television

From the page to the screen

The November London Centre event – “It started with a book” – examined how books are adapted for the telly, drawing lessons from three very different projects.

The Hank Zipzer books for children – written by Henry Winkler, who played the Fonz in vintage US sitcom Happy Days – have been turned into a returning CBBC series.

Walker Productions Managing Director Helen McAleer, who had seen Winkler play Captain Hook in pantomime, was determined to make a version with the actor.

Breaking the mould

Back in the late 1990s, Ade Rawcliffe was working on Ainsley Harriott’s show, Party of a Lifetime. They were in Teesside, filming with children from a housing estate. They all had a question: was Rawcliffe Harriott’s wife or was she his “girlfriend”?

Ade (pronounced Addy) thinks that they were not used to seeing two black people in the same place at once. They might, it occurs to me, have been equally puzzled by the spectacle of two black people working on the same television programme.

BBC to show new darts tournament

It will include the top eight players from the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC), which is the leading body in the sport. The top two players from each group will battle it out to win the title. 

BBC Director of Sport Barbara Slater said: "Darts has always had wide appeal and it is great that audiences will get the chance to see all the action from the world's top players live on BBC Two and across our platforms."