Press Red Blog

All Good Things...

Andrew Bowden — Tue, 25 May 2010 10:00:00 +0000

After nearly two years, this is going to be the last post on this blog.

But don't worry. Although Press Red is closing, we will still be blogging. Along with our colleagues over at Journalism Labs and the Web Developer blog we're going to be moving over to join the BBC Internet Blog.

For us, this move makes a lot of sense as there has been an overlap between Press Red and the Internet Blog for some time, especially in areas like BBC iPlayer. Posting over there will allow us to have a single home for our content and means you get to see more of the BBC Blogs that connects to the work we do.

It will also free us from some of the overheads associated with running a standalone blog, and allow us to concentrate on writing more posts and we'll be working closely with Paul Murphy, editor of the Internet Blog, to do that.

Once we're over there, you can find all our posts in the red button category. If you read Press Red by one of our XML feeds, you may wish to add the feeds for the Internet Blog into your news reader - they're available in RSS and Atom format. Our regular, fortnightly What's On posts will also continue and you can still follow us on Twitter.

The Press Red Blog itself will be closing for comments on Tuesday 1 June however the blog archive will remain online at the same location.

On behalf of all the contributors to Press Red and its predecessor, BBCi Labs, thank you for reading and commenting over the last two years and we hope to see you over on the BBC Internet Blog soon!

What's On BBC Red Button: 8th - 28th May

John Horth — Fri, 07 May 2010 17:57:16 +0000

Here's our regular look at what's coming up under the red button...

BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend*

Radio 1's Big Weekend is the curtain-raiser for our summer festival coverage and it returns for the 10th time this month promising a line-up that's bigger and better than ever.

For those not lucky enough to secure a ticket for the Bangor event BBC Red Button will be hand-picking the best of the festival. Digital viewers can press red on any BBC channel from 4pm each day over the weekend to see extended highlights from Rihanna, Cheryl Cole, Florence and the Machine, Justin Bieber and many many more.

Meanwhile Radio 1 DJ Nihal will be backstage to interview the stars and grab the hottest gossip from North Wales.

Sky & Virgin:
Saturday 22nd & Sunday 23rd May, 4pm - 2am

Freeview:
Saturday 22nd May, 4pm - 6.50pm & 9.30pm - 2am
Sunday 23rd May, 4pm - 2am

(not available on Freesat)

]]>

Eurovision*

Following the runaway victory by Alexander Rybak at 2009's contest, this year's Eurovision Song Contest will be held in Oslo, Norway and once again BBC Red Button will be on hand to help make the most of the night.
Press red to sing along with our onscreen lyrics - translations will of course be included! We'll also be showing the red button sing along at selected big screens across the country.

Want to share your own Eurovision experience with us? Send in your pictures and messages and we'll put a selection on screen during the results during the semi-finals and the final itself.

For those looking to whet their appetites before the big night, from May 17th you can find out just how Eurotastic you really are with our red button quiz. Hosts Paddy O'Connell and Sarah Cawood invite you ti test your Europop knowledge with fifteen questions on Eurovisions of yesteryear dating back as far as 1956.

Eurovision Sing-along:
Semi-finals:
Tuesday 25th May, 8pm - 10pm
Thursday 27th May, 8pm - 10pm
(Sky & Virgin. Not available on Freeview or Freesat)

Final:
Saturday 29th May, 8pm - 11.15pm
(Sky, Virgin & Freeview. Not available on Freesat)

Eurovision Quiz:
Monday 17th - Monday 31st May (runs intermittently)
(Sky, Virgin & Freeview. Not available on Freesat)

ZingZillas Zing-along*

Meet Zak, Tang, Panzee and Drum, the new musical sensation on CBeebies otherwise known as ZingZillas!

Red Button viewers young and old are invited to pick up their remote controls and join the gang on ZingZilla Island.

We have six 'Big Zing' songs from the show for you to join in with. To zing-along with the ZingZillas just watch the coconut as it bounces along in time to the song!

