The Independent

By Alice-Azania Jarvis

In Dancing on Wheels, the BBC provided a welcome variation on the increasingly mindless string of dance programmes dominating our screens. Six wheelchair-users are paired with "celebrity" partners, and given the chance to compete for a spot representing Great Britain in the Wheelchair Dance Sport European Championships. Honestly, I'd no idea such a sport existed, though it seems that's not saying much. It is, apparently, practised in more than 40 countries by upwards of 5,000 competitors.

Admittedly, the programme's choice of celebrity was a little random (Heather Small from M People, anyone? Jake Dean off of Hollyoaks?), as are the judges (two dancers from Strictly Come Dancing and the former wheelchair-basketball player Ade Adepitan), though that's more than offset by Brian Fortuna. He was in charge of coaching the contestants and was completely brilliant. Gone was the sappy nice guy persona he maintains on Strictly, replaced instead by a kind of foul-mouthed New York stage school sass. When the peculiarly sideburned James (accompanied by TV presenter Caroline Flack) dared to criticise his choreography, he virtually hit the wall, leaping all over the place spitting profanities. He was perfect. Though I do wish he'd stop wearing that stupid baseball cap. Each week, one couple is eliminated. Last night, it was the lovely Carolyne and her partner, the former rugby league player Martin Offiah, which was a shame because they were one of my favourites. Now Carolyne's out of the running, I'm throwing my weight firmly behind Di to win. She's got a wicked sense of humour, and plenty of guts. Much to her delight, she's partnered by Mark Foster. "Aren't I a lucky girl?" she giggles. Actually, I'd say he's the lucky one.

The Guardian

•  

  • By Nancy Banks-Smith

In Dancing On Wheels (BBC3), half a dozen wheelchair users compete to represent Britain in a sport they have never heard of, the Wheelchair ­Dancing World Championship. Each is teamed with a nebulous celebrity. In charge is Brian Fortuna, very American ("Pity's bullshit! We're looking for them to go 'Holy Shit!'") and very apt to fly off the handle ("If you are not behind me, you can fuck off!").

Last night Simone, a Cambridge graduate, impressed the judges by flinging a Hollyoaks actor to the floor, something we have all wanted to do, and, after vowing they would not be voted out in the first round, Caroline and "Rugby League Legend" Martin ­Offiah were voted out. Brian was fit to be tied: "It just sucks!"

Next week: "Caroline has been ­puking all night. This could be a ­major problem!" Fun, fun, fun.

The Mirror

By Jane Simon

Ginger Rogers used to say that whatever Fred Astaire did, she did, too - only backwards... in heels. The novice ballroom dancers in this new series face an even tougher challenge - they're doing it on wheels.

Dancing in wheelchairs? It sounds like a TV format too far - and the celebrities partnering them, including Heather Small and Michelle Gayle, must have been a tad suspicious. But on the contrary as Strictly professional Brian Fortuna drills the couples, he sets the bar high as they compete for the honour of representing Britain in the European Wheelchair Dance Sport Championships. "We're not looking for the audience to have pity," Brian tells them. "We're looking for them to go, 'Holy s**t! I had no idea that was possible.'"

That said, you can't listen to their stories without feeling sympathy. For Diana, who lost both legs after a train accident, or for Caroline, suddenly paralysed after a blood vessel burst in her spinal cord. And when one couple is eliminated at the end of each week, it's much worse knowing that, unlike the contestants on Strictly, they're not just waltzing off to their next celebrity booking. But some give as good as they get, including one dancer who dares to tell Brian that his choreography is boring.

 Filmed last summer, there's no audience vote. Instead, Strictly's James and Ola Jordan and paralympian Ade Adepitan will be scrutinising their tangos and cha-chas tonight. This, then, is how they roll.

The London Evening Standard

Contestants will have to endure temperatures of minus 51C as they travel through 2,000 miles of wilderness from south Norway to North Cape, 400 miles inside the Arctic Circle. One will be sent home each episode.

Instead of bushtucker trials they will have to do tundra tasks which could involve swimming in freezing cold rivers, climbing glaciers and trekking across the frozen wastes.

ITV has ordered the first series of the format, called 71 Degrees North, and it will be shown later next year at a peaktime 9pm slot.

The format for 71 Degrees North is owned by a broadcast company in Norway, where it has been running for 11 years.

Fever Media boss David Mortimer said: "We'll be helping to supersize the show for ITV1, giving it a scale it hasn't had in the past."

