With a little bit more time on my hands, I’ve had the chance to think about some of my other blogs - and I quite quickly came to the conclusion that I had too many. Who really needs seven blogs? Really? A couple of them were on hiatus, never to be added to again. Some of them have an unknown future, but whatever future they do have, it will take place here.

The short answer: There were three Baby Panda Thursdays in a row on this blog. The long answer: I wrote The BBC Blog for a month and it was great fun. A lot of it was repeating press releases, and although it was good learning about things as I wrote them, and sourced pictures for them, there’s no reason I can’t just subscribe to the BBC Press Office feed and learn that way.

The BBC Internet Blog featured a three-part post covering all the details of their moderation process regarding comments, emails, and forums. It’s a fascinating look at why they have to do what they do, and the editorial decisions behind blocking some of the more questionable content. The first part takes a closer look at defamation of character and how the law dictates what can be published and what can’t. In regard to the process of raking through comments that tick all the wrong boxes, Paul Wakely says:

The human resources at the BBC - called BBC People - have a new director. Lucy Adams will take up the post on 1st June replacing Stephen Kelly who has moved to another company. Adams comes to the BBC from Eversheds LLP, and has been Director of HR at a couple of companies previously. The Director role at the Beeb encompasses training, motivation, change management and recruitment, and Adams will lead 475 employes in the HR division. The position also includes automatic entry to the Executive Board.

Some of the new blogs that have been released recently (for instance, Jake Humphrey’s new blog on the F1 section of the site) had a new look that didn’t match the existing columns. Now it seems as though the other blogs will be moved over to the new design gradually, with the internet blog one of the first to move. The new look is much cleaner and matches the rest of the site, and it makes the different elements of each blog (links, subscription options, photos) much easier to find.

Radio 4 has announced they’ll be bringing the weekly children’s show Go4it to an end, with the intent of making the station more family-friendly in general. In order to keep up the children’s broadcasting though, Radio 7 will change their schedule to include a breakfast show for kids, every day. The CBeebies show on Radio 7 will move to an early morning slot (5-8am) every single day, from April. One of the aspects of the decision behind this change is to encourage children to listen to radio around their daily routine - but the BBC will be monitoring how listenership relates to the CBeebies shows on BBC Two.

I have never watched a minute of this show, but it’s certainly very popular, as it’s been recommissioned for a fifth series. Waterloo Road covers stories in and around a school, including both the adults and the teens attending. For the new series, the school is being merged with another, which will no doubt create a raft of new story arcs and characters. Eva Pope returns, and although there are no confirmations as yet, it looks like Angela Griffin and Denise Welch will both be back on our screens as well, along with other regulars.

There have been a few tweaks on the site that are worth mentioning, the first is on the news homepage. The ticker at the top of the front page has changed slightly to display both latest news and breaking new. There is also more control over the ticker, with a pause button plus forward and back controls. The idea is that the more important breaking news stories will show with white text on a red background, whilst the latest headlines is red on white.

A new natural history programme for BBC One is going to take a look at the earth through the eyes of birds. Called Earth Flight, the series of five episodes will travel with various birds as they make their journeys across the earth. From the press release: Using cutting edge new filming techniques to show everything in exquisite detail, viewers have a uniquely privileged perspective flying 9,000 metres high over the sands of the Sahara or skimming metres over the Great Wall of China.

Radio 2 is introducing a new line-up of presenters to Saturdays, bringing in Paul O’Grady, Emma Forbes and Alan Carr. They are also changing the schedules around to spice things up, with Sunday afternoons changing as well. O’Grady also makes the transition to Sundays, with Johnnie Walker appearing on Sunday afternoons. Paul hosted a popular Christmas Day show in 2008, playing a range of music, and he has also covered for Elaine Paige on a Sunday when required.

Jana Bennet - Director of BBC Worldwide - announced late last year that commissioning at the Beeb was to undergo a restructuring of sorts. The idea is to split roles into more genre-based divisions, allowing for specialists to get their knowledge across. These are the confirmations we know so far, and I will add more as they are revealed. Alan Tyler - Executive Editor, Entertainment Commissioning (from Head of Comedy at BBC Scotland) Jo Street - Daytime Commissioning Executive Martin Davidson - Commissioning Editor for History and Business Jo Ball - Commissioning Editor for Features on BBC One and Two Emma Swain - Head of Knowledge Commissioning There’s a lot of fancy titles there, aren’t there?

