25 July 2010
Last updated at 12:12 ET

Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt has called on the BBC to be more open about how much it pays its top stars.

Speaking on BBC One’s Andrew Marr Show, Mr Hunt said that the corporation should be clear about how it spends the public’s money.

Earlier this month the BBC Trust said details of star pay would be revealed in bands, but not individual salaries.

Mr Hunt said the public was “genuinely divided” over the issue and needed to make up their own minds.

“The difficulty here is that the public is genuinely divided – some people say ‘why should we pay huge salaries for stars on the BBC when we can see them on ITV?’,” he said.

“Other people say ‘look, one of the reasons I pay my licence fee is I want to see people like Brucie doing Strictly Come Dancing’.

“There is a genuine division there and I think the best way to resolve that is for the BBC to be open about the packages that it pays to celebrities.

“We have learned in government that transparency is the best way to solve a lot of these issues because you are saying to the public ‘look, you’re grown up, you make up your own mind’.”

Mr Hunt said he also wanted to meet BBC director general, Mark Thompson, to discuss the salaries the corporation pays its top executives.

He said while the BBC had made “some steps in the right direction” it needed to show it was on the “same planet as everyone else” when it came to pay for top executives.

The BBC recently announced it would reduce the pay of its top executives and slim down its senior management.

Mr Hunt said: “We will be having discussions over the future of the next licence fee settlement next year in which I will be talking to Mark and the BBC management in a lot of detail.

“I do want the BBC to demonstrate that when it comes to their management pay they are on the same planet as everyone else.

“Because of the economic inheritance that we are facing, government ministers have been careful with every single penny of taxpayers’ money and the BBC does need to show it is careful with every penny of licence fee payers’ money as well.”

Mr Hunt also said the way that the licence fee is collected may have to change to keep up with changes in technology.

He said while the government “accepts the principle of the licence fee… the way we collect it may have to be rethought”.

And he also signalled that the BBC should consider reducing its online activity.

“The web is a very good area where the BBC needs to have clearer red lines on what it will and won’t do.”

Executive pensions

Meanwhile, claims in the Sunday Express that Mr Thompson and the BBC’s executive directors stand to gain from a “secret pension pot” have been denied by the BBC.

The newspaper said a multi-million-pound so-called “slush fund” is for Mr Thompson and eight executive board members while BBC staff are being asked to accept a cap on the amount pensionable salaries of existing members can grow by to 1% a year.

But the BBC said the figures quoted form part of the remuneration for the executive board that is published annually in the BBC’s Annual Report & Accounts.

In a statement the BBC said: “In addition to the changes to the Pension Scheme that the BBC is proposing we are also reviewing all aspects of pension provision, including that for senior managers.

“We will announce these together with any other changes to the proposals after the consultation closes.”

23 July 2010
Last updated at 15:45 ET

Richard Desmond, the owner of the Daily Express and Daily Star, has bought Five Group from entertainment network RTL for £104m.

The deal for Mr Desmond’s Northern & Shell company to buy Five, which runs TV channel Five, has been closed with immediate effect.

RTL said a recovery in the UK TV advertising market meant now was a good time for it to sell.

Last month, Mr Desmond indicated that he wanted to buy the Sun newspaper.

“I am delighted to have taken ownership of the network, and know with the right investment, drive and leadership it can go from strength to strength as a competitive broadcaster and a modern player for the digital consumer,” Mr Desmond said in a statement.

‘Exciting plans’

Dawn Airey, Five’s chief executive, said she was “looking forward” to working with the new owners.

“Northern & Shell are an international media business with a prominent position in the UK.

“We now move forward under the ownership of a successful media company that wants to grow our business and has exciting plans for the development of Five.”

Channel Five was first launched in 1997 and is home to popular Australian soaps Neighbours and Home and Away, as well as the Crime Scene Investigation series.

The channel was hit hard by the slump in advertising revenue during the downturn but the advertising market has picked up this year.

