From Dan Meth: I love this. I don’t watch films extensively, but I have seen quite a few of the above. I think Back to the Future should be all blue, Jurassic Park should start higher, but The Matrix is dead on. What do you reckon?

An investigation into last week’s University Challenge final has resulted in winner’s Corpus Christi having to hand the trophy over to the University of Manchester. A joint statement from the BBC and Granada reads: The University Challenge rules on student eligibility are that students taking part must be registered at their university or college for the duration of the recording of the series. Whilst obviously not intending to, Corpus Christi broke this important rule where other universities and colleges taking part adhered to it. We therefore find ourselves in the regrettable position of having no choice but to disqualify Corpus Christi from the final. This means they forfeit their hard-fought title which now goes to the Manchester University team.

As media, and particularly music, becomes more and more digital, it seems as though subscription services are the way of the future. There are many sites out there that offer an all-you-can-eat style buffet service, allowing a monthly fee to provide access to all tracks behind the wall. Of course, once you cancel your subscription you are left with nothing, but as long as you continue to pay, you can continue to consume as much as you desire.

Radio 1 had to issue an immediate on-air apology, after guest Bono uttered an expletive. Describing Coldplay front man Chris Martin as a w***** during a live lounge performance on the Jo Whiley show, meant a BBC spokeswoman had to apologise for the language. It doesn’t look as though any complaints have been lodged, however. The BBC have been involved with promotion for the band’s most recent music, with U2 getting their own section on the Music Events site. They have been spotted everywhere, from Friday Night with Jonathan Ross to 6 Music, and they even performed a gig on the roof of Broadcasting House.

After months of development, the BBC have launched their new Weather website, which is designed to have a lot more customisation, and be simpler to use. The first thing that strikes me is how much brighter and more welcoming the site appears, which is an intentional change. Of course, the design has also been implemented to ensure that the pages fit in with the rest of the new BBC look. Navigation is easier, forecasts are organised by location, and the breakdowns are much more useful. There are three-hourly forecasts to cover the next 24 hours, and these should be updated more regularly - with information being provided from the Met Office in a more timely manner.

Whilst not strictly BBC news, anything to do with Comic Relief tends to go hand in hand with the broadcaster. In this case, we have stars from radio and pop taking to the mountain to raise money. They have been talking up the challenge for long enough, and as of yesterday, the climbing had begun. What I am impressed with is the vast amount of coverage taking place. In previous years, it would have been all about waiting for the Comic Relief telethon itself to find out what happened, and watch video of proceedings. Now, you can almost take every step with the group as they make their way up Kilimanjaro.

The complaints over this episode range right across the spectrum. Some believe that the BBC should have made more of the fact it was the first soap episode in TV history to not feature a white person. Others think that drawing attention to it at all was simply making it an issue, when all that matters is the acting. Then there are those that thinking bringing up the Notting Hill Riots was an unnecessary part of the storyline - it didn’t fit in with the week’s events, and was simply there to cause a stir.

I saw these on (eh-hem) Blue Peter, and although I’m not usually into circus-type theatre performances, I was blown away by this one. The troop also do other fun things, including general floor work, some acrobatics in a wheel, and utilising a sofa - of all things. Perhaps it is the urban feel of it that appeals to me, rather than the sparkly nature of something like Cirque du Soleil.

I would never be able to do this sad story justice, so I will simply link to those that have done so already: BBC News - Actress Wendy Richard dies at 65 BBC Press Office - Tribute to Wendy Richards Guardian - TV world and charities pay tribute to ’the loveliest of ladies’

Yet another new face at the BBC, and this one is important for those of us obsessed with the BBC’s new media and technology plans. As of the 1st April, John Linwood takes over the Chief Technology Officer role. The CTO is responsible for organising the entire technology strategy, including maintenance, relocation, infrastructure and development. Not an enviable task, I’m sure! Linwood previously worked at Yahoo!, and oversaw 1,600 staff over 22 countries. He was responsible for the output outside of the US, including social networking, new media, and search. He has 28 years of software engineering experience, including a long stint at Microsoft, so he should bring a lot to the BBC.

