Following a slew of serving U.K. politicians nabbing high-profile TV jobs, media regulator Ofcom has clarified the rules around such a career move.
The regulatory body has confirmed that politicians are allowed to present TV and radio shows but cautioned “there are some exceptions.”
In particular, because of Ofcom’s rules about impartiality, it dictates that serving politicians are not allowed to participate in any news programs as an anchor, interviewer or reporter “unless, exceptionally, it is editorially justified.” If it is the case a justification can be made, the audience must still be alerted to the politician’s political allegiance.
That leaves the political class free to host pretty much anything outside of news, including current affairs shows, although Ofcom warns: “they must make sure a range of views are reflected in their programme.” The only caveat is if they’re standing in an election or about to,...
The regulatory body has confirmed that politicians are allowed to present TV and radio shows but cautioned “there are some exceptions.”
In particular, because of Ofcom’s rules about impartiality, it dictates that serving politicians are not allowed to participate in any news programs as an anchor, interviewer or reporter “unless, exceptionally, it is editorially justified.” If it is the case a justification can be made, the audience must still be alerted to the politician’s political allegiance.
That leaves the political class free to host pretty much anything outside of news, including current affairs shows, although Ofcom warns: “they must make sure a range of views are reflected in their programme.” The only caveat is if they’re standing in an election or about to,...
- 2/2/2023
- by K.J. Yossman
- Variety Film + TV
Labour's Chuka Umunna has stormed out of an interview with Sky News.
The shadow business secretary and MP for Streatham clashed with host Dermot Murnaghan over a letter, which he had not read, sent out to UK mosques by communities secretary Eric Pickles.
He was asked if he believed the letter - which urged Muslim leaders to attempt to prevent young British Muslims from becoming radicalised - to be patronising.
When pushed to give an opinion, he replied: "I think you are being a bit ridiculous right now, I was asked to come and speak about David Cameron's speech on the economy and what was happening around the labour market.
"Nobody told me that I was going to come on this programme and be asked to agree whether I thought the Government was patronising Muslim people and Muslim leaders."
He added: "I'm not just going to speak off piste without actually having read a letter.
The shadow business secretary and MP for Streatham clashed with host Dermot Murnaghan over a letter, which he had not read, sent out to UK mosques by communities secretary Eric Pickles.
He was asked if he believed the letter - which urged Muslim leaders to attempt to prevent young British Muslims from becoming radicalised - to be patronising.
When pushed to give an opinion, he replied: "I think you are being a bit ridiculous right now, I was asked to come and speak about David Cameron's speech on the economy and what was happening around the labour market.
"Nobody told me that I was going to come on this programme and be asked to agree whether I thought the Government was patronising Muslim people and Muslim leaders."
He added: "I'm not just going to speak off piste without actually having read a letter.
- 1/19/2015
- Digital Spy
Back in the day, there were lots of reports about people who thought The Office was real. Presumably tonight, there were lots of people who thought Meet The Police Commissioner was a spoof. It was not.
Yes, everything about this documentary - following Kent's first elected police and crime commissioner Ann Barnes - was bonafide, even if it felt like W1A a good chunk of the time... and it made us grateful that we're not followed by a cheeky camera crew. Read on for the most spoofesque moments of the documentary...
1. The onion of policing.
Who doesn't love a flip chart? Ann had one with circles within circles drawn on it, and explained: "These are all the various things, different kinds of policing in Kent, and these are the different kinds of policing priorities in terms of priority." But when she was asked to name a crime that would be on the outermost ring,...
Yes, everything about this documentary - following Kent's first elected police and crime commissioner Ann Barnes - was bonafide, even if it felt like W1A a good chunk of the time... and it made us grateful that we're not followed by a cheeky camera crew. Read on for the most spoofesque moments of the documentary...
1. The onion of policing.
Who doesn't love a flip chart? Ann had one with circles within circles drawn on it, and explained: "These are all the various things, different kinds of policing in Kent, and these are the different kinds of policing priorities in terms of priority." But when she was asked to name a crime that would be on the outermost ring,...