“With a significant recovery of the UK TV advertising market and Five performing well in the first half of 2010, we saw a window of opportunity to realise a transaction based on a fair evaluation of Five,” said Gerhard Zeiler, chief executive of RTL Group.

Rival UK broadcaster Channel 4 was reportedly also interested in buying channel Five.

Colourful character

Richard Desmond has had a colourful and controversial career since leaving school at 14 with few academic qualifications.

By the age of 21, he owned his own house and two record shops, before acquiring the Express newspaper titles in 2000 with money he had made in the adult entertainment industry.

Roger Parry, the former chairman of Johnston Press who once made a bid for ITV, said Mr Desmond may be best known for his top-shelf publications but he will adopt an entrepreneur’s approach to the channel.

“He is certainly colourful and has got a very high profile in Private Eye and other such magazines,” he said.

“But I don’t think you can necessarily judge his past in terms of guessing what he’s going to do with channel Five.

“He’s very cost-focused and on the surface at least very successful. Commercially the Daily Express and OK! magazine seem to have thrived under his ownership.”

22 July 2010
Last updated at 23:01

By Tim Masters
Entertainment correspondent, BBC News

Actor Benedict Cumberbatch has admitted he felt an initial rush of anxiety over taking on the role of a modern-day Sherlock Holmes.

The 34-year-old actor stars in the BBC’s contemporary remake of the Arthur Conan Doyle classic which begins on BBC One on Sunday.

Asked how he felt when he got the role he said: “Extraordinary amounts of joy, immediately followed by a tidal wave of neurotic worry.

“You immediately think of Holmes past and present. What am I stepping into? Do I want to be recognised just for this character? You even start to curse your blessings. It’s a strange thing being an actor.”

Sherlock is a series of three 90-minute films created by Doctor Who writers Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss.

The first story – A Study in Pink – sees the eccentric detective join forces with Doctor Watson (Martin Freeman) to solve a string of apparent suicides in London in 2010.

In a faithful nod to to the original story, Watson has just returned home after being wounded in Afghanistan.

Cumberbatch described his Sherlock as “a man of action and a great, great thinker”.

He said: “He has a razor sharp wit that can push people off a pedestal and gain the upper hand in the space of a second. It’s so enjoyable to play.”

The actor said that during filming he tried to avoid the classic TV and movie versions of Sherlock Holmes.

“Once you start to play with the ghosts of those brilliant incarnations you’re in trouble. It’s a not a sane thing for any actor to do,” he said.

But he added: “Jeremy Brett and Basil Rathbone are the supreme Victorian incarnations of Holmes. I get great relish out of watching them now and I feel a kinship now having bloodied myself with these first three films.”

Writers Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss got the idea for their modern Holmes from their love of the Basil Rathbone films of the 1940s which saw their hero “fighting Nazis and all sort of nonsense”.

“It felt cheap and cheerful and a bit pulpy – it’s fun,” said Moffat. “We thought somebody someday is going to do this again and we’ll be so grumpy about that.”

Moffat also praised Cumberbatch’s portrayal of Sherlock Holmes.

“It’s a bit of a blessing that one of the hottest young actors on the planet at the moment happens to look like Sherlock Holmes. He does have the look. He’s got that imperious style and he’s a bit Byronic.”

Wouldn’t Benedict Cumberbatch make an ideal Doctor Who?

“There is no vacancy,” said Moffat. “Matt Smith is the Doctor and he’s been an astonishing success and – who knows – maybe he’ll never regenerate again.”

17 July 2010
Last updated at 10:11 ET

The television licence fee could be cut under the government’s public spending austerity drive, Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt has said.

In an interview with the Daily Telegraph, Mr Hunt attacked the BBC’s “extraordinary and outrageous” waste.

He said he could “absolutely” see viewers paying less than the current £145.50 after next year’s negotiations between the BBC and the government.

The BBC recently announced plans to cut its top managers’ pay bill.

