ITV

Making black lives matter in the TV industry

(credit: BlackStageUK)

When Television approached me to assess the success, or otherwise, of the British TV industry policy announcements related to diversity over the past 12 months, I was going to resort to a standard journalistic approach: pick a few of the big announcements, look at what they promised to deliver and then conveniently conclude by saying something like “...but careers take longer than 12 months to build and systemic racism cannot be dismantled in a year. So, it is still a case of ‘wait and see’.”  

ITV to launch shoppable TV during Love Island

The service will be inaugurated during Love Island on ITV2, with Boots UK being the first confirmed partner.

Viewers can activate the service at any time by using their LG remote control.

Contextual product discovery company, The Take, developed the AI technology for the system that is built directly into LG TV sets in the UK. It is being used for the first time in this country by ITV.

ITV releases first look images of Sharlene Whyte and Steve Coogan in new drama Stephen

Sharlene Whyte (Small Axe) and Hugh Quarshie (Breeders) star as Stephen Lawrence’s parents, Doreen and Neville.

Steve Coogan (Philomena) plays DCI Clive Driscoll, the detective who led the investigation into the murder of their son Stephen.

The sequel picks up the case in 2006, 13 years after Stephen’s death on the night of 22 April 1993 in a racially motivated attack at a bus stop in Well Hall Road, Eltham.

Gok Wan set to host new ITV series Bling

Credit: ITV

The series will explore the world of buying and selling jewellery, to creating and fixing all types of special pieces. 

Set in the Bling store, there will be four distinct counters dedicated to each process, with experts available to give advice and find the best deals. 

Both heart and purse strings will be pulled as customers look to buy, sell and restore precious items, sharing the personal stories behind their trinkets. 

First look images released for ITV drama Trigger Point

Vicky McClure and Adrian Lester (Credit: ITV)

The six-part thriller sees Vicky McClure and Adrian Lester play bomb disposal operatives known as Expos, who put their lives on the line every day. 

Vicky McClure plays frontline officer Lana Washington and Adrian Lester plays her colleague Joel Nutkins. 

Washington and Nutkins are ex-military and close friends after both serving time together in Afghanistan. 

Opportunities for new writers on second series of ITV’s Sorry, I Didn’t Know

(credit: ITV/ TriForce Productions)

The only comedy panel show that celebrated Black history, Sorry, I Didn’t Know will return in October with Chizzy Akudolu and Judi Love once again captaining the teams.

This year, ITV and TriForce Productions have launched a new competition to find two new writers for the show, who will join showrunner Fraser Ayres in the series writing room.

With the aim of finding the next wave of comedy writers and giving them their first broadcast credit, the opportunity will be open to everyone to apply.

TV Picks: Euro 2020 Group Stages

24 teams will compete across six groups for the top two places to qualify for the knock-outs.

Between the fierce rivalries, revenge-seekers and a hair-raising group of death, there are plenty of tasty ties to sink your teeth into.

However, as most days of the group stages will see three broadcast live on BBC or ITV, to spare you some time we’ve highlighted the round’s most highly-anticipated matches.

You can find the full TV schedule at the bottom of the page.

Korea’s technicolour dream shows

Crazy and cool with a K” is a good moniker for the jaw-dropping South Korean entertainment formats delivering jaw-dropping audience figures around the world. In the UK, The Masked Singer, I Can See Your Voice and, most recently, The Masked Dancer have featured celebrities disguised as everything from a bee and an octopus to a sausage, good and bad singers from the great British public hiding in plain sight and dance routines from a llama, chicken and knickerbocker glory.