The Wire was broadcast for five seasons in the US, produced by HBO to rave reviews from the critics. A total of 60 episodes were released between 2002 and 2008, and now UK viewers will get a chance to catch every season. BBC Two has confirmed they will screen the series, with transmission dates forthcoming very soon. The show is about crime in Baltimore, and takes the unusual step of using both the police and their suspects as the protagonists. Each season delves into a different theme, with Dominic West leading an ensemble cast to find and catch the various criminals. Of course, it’s never that simple, and now for the first time, the UK can join in as the stories are unravelled.

The BBC and ITV have released a joint statement, announcing they’ve signed a Memorandum of Understanding to help save regional news. The potential partnership would secure the future of regional news on ITV, although no specific details have been released. A couple of possibilities have been discussed, including the two broadcasters sharing locations, facilities, resources and media - with most of the items coming from the BBC side, available for ITV to use.

Director of BBC Sport, Roger Mosey, recently gave a talk at Westminster University, and has posted a portion of it on the Sports Editors blog. The talk/article confronts those who question the BBC’s dedication to sporting events, especially considering the addition of high profile sports such as Formula 1, and the 2012 Olympics. However, Mosey has a couple of good arguments up his sleeve: We value our relationships with rightsholders and the listed events legislation still requires that they receive a fair and reasonable price for their products; but we put audiences first. We want to maintain access to sport for people who don’t want to pay subscriptions; and, even more crucially, we see it as a public service commitment to win over light or casual viewers to the events they come across on our mass-audience channels.

Seetha Kumar, Controller of BBC Online, has published a list of 10 guidelines that should be used when creating, and maintaining, BBC sites in the future. The principles are there to encourage editors to see their project as part of a bigger picture, that engages the audience and doesn’t isolate them. It sounds too good to be true, but the 10 steps are pretty all encompassing. Here is a rundown (paraphrased) of the list.

Raymond Blanc will be back for a third series of The Restaurant, although there is no word on when. The show gives nine couples the chance to compete with the ultimate prize being a business opportunity with Blanc. The winning couple open a restaurant with the chef, but only after proving that they have what it takes to create winning menus, great atmosphere, and generate a profit. Blanc issues the challenges, intent on developing the couples and their restaurants, and with times as troubled as they are, this new series is not going to be easy for the contestants. Raymond is completely aware of this but isn’t going to make it easy on contestants:

For the first time in their six years of broadcasting, Radio 1’s sister station 1Xtra is to go on tour. The Breakfast Show will be in five different cities over the course of a week from 16th-20th March. The show goes out live each morning from 8-11am. It’s presented by Trevor Nelson and Gemma Cairney, and will feature performances from special guests. From the BBC Press Release, here are the details of the tour:

The British Film Institute have announced a partnership with the BBC Archive that will see a greater development of public access to their content. Utilising the massive infrastructure of broadband in the UK, plus the extent of which the BBC use it, the BFI want to allow everyone in the UK to see the archived material. Although there are no significant details released at the moment, the partnership has been sealed and intends to move forward.

Sweeney Todd star, Helena Bonham Carter, is making the transition from big screen to small to play children’s author Enig Blyton in a one-off drama about the popular writer. The show will also star Matthew Macfadyen and Denis Lawson. Blyton remains one of the most popular author’s for young children despite having been published for almost 80 years. From the adventures of the Famous Five and Secret Seven, to the fairytale lands of The Faraway Tree and Noddy, almost all children will have read or consumed something created by Enid Blyton.

After 20 years of profiling all the latest news from rural areas, Countryfile is moving to a new primetime slot on a Sunday evening. There will also be a shakeup of presenting, with long-time anchor John Craven moving to a more specific role. He will take a closer look at the big news stories regarding the countryside, whilst Julia Bradbury and Matt Baker will take on the lead roles. Bradbury has previously worked on Watchdog, and Kill It, Cook It, Eat It. Baker has presented Blue Peter, and done a lot of work on Radio 4, including Open Country and Farming Today.

