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'Top Gear' host Chris Evans bails after poor comeback ratings
After a single season at the helm, Chris Evans is stepping down from Top Gear. The presenter, which took over from Jeremy Clarkson and his fellow partners in crime, James May and Richard Hammond, said on Twitter: "(I) gave it my best show but sometimes that's not enough. The team are beyond brilliant, I wish them all the best." The latest series of Top Gear, which wrapped up last night in the UK, has been battered by low audience figures and scathing reviews, both from critics and fans. Replicating the success of the Clarkson era was always going to be difficult, however, when so much of the show's appeal was attributed to the old presenters.
Check out the BBC's new 'Robot Wars' House Robots
After a long hiatus, the much-loved gladiatorial game show Robot Wars is returning to the BBC. The new series, which will consist of six hour-long episodes, is bringing back the old House Robot gang to smash, drop and ultimately humiliate contestants. Only this time, they're bigger and stronger. Sir Killalot weighs a whopping 741 kilograms and can lift 300 kilograms -- roughly the weight of three competitor robots -- with each arm. Dead Metal's circular saw spins at 4000RPM and can cut through almost anything. Shunt's axe takes a quarter of a second to fire. Matilda's tusks can flip up to 1.5 tonnes. Together, they're a formidable bunch.
BBC to put major new drama series on iPlayer before it airs on TV
While the BBC is increasingly choosing to air new programmes on iPlayer before they appear on TV, the broadcaster has typically restricted output to low-risk shows and specials. However, with its new supernatural drama, The Living And The Dead, the Beeb has decided it's time to change that mindset -- it'll debut all six episodes this Friday (June 17th), two weeks before they start being broadcast on TV.
The BBC takes its first steps into 'true VR'
The BBC is in something of an enviable position. As part of its duty to "inform, educate and entertain," the broadcaster is effectively mandated to innovate -- to explore new technologies that can better serve the public. This is the job of BBC R&D, which is looking to virtual reality as a new way to tell stories, without the same commercial pressures other broadcasters face. There's a certain freedom in this, and it's allowing the BBC to go beyond 360-degree video and dip its toe into more immersive "true VR" experiences, with the first of these being published today.
BBC Micro:bit computer now available to all for £13
After a couple of unforeseen delays, the BBC finally began delivering Micro:bit computers to Year 7 students across the UK in March. With the objective of distributing free microcomputers to an entire year group nearing completion -- around 80 percent of schools have received theirs to date -- it's time to let anyone else with an interest in coding loose on the little device. Pre-orders open today at element14, which manufactures the palm-sized 'puters, Microsoft's online store and many other resellers, with the first shipments expected in July.
Courts told to look down on licence dodgers with pay-TV subscriptions
If all goes to plan, the new BBC Charter will close the "iPlayer loophole" from January next year. That would mean anyone watching the broadcaster's content would require a TV licence, regardless of how they're accessing it -- more money for the BBC and, if you want to be cynical about it, more dodgers to catch. Coincidentally, the Sentencing Council has today proposed new sentencing guidelines for Magistrates' courts, one of which covers "TV licence payment evasion." In it, the courts are told to consider additional subscription television services a factor that increases offender culpability. Basically, don't pretend you can't pay the licence fee when you've got a Sky Q box under your TV, and don't try to claim you missed all the BBC channels listed on your TiVo EPG.
BBC cuts Food and Newsbeat sites to save £15 million
The BBC has announced plans to close a string of sites and services including BBC Food, which hosts more than 11,000 recipes. The decision, which has triggered a large public outcry, is part of the broadcaster's pledge to make its programming, apps and news coverage more "distinctive." It follows criticism from the UK government that the BBC is trying to do too much with the licence fee, replicating and potentially suffocating services provided by other companies. Shuttering the sites will also save the BBC £15 million (roughly $21.7 million) in running costs.
BBC White Paper: what you need to know
The UK government has published a White Paper today setting out its proposed changes to the BBC Charter. If approved, the new Charter -- which guides and regulates the BBC's operations -- would abolish the BBC Trust and hand oversight to Ofcom, the UK's media regulator. In addition, a new board would be established to avoid "confusion of governance issues." The new setup would, the government argues, make the broadcaster more accountable and less susceptible to mismanagement. The BBC broadly agrees with the decision to make Ofcom its watchdog, but has some concerns with how the new BBC board members would be appointed.
Amazon's new motoring show will be called 'The Grand Tour'
At last, the new motoring show from Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond has a name: The Grand Tour. The former Top Gear trio signed for Amazon last July with the promise of more automobile adventures. We've known for some time that it would debut on Prime Video this fall, with at least three seasons premiering over as many years. But there's never been a name -- something Clarkson and the gang have frequently poked fun at -- until now. Notably, The Grand Tour can be condensed to TGT or GT, an acronym similar to Top Gear's own TG.
BBC and Netflix team up to remake 'Watership Down'
The BBC and Netflix have teamed up to produce a new version of Richard Adams' seminal children's novel, Watership Down. The pair will "reinterpret" the story into a four-part animated mini series that'll air in 2017 on the BBC in the UK and globally on the streaming service. The new production hasn't scrimped on the cast, with heavy-hitters like James McAvoy, Nicholas Hoult, John Boyega and Sir Ben Kingsley voicing the main characters. It'll be the third time that the novel has been adapted for the screen, firstly as a film in 1978 and then again for TV in 1999.
