The TV Podcast

February 2026: ITV in crisis talks as Britain’s Got Talent hits an all-time low, ITV cancels You Bet, Jeopardy, the Fortune Hotel and the British Soap Awards, Netflix builds the largest talk show network in television, QVC on the brink of bankruptcy, Donald Trump’s $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the BBC goes ahead, classic BBC sitcom Goodnight Sweetheart criticised for encouraging infidelity.

January 2026: Nigella Lawson joins the Great British Bake Off, Channel 4 sends Francis Bourgeois to space, Britain’s Got Talent returns for its 19th series with Stacey Soloman, Bruce Forsyth’s abandoned mansion, Disney+ buys a castle for Alan Carr, ITV criticised for dropping Loose Women audience, Netflix tells producers to ‘dumb down’ movies, ITV finally launches The Summit with Ben Shepherd, Celebs Go Dating returns for its 16th series with David Potts, Celebrity Traitors dream line-up revealed, Channel 5 commissions The Downfall of Huw Edwards with Martin Clunes.

December 2025: Strictly's Thomas Skinner sues BBC over voting allegations, David Walliams scandal, ITV plans Love Island movie, Sky commissions documentary on X Factor scandals, Channel 4 launches Britain's Favourite Railway Station, Ofcom reveals most complained-about shows of 2025, ITV launches The Box with Gary Lineker, BBC fails to find celebrities for Celebrity Mastermind, Fremantle develops Christmas dating show with super-sized Advent Calendar.

November 2025: Celebrity Traitors breaks records with 15M viewers, I'm A Celebrity returns for its 25th series, ITV commissions Blind Matchmakers, BBC Children In Need criticised for wasting money, Channel 4 launches puppet show with Mel Giedroyc, Kim Kardashian's legal drama All's Fair voted worst show of all time, Channel 4 investigate Hitler's DNA, Donald Trump sues the BBC for $5 billion.

October 2025: The Inbetweeners set for epic comeback, MTV closes all music channels, Channel 4 orders Find The Foreigner, ITV flogs memorabilia on eBay after budget cuts, Disney+ quietly hikes prices again, Channel 4 launches 'Killer' protein bar with Joe Wicks, ITV faces financial challenges due to succession of flops, Baywatch returns, the ghost of Bruce Forsyth haunts the London Palladium, Hallmark Channel announces 28 brand new Christmas movies, Sky History goes witch-hunting with Rylan Clark.

September 2025: ITV replaces Saturday night line-up with repeats, Stranded On Honeymoon named BBC One's biggest flop ever, Simon Cowell joins Netflix for The Next Act, Channel 4 brings back Brookside, Mel & Sue's comeback flops with Win Win, Alison Hammond launches new singing contest for Channel 4, Sky poaches Gemma Collins, Gary Lineker beats Ant & Dec at the NTAs, Channel 4 orders dating show for blood donors.

This month, we celebrate the 20th anniversary of ITV's Quizmania. Launched on the 12th August 2005, Fremantle's Quizmania went on to become the world's most successful interactive game show, with international versions in Australia, Poland, Colombia, France, Portugal and China. Quizmania creators Chuck Thomas and Debbie King revisit ITV's late night phenomenon with Greg Scott and Flash Sawyer.

July 2025: The BBC drops Gregg Wallace's final series of MasterChef, Channel 4 orders The Bonnie Blue Story, the BBC reboots Hole In The Wall, ITV launches Shark! Celebrity Infested Waters, ITVX merges with Disney+, Amazon gives Phoebe Waller-Bridge $100M for nothing, who killed Saturday morning TV?

June 2025: ITV cuts hundreds of jobs in daytime 'bloodbath', ITV Quiz reveals launch schedule, Britain's Got Talent loses 15 million viewers, Channel 4 commissions Handcuffed with Jonathan Ross, BBC launches Love At First Laugh, Genius Game named ITV's biggest flop ever, BBC documentary explores the world's weirdest reality show, Popeye and Tintin enter the public domain

May 2025: Sky launches UK version of Saturday Night Live, ITVBe replaced by ITV Quiz, Channel 4 commissions Virgin Island, Gavin & Stacey voted most overrated show ever, ITV cancels Pictionary, Simon Cowell tops TV Rich List, Celebs Go Dating announces line-up, AI predicted to replace presenters within ten years, Channel 4 axes Naked Attraction, Britain’s Got Talent accused of fakery

April 2026: Channel 5 changes its name again, Apple TV loses $1 billion a year, ITV commissions Win Win with Mel & Sue, Dermot O'Leary returns with Silence Is Golden, Channel 4 reboots Bad Dog Academy, Gwyeth Paltrow slams intimacy co-ordinators, BAFTA winning producer Spencer Millman reveals the secrets making behind TV Burp

March 2026: ITV cancels Gino D'Acampo, Sky opens a caravan park with Danny Dyer, Channel 4 commissions Nepo Island, Amazon axes Neighbours (again), 70% of people watch TV with the subtitles on, Vladimir Putin launches his own anti-woke version of Eurovision, 'Net Zero' BBC slammed after Amanda Holden takes 28 flights

25th January 2025: BBC orders Celebrity Traitors, Netflix goes Bear Hunting with Holly Willoughby, Katie Price 'makes babies' for Channel 4, Dancing On Ice flops on ITV, BuzzFeed sells Hot Ones for $85 million, OnlyFans launches TV channel

22nd December 2024: ITV uses AI to generate show ideas, 500k cancel BBC licence fee, Paddy McGuinness replaces Gregg Wallace, ITV reboots Bullseye with Freddie Flintoff, Phillip Schofield’s comeback flops on Channel 5, BBC sabotages Mrs Brown’s Boys

30th May 2019: ITV plans new theme park, BBC Three buys Hot Property, Channel 4 launches When I Grow Up, Netflix orders Killer Ratings, Reginald Perrin returns as a musical, BBC Two orders spoof chat show with Vladimir Putin.

1st May 2019: ITV orders X Factor All Stars, Fawlty Towers named best British sitcom, Channel 5 buys first ever docu-sitcom, ITV orders Little Chefs with John Bishop, Basil Brush returns, Channel 5 picks up Old Wife, New Wife, Channel 4 commissions Banged Up: Teens Behind Bars.

20th March 2018: Jonathan Ross revives This Is Your Life, Channel 5 orders Bad Teen To Ballroom Queen, Channel 5 considers Bullseye, E4 launches Five Star Hotel, Fox orders Man Vs Robot, Christopher Eccleston regrets Doctor Who, Fox reduces commercials, ITV orders Change Your Tune.

28th January 2018: Channel 5 unwraps Britain's Favourite Biscuit, ITV commissions Britain's Favourite Walks, ITV orders Britain's Brightest Family, Channel 5 picks up One Night With My Ex, Channel 4 buys Star Boot Sale, ITV reveals Britain's Favourite Dogs, LinkedIn considers TV, Hulu develops Four Weddings And A Funeral, Channel 4 commissions Famous And Fighting Crime.

2nd November 2017: ITV orders All Star Musicals, ITV2 launches Survival Of The Fittest, Louis Walsh stars in Merry Woofmas, BBC1 orders All Together Now, Simon Cowell produces new sitcom for NBC, BBC1 axes Crimewatch.

5th September 2016: BBC1 relaunches Crimewatch, ITV orders Go For It, Helen Skelton wows the BBC at the Olympics.