- 5/29/2014
- Digital Spy
At today’s Annual General Meeting today for Pinewood-Shepperton Plc, Chairman Lord Grade has given an upbeat assessment of the company’s current performance and future prospects, even as a final decision is awaited on Pinewood’s expansion scheme.
Speaking to shareholders, Grade remarked that film revenues “reflect very high stage and facility occupancy, television continues to experience high levels of utilisation, Media Hub occupancy is currently 99% and Media Investment is progressing well.”
On the TV side, he 45,000 sq ft television and film facility at Pinewood Studios, Q Stage, was completed on 27 September 2013. Camelot Plc, operators of the National Lottery, moved into the new Studio TV3 at Pinewood Studios under a five year contract on 9 September 2013 to broadcast the National Lottery live.
Grade reported “a positive start to the new financial year” across all revenue streams. This follows on from the encouraging preliminary results for the year ended on 31 March 2013 that the company published in June.\
“The...
Speaking to shareholders, Grade remarked that film revenues “reflect very high stage and facility occupancy, television continues to experience high levels of utilisation, Media Hub occupancy is currently 99% and Media Investment is progressing well.”
On the TV side, he 45,000 sq ft television and film facility at Pinewood Studios, Q Stage, was completed on 27 September 2013. Camelot Plc, operators of the National Lottery, moved into the new Studio TV3 at Pinewood Studios under a five year contract on 9 September 2013 to broadcast the National Lottery live.
Grade reported “a positive start to the new financial year” across all revenue streams. This follows on from the encouraging preliminary results for the year ended on 31 March 2013 that the company published in June.\
“The...
- 9/30/2013
- by geoffrey@macnab.demon.co.uk (Geoffrey Macnab)
- ScreenDaily
Lord Grade loses planning permission bid for Hollywood-style development on 100 acres of green belt
Pinewood Studios, home to the James Bond franchise, has had its £200m Hollywood-style expansion plan for its premises blocked by the local authority.
Pinewood, which will be vying to be part of Jj Abrams' Star Wars movie to be filmed next year, had its planning permission application turned down by South Buckinghamshire district council, losing the bid by six votes against four in favour.
The council stated that it had concerns over the development of 100 acres (more than 40 hectares) of green belt land, which would double the size of Pinewood's studio capacity.
Pinewood's chairman, Lord Grade, the former BBC and ITV chief, criticised the decision as irrational and depressing.
He said: "I am very disappointed we could only convince four of the 10 [council members] that voted, that it is important to create jobs and invest in the creative industries.
Pinewood Studios, home to the James Bond franchise, has had its £200m Hollywood-style expansion plan for its premises blocked by the local authority.
Pinewood, which will be vying to be part of Jj Abrams' Star Wars movie to be filmed next year, had its planning permission application turned down by South Buckinghamshire district council, losing the bid by six votes against four in favour.
The council stated that it had concerns over the development of 100 acres (more than 40 hectares) of green belt land, which would double the size of Pinewood's studio capacity.
Pinewood's chairman, Lord Grade, the former BBC and ITV chief, criticised the decision as irrational and depressing.
He said: "I am very disappointed we could only convince four of the 10 [council members] that voted, that it is important to create jobs and invest in the creative industries.
- 5/16/2013
- by Mark Sweney
- The Guardian - Film News
Studios that are home to James Bond films hope to double in size after putting their case to the local council for a second time
Pinewood Studios, home to the James Bond franchise, appears to have overcome much of the resistance to its planned £200m Hollywood-style expansion, with the number of objection letters down more than a third compared with its ill-fated attempt to win consent a year ago.
Pinewood, which will be vying to secure work on the Jj Abrams Star Wars movie to be shot next year, has been trying for the past seven years to double in size by building on a 100-acre site on greenbelt land that it owns.
On Wednesday South Buckinghamshire district council will for the second time deliver a decision on whether to grant planning permission for the development.
Pinewood's last application encountered stiff resistance at every stage of the planning process. The...