The aim is to reduce their pay by a quarter over 18 months.

The BBC Trust, which represents licence fee payers and governs the BBC, said that it was operating in a period of “severe austerity”.

Jeremy Hunt said the BBC needed to recognise the “very constrained financial situation” the country is in.

He told the Telegraph the possibility of a reduction in the licence fee was a “discussion that we need to have”.

‘Tough decisions’

The culture secretary said: “The BBC should not interpret the fact that we haven’t said anything about the way licence fee funds are used as an indication that we are happy about it. We will be having very tough discussions.”

The Telegraph reported that a lower levy could be in place for 2012 following next year’s review process.

The culture secretary said the BBC “will have to make tough decisions like everyone else”.

“There are huge numbers of things that need to be changed at the BBC. They need to demonstrate the very constrained financial situation we are now in,” he said.

But shadow culture secretary Ben Bradshaw said: “It’s sensible for the level of the licence fee to reflect economic conditions and people’s incomes and for the BBC to strive for better value for money.

“But this feels like part of a broader anti-BBC agenda.

“Most people value the BBC and Britain’s tradition of public service broadcasting and would not favour damaging or destroying the BBC.”

A Department of Culture spokesman said “no decisions about the level of the licence fee” would be taken ahead of the review process.

“Like all other public organisations, ministers expect the BBC to demonstrate that they are operating efficiently and giving value for money,” he added.

Mr Hunt also revealed plans for the National Audit Office to examine the BBC’s books.

Recent figures showed that BBC Director General Mark Thompson and the Executive Board’s total pay packet had increased.

‘The message’

Total remuneration for the BBC Executive board rose in 2009-10 to £4.769m from £4.601m in 2008/09.

And, overall, the number of BBC staff increased from 17,078 to 17,238.

But BBC media correspondent Torin Douglas said the BBC already “seems to have got the message” being spelt out by the culture secretary.

“In recent weeks, it’s proposed a substantial reduction in pensions for many staff, agreed to cut its top managers’ pay bill by a quarter over 18 months, and said it will publish the names of its highest-earning stars,” he said.

Sir Michael Lyons, who chairs the BBC Trust, has outlined plans to cut pay, calling for greater transparency and saying every pound the BBC takes from licence fee-payers must be shown to have been spent well.

In a statement, the BBC Trust said: “The context in which the BBC is now operating is one of severe economic austerity.

“We have said that when we come to the next licence fee negotiations the trust will enter those talks representing licence fee payers’ interests alone, and that we will seek only what is necessary for the BBC to fulfil its public purposes.

“The trust remains focused on the need to secure maximum value for money for licence fee payers.”

Down Under reached number one in Australia, the US and the UK

A judge has ordered Men At Work to hand over royalties from the 1983 hit single Down Under after earlier ruling they had plagiarised a children’s song.

The Australian band must pay 5% of money earned from the song since 2002 as well as future royalties.

Larrikin Music, which owns the copyright to Kookaburra Sits in the Old Gum Tree, had sought 60% of royalties.

The company argued successfully that Down Under’s flute riff was stolen from Marion Sinclair’s original song.

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Sinclair, an Australian teacher, wrote Kookaburra Sits In The Old Gum Tree more than 70 years ago. It has since been sung by generations of Australian school children.

Larrikin Music, which is owned by London’s Music Sales Group, bought the rights to the classic folk song in 1990, following Sinclair’s death in 1988.

“I consider the figures put forward by Larrikin to be excessive, overreaching and unrealistic,” Federal Court Justice Peter Jacobson said in his ruling.

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The court did not specify what 5% of the royalties would represent in Australian dollars.

Down Under – the story of an Australian backpacker touring the world – reached number one in Australia, the US and the UK, and remains a popular favourite at national events.

Colin Hay, who co-wrote the song with fellow bandmate Ron Strykert, has said any reference to Sinclair’s folk song was “inadvertent, naive, unconscious”.

