CBBC has today announced an exciting new children’s fantasy drama series, which will be filmed on location in the North East of England in the coming months.

The brand new programme, Wolfblood, which will be filmed in and around Rowlands Gill in Tyne and Wear, will be a series of 13 half-hour episodes and will air later this year.

The show tells the story of Maddy Smith, who seems like an ordinary girl – but things are not what they seem. After all, when you can hear ultrasound, pick out a scent from a mile away or see in the dark, it can be hard to act “ordinary”. She’s faster and stronger than she appears, her senses are razor-sharp – and every full moon she has to lock her parents in the cellar. The truth is Maddy hides a secret even her closest friends don’t know about. Look into her eyes, but don’t get too close… because Maddy is a wolfblood.

Wolfbloods have lived amongst us for centuries, disguising their abilities and blending in. When new boy Rhydian turns up at school her world gets a lot more complicated. If you think being a teenager is hard enough, try being a wolfblood teenager!

Gina Cronk, Executive Producer of Wolfblood, said: “We were looking for a rural location to film the series. The Charles Thorp comprehensive school, Hookergate Campus at Rowlands Gill is perfect. It is surrounded by beautiful countryside and near the extraordinary village of Blanchlands. We knew it would work brilliantly on screen.

“We’ve filmed in the North East many times, including most recently for the Tracy Beaker Returns series, and it’s great to be back – we’re looking forward to getting started!”

Damian Kavanagh, Controller, CBBC, commissioned the programme. He said: “We’re always looking for programmes which bring something new to the channel for our audience to enjoy, and Wolfblood is a really exciting concept and one I believe will capture the imagination of our viewers. CBBC has always had a strong record of producing acclaimed children’s dramas and with such a strong team working on this show, I can’t wait to see the end result.”

The programme will be executive produced by Gina Cronk and produced by Foz Allan. The line producer is Alan Fairholm.

Wolfblood was created by Debbie Moon and is a co-production between CBBC and ZDF/ZDFE.

The hugely successful comedy entertainment series World’s Craziest Fools will return for a second series on BBC Three.

The acclaimed hit series, which frequently attracted viewing figures of well over 750,000 and was one of the most watched BBC Three shows on BBC iplayer, saw A- Team legend Mr T search the four corners of the earth for some of the biggest fools on the planet

Produced by Roughcut Television, each half-hour episode will once again present a mix of outrageous clips and original animation, with Mr T returning to bring viewers their favourite footage of stupid people doing stupid things, whether they’ve been caught on camera through home videos, TV archive, CCTV or mobile phones. Funny newspapers stories, idiotic emergency phone calls, borderline insane insurance claims, dumb exam answers and much more besides will be brought to life through fresh and funny animation.

In series one we witnessed a British bank robber who was foiled because he couldn’t work out the difference between a push/pull door; an American woman call the police because she’d been given the wrong burger at Burger King; and a husband and wife from Jordan who both signed up to the same internet dating site and ended up cheating on each other… with each other. Expect more of the bizarre, the ridiculous and the downright foolish with the return of World’s Craziest Fools.

“Mr T is a legend. For my money, he should present every single show on TV, including the news. But for now, we are simply happy to be bringing him back to BBC Three, or BBCT as he calls it.”

Moscow: Julian Assange, founder of the whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks, will guest star on the 500th episode of the animated TV comedy show "The Simpsons" that will be aired Feb 19, The Entertainment Weekly reported.

Assange will be portraying himself as a new neighbour of the Simpsons family, who left their home in Springfield and moved to a rugged and isolated area.

"He invites them over for a home movie and it's an Afghan wedding being bombed," The Entertainment Weekly quoted The Simpsons executive producer Al Jean as saying.

Assange recorded his voice from an unknown location, Jean said, as he has been and still is under a house arrest somewhere in Britain and Jean directed him remotely from Los Angeles.

