Well it was bound to happen the MGEITF has given us a Sunday first, the FIRST look anywhere of the new Christmas special for BBC of the iconic Dr Who. From the small trailer we got to see the look of it is as high a quality as you would expect and even has one special guest so far confirmed, Michael Gambon.

The Dr Who team seem to be using the classic Dicken’s Christmas tale A Christmas Carol with Gambon playing a “Scrooge”. The look of this is amazing and I have to admit now I have never been a big fan of Dr Who but I now am taken by it and really can not wait for the Christmas special.

Executive producer Stephen Moffatt is saying that he now wants a mid-season event as well.

More news and views on this years MGEITF will be updated daily on our site.

As well as The Network the Media Guardian Edinburgh International Television Festival also host Fast Track which is aimed at people who have already been working in TV. If you, or someone you know, has been working in TV for 2-4 years and have all the gumption, drive, and passion then you (or someone you know) can gain access to some of the biggest and most respected programme and policy makers in the business.

“Over the past 15 years, Fast Track has been fantastic at helping to identify and nurture those individuals who have the talent, abilities and drive to be the future of television. It might sound worthy, but it helps make the industry better.”
Andrew Zein, Managing Director of Tiger Aspect and Patron of Fast Track

Not only will the Fast Track participants get a full weekend delegates pass to the festival you will also get to pitch your idea and win a possible commission on it.  In terms of who the wider media ias and how difficult it can be to get noticed even let alone have your ideas picked up by a major network is, am sure, a dream come true for those who have just started their career’s within TV.

Fast Track is, much like it’s sister scheme The Network, one of the most innovative schemes within the industry and goes right back to the core of what these schemes are aimed at doing, giving young people the opportunities to get in TV.

Some of the previous Fast Trackers had this to say about the scheme:

“I was a Director/ Assistant Producer on Blue Peter when he came to Edinburgh in 1998 for TV25. A weekend’s exposure to the George Bar gave me a taste of working within the commissioning side of the industry. Within a few months I became a Development Planner for BBC One – running the channel’s Entertainment and Factual development slates. A year later I moved back to BBC Production- working for Lorraine Heggessey as Head of New Media and New Channels. In 2000, I was poached by Dawn Airey to the position of Controller Interactive Programmes at Channel Five. I was appointed Controller of Youth and Music the following year, then the Controller of Special Events and Pop Features and am now Creative Director at Amaze TV.”
Sham Sandhu, Creative Director, Amaze TV .

“I shared a flat with other people on the scheme and we lurched bleary eyed, but excited from the masterclasses to comedy nights and the major sessions with lots of time in between spent in earnest discussion putting the TV world to rights. I had worked in TV for a few years at that point, but only knew my own small corner of it. Fast Track was a whistlestop tour of the whole TV landscape and gave me an ambition to expand my horizons. And it was a lot of fun!”.

Katy Thorogood, Head of Features , North One.

Closing date for applications or nominations is 13th June 2010.  There are only 40 places available meaning you will get up close and personal with some of the biggest hitters in the industry, this opportunity is not one to be taken lightly and is, as the former Fast Trackers have testified, one that can change the course of your career within TV.

This year the MGEITF Talent Scheme celebrates and milestone birthday. For 20 years The Network (formerly TVYP, Television and Young People) has provided young people wanting to break into TV with one of the greatest opportunities to gaining first hand knowledge, contact with professionals within the industry.

TV has to day the same pull and draw for young people as it had 20 years ago when The Network was created. The one thing that is different now is that competition for for those jobs is higher with some discouraging factors hindering the choice and chance for many gifted people from ‘under represented backgrounds’.  What The Network aims to do is address this with four days of masterclasses, career surgeries, and hands on training in all aspects of the industry. This is all free for the successful applicants.

This year The Network will be held at the Skillset Screen and Media Academy at Edinburgh Napier University. Last year the group got to see a unique insight into an area that is often closed off to them and the rest of the delegates seemed only to happy to show their support and appreciation for their drive and passion.

Joe Godwin, Directos of BBC Childre’s & Chair of The Network Committee said:

“I’m proud of The Network’s long track record in introducing young people to the world of television – so many of our delegates go on to great things.  We are attracting the best names in TV to come and work with these new entrants and we continue to work towards securing a creative, diverse and representative workforce which reflects the TV audience.” The Network has the most important ingredient that keeps it alive and that is people like Joe who are not just passionate about what they can do but deliver it tenfold.

From the Past

Some of the past delegates have been Ore Oduba, CBBC Newsround Presenter, Dragon’s Den Exec Producer Dominic Bird, Zig Zag CEO Danny Fenton, & Danny Wallace, XFM presenter.

With The Network celebrating it’s 20th birthday some special things are bound be planned for this years delegates. It is hard to explain sometimes how amazing and beneficial The Network is and what it offers young people who want to get into TV.  If this is you then The Network is THE place to come, learn, meet, and take away an indelible life experience that is sure to fire you onto your path to TV.

The MediaGuardian Edinburgh International Television Festival today announced the shortlist for the 9^th annual Channel Of The Year Awards. Winners will be decided during a live vote at an awards ceremony hosted by top funny man Jack Whitehall on Saturday 28 August 2010.

The Nominated Channels 2010:

BBC Four, BBC Three, Cartoon Network, Comedy Central, E4, Five USA, Sky1 and Sky News have been shortlisted in the Best Non-Terrestrial Channel Of The Year category. The channels in the running for Best Terrestrial Channel Of The Year are BBC One, BBC Two, ITV1, Channel 4 and Five.

Best Terrestrial Programme Of The Year

Dr Who (BBC One) will go head to head with The X Factor (ITV1), Harry Hill’s TV Burp (ITV1), Outnumbered(BBC One), and Flash Forward (Five).

Best Non-Terrestrial Programme

30 Rock (Comedy Central), Glee (E4), Newswipe with Charlie Brooker (BBC Four), Pineapple Dance Studios (Sky1) and The Inbetweeners (E4).

Votes were cast by members of the public, festival delegates, industry professionals and The Network and Fast Track alumni via an online survey designed by YouGov. A total of five categories are being judged at this year’s award ceremony: Best Terrestrial Channel Of The Year, Best Non-Terrestrial Channel Of The Year, Best Terrestrial Programme Of The Year, Best Non-Terrestrial Programme Of The Year and The Network & Fast Track Choice Award.

The winner of Best Terrestrial and Best Non-Terrestrial Channel will be decided by a 50% live audience vote and 50% Festival Executive Committee vote while the Best Terrestrial and Best Non-Terrestrial Programme will be decided solely by an audience of industry peers on the night of the awards.

To vote – register to attend the live ceremony and three day festival at www.mgeitf.co.uk. The festival audience will decide.