Mr Park had been nursing his terminally ill 62-year-old father

A popular South Korean actor and singer has been found dead at his home after an apparent suicide, police said.

Park Yong-ha, 33, was reportedly found by his mother after apparently hanging himself with an electrical cord.

Police said Mr Park had been under pressure trying to manage his entertainment company and career while his father was battling cancer.

If confirmed, Mr Park would be the latest in a string of South Korean celebrities to take their own lives.

It follows the deaths of film star Choi Jin-sil in 2008 and Lee Eun-joo in 2005.

Successful career

Mr Park had been nursing his 62-year-old father and spent his last moments with him on Tuesday night, local media reported.

“I must be sick instead of you, father. I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” a police statement quoted Mr Park as saying before his death.

Mr Park also told acquaintances earlier in the week that his work was “difficult and this kind of life is so hard”, the report said.

Police said there was no suicide note but that they were not treating Mr Park’s death as suspicious. They said he had no history of depression.

Mr Park shot to fame for his role in the 2002 hit TV drama series Winter Sonata, during which he developed a following in Japan and other Asian countries.

He later released albums as a singer. He was scheduled to start filming in July for a Korean television drama called Comrades, Almost a Love Story – a remake of the popular 1996 Hong Kong film.

Suicide is the leading cause of death among South Koreans in their 20s and 30s.

Mr Park had been nursing his terminally ill 62-year-old father

A popular South Korean actor and singer has been found dead at his home after an apparent suicide, police said.

Park Yong-ha, 33, was reportedly found by his mother after apparently hanging himself with an electrical cord.

Police said Mr Park had been under pressure trying to manage his entertainment company and career while his father was battling cancer.

If confirmed, Mr Park would be the latest in a string of South Korean celebrities to take their own lives.

It follows the deaths of film star Choi Jin-sil in 2008 and Lee Eun-joo in 2005.

Successful career

Mr Park had been nursing his 62-year-old father and spent his last moments with him on Tuesday night, local media reported.

“I must be sick instead of you, father. I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” a police statement quoted Mr Park as saying before his death.

Mr Park also told acquaintances earlier in the week that his work was “difficult and this kind of life is so hard”, the report said.

Police said there was no suicide note but that they were not treating Mr Park’s death as suspicious. They said he had no history of depression.

Mr Park shot to fame for his role in the 2002 hit TV drama series Winter Sonata, during which he developed a following in Japan and other Asian countries.

He later released albums as a singer. He was scheduled to start filming in July for a Korean television drama called Comrades, Almost a Love Story – a remake of the popular 1996 Hong Kong film.

Suicide is the leading cause of death among South Koreans in their 20s and 30s.

Mr Park had been nursing his terminally ill 62-year-old father

A popular South Korean actor and singer has been found dead at his home after an apparent suicide, police said.

Park Yong-ha, 33, was reportedly found by his mother after apparently hanging himself with an electrical cord.

Police said Mr Park had been under pressure trying to manage his entertainment company and career while his father was battling cancer.

If confirmed, Mr Park would be the latest in a string of South Korean celebrities to take their own lives.

It follows the deaths of film star Choi Jin-sil in 2008 and Lee Eun-joo in 2005.

Successful career

Mr Park had been nursing his 62-year-old father and spent his last moments with him on Tuesday night, local media reported.

“I must be sick instead of you, father. I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” a police statement quoted Mr Park as saying before his death.

Mr Park also told acquaintances earlier in the week that his work was “difficult and this kind of life is so hard”, the report said.

Police said there was no suicide note but that they were not treating Mr Park’s death as suspicious. They said he had no history of depression.

Mr Park shot to fame for his role in the 2002 hit TV drama series Winter Sonata, during which he developed a following in Japan and other Asian countries.

He later released albums as a singer. He was scheduled to start filming in July for a Korean television drama called Comrades, Almost a Love Story – a remake of the popular 1996 Hong Kong film.

