April 30th, 2007 by Lisa McGarry.
The Panic Room meets two more people with extreme phobias as the series continues. The rooms have been specially designed by two leading psychologists to treat these people.
Chris Soutar, 23, a sales manager from Great Dunmow, Essex, has a phobia of lifts and hasn’t been in one for years. At the age of 10 he was stuck in a lift and thinks his phobia may have developed as a result. His worst nightmare would be to be stuck in a lift by himself.
Psychologist Lucy Atcheson treats Chris by exposing him gradually to his fear. He enters the Panic Room on day one and takes a virtual lift ride. On day two, he crawls through a tight dark tunnel, and on day three, he faces his worst fear when he’s asked to take a lift to the 23rd floor. Read more & comment »
February 18th, 2007 by Lisa McGarry.
The People reported today that the biggest supermarket chains in the UK are fighting over the chance to be the first store to stock Levi Root’s Reggae Reggae sauce.
Levi approached the millionaires of BBC’s Dragons Den recently in a bid to attract some money to mass produce his spicy sauce. However since the show aired supermakrets have been inundated with requests for the sauce and the word is that Tesco will stock it soon and Sainsbury’s table sauce buyer Nick Paddison said: “We are in the final stage of talks.”
Well done Levi. I don’t know if it was the catchy tune he sang to the judge, or his fabulous presentation, but my mouth was certainly watering after listening to his pitch. I will be the first in line to get the sauce when my local Tescos gets it in!
February 15th, 2007 by Lisa McGarry.
Ling Valentine stunned the resident Dragons on BBC2 when she turned down their offer to fund her business growth.
Ling asked the Dragons for £50,00, which she intended to spend on marketing her car leasing business, in return for a 5% share of her company.
Duncan Bannatyne and Richard Farley were impressed with Ling’s pitch but felt that for £50,000 they would need more of a share in her business. They offered her the full amount for 10% of her company each.
Ling stood her ground and walked away with nothing rather than give up 20% of her company…….you have to admire that sort of determination, I dare say Ling will go far in the world of business!
February 14th, 2007 by Lisa McGarry.
The jury file into court for the final day of the trial, when the barristers make their closing speeches and the judge sums up.
The jury then retire to begin their deliberations, with Michael Portillo leading the discussions.
They review the evidence that has been presented to them, including the physical and forensic evidence. Is this enough to convict the alleged rapists? While some have great sympathy for Anna, others find the secret recording of her talking to her friend, Clare, about the rape unconvincing and think they may have concocted the story together.
The discussion is intense, emotional and heated and the jurors are acutely aware of the level of responsibility they carry. Several change their minds during the deliberations as they struggle to reach a unanimous or majority verdict.
Finally, they return to the court. The clerk asks the juror selected as foreman to stand and he is asked whether they have found the defendants guilty or not guilty. The verdict has been reached and it is delivered to uproar in the courtroom.
February 13th, 2007 by Lisa McGarry.
On the third day of the trial, internationally famous footballer Damien Scott continues giving his evidence in the courtroom, followed by the hotel porter and then by Damien’s friend, James Greer.
Interviewed by the defence, the porter says that he saw the girls chatting and having fun with the footballers. However, the prosecution suggest that this is because they are regular customers and good tippers, so it is in his best interest to protect them. Read more & comment »
February 12th, 2007 by Lisa McGarry.
Duncan Bannatyne, Deborah Meaden, Richard Farleigh, Peter Jones and Theo Paphitis have all built up their own fortunes from scratch and are now ready to back the best ideas and inventions brought into the Den with their own cash – but will any survive the experience?
Other pitches this week include: a colourful new take on the rocking horse; a web-based contract car lease hire company with an eye-catching line in advertising; a hi-tech service for diagnosing and solving problems with feet; and a new laundry and travel storage range.
Wednesday 14 February
8.00-9.00pm BBC TWO
February 12th, 2007 by Lisa McGarry.
Last night saw the launch of the BBc’s most controversial show this year so far, The Verdict.
The show follows a fake rape trial with well known celebrities (including Jeffrey Archer) making up the jury.
Reviews have been mixed on the show, and it might be too early to tell if the show will be the success that the BBC is hoping for. Here are a few that have appeared in newspapers today.
Matt Baylis in the Daily Express said:
“We could all probably think of things we’d rather be doing than watching The Verdict. Performing a gall-bladder operation on oneself, for example. Or reading Patrick Kielty’s autobiography. Drinking oil, maybe?” Ouch.
The Guardian’s Nancy Banks-Smith said:
“The Verdict…is reality TV with a touch of class and should be very popular.”
Thomas Sutcliffe in The Independent said:
“With another three episodes to go, it’s a little too early to say whether The Verdict is innocent of the charges of sensationalism and celebrity exploitation that have already been laid against it, but I suspect the defence team will be feeling quietly confident.”
While James Walton in The Daily Telegraph called it
a “very peculiar programme indeed…The sense of tackiness never goes away – but at the same time there’s no denying that it’s often a gripping watch.”
What did you think of the show? Be sure to share!
February 11th, 2007 by Lisa McGarry.
The second day of The Verdict opens with evidence from two expert witnesses, a forensic scientist and a doctor, who explain how there is physical evidence that could point to the footballers’ guilt. The evidence from the doctor acting for the prosecution particularly concerns the defence, who move quickly to try to secure an opinion from their own doctor.
Next to take the stand is the publicist who sold Anna’s story to a national paper. He attempts to convince the jury that Anna’s best friend, Clare, approached him and secretly taped her friend not because she was interested in money, but because she wanted justice. Read more & comment »
February 10th, 2007 by Lisa McGarry.
Twelve well-known faces, including Michael Portillo, Ingrid Tarrant, Stan Collymore, Jennifer Ellison and Honor Blackman, start jury service in The Verdict.
Over the next four days, they sit in judgement on the trial of a high-profile rape case in a real courtroom, presided over by a real judge, His Honour Neil Denison, QC, with real barristers prosecuting and defending. On the last day, the jury will retire to the jury room to begin their deliberations. Viewers will be able to see exactly how a jury reaches its conclusions.
The other jurors are author and former Conservative MP Jeffrey Archer; head of the Ann Summers empire Jacqueline Gold; Blur band member Alex James; So Solid Crew member Megaman; Brit Teen Entrepreneur Dominic McVey; actress Patsy Palmer; and the mother who campaigned for Sarah’s law following the murder of her daughter, Sara Payne. Read more & comment »
February 5th, 2007 by Lisa McGarry.
The Dragons’ Den is back and open for business and the multi-millionaire investors who are ready to back the best ideas and inventions with their own cash are on scorching form in this first episode of the new series.
Duncan Bannatyne, Deborah Meaden, Richard Farleigh, Theo Paphitis and Peter Jones are all worth millions and they’ve all built their own business empires from scratch. But will any of tonight’s entrepreneurs persuade them to invest?
The line-up includes a beach towel with a surfboard printed on it to help learner surfers to pop (get to their feet quickly); a lemon-slicing device for pubs; Reggae Reggae jerk sauce; streetwise puppets used to provide educational resources for teenagers; the Woollie Warmer for newborn lambs; walk-in stress-relief shops; a right-hand glove to aid safe driving abroad; head hammocks for airline passengers; and a refrigerated delivery business.