"I was just given a number to call," Jean said adding that it was Assange, who expressed his interest to appear as a guest in the milestone episode of The Simpsons show.

The news comes a week after Russia Today television channel announced that Assange would host a 10-part political discussion program "The World Tomorrow" beginning in March.

Assange, who gained global notoriety after WikiLeaks published thousands of classified US documents beginning in 2010, is battling an extradition request from Sweden, where he faces charges of sexual abuse of two women.

He was arrested in London in December 2010 and released on bail a few days later.

Assange is scheduled to appeal the extradition order in Supreme Court Feb 1.

Los Angeles:Discovery Channel announces UNCHAINED REACTION, a new series executive produced by Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman of MYTHBUSTERS. The duo also serve as judges for the six-part series, which pits two teams of varying backgrounds against each other to build an elaborate chain reaction contraption. But they're not creating a mere string of dominoes – teams must utilize ingenuity, innovation and know-how to build contraptions on a massive scale. UNCHAINED REACTION is set to premiere on Discovery Channel in March 2012.

Each week, two teams made up of artists, rocket scientists, animatronic specialists, engineers and even your average Joe, are provided with identical sets of tools and materials and given five days to complete a series of mechanisms based on a specific theme. It's the ultimate build-off pressure cooker, where refined mechanical movements, pyrotechnics and large-scale destruction are encouraged. Making a refrigerator a pendulum? Totally possible on UNCHAINED REACTION. Catapults? Flying saucers? Guillotines? Anything goes as long as they trigger the next link in the chain.

Teamwork and outside-the-box thinking are what it will take to be the UNCHAINED REACTION winner, as teams compete to see who can achieve the most impressive build in such a short time. Each week, Jamie and Adam are joined by a new guest judge to decide which team impressed them the most with their innovation, energy and how much spectacle they can create.

"The spirit of UNCHAINED REACTION is at the intersection of art and engineering, and Adam and Jamie are the masters at celebrating teamwork and gee-whiz wonder at how the world works," said Eileen O'Neill, Group President, Discovery Channel and TLC. "We are thrilled to bring this new series to our always curious and engaged Discovery Channel audience."

Said Savage, "We wanted to craft a show that puts the process of problem solving and ingenuity front and center, and we've done exactly that with UNCHAINED REACTION." Hyneman continued, "The innovative solutions and boundless energy demonstrated by the contestants surprised us every single time."

UNCHAINED REACTION is produced for Discovery Channel by Discovery Studios and BermanBraun. Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage are executive producers. For Discovery Studios, Daniel Soiseth is executive producer and Derek Wan is co-executive producer; for BermanBraun, Lloyd Braun, Gail Berman and Gene Stein are executive producers, and Jared Heinke is co-executive producer. David Pritikin and Tracy Rudolph are executive producers for Discovery Channel.

New York : It's a new year and the gang's all back as VH1 revs up for the return of its live, morning entertainment show, "Big Morning Buzz Live" on Monday, January 30th at its new time, 10AM.

Coming to you LIVE from the 20th floor lobby of the VH1 headquarters in Times Square, host Carrie Keagan gets up close and personal and talks to and about all the most buzzed about headlines, celebrities, music and hot topics of the day. With Keagan's candid spirit and universal appeal, VH1's "Big Morning Buzz Live" is the morning's best entertainment fix.

"Big Morning Buzz Live" covers everything from entertainment news to what's next in film, music, fashion, cooking, mixology, gadgets, television and the web. Expert insiders will weigh in on the daily "buzz" while visiting celebrities come to dish on their latest projects and artists and bands drop in to perform their new hits.

Viewers can access interview clips from the show, behind-the-scenes photos from the set and exclusive extended interviews online at Buzz.VH1.com. Follow @VH1 on Twitter and use hashtag #VH1BUZZ to talk about the show.

