next Monday is very early to be annoucing schedules and programmes.
ST
STEVE 03
I think as far as I can make out the BBC and other terrestrial channels are confirming only the 'highlights' for over the Christmas fortnight. The schedules themselves are normally finalised the first week of December. The announcements for the hiighlights for the terrestrial Christmas schedules usually come the final week of November when the newspapers publish the TBC schedules.
I think from after next Tuesday the weekly TV listings mags such as Radio Times & TV Times are released every Saturday until w/c 20th December which will be the Christmas issues, usually released around the 10th December in the shops.
AD
Adam
Out of interest did BBC One have a 10 min Preview Programme Highlighting the best Christmas Programmes last year? They had one for Christmas 2001.
NE
Neil__
BBC LDN posted:
Worryingly, perhaps, the 'highlight' of C4's Christmas Day line-up will be Live From Mars coming - oddly enough - live from Mars as Europe's Beagle II spacecraft attempts to land on the surface of the red planet and, one assumes, fail miserably in a vast ball of flame.

Am I right in thinking that E4 is doing some live streaming surrounding this event? Something like 20 hours a day live coverage of Mars.

Of course, it won't be that interesting unless they remove the wrapper.
CO
Corin
BBC LDN posted:
Europe's Beagle II spacecraft attempts to land on the surface of the red planet and, one assumes, fail miserably in a vast ball of flame.

Well we all know how the Martians have greeted and treated the last few probes that have been sent there.

I mean, would you be happy with alien space craft landing in your back yard and poking their probes around your rock collection?
MU
mulder
STEVE 03 posted:

It all sounds very good up to now. I also hear that BBC2 will be showing a brand new episode of 'Porridge' featuring Ronnie Barker's return to TV.


It was Fawlty Towers a few months back! There was a rumor that John Clease had been given a hell of a lot of cash for it. I dunno about this.
FA
fanoftv
mulder posted:
STEVE 03 posted:

It all sounds very good up to now. I also hear that BBC2 will be showing a brand new episode of 'Porridge' featuring Ronnie Barker's return to TV.


It was Fawlty Towers a few months back! There was a rumor that John Clease had been given a hell of a lot of cash for it. I dunno about this.


I dont think faulty towers is coming back, at least not this year. They had the actress that plays OF&H Cassandra on Des & Mel today. She was saying that it could be the last one, and they have had the emotional goobye with everyone, but they have done that twice before. She also said that Cassandra is pregnant, and they have got theirselves into trouble (she didnt answer Des' question about having to be evicted from Nelson Mandela house, she just said they had got themselves into trouble again!).

I dont think it's porridge as such. Its the actors/actresses of classic sit-coms that are coming back and in character telling their life since the sit-com finished. A bit like Talking Heads. I think they have Ronnie Barker (as fletch), and Penelope Keith.
MU
mulder
STEVE 03 posted:

I dont think it's porridge as such. Its the actors/actresses of classic sit-coms that are coming back and in character telling their life since the sit-com finished. A bit like Talking Heads. I think they have Ronnie Barker (as fletch), and Penelope Keith.


This actually sounds like a kind of good idea, as long as it's done well. I think it could be what all those Fawlty Towers rumors were about a couple of months back. It would make more sense than bringing back a long gone sitcom for a Xmas ep. Mind you, they did it to Butterflies (for comic relief I think), but that was a bit more do-able.

35 days later

CO
Corin
Corin posted:
Well we all know how the Martians have greeted and treated the last few probes that have been sent there.

As predicted, them there Martians have been at it again, and another probe disappears.

With what did Channel4 replace the planned live coverage from the Martian surface?

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