Scott Bryan

Are Toxic Personalities a Turn-Off for British Reality TV?

“Love Island,” a British reality show featuring young singletons courting each other in a hot location, suddenly seems to be cooling off. Returning to ITV2 last week, and debuting on Hulu on Jan. 30, the winter series reportedly attracted just over…

‘The Traitors’ Was a Sensation in Britain. Can It Conquer the U.S.?

For television fans, a favorite reality show can spawn viewing parties, themed WhatsApp groups and memorable moments quoted without context. But James Symonds, 25, a British graphic designer, recently became so obsessed with the BBC reality game show…

Paddington, Neighbours and Matt Hancock snogging: the TV moments of 2022

From the Queen’s afternoon tea skit to the utter surrealness of I’m A Celebrity, here are the most incredible, touching and bizarre things that happened on our screens this year Huw Edwards eating a croissant live on BBC News Presenting local…

Scott Bryan: Rebranding channels can create confusion rather than clarity

Updating long-established channel and platform names for the streaming age doesn’t always pay off The full subscription package includes: Unlimited online access Monthly Broadcast Magazine Selection of annual reports and surveys Newsletters +…

‘I tried to break my ankle to get out of it’: an oral history of Strictly Come Dancing

The glitz! The glitterballs! The fake tan! As Strictly comes to the end of its 20th season, the judges, celebrities and dancers recall how a high-risk venture became a must-watch Saturday-night staple On Saturday 15 May 2004, a reinvention of the…

The Great British Bake Off 2022 final – as it happened

Who was crowned the series champion: Abdul, Sandro or Syabira? And did Sandro finally get that elusive handshake? Find out here

The Last Podcast Radio Hour

It's BBC Radio 4 Extra's final Podcast Radio Hour so Laura Grimshaw, Amanda Litherland and Chris Pearson look back at some of the best co-hosts, podcasts and interview guests. With contributions from regular co-hosts Scott Bryan, Jon Holmes, Isy…

Too mean, too ignorant, too little actual baking: has Bake Off lost its charm for good?

From judges’ unnecessarily harsh criticisms ruining the show’s once-kind feel to a downright offensive Mexican week, this has been the show’s worst ever series. Can it recover? No, it isn’t just you. There has been something really wrong with The…

Kit Connor Didn’t Owe Us Anything

Kit Connor tweeted yesterday that he was bisexual. Such a disclosure is usually accompanied with celebration and congratulations. Yet when I read his tweet, like many others, my heart sank. “I’m bi,” he tweeted. “Congrats for forcing an 18 year old…

Tip of the Iceberg: British TV Gets Chaotic as U.K. Lettuce Livestream Outlasts Prime Minister

During a breaking political news story, I usually watch both BBC News and Sky News on two different screens, just so I don’t miss anything. This week, like many others, I added a third channel: a livestream of a lettuce. After Prime Minister Liz…

New listening for October

Chris Pearson and Scott Bryan suggest new listening for October. Tubsey and Hyder, Bafta winners, join us to talk about their first steps into podcasting. Why did they want to start "The World According to Tubsey and Hyder" - and what do they love…

How it Felt Watching U.K. Media Report the Death of Queen Elizabeth II (Column)

The surreal thing about watching the BBC One coverage of Queen Elizabeth II’s death was that we all knew in advance what the coverage was exactly going to be like once the news arrived. The precise wording. The solemn voices. The black ties and…

Spin to win your energy bills? We’re living in a Black Mirror dystopia

It was a scene so dystopian that Black Mirror viewers would have shivered. On the morning of Monday 5 September, This Morning’s Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby were cheerfully standing in front of their “Spin to win” wheel, a regular…

‘Big Brother’ Is Coming Back to the U.K., but Can It Really Thrive in Today’s Reality Landscape? (Column)

In the words of Davina McCall, “fancy another one”? Shortly before announcing this year’s winners of “Love Island” on Monday night, U.K. broadcaster ITV2 caused goosebumps as they played out the iconic “Big Brother” theme tune while revealing that…

Scott Bryan: Old gems can be as big a draw as shiny new releases

Archives full of brilliant shows are a powerful but underused weapon in the battle for viewers’ attention Do you want to keep reading? Register to read four free articles per month Up to the minute industry news Agenda-setting interviews with key…

How well do you know Ramsay Street? It’s the ultimate Neighbours quiz!

After 37 years, the lights are finally going out on Ramsay Street. But how much do you remember about the soap’s most brilliant and bizarre moments? … we have a small favour to ask. Tens of millions have placed their trust in the Guardian’s fearless…

Quickfire

By coming out as gay, Daria Kasatkina has shown Russia what true bravery looks like The tennis player knows she could be ostracised by her country. Daria Kasatkina. If you’re not a tennis fan you might not have heard the name before. The no 1 Russian…

By coming out as gay, Daria Kasatkina has shown Russia what true bravery looks like

Daria Kasatkina. If you’re not a tennis fan you might not have heard the name before. The no 1 Russian women’s tennis player, who made it to the semi-final of the French Open in June and is ranked 12th in the world, has come out as gay. In an…

New listens for July

Chris Pearson and Scott Bryan recommend new podcast listening for July.We're joined by Nick Grimshaw and Angela Hartnett OBE to talk about their new podcast, Dish. The two discuss their love of hosting, and we'll hear about what Nick's learned from…

As Boris Johnson Got the Boot, British Television Got Pretty Bonkers (Column)

This has been the weirdest week in British television in a long time. In the days leading up to Boris Johnson’s resignation, the number of gaffes and surreal moments captured on live television became almost impossible to track. But in many ways,…