Daily Mirror 

By Mark Jefferies

Celebs will be pushed to their limit as they trek to the edge of the Arctic in a frozen version of I'm A Celebrity.

In what is promised to be a "truly challenging" TV adventure, stars will trek over 2,000 miles of wilderness from south Norway to North Cape, 400 miles inside the Arctic Circle. One will be sent home each episode.

Challenges will include parachuting in mountains, kayaking in the midnight sun, climbing ancient glaciers and swimming frozen fjords.

David Mortimer of Fever Media, making 71 Degrees North for ITV1, said he hadn't been so excited by an international format since watching the Japanese show that became Dragons' Den.

The show has aired for 11 seasons in Norway and Karoline Spodsberg of Nordisk Film TV added: "We've seen a lot of manipulative reality shows, but this will be tough and truly challenging." The UK series will air late next year.

The Sun

THE BBC has finally signed up a member of the Jackson family for its Move Like Jacko talent show - brother Jermaine.
The Jackson Five star will be one of the judges on the programme, which will trawl the UK for wannabes who can dance like the late King of Pop.
Jermaine told TV Biz: "Michael was a superb dancer who inspired people across the world to master his moves and create their own unique routines.
"I'm really excited and delighted to be part of this show and look forward to finding the most talented and inspiring dancers."
Wannabes will have to master the Moonwalk and create new Jacko-style steps for the show, which kicks off on BBC3 later this year.

guardian.co.uk

Sky1 has commissioned a show fronted by comedian Bill Bailey about bird watching.
The six-part Bill Bailey's Big Bird Watch, made by independent production company Fever, will see the former Never Mind the Buzzcocks team captain reveal "glorious British landscapes and rare native birds", according to the broadcaster.
Bailey is one of a number of established stars snapped up by Sky1's new controller, Stuart Murphy, to front shows for the channel's autumn and winter lineup.
ky1 has commissioned a show fronted by comedian Bill Bailey about bird watching.

The six-part Bill Bailey's Big Bird Watch, made by independent production company Fever, will see the former Never Mind the Buzzcocks team captain reveal "glorious British landscapes and rare native birds", according to the broadcaster.

Bailey is one of a number of established stars snapped up by Sky1's new controller, Stuart Murphy, to front shows for the channel's autumn and winter lineup.

 Unreality TV Primetime

I spent most of this show alternately lifting my feet up off the floor and itching. The former was because the sight of rats scurrying around on the TV made me instinctively feel like they were running round me, and the latter because we were treated to a scene where big fat bed bugs were rampantly taking over a teenaged boy's bedroom.

Welcome to the workaday lives of Ricky and Jimmy Clark, Pest Controllers. Their third team mate is terrier Charlie who loves nothing more than hunting out rats. According to Ricky, London's rat population is booming with an increase of around 400% this year. That's scary, and yet again, I'm patting myself on the back because I live up North where there are - I'm sure - rats, but I don't think they out number people. I hope.

So this show took us into the heart of the action with Ricky, Jimmy and Charlie who dealt with not only rats last night but a rotting dead cat, a frenzied trapped pigeon and the aforementioned bed bugs...

They're a cheerful team who aren't fazed by much but one of them farts a lot when he's excited, which causes something of an unpleasant odour in their van. I'll let you guess which one is the culprit.

However, flatulence aside, these guys make a pretty crack team really; the humans drag out furniture and empty out suspect sheds, thereby giving Charlie the space he needs to do his bit, which involves massive amounts of sniffing, excited whining and positively manic chasing before the inevitable kill.

We saw Charlie performing at his rat assassin best when a rat jumped clean out of a bucket then shot up a drain pipe. See, I'd always just thought that "like a rat up a drain pipe" thing was just a saying, but apparently not. So that makes me think that the horror stories one hears of rats popping up in the loo while you're on it may also be true... my blasé approach to sitting on the white porcelain throne may not be so blasé in future.

Anyway, Charlie got his man, or rat, when it finally came out of the drainpipe. The happy terrier shook it to death then wanted to play with it for a bit. But there are hazards for Charlie; he might get bitten and he might get worms or fleas, so regular trips to the vet are in order. The one we saw last night involved Charlie getting an injection, and he wasn't a happy hombre about that at all. Quaking like a little puppy, he endured the jab and the undignified muzzle with a sort of accepting but begrudging good grace, but it was easy to see he'd rather face big rat's teeth than a vet any day.