Being Human began as part of a BBC Three pilot trial, and was successful enough to garner a commission. The first series of the programme comes to an end on 1st March, and it’s now confirmed the sci-fi drama will return for another eight episodes. Following the lives of a vampire, werewolf and ghost co-habiting in Bristol, the RDF Media Group show has proved a hit in it’s BBC Three timeslot. It’s highest ratings include over a millions viewers, and the critics love it.

Yesterday, it was announced that Barbara Slater is to take over the Director of BBC Sport role, from Roger Mosey. Slater comes from the Head of Sport Production role, and brings plenty of experience looking after Wimbledon, Golf, the Olympics and the Grand National. Mosey is moving on to be Director of London 2012. The Director of Sport has a lot of challenges ahead, primarily with the intended move from London to the Media City in Salford. There is also the upcoming Winter Olympics, the World Cup, and from this year, the rights to Formula 1.

Elbow have been having a stellar couple of years, with the Mercury Music prize under their belts, plus the Best British Group gong at the 2009 BRITs. Now it seems their popularity translates to the Red Button Music Sessions. The Red Button service often provides coverage of music festivals and events throughout the year, and also screens performances that are usually recorded for radio. Elbow were playing for Radio 2, with the BBC Concert Orchestra, at Abbey Road, and the gig took place on the 17th January.

Today, the BBC announced exactly how they plan to cover the 2009 Formula 1 World Championship, after the sport returns to the channel after 12 years. The press release promises the coverage is the “most comprehensive in the history of the sport”, and capitalises on red button facilities, and the online platform. The idea behind the coverage is for it to be as customisable as possible, with fans getting the choice between in-car cameras, split screen action, a choice between TV or radio commentary, and plenty of live action on the website.

In the latest update on Franck’s official site, there appears to be a new nickname in there for our favourite guy. Instead of just FKM, we can now call him: “Franck the Tank”. I’m not entirely sure I’m on board with this new name, so I chose to ignore it and move on. The rest of the entry simply tells us that Franck will be visiting AGR before training hard with Peugeot.

With the upcoming release of Lindsay Duncan’s new drama, Thatcher, the BBC Archive are releasing a collection of programmes focused around the first female Prime Minister. The collection will be available online and follow Thatcher through her career to being a front-running female MP through to becoming the longest-serving PM of the 20th century. Some of the programmes have been broadcast on terrestrial TV, but others are unseen records dating back to 1954.

First impression: How dare they??? Second impression: Could be worse. Thoughts? Update - Third impression: As with most covers, it seems to miss out on the emotion of the original, however, it is growing on me.

I accidentally started a new blog: The BBC Blog. Because what I need right now is more on my to-do list. However, what they say is the more you write, the better you get, and I find it helps when I write about things other than F1 sometimes. So, here is my newest blog, and it’s all about the BBC. For some reason, and I can’t figure out why, I am mostly obsessed with all things BBC. It’s not always good times, and I’m more than happy to air opinions when they go wrong, but the vast majority of time I’m exploring (and loving) all the new things they’re doing.

The latest controversy at the BBC comes from a leaked email from the editor telling his staff to avoid using the phrase “as seen on screen” and instead to read out telephone numbers, email addresses and URLs. A couple of newspapers picked up on the story and claimed this was insulting and unnecessary. The Editors blog explained the situation. Commentators, and one reported “BBC insider”, have said: “This is political correctness gone mad.” It is not. This issue is not about avoiding causing offence. It’s about information and how to access it.

I first heard of ChannelFlip.com when Wil Harris mentioned it on TwiT with Leo Laporte. It sounded like a great project and I was enthusiastic about it until they adopted the tagline: “The UK’s Finest Video Channel for Switched On Men.” Thanks. Anyway, I ignored the site for ages, but couldn’t help noticing when they started showing up on the iTunes chart. First it was a series with Robert Llewellyn about machines, robots and things. I had a look but the production value wasn’t that high, and I didn’t watch more than a couple.