'Top Gear' gets an online spinoff called 'Extra Gear'
Later this year, there'll be two brand new motoring shows on our screens: Top Gear, led by Chris Evans, and an original Amazon series fronted by Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May. That would normally be enough for any pertrolhead, but the BBC has found a little more room for some extra programming. Today, the Beeb announced that it will launch an online-only spinoff called Extra Gear, which will be hosted by Top Gear presenter Rory Reid and feature behind-the-scenes footage, interviews and "specially-recorded films" that aren't in the main show.
BBC to air early David Attenborough documentaries in colour
Sir David Attenborough has been making natural history and wildlife documentaries for more than 60 years. One of his earliest productions, Zoo Quest, was broadcast in the early 1950s, before colour TVs were a household staple. Now, decades later, a BBC archivist has discovered six hours of Zoo Quest footage shot in gorgeous colour. It was a complete surprise because everyone, including Attenborough, had assumed the films were captured in monochrome. As he tells the BBC:
BBC opens up iPlayer to outside content for the first time
Last September, the BBC put forward a number of proposals to make iPlayer and the rest of its broadcasting services more "open" and distinctive. One of these was a pledge to allow other people and broadcasters to distribute their programming through iPlayer. On April 23rd, the BBC will be kickstarting this initiative with Shakespeare Lives, a six-month celebration of the famous playwright. Recordings from the British Film Institute (BFI), the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, Shakespeare's Globe and the Royal Opera House will all be made available on iPlayer for the first time.
Netflix bags rights to new 'Top Gear'
Netflix was recently said to be discussing rights to the new series of Top Gear with the BBC, and as it turns out, a deal has indeed been struck. Top brass at the streaming service confirmed as much to BuzzFeed News, though the finer details are pretty fuzzy right now. The fact the two hashed out an agreement isn't a huge surprise. Older seasons of the motoring show (when Clarkson was at the helm) have been available on the streaming service for some time, so it wasn't like a presenter shuffle was going to destroy the working relationship Netflix and the BBC had built.
BBC launches iPlayer Kids app
Is it just us, or are TV providers starting to forget who pays the bills 'round here? The younger, inexplicably energetic members of the household seem to be getting all the attention of late. Barely a few weeks have passed since Sky debuted its Kids tablet app, and now the BBC is launching iPlayer Kids. Available to download today on tablets and smartphones, the name basically says it all: it's iPlayer, built specifically for sprogs.
BBC Bitesize app puts revision flashcards on your phone
It's no secret that many teenagers, just like adults, are hopelessly addicted to their smartphones. With this in mind and exam season just around the corner, the BBC has launched an app for its popular Bitesize learning platform in the UK. It offers brief explainers and short, personalised revision flashcards for the core subjects -- English, maths and science. These can include text, audio, video, infographics, quotes and quizzes. Whatever works best to make the information stick, basically.
Here's your first look at the all-new 'Top Gear'
The BBC is still filming the next season of Top Gear, but to get fans excited it's taken some time out and put together a short teaser trailer. As you would expect, it's a minute of pure motoring adrenaline, with plenty of exotic cars and jaw-dropping cinematography. Top Gear host Chris Evans and Hollywood actor Matt LeBlanc take center stage, although racing car driver Sabine Schmitz also makes an appearance towards the end. It's hard to judge a show based on 60 seconds of footage, but here's one obvious takeaway: the show's budget and production values are still sky high.
Students finally get their hands on the BBC's Micro:bit computer
The BBC has begun delivering its tiny Micro:bit programmable computers to students today, with every Year 7 in the UK due to receive theirs over the next few weeks. The spiritual successor to the BBC Micro, which introduced a whole generation to computing back in the early eighties, was originally due to reach classrooms last October, just in time for the start of the new school year. Power supply problems and then "fine-tuning" issues manifested in significant delays, but after overcoming these setbacks to get the first batch to teachers in early February, it's finally time for kids to get coding with Micro:bits of their own.
Take a 360-degree video tour of CERN's Large Hadron Collider
CERN's Large Hadron Collider keeps delivering important scientific discoveries, but apart from some Google Street View images, it's pretty hard to grasp the scale of it. However, a new 360-degree video from the BBC (below) takes you on a visual tour of the world's largest machine. At up to 4K resolution, you can see parts of the 27 km (16 mile) tunnel where particles fly by at the speed of light in both directions. It also shows the Compact Muon Solenoid detector that looks for dark matter, extra dimensions and the Higgs Boson. The science is mind-bending, but as the video shows, the machine needed to test it is equally so.
All Amazon Fire TV devices now have the major UK catch-up apps
If you prefer to catch-up on TV shows instead of watching them as they air, Amazon's latest announcement might be of interest. After bringing all major UK broadcasters to the Fire TV, the company has turned its attention to the streamer's smaller sibling, the Fire TV Stick, confirming today that the HDMI dongle now supports BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub, All 4 and My5. It doesn't matter which Fire TV or Fire TV Stick model you own, they now all feature catch-up apps provided by the UK's biggest broadcasters. Add to that support Amazon's own Video service, Netflix and other major streaming services and you've got yourself a few reasons to skip your traditional TV box entirely.