Ricky and Jimmy were full of tales of past conquests, bug and rodent wise, and they waxed lyrical on the relative merits of chocolate, peanut butter or - Jimmy's personal weapon of choice - Nutella as bait for traps. Rats, it seems, have a sweet tooth, so traps baited with sugary treats are most likely to yield a corpse for the lads. Result.

Next week, we're to see Jimmy almost crashing the car he's learning to drive in as well as how some fearsome looking traps are to be the curtain call for some pesky squirrels. But it's all in a day's work for The Rat Pack.

This was a really good fun watch, albeit a rather gross one, but the nice thing about this rat pack is that - like their namesakes - they're charming, handsome and have an easy wit. And, they don't take themselves too seriously.

METROLIFE

By Sharon Lougher

I never thought anyone could make pest control look fun but Ricky Clark manages it. He begins this entertaining and informative documentary series positively gleeful as he explains how his Jack Russell can sniff out a rat and break its neck in about two seconds. He and younger brother Jimmy have been kept very busy since they set up business three years ago, though Ricky still squirms when he encounters bed bugs, the one pest he actually can't stand. Him and me both!

BBC WEBSITE

Singer Heather Small, gold medallist Mark Foster and actress Michelle Gayle are among the celebrities that will be dancing with wheelchair users in a groundbreaking new six-part series for BBC Three uniting wheelchair users and celebrities in a dance competition with a difference.
Actor Kevin Sacre, rugby legend Martin Offiah and presenter Caroline Flack are also set to partner wheelchair users who have never danced before - with only five weeks to master everything from the cha-cha to the paso doble.

The wheelchair users are: Simone, a 22-year-old Cambridge graduate; Diana, a 48-year-old magazine editor and mother; 27-year-old Carolyne, who enjoys nothing more than a night out; James, a cocky 31-year-old whose impressive acrobatic ability puts most able-bodied people to shame; Paul, a 24-year-old festival-goer who is looking forward to Glastonbury this summer; and 23-year-old Harris, who recently got married to a girl he met whilst travelling in Thailand.

They will all be learning the art of Wheelchair Dance Sport, a popular international sport where at least one dancer is a wheelchair user. Wheelchair Dance Sport is practised widely by athletes in 22 countries, with competitions and championships held across the world. In Dancing On Wheels (working title), the couples will be compete in the \"combi\" event where a standing able-bodied dancer partners a wheelchair user. The winning couple will go on to represent the UK at the Wheelchair Dance Sport European Championships in Israel this autumn.

Danny Cohen, Controller, BBC Three, says: \"This is a really important project for BBC Three, and underlines our commitment to covering disability in a mainstream way following the success of Britain\'s Missing Top Model last year. \"The series will be surprising, fun and glamorous.\"
Lead choreographer Brian Fortuna, a professional ballroom dancer who appeared in the last series of Strictly Come Dancing and who has been teaching wheelchair dancing for the last eight years, will be putting the couples through their paces. Under the guidance of Brian and some of the other top names in dance, the couples will be trained intensively each week to compete in a variety of exhausting and challenging dance disciplines as they battle for supremacy. A panel of judges will decide each week which couples stay in the competition. The judges will then select the two strongest couples who will get the chance to take part in a final dance-off, before a winning couple is chosen to represent Britain in the European Championships in October 2009.

Dancing On Wheels will be made by Fever Media. David Mortimer, Managing Director at Fever, says: \"We\'re so excited to be back in business with BBC Three and can\'t wait to launch our search to find Britain\'s best new wheelchair dance talent. \"Wheelchair Dance Sport is every bit as graceful, glamorous and entertaining as regular ballroom, so we can all look forward to some amazing action.\"

The series was ordered by Harry Lansdown, BBC Three\'s new Commissioning Editor for Features, Formats and Specialist Factual. The executive producer for Fever Media is David Tibballs. The programme will be shown later this year.

THE SUN

STRICTLY's Heather Small and Mark Foster have signed up to another dance show - this time partnering wheelchair users.
Singer Heather and swimmer Mark will be joined on BBC3's Dancing On Wheels by soap star-turned-singer Michelle Gayle and rugby's Martin Offiah.
Kevin Sacre - boyfriend of Strictly pro Camilla Dallerup - is also lined up.
Wheelchair users include Cambridge graduate Simone, 22; Diana, 48, a magazine editor and mum; Carolyne, 27, who enjoys nothing more than a night out; James, 31, whose acrobatics put most able-bodied people to shame; and 23-year-old Harris, who recently wed a girl he met in Thailand.
The couples will learn Wheelchair Dance Sport in which at least one dancer is a wheelchair user.