Paul Gambaccini is a respected writer, broadcaster, knowledge on music, and is quite a presence on Radio 2. However, he holds nothing back when it comes to opinions on his colleagues, particularly when they hit the headlines over potential wrongdoings. Back when the Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross saga was ongoing, Gambaccini was quick to suggest the pair of them should be taken off air permanently. He had a case of “I told you so,” suggesting that hiring Brand in the first place was just asking for trouble.

I noticed it yesterday, although I’m not sure when it first appeared, but the BBC have tweaked the News homepage slightly. Now, instead of five most read stories, you get ten. The most emailed section remains the same. The Editors blog has more information about the upgrade here, with the aim behind the feature described. The journalists writing for the site keep a close eye on the ever-changing “most popular” list because it can be a good place to spot emerging interest in stories which we can then develop, and it can also help us assess how successful we’ve been at highlighting and headlining what we see as the key stories of the day.

It’s been on the cards for a while now, with subtle hints being left every now and then, but the long-lost son of the Masood family is about to show up in Albert Square. Syed Masood will appear in May, and looks set to be a sophisticated chap who will find it hard fitting back in with his family. From the BBC Press Office: A natural charmer, a smooth talker and the apple of his mother’s eye, he’s learned how to get ahead in business using his persuasive charm. He can spot an opportunity a mile off, and will pursue regardless of how reckless it seems to others.

Okay, it’s not exactly a catchy title, but why not? There are plenty of meme’s out there, and this one is, in my opinion, the best. Mostly because I thought of it, and also because it has pandas in it. Pandas on a slide!!

Following the BBC’s decision not to show the Gaza Appeal commercial, the matter went to the trust for review. However, the Trust have agreed with the decision, and the appeal will not be shown. From the statement: We recognise that the Director-General’s decision was a matter of great controversy for many members of the public. However, having carefully examined the Director-General’s reasons, the Trust believes he acted correctly throughout, and we are satisfied that the decision the Director-General took was reasonable given the importance of preserving the reputation of the BBC for impartiality.

I’m not really a big gamer. I’m obsessed with The Sims franchise, but have no time to play. I steer clear of driving games because I am beyond useless. Occasionally, we play games over on Sidepodcast and they are fun little flash games on the web. I am even worse at those. However, I recently found a game I both love and am pretty good at. It’s called Skywire. You may have heard of it, I know it’s quite popular on Miniclip. I played it relentlessly for a couple of days. I’ve completed all but the last level on the original game and the sequel.

I occasionally tune in to the Chris Evans podcast, although sometimes skip through the more obscure callers. There’s only so many times I can stomach listening to people talking about sheds. Nevertheless, the show seems to be a nice cosy affair, with plenty of chatter and interaction with the listeners. I didn’t know Evans from his television days, but am told that he has matured into a much better presenter, if a little less edgy.

There are only four Doctor Who specials to keep us amused this year, and so we’ve been desperately trying to find news for the first. All we know is that Lee Evans and Michelle Ryan feature, and they’ll be disappearing off to the Dubai deserts. Now, before that one has even screened, we’re starting to get information about the second special. It was announced today that Lindsay Duncan will play the companion in the episode, and she will be “the Doctor’s cleverest and most strong-minded companion yet.”

There’s a great new post on the Internet Blog regarding the BBC’s use of Flickr. They’ve got a group for users to add and source pictures that show up on the all over the site, specifically on the iPlayer and the homepage. I find it fascinating that not only is amateur photography becoming a mainstay for the most professional of organisations, but also that they can be so open and honest about it. Spotted a picture you like on the BBC? Check out Flickr, you may find it there and be able to comment directly to the photographer.

I just realised that I didn’t share the video I made of Franck at Autosport. There are other clips in there as well, as my Sidepodcast Diaries audience have a wider variety of tastes than Mr M. Silly people! The whole thing tells a story, but if you only want to see FKM, visit 1:42, 2:53 and 3:12.

There has been a lot more information released about the upcoming third series of Robin Hood. The Tiger Aspect Production programme returns with 13 episodes in the Spring, and this time Robin is mean. He’s out for revenge after the death of wife Marian at the hands of Guy of Gisborne. He’s dumped the others after their return from the Holy Land, and his only goal is to kill Sir Guy. Meanwhile, Gisborne is racked with grief after murdering the woman he loves. As the grief rages on, Hood stumbles upon Kate and Tuck in the forest. Kate sides against the Sheriff after her brother is constrained, and Tuck is there to help Robin get his life back on track. It looks like Kate will be a love interest for someone, and another new face may stir hearts as well. Guy’s little sister Isabella turns up and is a thorn in both her brother and Robin’s sides.