I have never actually watched this Sunday night show, but what started out as a short series has now gained massive popularity for it’s feel good nature. The BBC today confirmed that Lark Rise to Candleford will return for a third series, remaining in its family slot. The show is written by Bill Gallagher, as an adaptation of books by Flora Thompson, and has a host of stars attached. The 19th century drama attracted Julia Sawalha, Jason Merrells and Brendan Coyle to name but a few.

As a direct result of the Russell Brand incident, the BBC have reviewed their policy of allowing on-screen/on-air talent having a large responsibility in the production team. They have now revised the guidelines, suggesting that neither talent nor their agents can be the last word in editorial standards or compliance, and cannot be listed as the Executive Producer. If this were the case, and it would have to be a particularly special programme to warrant the exception, then another EP would have to be taken on to ensure the procedures are met.

The Beeb have announced the schedules for two Sporting events, both starting on the 6th March. The Davis Cup sees Britain take on the Ukraine in Scotland, with the tie shown on BBC2 at midday. On Saturday, coverage moves to BBC1 starting at 1pm, and back to BBC2 at midday on Sunday. Sue Barker is set to present, with Greg Rusedski, Andrew Castle and Jonathan Overend in the commentary box.

An investigation into last week’s University Challenge final has resulted in winner’s Corpus Christi having to hand the trophy over to the University of Manchester. A joint statement from the BBC and Granada reads: The University Challenge rules on student eligibility are that students taking part must be registered at their university or college for the duration of the recording of the series. Whilst obviously not intending to, Corpus Christi broke this important rule where other universities and colleges taking part adhered to it. We therefore find ourselves in the regrettable position of having no choice but to disqualify Corpus Christi from the final. This means they forfeit their hard-fought title which now goes to the Manchester University team.

Radio 1 had to issue an immediate on-air apology, after guest Bono uttered an expletive. Describing Coldplay front man Chris Martin as a w***** during a live lounge performance on the Jo Whiley show, meant a BBC spokeswoman had to apologise for the language. It doesn’t look as though any complaints have been lodged, however. The BBC have been involved with promotion for the band’s most recent music, with U2 getting their own section on the Music Events site. They have been spotted everywhere, from Friday Night with Jonathan Ross to 6 Music, and they even performed a gig on the roof of Broadcasting House.

After months of development, the BBC have launched their new Weather website, which is designed to have a lot more customisation, and be simpler to use. The first thing that strikes me is how much brighter and more welcoming the site appears, which is an intentional change. Of course, the design has also been implemented to ensure that the pages fit in with the rest of the new BBC look. Navigation is easier, forecasts are organised by location, and the breakdowns are much more useful. There are three-hourly forecasts to cover the next 24 hours, and these should be updated more regularly - with information being provided from the Met Office in a more timely manner.

Whilst not strictly BBC news, anything to do with Comic Relief tends to go hand in hand with the broadcaster. In this case, we have stars from radio and pop taking to the mountain to raise money. They have been talking up the challenge for long enough, and as of yesterday, the climbing had begun. What I am impressed with is the vast amount of coverage taking place. In previous years, it would have been all about waiting for the Comic Relief telethon itself to find out what happened, and watch video of proceedings. Now, you can almost take every step with the group as they make their way up Kilimanjaro.

The complaints over this episode range right across the spectrum. Some believe that the BBC should have made more of the fact it was the first soap episode in TV history to not feature a white person. Others think that drawing attention to it at all was simply making it an issue, when all that matters is the acting. Then there are those that thinking bringing up the Notting Hill Riots was an unnecessary part of the storyline - it didn’t fit in with the week’s events, and was simply there to cause a stir.