Pinewood Studios, home to the James Bond franchise, appears to have overcome much of the resistance to its planned £200m Hollywood-style expansion, with the number of objection letters down more than a third compared with its ill-fated attempt to win consent a year ago.
Pinewood, which will be vying to secure work on the Jj Abrams Star Wars movie to be shot next year, has been trying for the past seven years to double in size by building on a 100-acre site on greenbelt land that it owns.
On Wednesday South Buckinghamshire district council will for the second time deliver a decision on whether to grant planning permission for the development.
Pinewood's last application encountered stiff resistance at every stage of the planning process. The...
- 5/15/2013
- by Mark Sweney
- The Guardian - Film News
Pinewood studios, the official home of the 007 films, requires major injection of funds to keep UK film industry afloat
The James Bond film franchise could be forced to move its base from the UK after more than 50 years, unless the greenlight is given for a dramatic increase in studio facilities in the space-starved movie industry, the head of Pinewood Shepperton has warned.
Pinewood Studios is the official home of the 007 spy franchise – of the 23 Bond films shot since Dr No debuted in 1962 only Moonraker and License to Kill have not been based there – and enjoys a close association with the Broccoli family that produces the films.
The 100-acre site in south Buckinghamshire is littered with reminders including the famous 007 stage, the location of the M16 bunker and tube disaster scene in Skyfall, a Goldfinger Avenue and a road named after late Bond producer Cubby Broccoli.
On Wednesday Pinewood will be...
The James Bond film franchise could be forced to move its base from the UK after more than 50 years, unless the greenlight is given for a dramatic increase in studio facilities in the space-starved movie industry, the head of Pinewood Shepperton has warned.
Pinewood Studios is the official home of the 007 spy franchise – of the 23 Bond films shot since Dr No debuted in 1962 only Moonraker and License to Kill have not been based there – and enjoys a close association with the Broccoli family that produces the films.
The 100-acre site in south Buckinghamshire is littered with reminders including the famous 007 stage, the location of the M16 bunker and tube disaster scene in Skyfall, a Goldfinger Avenue and a road named after late Bond producer Cubby Broccoli.
On Wednesday Pinewood will be...
- 5/10/2013
- by Mark Sweney
- The Guardian - Film News
In this second extract from After Leveson, a book edited by John Mair, a former Sunday Mirror editor and News of the World deputy editor airs his grievances about the Leveson process. Paul Connew explains why he believes the Leveson process was flawed and revealed how he came to discover that he too was a victim of phone hacking…
The setting up of the Leveson inquiry wasn't just a blatant example of political expediency, it was a disastrous PR strategy seized on in a blue funk moment of political panic.
Yes, there was a tsunami of public revulsion over the hacking of murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler's phone by the News of the World, as revealed in July 2011 by Nick Davies and The Guardian.
But was there a genuine and irresistible public clamour for a judicial inquiry into the "culture, practices and ethics of the British press" (Leveson's terms and conditions)? Probably not.
The setting up of the Leveson inquiry wasn't just a blatant example of political expediency, it was a disastrous PR strategy seized on in a blue funk moment of political panic.
Yes, there was a tsunami of public revulsion over the hacking of murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler's phone by the News of the World, as revealed in July 2011 by Nick Davies and The Guardian.
But was there a genuine and irresistible public clamour for a judicial inquiry into the "culture, practices and ethics of the British press" (Leveson's terms and conditions)? Probably not.
- 2/19/2013
- by Roy Greenslade
- The Guardian - Film News
Pinewood Studios, home of the James Bond franchise, wants to double production capacity on green belt land
Pinewood Studios, the home of films including the James Bond franchise and Les Misérables, is submitting fresh plans to double its production capacity by developing a £200m site set on 100 acres of greenbelt land in Buckinghamshire.
The owners of the studio, which saw its original plan blocked by the communities minister, Eric Pickles, last January after five years of opposition at every step of the planning process, will submit radically revised plans for a new project to South Buckinghamshire district council on Friday.