Suicide is the leading cause of death among South Koreans in their 20s and 30s.

Andy Warhol’s Self Portrait (Eyes Closed) and Truman Capote were on sale

A 1979 Andy Warhol self-portrait which sold for $254,500 (£170,800) was among photos sold at a New York auction of the Polaroid corporation’s collection.

It was one of 1,200 photos for sale at Sotheby’s collected by the firm over the years, ranging from classic Polaroids to more traditional prints.

Clearing Winter Storm, Yosemite National Park by Ansel Adams fetched a top price of $722,500 (£484,900).

The sale was ordered by a court after the firm filed for bankruptcy in 2009.

It brought in $12.4m (£8.3m), exceeding the pre-sale estimate of $10.7m (£7.2m).

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Ansel wanted a larger collection to show creativity in photographs

Denise Bethel, of Sotheby’s

Adams’s moody 1944 black-and-white print of the rugged terrain of Yosemite in California – which had been estimated to sell for between $300,000 and $500,000 (£201,000 and £335,000) – fetched a record for the US nature and landscape photographer.

It beat the $609,600 (£408,700) paid for his 1941 work Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico.

Sotheby’s said the sale, selected from the 16,000-image Polaroid collection, featured the largest selection of works by Adams ever to come to market.

Adams, who died in 1984, was also a consultant at the Polaroid company working with founder and inventor Edwin Land to build the collection.

“Ansel wanted a larger collection to show creativity in photographs,” Sotheby’s photography department director Denise Bethel said.

“In the 50’s and 60’s, Ansel Adams started sending out cameras to artists for feedback.

“The artists would exchange their prints for the use of Polaroid cameras.”

Artist records

The record for a Warhol photograph was twice broken in the auction, with Self-Portrait (Grimace) selling for $146,500 (£98,200) before Self-Portrait (Eyes Closed) sold for $254,500 (£170,800).

Fourteen artist records were set in total including those for photographs by Lucas Samaras and Harry Callahan.

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Polaroid raised everyone’s expectations for instant results. It prepared the digital age, it was a psychological step to the digital world

Denise Bethel, of Sotheby’s

Ultra-Large (Hands), by experimental artist Samaras, sold for $194,500 (£130,400).

It was taken on a 1m by 2m Polaroid camera which needed the assistance of several technicians.

Non-Polaroid work Chicago (Trees in Snow), by Callahan, sold for $254,500 (£170,600).

The Polaroid camera came on the market in 1948.

Denise Bethel, of Sotheby’s, said the invention had influenced “the history of photography, aesthetics and contemporary art”.

“Polaroid raised everyone’s expectations for instant results,” she said.

“It prepared the digital age, it was a psychological step to the digital world.”

The Polaroid company was bought up by a group of investors last year.

Poseidon Adventure director Ronald “Ronnie” Neame has died in hospital in Los Angeles at the age of 99.

The British film-maker, who died on Wednesday, never recovered after suffering from a fall, said family friend and BBC correspondent Peter Bowes.

London-born Neame also worked as a cinematographer on films including Blithe Spirit and In Which We Serve.

He directed The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, starring Dame Maggie Smith.

She won the best actress Oscar in 1969 for her portrayal of the inspirational teacher of six young girls.

Neame also co-wrote screenplays including Great Expectations and Brief Encounter.

Classic disaster film The Poseidon Adventure, released in 1972 and co-directed with Irwin Allen, starred Gene Hackman, Ernest Borgnine and Shelley Winters and was mauled by critics.

Speaking to the BBC in 2006, he said he was surprised by its enduring appeal adding that he “never believed that it was more than just an average picture”.

He was also critical of modern film-making saying movies had “become too frenetic, partly because the stories are not good enough”.

“So they try to make up for their lack of good characterisation and storytelling by quick cutting and frenetic use of the camera,” he added.

“And I think that’s a pity.”