THE SUN
Editor: Sara Nathan

BBC chiefs have come up with a new Strictly Come Dancing... for people in WHEELCHAIRS.

Disabled competitors and an able-bodied partner will perform all the dances seen on the hit BBC1 show - from the Foxtrot to the Tango.

Wheelchair DanceSport is a fast-growing activity with more than 5,000 dancers in more than 40 countries.

Sue Cummings, 52, national coach of the Wheelchair Dance Sport Association UK, who has helped out telly producers, told TV Biz: "This is a brilliant idea.

"The only dance we don't do is the Can Can because we Can't Can't - but only because I haven't yet worked out how you do the splits in a wheelchair!"

The BBC3 show is a follow-up to last year's Britain's Missing Top Model, where eight disabled girls battled it out to win a fashion shoot in Marie Claire magazine.

BROADCAST MAGAZINE

Author: Chris Curtis

Peter Bazalgette will work alongside Simon Cowell's Syco TV after being drafted in as non-executive chairman of Sony Music TV

Former Endemol chief creative director Bazalgette, who has worked as a digital media consultant since he quit the Big Brother producer in late 2007, will work closely with Sony Music chairman and chief executive officer Ged Doherty.

Bazalgette told Broadcast he was brought in to advise Doherty and would help stimulate growth and develop strategy for the Sony Music TV businesses.
"Ged has a very big and successful business which he has built through diversifying,\" said Bazalgette.

\"He has interests in Syco, The X Factor and Fever Media. My role is to advise him on ways of further diversifying in the TV and digital media direction. This could mean anything from the exploitation of existing assets to future deals, and [developing] the synergies across the business. We are all working as a team."

However, Bazalgette said he would not be coming up with ideas for hit shows. "Ged and Simon certainly do not need help there," he said.

Bazalgette, who will not be based at Sony, said he did not have a fixed number of days dedicated to the company, but that he expected to work for it for "a few days a month, initially".

BROADCAST MAGAZINE
Author: Will Hurrell

Fremantle will represent Fever's entire slate of formats and finished programmes outside the UK and Fever will co-produce with Fremantle's North American production arm in the US.

The deal is being funded through Fremantle's £26m Talent Fund, set up a year ago to invest in talent partnerships around the world. Comedian Rob Brydon's indie, Arbie, was set up last summer through the fund.

Fever was launched in 2006 by former BBC executives Richard Hopkins and David Mortimer, key figures behind Strictly Come Dancing, Dragons' Den and Louis Theroux's Weird Weekends.

The former deal with BBC Worldwide was signed soon after Fever was set up, but the producer has chosen not to renew it.

"BBC Worldwide was keen to re-sign but we thought it was now right that we open ourselves up to other areas of the market," said Hopkins and Mortimer, Fever's managing directors.

BBC Worldwide will continue to distribute Fever's content which fell under its previous deal with the producer.

Fever's recent credits include Fortune: Million Pound Giveaway and No Place Like Home for ITV and The National Lottery People's Quiz on BBC1

BROADCAST MAGAZINE
Author: Kate McMahon

ITV is resurrecting one of its most successful peaktime factual shows from last year as a stripped daytime format.

ITV controller of daytime Adam MacDonald and director of factual and daytime Alison Sharman have ordered a 30 x 60-minute run of No Place Like Home from indie Fever Media.

The show features ex-pat British families having second thoughts about their move overseas. Each family makes a trip back to the UK, where relocation expert Catherine Gee helps them weigh up whether to return permanently.

Last year, the show averaged 4 million viewers over three episodes, a share of 18.7%.

The series will be executive produced by David Tibballs and David Mortimer.

Mortimer said the series would celebrate Britain and be "a brilliant antidote to all those programmes that claim to show how wonderful life is abroad".

MacDonald said: "Viewers are more discerning and want peaktime values during the daytime schedules." He also plans to commission more general knowledge-based quiz shows for 2pm and 5pm slots.

Meanwhile, the factual and daytime teams are on the hunt for a programme to rival BBC1's Who Do You Think You Are?. Sharman said she wanted to extend ITV1's growing array of authored journeys with a format that features a different celebrity each episode. "We are not looking for a genealogy format, but we need to find the new Zeitgeist topic that taps into everyone's hopes, dreams and fears," she said.