There is already significant opposition in Buckinghamshire to the proposed HS2 high-speed train route, which would pass to the north of the Pinewood studios site and cut a swath through green belt land in the Chilterns.
Pinewood is in the constituency of Dominic Grieve, the Conservative MP for Beaconsfield and the attorney-general.
Pinewood Studios, the home of films including the James Bond franchise and Les Misérables, is submitting fresh plans to double its production capacity by developing a £200m site set on 100 acres of greenbelt land in Buckinghamshire.
The owners of the studio, which saw its original plan blocked by the communities minister, Eric Pickles, last January after five years of opposition at every step of the planning process, will submit radically revised plans for a new project to South Buckinghamshire district council on Friday.
There is already significant opposition in Buckinghamshire to the proposed HS2 high-speed train route, which would pass to the north of the Pinewood studios site and cut a swath through green belt land in the Chilterns.
Pinewood is in the constituency of Dominic Grieve, the Conservative MP for Beaconsfield and the attorney-general.
- 2/1/2013
- by Mark Sweney
- The Guardian - Film News
Pinewood, the legendary studios and the home of iconic films including the James Bond franchise and Les Misérables, is currently in the process of submitting fresh plans to double its production capacity by developing a site set on 100 acres of greenbelt land in Buckinghamshire which is said to be worth in excess of € 200 Million. The process has been dogged by obstacles for over five years now with primary opposition from the communities minister, Eric Pickles. As a result the studios, will submit a radically revised plan for a new project to South Buckinghamshire district council on Friday. Already there is a huge amount of opposition to a proposed HS2 high-speed train route in Buckinghamshire, the proposed route would pass to the north of the Pinewood studios site and cut a sizeable chunk of green belt land in the Chilterns. Pinewood Studios, which is chaired by former ITV executive chairman Lord Grade,...
- 1/31/2013
- by noreply@blogger.com (gercooney)
- www.themoviebit.com
Britain's Queen Elizabeth is always welcome at cabinet meetings in Downing Street. The 86-year-old royal became the first monarch since George II in 1781 to attend a peacetime cabinet meeting yesterday (18.12.12), where she took a seat between Prime Minister David Cameron and Foreign Secretary William Hague to listen to the weekly discussion of Government business. Speaking on 'The World at One' programme, Communities Secretary Eric Pickles revealed: 'The queen remained silent but clearly taking a keen interest... she did wish us all a merry Christmas.' He then joked: 'Given that it is her cabinet, she can come any time she wants.' The queen listened to a debate about the political and military situation in Afghanistan and remained quiet for...
- 12/19/2012
- Monsters and Critics
Nothing published in newspapers now can change Lord Justice Leveson's mind. His report is with the printers and will be published on Thursday.
But newspaper editors, aware that the final decision on his recommendations will be taken in parliament, know that MPs - and especially the prime minister - are susceptible to pressure.
Therefore, yesterday's Sunday papers were full of dire warnings about the likely threat to press freedom should Leveson dare to suggest that a reformed system of regulation include any statutory element.
There were news stories, feature articles, columns, editorials and various adverts in the name of the Free Speech Network with the slogan: "Say No to state regulation of the press."
By far the most interesting contribution was the Mail on Sunday splash, which reported that David Cameron will resist any call to legislate on press regulation.
Citing "well-placed sources", political editor Simon Walters wrote that Cameron...
But newspaper editors, aware that the final decision on his recommendations will be taken in parliament, know that MPs - and especially the prime minister - are susceptible to pressure.
Therefore, yesterday's Sunday papers were full of dire warnings about the likely threat to press freedom should Leveson dare to suggest that a reformed system of regulation include any statutory element.
There were news stories, feature articles, columns, editorials and various adverts in the name of the Free Speech Network with the slogan: "Say No to state regulation of the press."
By far the most interesting contribution was the Mail on Sunday splash, which reported that David Cameron will resist any call to legislate on press regulation.
Citing "well-placed sources", political editor Simon Walters wrote that Cameron...
