ITVX

Richard joined the Scheme in its inaugural year. One of its core perks is a personal industry mentor, carefully selected to match each Scholar’s aspirations. As a budding documentary filmmaker, Richard was paired up with Peter Dale, ex-Head of Documentaries at Channel 4 and founder of production company Rare Day. With Dale’s guidance, Richard prepared to pitch his documentary concept Gay for Views for his final year project. Only a few projects were chosen by lecturers, but Richard won the pitch, helming a group of fellow students and getting his first taste of directing.

ITV’s digital transformation. The ever-changing nature of advertising. The ethics of Ed Balls interviewing his wife, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, on Good Morning Britain: these were some of the topics discussed when Amol Rajan interviewed ITV CEO Carolyn McCall.

Its contestants don’t “crack on” immediately or pull each other for chats at the firepit – they are parents with real baggage tentatively giving themselves a second chance at love.

Each of the eight parents have their children nearby to their Sussex mansion in what they call ‘the bunker’ (but in reality is a gorgeous farmhouse). The kids watch their parent’s every move through a live stream and witness every awkward moment that comes with that.

The launch on Monday 3 June will see 10 contestants (often nicknamed ‘the OGs’) enter the villa and pair off. At the end of the episode, a bombshell will enter to shake these couples up, and anyone left single at the next ‘re-coupling’ will be dumped from the island. Over eight weeks plenty more bombshells will enter, with the cast usually totalling over 30.

Only four couples will make it to the final, and then it’s up to the public to vote for their favourite, who will split £50,000 between them.

Dublin comedy drama The Dry made a welcome return to ITVX last month, reuniting viewers with the Sheridans, a family so messed up that they are a bigger threat to daughter Shiv’s sobriety than the booze.

Writer and creator Nancy Harris told the RTS that The Dry was “never a show just about addiction; it was about how somebody lives within their family”.

The past few years have been eventful for most, but the highs and lows of ITV’s fortunes have been particularly pronounced. Its advertising revenues were hit hard by the pandemic, but the broadcaster bounced back to achieve record advertising in 2021-22. At the end of 2022, there was another watershed moment: it launched ITVX, its heavyweight streaming service to replace ITV Hub with a combined 26,000 hours of ITV and Britbox content. But, this year, its advertising ­revenues have again slumped.

This year’s contestants include an array of personalities and regional accents – from DJs, to bingo-callers, to butchers, get ready to meet the participants of the ultimate social experiment.

Jenkin

Bridgend

25

The "multi-year deal" will begin with the 96th Oscars, which ITV will broadcast and stream live from the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood on ITV1 and ITVX.

Future Oscars ceremonies will also be available across ITV's platforms and programming.

The Effects of Lying is a remarkable film, not least because it was made on a microbudget in only 12 days. And despite a cast of high-profile, mostly British Asian, actors, there’s not a curry in sight.

Its writer, director and actors were keen to point out, following a screening at Birmingham Indian Film Festival – an event held in partnership with RTS Midlands – that the script transcends ethnicity.

The Effects of Lying, currently streaming on ITVX, is a comedy about a dysfunctional family who could be from anywhere.