"Big Morning Buzz Live" Season 3 picks up right where it left off with an all-star lineup of guests including, celebrities, musicians, politicians, sports players, insiders, authors and bloggers. Past guests include fan favorites like: Queen Latifah, Adam Sandler, Tyra Banks, Aaron Sorkin, Duran Duran, Avril Lavigne, Jonah Hill, Kiefer Sutherland, Tony Bennett, Lenny Kravitz, Michael Sheen, Russell Simmons, Matthew Morrison, Miranda Lambert, Tori Amos, Paul Bettany, Carson Kressley, T.I., Death Cab for Cutie, Pitbull, Cee Lo Green and The Roots to name a few.

Big Morning Buzz Live is executive produced by Lee Rolontz, Keshia Williams and Christopher Miele for VH1.

VH1 connects viewers to the music, artists and pop culture that matter to them most with TV series, specials, live events, exclusive online content and public affairs initiatives. VH1 is available in 98 million households in the U.S. VH1 also has an array of digital channels and services including VH1 .
 
 

The BBC enjoyed a strong Christmas day, with BBC One averaging 8.1million viewers in peak time (6pm-10.30pm), peaking at over 10.4m for EastEnders.

BBC One secured three of the top five most watched programmes and had seven of the top 10 shows on Christmas Day.BBC One’s peak time average audience and all day average audience were both higher than that of any other channel.

BBC One Controller Danny Cohen said: "BBC One had the most popular show and the most viewers overall on Christmas Day. I'm delighted that viewers found so much to enjoy on the Channel on this special day. From Doctor Who to Gruffalo's Child, EastEnders to Strictly, Michael McIntyre and Ab Fab, we wanted to provide something for everyone."

BBC Director of Vision George Entwistle added: "The breadth and quality of the BBC's output has been really impressive across all genres and today's figures are testament to that. Our first class programming continues across the festive period with shows including Great Expectations, Top Gear, Earthflight, and of course the return of Sherlock on New Year's Day."

Mumbai:Christmas – the birth day of Jesus Christ – is a beautiful religious festival that brings out the best in everyone – whether you are a Christian or not. In addition to being a sacred religious festival, it is also a universal cultural and commercial phenomenon.

Christmas day’s well known traditions in the 21st century include exchanging gifts, decorating Christmas trees, singing carols, waiting for Santa Claus to arrive, But the roots of Christmas has a different story to retell..

Earlier, Christmas was both a day of prayer and festival of drunken revelry. Rowdy medieval carolers begged for food and drink, threatening to throw rocks through the windows of those who refuse, and more! The History of Christmas is packed with controversies as many of the seemingly innocent customs of Christmas has evolved from strange to surprising to disturbing beginnings.

In line with the upcoming Christmas festival, History Channel unveils a special one off series – “The real story of Christmas” that aims to extract the actual story behind it and shed some little twinkling lights on the nitty-gritty reality of Christmas’ past.

Enjoy the holiday season as History Channel unwraps the real story of Christmas.

Mumbai: Recounting the events that led to the blast of the real story – 26/11, History channel will unfold the devastating Mumbai attacks with two special shows under 26/11 umbrella. The first show ‘60 hours’ will present an inside view of the horrendous attacks that occurred in the heart of the city. The second show “Lest We forget” will unravel the journey of love, pain and compassion of the survivors who lost their loved ones during 26/ 11 attacks.

60 hours is a blow by blow, chronological account of the 26/11 attack on Mumbai captured by news cameras and CCTV footage. Ajmal Kasab (the only attacker who was captured alive) narrates step-by-step account of the bombings, which was pre-planned to strew the city. Lest We Forget is a collection of emotional stories of anguish, despair and courage of the relatives whose loved one got victimized in the dreadful attack. It presents one-on-one interviews with the relatives of the 26/11 victims. Lest We Forget is a tribute to the spirit of Mumbai & India.

Tune in to History on 26.11.11 and watch the premiere of 60 hours @ 9pm and Lest We forget @ 10pm.
 