- 11/26/2012
- by Roy Greenslade
- The Guardian - Film News
Queen guitarist and respected wildlife campaigner, Dr Brian May, and his Save-me campaign have joined the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection campaign to stop a proposal to build a beagle breeding facility in Yorkshire to supply beagles for experiments.
“Beagles, indisputably, are highly intelligent sentient creatures, friends of Man for centuries,” said Brian. “It is completely morally unjustifiable for these animals to be made to suffer in the name of science, and I am shocked to learn of plans to set up a facility in Yorkshire to breed and supply beagles to the research industry. We at Save-me support the Buav campaign, and I urge The Right Hon, Eric Pickles, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, to listen to the concerns of the British public, and to reject this appeal – thereby preventing this facility from being built.”
Read more...
“Beagles, indisputably, are highly intelligent sentient creatures, friends of Man for centuries,” said Brian. “It is completely morally unjustifiable for these animals to be made to suffer in the name of science, and I am shocked to learn of plans to set up a facility in Yorkshire to breed and supply beagles to the research industry. We at Save-me support the Buav campaign, and I urge The Right Hon, Eric Pickles, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, to listen to the concerns of the British public, and to reject this appeal – thereby preventing this facility from being built.”
Read more...
- 1/24/2012
- Look to the Stars
The money available for British state funding of film might buy a nine-foot Na'vi in the next Avatar
It is difficult to know, sometimes, what prime ministers are for. David Cameron turns up to visit Pinewood one week, with a heavy hint that it was time to pension off director Mike Leigh – then nine days later another minister, Eric Pickles, decides it is right to refuse permission for a £200m extension to Britain's most successful studios. The reason, of course, is because ministers don't want to build on the green belt, although another set of ministers cheerfully want to rip through the Chilterns in the name of a new high-speed rail line. Still, at least nobody could accuse the government of consistency.
Perhaps it was unfortunate that Charles Boot and J Arthur Rank bought Heatherden Hall on the fringes of London and turned it into a studio in 1936, when they...
It is difficult to know, sometimes, what prime ministers are for. David Cameron turns up to visit Pinewood one week, with a heavy hint that it was time to pension off director Mike Leigh – then nine days later another minister, Eric Pickles, decides it is right to refuse permission for a £200m extension to Britain's most successful studios. The reason, of course, is because ministers don't want to build on the green belt, although another set of ministers cheerfully want to rip through the Chilterns in the name of a new high-speed rail line. Still, at least nobody could accuse the government of consistency.
Perhaps it was unfortunate that Charles Boot and J Arthur Rank bought Heatherden Hall on the fringes of London and turned it into a studio in 1936, when they...
- 1/23/2012
- by Dan Sabbagh
- The Guardian - Film News
• Andrew Lansley's interviews on NHS data sharing deal
• Lunchtime summary
• David Cameron on the Merkel/Sarkozy EU plan
• Afternoon summary
9.00am: It's a big day for Europe. Angela Merkel and Nicolas Sarkozy are meeting to thrash out details of a plan that could set up a fiscal union in Europe and may (or may not) lead to some sort of resolution of the debt crisis. But this blog - like the UK - is sitting on the sidelines. My colleague Alex Hawkes will be covering the Merkozy meeting on the business live blog. And I'll be covering events at Westminster, where the most lively before 4pm will be Leveson - The Sequel, a star-studded committee hearing featuring Hugh Grant, Steve Coogan and Max Mosley who may well spend an hour telling MPs and peers exactly what they told Leveson.
Here's the diary for the day.
10am: Ed Miliband will campaign in Feltham and Heston,...
• Lunchtime summary
• David Cameron on the Merkel/Sarkozy EU plan
• Afternoon summary
9.00am: It's a big day for Europe. Angela Merkel and Nicolas Sarkozy are meeting to thrash out details of a plan that could set up a fiscal union in Europe and may (or may not) lead to some sort of resolution of the debt crisis. But this blog - like the UK - is sitting on the sidelines. My colleague Alex Hawkes will be covering the Merkozy meeting on the business live blog. And I'll be covering events at Westminster, where the most lively before 4pm will be Leveson - The Sequel, a star-studded committee hearing featuring Hugh Grant, Steve Coogan and Max Mosley who may well spend an hour telling MPs and peers exactly what they told Leveson.