I don’t know the extensive details of the Digital TV Transition in America. I don’t know much about it here, either. I know there are coupons involved. I already have digital TV, and barely watch anything on the actual box as it is, so the stories have been washing over me for months. Of course, the time has been ticking ever onwards and the US switchover was supposed to happen this week. A last minute change, rushed through Congress, has delayed the transition for another few months. However, some TV stations were geared up for the February change, and they’ve been told they can go early if they want. Therefore, some stations will be digital only, and some won’t.

My little Franck-obsessed corner of the web turns one year old this month. We started on the 5th February, in an attempt to follow the Frenchman as he navigated his way through Champ Car. Of course, that didn’t happen, but I was not deterred. We’ve followed Franck through A1GP, ALMS and the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and hopefully, there is plenty more to look forward to in 2009 and beyond.

I know someone who finds life a little bit… surprising. For instance, a mobile phone sits on the desk. It obviously belongs to them, and they have set the ringtone/volume/vibrate options. It rings. The novelty of a phone ringing makes the person jump so violently, they knock the phone from it’s holder, and the noise it makes as it hits the desk makes them jump all over again. I wonder if there will be a situation that is so surprising, it turns into some kind of perpetual motion problem.

The official Franck site has recently uploaded some more pictures to the gallery, featuring photos throughout the man’s career. Whilst perusing these pictures, it reminded me of something from Autosport International. We were busy stalking FKM, as expected, and he was asked to pose in front of the Peugeot car, with fellow driver Nicolas Minassian. The photographer said: “Let’s see some smiles.” And Franck muttered something like: “I am smiling.”

Peugeot Sport announced their lineup yesterday for the 24 Hours of Le Mans, confirming that Montagny would join them for the second year in a row. He’ll also turn up for a couple of prepatory events, the 12 Hours of Sebring, and 1000 Kilometres of Spa. I’ve never heard of either of these events but am now very excited about them. FKM’s team mates for Spa and Sebring have been announced as follows:

The BBC seem to have gone a bit doolally over Twitter. First it was Jonathan Ross spending at least ten minutes discussing the micro-blogging site with Stephen Fry. Then Radio 1 picked that up and ran with it, with at least three of the DJs signing up for Twitter accounts, maybe more. Whilst it’s good to see radio branching out even more into the online world, this seems like a really odd move for the BBC. Couldn’t singling out one particular site go against their non-advertising charter? I haven’t heard a single DJ suggest that other social networks are available.

With iTunes now starting to roll out HD versions of some TV shows, alongside the standard def versions, we had to investigate. Given the option, it feels wrong to buy a lesser quality version, even if it is slightly more expensive to do so. LOST returned to our screens recently, and by screens, I mean monitors playing the HD show with the help of an Apple remote. I wasn’t sure that the higher quality made that much difference, but about halfway through the second episode, I suddenly saw it. It’s not always obviously better, but if there’s a close up, the definition is amazing. That’s just on our relatively small screen, I bet it’s brilliant on one of those overpriced flatscreens.

It’ll be a while before I’ll be able to get those images of a plane in the Hudson River out of my mind, but at least it’s one of those feel good stories where it all ended happily ever after. The passengers were safe, the crew were heralded, the pilot called a hero. It’s all good. But aren’t they forgetting someone? Today, the audio from the black box on the plane was released, and the BBC have an excerpt of it. I expected it to be terrifying to listen to, but actually, everyone involved is calm, collected and professional.

Thursdays are rubbish, aren’t they? I’d go so far as to say they are worse than Monday. With that being the case, I need a little bit of cute baby panda goodness to cheer me up. In case anyone feels the same, here you go: If that’s not enough, here’s something else: Credit: ErikaMCz/Flickr And if after all that, you’re feeling generous: IKEA: Klappar Panda Well, I certainly feel better. How about you?