Sky & Virgin:
Monday 10th - Friday 21st May, 6am - 7pm (daily)

Freeview:
Monday 10th - Friday 21st May, 6am - 7pm (daily, with some breaks in coverage)

(not available on Freesat)

RHS Chelsea Flower Show*

This year BBC Red Button will be joining expert gardeners and garden designers Carol Klein, Chris Beardshaw and James Alexander-Sinclair to bring you extra coverage of the 2010 RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

James Alexander-Sinclair presents five programmes which will include tours of this year's show gardens and the Great Pavilion.
The Show Gardens are the traditional highlight at Chelsea and Red Button viewers will be able to take an in-depth tour accompanied by detailed commentary from the designers themselves. The films will also be available on the BBC website.

Meanwhile Carol Klein and Chris Beardshaw will be exploring the vast treasure trove that is the Great Pavilion. They will be speaking to the passionate exhibitors who have been growing and nurturing for weeks, months and sometimes years in preparation for the week-long show.

Sky & Virgin:
Monday 24th - Saturday 29th May, midday - midnight (daily)

Freeview:
Monday 24th - Friday 28th May, 7.10pm - midnight (daily)

(not available on Freesat)

Ashes to Ashes: Remember the 80s

Think of Ashes to Ashes, and you think of music from the 1980s.
Now for the new series digital viewers can fire up their red buttons and join Gene Hunt for a selection of musical hits from 1983. He'll take you on a voyage of musical discovery from Duran Duran to the Human League, Culture Club to Haysi Fantayzee with a short stop off at Ozzy Osbourne on the way.

Tune in to relive the fantastic fashions, oversized hairdos and great, ahem, music from the decade of decadence, with a little bit of your favourite DCI thrown in for good measure.

The tracks change each week so keep coming back for more of those guilty pleasures.

Sky, Virgin & Freeview:
Friday 14th & 21st May, 9.55pm - midnight

(not available on Freesat)

Bang Goes the Theory*

Over the Rainbow

BBC One is off to see the wizard to find a new Dorothy and Toto for Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber's West End production of The Wizard of Oz.

Digital viewers wishing to follow the yellow brick road need only press their red buttons to sing along with all the hopefuls.

Join in as they try to impress Sir Andrew, his panel of casting directors and the nation.

Available during the BBC One show.

Sky, Virgin & Freeview:
Saturday 8th May, 6.45pm - 8.10pm

(not available on Freesat)

BBC Comedy: Outnumbered†

Continuing our commitment to comedy we've been giving the red button treatment to the new series of Outnumbered.

Press red for exclusive interviews with stars Hugh Dennis and Clare Skinner, and creators/writers/directors Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin.

In addition digital viewers will be able to see behind the scenes footage and extended scenes.

More clips from Outnumbered are available on the BBC Comedy website.

Sky & Virgin:
Saturday 8th May, 6.45pm - 8.10pm (daily)

(not available on Freeview or Freesat)

Luther*

Idris Elba stars in BBC One's new six-part psychological crime drama as John Luther, a detective struggling with his own terrible demons who might just be as dangerous as the depraved murderers he hunts.

Following each episode BBC Red Button viewers can view exclusive insights into the investigation team's private thoughts.

Sky:
Tuesday 11th, 18th & 25th May, 9.55pm - 4am

Virgin:
Tuesday 11th, 18th, 9.55pm - 4am
Wednesday 26th May, 12.30am - 4am

Freeview:
Tuesday 11th & 18th May, 9.55pm - 4am

(not available on Freesat)

The National Lottery: In It to Win It†

Dale Winton presents the game show where more people compete for a big money jackpot.

Think you can do better?
Press red during the show to pit your wits against the players on winners' row every Saturday night.

Come the final round will YOU still be in it to win it?

Available during the show (BBC One)
Saturday 15th & 22nd May

(Sky and Virgin. Not available on Freeview or Freesat)

Weekend Wogan*

Sir Terry Wogan recently made a triumphant return to the Radio 2 airwaves with a brand new show. Coming live from BBC Broadcasting House's Radio Theatre every Sunday, Weekend Wogan showcases a lively mix of celebrity interviews, music with star guests and performances from Elio Pace's house band. For the first time, the infamous "Janet and John" stories are told in front of a live audience, in the presence of John 'Boggy' Marsh - their hero and inspiration.

Each Sunday the show is filmed, and highlights and special backstage footage are shown on the Radio 2 website from Monday morning.