Here's the diary for the day.
10am: Ed Miliband will campaign in Feltham and Heston,...
- 12/5/2011
- by Andrew Sparrow
- The Guardian - Film News
Cinemagoers have grown to hate each other, but there's nothing quite like the shared experience of laughing, sobbing or throwing popcorn at the screen with a bunch of strangers
For the last few weeks, film lovers have been saluting the memory of the Scala cinema, that late, great London grindhouse. Under the banner Scala Forever, venues in the capital have hosted as many cult curios, double-bills and all-night zombie marathons as any sane person could stand. Misty eyes have rightly followed.
But the tributes also reminded me that the allure of the place wasn't just about the films. However great they were (and they were), they alone weren't what elevated it from just another funny-smelling old picture palace with a disobliging boiler. Half the magic was the audience.
Stumbling in from skanky King's Cross, the atmosphere that was the Scala's hallmark could never have fermented without the unruly presence of...
For the last few weeks, film lovers have been saluting the memory of the Scala cinema, that late, great London grindhouse. Under the banner Scala Forever, venues in the capital have hosted as many cult curios, double-bills and all-night zombie marathons as any sane person could stand. Misty eyes have rightly followed.
But the tributes also reminded me that the allure of the place wasn't just about the films. However great they were (and they were), they alone weren't what elevated it from just another funny-smelling old picture palace with a disobliging boiler. Half the magic was the audience.
Stumbling in from skanky King's Cross, the atmosphere that was the Scala's hallmark could never have fermented without the unruly presence of...
- 10/7/2011
- by Danny Leigh
- The Guardian - Film News
Hero of 1990s cartoon Captain Planet and the Planeteers is to return to screens in a live action film for the big screen
To quote a popular frog, it's not easy being green. Fortunately for the downtrodden environmentalist, there are those inspiring role models who make being green seem the easiest option - Zac Goldsmith, Al Gore, the sweetcorn-flogging jolly green giant. Heroes all, really.
So, you can imagine how pleased we were to hear the best of them all, Captain Planet, is soon to return to our screens in a live action movie dealing with all sorts of extreme weather events.
For those of you unaware of Cartoon Network's finest eco-warrior, Captain Planet first aired in 1990 with the catchy, "Captain Planet, he's a hero. Gonna take pollution down to zero" theme tune.
You will of course recall that the good captain was backed by a team of five Planeteers sporting rings representing Earth,...
To quote a popular frog, it's not easy being green. Fortunately for the downtrodden environmentalist, there are those inspiring role models who make being green seem the easiest option - Zac Goldsmith, Al Gore, the sweetcorn-flogging jolly green giant. Heroes all, really.
So, you can imagine how pleased we were to hear the best of them all, Captain Planet, is soon to return to our screens in a live action movie dealing with all sorts of extreme weather events.
For those of you unaware of Cartoon Network's finest eco-warrior, Captain Planet first aired in 1990 with the catchy, "Captain Planet, he's a hero. Gonna take pollution down to zero" theme tune.
You will of course recall that the good captain was backed by a team of five Planeteers sporting rings representing Earth,...
- 7/21/2011
- The Guardian - Film News
Conservative party chairman Eric Pickles has rejected Labour MP David Wright's claim that his Twitter account was hacked. In a rebuff to the recent "I've never voted Tory before..." billboards, Wright seemingly wrote on his account: "...because you can put lipstick on a scum-sucking pig, but it's still a scum-sucking pig. And cos they would ruin Britain." The member for Telford later claimed that he never typed the words "scum-sucking" on the post and suggested that someone had "tinkered (more)...
- 2/16/2010
- by By Mayer Nissim
- Digital Spy
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.