IT SNOWED!! Of course, I am much too unorganised to have snapped a picture of this momentous occasion. It is a bit of a phenomenon where I live, but of course, it’s also a bit of a nuisance. The snow covered my car, soaked through my gloves, and caused random pedestrians to slip off the road. It also took three times as long to get to work, for no apparent reason other than a bit of frozen rain, so perhaps nuisance isn’t a strong enough word.

A few days ago, a new update appeared on the news section of Franck’s official site, and I have just got round to translating it and having a read. There’s not much in the way of news, Franck’s in training for the new season, and will apparently be getting in the Peugeot soon. The bit that interested me, though, was this: You may have noticed that the stories were more rare in recent months and news that some had even had to be withdrawn … Too bad, I grant you, but it was a specific request of partners FKM upset that some information too confidential and disclosed on the web. We know how fast information travels on the web and we have had to revise our editorial content.

I’ve never really understood Lollipop Ladies/Men. (Have never seen a lollipop man before, though.) In this day and age of excruciating Health and Safety, it’s acceptable for the council to pay someone to step out into the path of oncoming traffic. Seems odd. I also think it’s better for children to learn how to use actual street crossings. Those traffic lights are put there for a reason, you know. Otherwise, aren’t they just being lulled into a false sense of security, that there will always be someone waiting, ready to pop up and stop the traffic as soon as you desire to cross the road? I can honestly say, it’s not like that once you grow up.

During his second day at Autosport International, Franck chose to talk about his prospects with Peugeot Sport. Having worked with them for the 24 Hour Le Mans race in 2008, Franck quickly signed up to continue racing with them this year, but at the moment, he doesn’t know to what extent his workload will be. I am with the team for 2009, I don’t know exactly what my programme will be, I don’t know what I’m going to do, but I’m really dedicated to winning Le Mans and if to win Le Mans I have to do many races before, I will. If it’s to do many races with Peugeot, I will give 100 per cent priority to Peugeot over anything else.

As mentioned in a previous blog entry, Mr M turned up at the trade show in Birmingham, and he had plenty to say for himself. He’s been pretty quiet recently, after finishing up his year with ALMS, and he turned up at the show on behalf of Peugeot Sport - his Le Mans team. He wasn’t the only member of the squad there, but of course, he was the most interesting.

I’ve just found this and had to share. Utterly amazing. Aside from the fact it’s scary how many songs are alike, I’m very impressed with their ability to switch from one to the other. I’d just get carried away and at least finish the chorus of one song. How do they manage to control themselves to just do one line of each?

It’s Franck’s birthday today. I am ashamed. I didn’t forget, but I did not actually know when his birthday was. This is terrible and I now have the date burned into my mind for future reference. Happy Birthday, Franck! As it turns out, I was reminded by Scott Woodwiss, who has written an excellent blog post on the subject. I will point you in that direction, and simply say: What he said.

Matt Smith is the new Doctor Who, facing the daunting task of replacing David Tennant. It’s an unenviable task, especially from someone I’m sure not many people have heard of. I’ll reserve judgement until I’ve seen him in action, but on first impressions alone… he doesn’t look the part, and he certainly doesn’t sound the part. What do you think?

Browsing through the iTunes TV Programmes store yesterday, I came across this little gem: That’s one single TV episode, that lasts for an hour and is £2.99. Is this the first time that iTunes have given in to the variable pricing pressure? I haven’t seen it before. When NBC said they’d be returning to iTunes, we all assumed they’d had to give in and admit that Apple’s platform is a great sales outlet for their shows. However, if the picture is to be believed, then Apple have more likely agreed to NBC’s pricing demands.

As am I! According to this story, Peugeot Sport will be showing off their cars at the Autosport event next weekend - with the details as follows: Kris Meeke and Paul Nagle will be on the Peugeot Sport stand on Thursday 8th for interviews. Nicolas Minassian and Franck Montagny will also be available on the Peugeot Sport stand for interviews on Friday 9th and Saturday 10th. I’ll be there on Saturday too. I will do my best to get some photos to share with you guys, if I don’t hyperventilate before I get there.