As a television treat we'll be showing the best bits from the whole series ensuring a great start to the month of May.

Sky:
Saturday 8th May, 6am - 11am (9th)
Sunday 9th May, 7.30pm - 4am (10th)

Virgin:
Saturday 8th May, 6am - 6.15pm & 8.40pm -11am (9th)
Sunday 9th May, 7.30pm - 4am (10th)

Freeview:
Saturday 8th May, 6am - 9.45am & 9.15pm - 7.50am (9th)
Sunday 9th May, 7.30pm - 4am (10th)

(not available on Freesat)

The Danny Baker Show on BBC Radio 5 live*

Join BBC Red Button as we bring our cameras into the BBC Radio 5 live studios for a glimpse behind the scenes of the Danny Baker Show.

As well as seeing the man himself (possibly wearing his favourite pirate hat), digital viewers pressing the red button can send in texts and pictures to be shown on screen.
These will be accompanied by all the great content you might expect from 5 live: the weekend's football tables, fixture lists, upcoming commentaries, sports news and details of upcoming Red Button content. Plus, look out for some rather more unexpected content: spoof fixtures and unique animations as Danny sets up audience head-to-heads on the phone.

Brett Spencer, Interactive Editor at 5 live, discusses the visualisation in more depth on the station's blog.

Sky & Virgin:
Saturday 8th, 15th & 22nd May, 9am - 11am

Freeview:
Saturday 22nd May, 9am - 11am

(not available on Freesat)

CBeebies Red Button

BBC Red Button welcomes younger viewers and grown-ups with a sense of adventure to a big, bright and fun new world. The CBeebies interactive service has relaunched!
Now your children's favourite characters are at the heart of the interactive TV experience. A big, new and bright carousel now greets visitors providing easy access to games, other children's interactive services such as karaoke or quizzes, birthdays and star of the week messages.

Different Games
Reflecting the popularity of games for the young audience, a new range of activities has been specially created. The updated service brings with it brand new games for some of the most popular shows on CBeebies, including In The Night Garden and The Green Balloon Club. These new games replace the old ones, which had become increasingly outdated.

Satellite and digital terrestrial viewers will have slightly different offerings from one another. This has enabled us to offer the best games tailored to each system.

BBC Children's producer Damian Vicary discusses the service on the Press Red blog.

CBeebies Red Button is available now on the CBeebies channel, and via page 5900 on other channels.
Sky & Freeview
(not available on Virgin or Freesat)

Question Time Interactive

Take part in the studio debate by sending a text message to the Question Time team.
Each week a selection of viewers' comments will appear during the programme on BBC Red Button page 155 along with details of the panel and the topics under discussion.

Available during the show (BBC One)
Thursday 13th, 20th & 27th May
Sky, Virgin, Freesat & Freeview

News Multiscreen: Video Choice

Each weekday BBC News' On Demand team will be rounding-up the day's strongest news pictures to bring viewers a two-minute package of highlights. On weekends the tone becomes more conversational when Red Button viewers can watch a topical interview in 'Five Minutes with...' or a round-up of the week's weird and wonderful videos in OddBox.

Video Choice: Weekdays (available around the clock)
Five Minutes With... / OddBox: Weekends (around the clock)
Sky & Virgin
(not available on Freeview or Freesat)

BBC Sport Multiscreen*

Catch up on all the latest Sport via the BBC Sport multiscreen. Headlines are available around the clock with up to five additional streams available to cover the best that BBC Sport has to offer.

Please note that Red Button sport timings are subject to change at short notice.
For the latest information refer to the BBC Sport website.

Coming up...

F1 on BBC Red Button…*
F1 fans can customise their viewing experience via the red button with access to all on-track sessions including Friday and Saturday practice and qualifying with re-runs of classic GPs also available in the build-up to the main event.

On race day itself a choice of three streams will be available featuring split-screen in-car camera feeds, leaderboards and rolling highlights, with the option to listen to either network or BBC Radio 5 Live commentary. After the end of each race on BBC One there will be an additional interactive programme analysing the weekend's events and picking up views from the paddock with race highlights often available the following day.

For more schedule details visit the BBC Sport website.