I would never be able to do this sad story justice, so I will simply link to those that have done so already: BBC News - Actress Wendy Richard dies at 65 BBC Press Office - Tribute to Wendy Richards Guardian - TV world and charities pay tribute to ’the loveliest of ladies’

Yet another new face at the BBC, and this one is important for those of us obsessed with the BBC’s new media and technology plans. As of the 1st April, John Linwood takes over the Chief Technology Officer role. The CTO is responsible for organising the entire technology strategy, including maintenance, relocation, infrastructure and development. Not an enviable task, I’m sure! Linwood previously worked at Yahoo!, and oversaw 1,600 staff over 22 countries. He was responsible for the output outside of the US, including social networking, new media, and search. He has 28 years of software engineering experience, including a long stint at Microsoft, so he should bring a lot to the BBC.

Being Human began as part of a BBC Three pilot trial, and was successful enough to garner a commission. The first series of the programme comes to an end on 1st March, and it’s now confirmed the sci-fi drama will return for another eight episodes. Following the lives of a vampire, werewolf and ghost co-habiting in Bristol, the RDF Media Group show has proved a hit in it’s BBC Three timeslot. It’s highest ratings include over a millions viewers, and the critics love it.

Yesterday, it was announced that Barbara Slater is to take over the Director of BBC Sport role, from Roger Mosey. Slater comes from the Head of Sport Production role, and brings plenty of experience looking after Wimbledon, Golf, the Olympics and the Grand National. Mosey is moving on to be Director of London 2012. The Director of Sport has a lot of challenges ahead, primarily with the intended move from London to the Media City in Salford. There is also the upcoming Winter Olympics, the World Cup, and from this year, the rights to Formula 1.

Elbow have been having a stellar couple of years, with the Mercury Music prize under their belts, plus the Best British Group gong at the 2009 BRITs. Now it seems their popularity translates to the Red Button Music Sessions. The Red Button service often provides coverage of music festivals and events throughout the year, and also screens performances that are usually recorded for radio. Elbow were playing for Radio 2, with the BBC Concert Orchestra, at Abbey Road, and the gig took place on the 17th January.

Today, the BBC announced exactly how they plan to cover the 2009 Formula 1 World Championship, after the sport returns to the channel after 12 years. The press release promises the coverage is the “most comprehensive in the history of the sport”, and capitalises on red button facilities, and the online platform. The idea behind the coverage is for it to be as customisable as possible, with fans getting the choice between in-car cameras, split screen action, a choice between TV or radio commentary, and plenty of live action on the website.

With the upcoming release of Lindsay Duncan’s new drama, Thatcher, the BBC Archive are releasing a collection of programmes focused around the first female Prime Minister. The collection will be available online and follow Thatcher through her career to being a front-running female MP through to becoming the longest-serving PM of the 20th century. Some of the programmes have been broadcast on terrestrial TV, but others are unseen records dating back to 1954.

I accidentally started a new blog: The BBC Blog. Because what I need right now is more on my to-do list. However, what they say is the more you write, the better you get, and I find it helps when I write about things other than F1 sometimes. So, here is my newest blog, and it’s all about the BBC. For some reason, and I can’t figure out why, I am mostly obsessed with all things BBC. It’s not always good times, and I’m more than happy to air opinions when they go wrong, but the vast majority of time I’m exploring (and loving) all the new things they’re doing.

The latest controversy at the BBC comes from a leaked email from the editor telling his staff to avoid using the phrase “as seen on screen” and instead to read out telephone numbers, email addresses and URLs. A couple of newspapers picked up on the story and claimed this was insulting and unnecessary. The Editors blog explained the situation. Commentators, and one reported “BBC insider”, have said: “This is political correctness gone mad.” It is not. This issue is not about avoiding causing offence. It’s about information and how to access it.

Paul Gambaccini is a respected writer, broadcaster, knowledge on music, and is quite a presence on Radio 2. However, he holds nothing back when it comes to opinions on his colleagues, particularly when they hit the headlines over potential wrongdoings. Back when the Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross saga was ongoing, Gambaccini was quick to suggest the pair of them should be taken off air permanently. He had a case of “I told you so,” suggesting that hiring Brand in the first place was just asking for trouble.

I noticed it yesterday, although I’m not sure when it first appeared, but the BBC have tweaked the News homepage slightly. Now, instead of five most read stories, you get ten. The most emailed section remains the same. The Editors blog has more information about the upgrade here, with the aim behind the feature described. The journalists writing for the site keep a close eye on the ever-changing “most popular” list because it can be a good place to spot emerging interest in stories which we can then develop, and it can also help us assess how successful we’ve been at highlighting and headlining what we see as the key stories of the day.

