'Weakest Link' to replace 'Neighbours'

FROM DIGITAL SPY

The Weakest Link will move to BBC One and replace Neighbours when the long-running Aussie soap moves to Five next month.

It is understood that CBBC programming on the channel will start 20 minutes earlier at around 3pm to allow the game show to run for its regular 45 minute length, longer than Neighbours' current 25 minute slot.

Rumours that Link would move to One surfaced in November, when CBBC controller Richard Deverell told a commissioning conference that children's programming would remain on the channel regardless of what was ultimately selected to replace Neighbours.

The soap is expected to start airing on Five on February 11.

Wasnt sure if this generated a new thread or to put it in the existing CBBC thread. If I generated a new thread, I would have been shouted out by the existing thread police and if I stuck the news into a current themed thread I would have been shouted out by the should have started a new thread police.

More importantly, does DS get their news firsthand or is it pinched from secondary sources and then just the wording changed slightly?

What will replace it on BBC2, then? The speculation starts now...

A BBC spokesperson has also confirmed Neighbours leaves BBC next month

"He also confirmed that Neighbours is due to leave BBC1 next month, when the new schedule will be introduced."
From MediaGuardian

This stops speculation that five will start showing 2008 episodes while BBC are still showing 2007 ones.

So as usual whenever BBC1's in trouble they raid their sister channel and pass the problem on...


CBBC is the real issue here - this move is probably another nail in the coffin for Blue Peter. It would make more sense to move CBBC entirely to BBC2 to let it had a later slot, and then for BBC1 to run a "daytime" schedule uninterrupted throughout the afternoon.



What happened with this Aussie soap the BBC were said to have commissioned?

I am assuming it is still in pre-production i.e. casting etc as they ahve not yet started to film!

Much of the news articles are taken from other sources and slightly reworded.

What happened to "Out of the blue", the ozzie soap that was meant to replace neighbours.

Weakest Link replaces Neighbours

Anne Robinson's quiz show The Weakest Link will replace Neighbours when the Australian soap opera is dropped from the BBC One schedule.
The change means children's shows, such as Blue Peter, will be shown at an earlier time in the afternoon.

The long-running soap will move to Five from 11 February after the BBC pulled out of bidding for the show last year.

The Weakest Link has been one of BBC Two's top series - and a hit around the world - since it first aired in 2000.

A BBC spokesman has insisted that the move would not affect its commitment to showing children's programming.

"We're committed to showing 130 minutes of children's programmes on BBC One," he said.

Shouldn't they credit their source, I did at school.

Most would come from press releases / the wires etc. though - the only other places they source regularly are the likes of MediaGuardian, and they usually credit them.

Weakest Link to replace Neighbours? Oh there's a suprise