In a new BBC Three series starting tonight, Jessica-Jane Clement, star of The Real Hustle and now one of the celebrities in the jungle for I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here, meets some of the many Brits who’ve fallen foul of high-street salons and ill-advised home beauty treatments.

Shockingly, the beauty industry is unregulated in most of the UK. It's up to beauticians and hairdressers to get qualifications, if they want to, which means that anyone could open up a salon with zero training. When you book in for a treatment make sure that you're putting your looks in the hands of a trained professional, or as Jessica-Jane Clement finds out in this brand new consumer series, it could turn ugly.

As well as meeting the victims of bad beauty treatments, Jessica will confront some of the salons responsible, challenging them to improve their training and raise their standards in a bid to save other unwitting members of the public from the same fate.

There’ll be tears and tantrums as Jessica uncovers the horrific haircuts, wobbly waxes and terrible permanent make-up tattoos happening on a high street near you, and discovers the incredible lengths young girls are going to in the pursuit of beauty.

Jessica will endeavour to ensure that these beauty addicts look top-notch again with the help of a unique ‘make-back’ to beauty makeover – aimed at showing viewers the right way to get the look and how to avoid the cowboys.

And as we tell these extraordinary stories, Jessica and experts will provide take-out tips and advice on how to ensure you leave a salon with exactly what you asked for – and looking better than when you went in.

Skin Deep: The Business Of Beauty is an Optomen Television production which begins on BBC Three at 8:30pm tonight – Monday 14 November and is on weekly for five weeks.

On Friday 14 October, the BBC World News Horizons series continues with an episode looking at the development of health technologies and personalised medicine in the UK. This second episode in the series looks at how the increasing ageing global population is putting additional stress on healthcare, and the race to develop a new generation of personalised medicine. 

Horizons presenter, Adam Shaw examines how UK technology, developed for the world of Formula One racing, is being used to drive future medical applications and patient monitoring.  

Tracey Hobbs, Horizons Series Producer says, Tracey Hobbs, Horizons Series Producer says, “I’ve always loved motor sport, especially Formula One, but was fascinated to discover how some of the technologies developed for the sport lend themselves to helping improve the performance of our bodies through personalised patient monitoring.”

At Imperial College London, Adam enters the world of Nanotechnology and Genome sequencing. He also meets Professor Kevin Warwick, who works in Cybernetics at Reading University, who is working on the next generation of prosthetic limbs and brain stimulation to tackle dementia and Alzheimer’s.  He’s taken his research to the extreme by having a chip implanted into his arm which links his nervous system to a computer.

Adam also speaks to a number of experts from across England including Geoff McGrath, Managing Director, at McLaren Applied Technologies; Professor Tim Aitman, Consultant Physician, at Imperial Academic Health Sciences Centre; Dr Alex Porter at the Department for Material Science, Imperial College, London and Lord Darzi, Chairman, at the Institute of Global Health Innovation, also based at Imperial College, London.

Dr Venki Ramakrishnan, Senior Scientist, at the Medical Research Council and Nobel Prize winning Chemist says, “As a result of DNA sequencing technology becoming cheaper, we may see the era of personalised genomes where every person can have their genome sequenced and, because we all respond differently to different drugs, we may have personalised medicine. But more importantly it might tell us what we‘re at risk of and it might allow us to modify our lifestyle to account for those risks.”

The ten-part second series of Horizons travels across the globe to destinations including Brazil, China, Israel and Turkey to find out about the business ideas that could shape mankind's future.

The Horizons series, sponsored by DuPont, airs weekly on Fridays at 23:30, Saturdays at 02:30 and 15:30, and Sunday’s at 9:30 and 21:30 (all times GMT). For programme highlights and an insight into the future of global business visit www.horizonsbusiness.com. For all the latest news, behind-the-scenes pictures/videos and updates from Adam Shaw please follow at facebook.com/horizonsTVseries and/or on twitter at @horizonsbiz.