It’s been on the cards for a while now, with subtle hints being left every now and then, but the long-lost son of the Masood family is about to show up in Albert Square. Syed Masood will appear in May, and looks set to be a sophisticated chap who will find it hard fitting back in with his family. From the BBC Press Office: A natural charmer, a smooth talker and the apple of his mother’s eye, he’s learned how to get ahead in business using his persuasive charm. He can spot an opportunity a mile off, and will pursue regardless of how reckless it seems to others.

Following the BBC’s decision not to show the Gaza Appeal commercial, the matter went to the trust for review. However, the Trust have agreed with the decision, and the appeal will not be shown. From the statement: We recognise that the Director-General’s decision was a matter of great controversy for many members of the public. However, having carefully examined the Director-General’s reasons, the Trust believes he acted correctly throughout, and we are satisfied that the decision the Director-General took was reasonable given the importance of preserving the reputation of the BBC for impartiality.

I occasionally tune in to the Chris Evans podcast, although sometimes skip through the more obscure callers. There’s only so many times I can stomach listening to people talking about sheds. Nevertheless, the show seems to be a nice cosy affair, with plenty of chatter and interaction with the listeners. I didn’t know Evans from his television days, but am told that he has matured into a much better presenter, if a little less edgy.

There are only four Doctor Who specials to keep us amused this year, and so we’ve been desperately trying to find news for the first. All we know is that Lee Evans and Michelle Ryan feature, and they’ll be disappearing off to the Dubai deserts. Now, before that one has even screened, we’re starting to get information about the second special. It was announced today that Lindsay Duncan will play the companion in the episode, and she will be “the Doctor’s cleverest and most strong-minded companion yet.”

There’s a great new post on the Internet Blog regarding the BBC’s use of Flickr. They’ve got a group for users to add and source pictures that show up on the all over the site, specifically on the iPlayer and the homepage. I find it fascinating that not only is amateur photography becoming a mainstay for the most professional of organisations, but also that they can be so open and honest about it. Spotted a picture you like on the BBC? Check out Flickr, you may find it there and be able to comment directly to the photographer.

There has been a lot more information released about the upcoming third series of Robin Hood. The Tiger Aspect Production programme returns with 13 episodes in the Spring, and this time Robin is mean. He’s out for revenge after the death of wife Marian at the hands of Guy of Gisborne. He’s dumped the others after their return from the Holy Land, and his only goal is to kill Sir Guy. Meanwhile, Gisborne is racked with grief after murdering the woman he loves. As the grief rages on, Hood stumbles upon Kate and Tuck in the forest. Kate sides against the Sheriff after her brother is constrained, and Tuck is there to help Robin get his life back on track. It looks like Kate will be a love interest for someone, and another new face may stir hearts as well. Guy’s little sister Isabella turns up and is a thorn in both her brother and Robin’s sides.

I don’t actually watch Eastenders, but I have had a look at the YouTube clips associated with this story. So, Eastenders featured a buried alive storyline. Max Branning (who?) apparently cheated on Tania Branning (who?) and she got her revenge by burying him alive. This was something he was particularly afraid of. She and her new boyfriend dug a grave, put him in a coffin in the hole and left him there.

The BBC have finally released their updated homepage, after months of Beta. It’s very Web 2.0 with curvy edges, pastel colours and viewer customisation. When I first saw it, I wasn’t impressed. I couldn’t really put my finger on what it was exactly, but the colours weren’t right and it just didn’t do it for me. The only bit I felt was of any use was the clock in the corner - which is very cool, by the way.

First the iPlayer, and now iTunes. Finally, the BBC have allowed their programmes to be on the iTunes store. It’s only a select few at the moment, and only one that I’m particularly interested in, but this is a revolutionary moment. I understand that there are limitations and conflicts with the BBC’s charter – they can’t charge us for content when we pay our licence fee, can they? But I believe buying from iTunes is no different to buying a DVD and there are hundreds of BBC DVD titles to choose from.