Spanish Grand Prix, build-up from Wednesday 5th May
Monaco Grand Prix, build-up from Thursday 13th May
Turkish Grand Prix, build-up from Friday 28th May

MotoGP*
BBC Sport will be trackside for every twist and turn of the 2010 MotoGP championship to as Valentino Rossi looks to defend his title.
Qualifying from every race of the 2010 MotoGP season will be available on the BBC Red Button and the BBC Sport website (UK users only).
Across Sport we'll also be showing full coverage of the 125cc and Moto2 races, including qualifying. .
And of course you can watch the race again on our iPlayer service for seven days after it has happened.
For more schedule details visit the BBC Sport website.

Le Mans GP from Saturday 22nd May

NW200
Live coverage of Northern Ireland's North West 200 motorbike race.
Saturday 15th May, 2.30pm - 6pm
(all platforms)

Rugby on BBC Red Button...*
- Rugby League: Challenge Cup
Post-match interactive forum.
Saturday 8th May, 4.30pm - 5pm
(all platforms)

- Rugby League: The Super League Show†
Another chance to watch the weekend's Rugby League action.
Monday 17th May, 10am - 8.30pm
(Sky/Virgin/Freesat. Not available on Freeview)

- Scrum V
Live coverage of the Magners League with audio options.
Friday 14th May, 7pm - 9pm
(all platforms)

Football on BBC Red Button...*
With the 2009/10 season football season nearing its conclusion, here at BBC Red Button we won't taking our eyes off the ball until the silverware is lifted with a host of programming to keep fans up to date with the action…
- Final Score*
Gaby Logan and guests keep you up to date with all the day's football news and results.
Sky/Virgin/Freesat:
Saturday 8th May, 2.30pm - 5.20pm
Sunday 9th May, 3.30pm - 7pm

Freeview:
Saturday 8th May, 2.30pm - 4.30pm
Sunday 9th May, 4.15pm - 7pm

- Football Focus Extra
Dan Walker and guests discuss the weekend's football fixtures.
Saturday 8th May, 12pm - 12.50pm
(all platforms)

- Football League Show Repeat*
All the goals, round up and debate from the Football League. Presented by Manish Bhasin.
Sky/Virgin/Freesat:
Sunday 9th May, 12.15am - 12pm

Freeview:
Sunday 9th May, 8.30am - 12pm

- Friday Focus†
Mark Lawrenson's weekend predictions along plus pundit interviews.
Friday 21st May, 8pm - 12pm (22nd)
(Sky/Virgin/Freesat. Not available on Freeview)

- Irish Cup Final†
Live coverage from Windsor Park in Belfast as Linfield take on Portadown in the JJB Irish Cup Final.
Saturday 8th May, 2.15pm - 4.45pm
(Sky/Virgin/Freesat. Not available on Freeview)

Diving: World Cup†
Live coverage of the World Cup Diving from Sheffield.
Sunday 2nd May, 12.30pm - 3.30pm
(Sky/Virgin/Freesat. Not available on Freeview)

Athletics
Live coverage including Usain Bolt's season debut.
Wednesday 19th May, 10.55am - 1.45pm

Golf
Coverage of the PGA golf.
Thursday 20th & Friday 21st May, 6pm - 8pm (daily)
(all platforms)

Tennis: French Open
Live coverage of the French Open Grand Slam tournament from Roland Garros.
Monday 24th - Friday 28th May, 10am - 7pm (daily)
(all platforms)

Cricket: England v Bangladesh†
BBC Radio 5live commentary with Test Match Special scorecard, stats & photos.
Coverage from Thursday 27th May, 10.30am - 6.30pm (daily)
(Sky/Virgin/Freesat. Not available on Freeview)

BBC Sport is available 24 hours a day on
Sky, Virgin, Freesat & Freeview*
(*limited coverage on Freeview, †unavailable on Freeview)

What's On BBC Red Button: 17th April - 7th May

John Horth — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 16:56:51 +0000

Here's our regular look at what's coming up under the red button...

Election Multiscreen*

Throughout the election campaign BBC News is running a special Red Button multiscreen service devoted entirely to the election. Here viewers will find highlights of each day's campaigning including live and recorded elements available around the clock on Sky and Virgin and overnight on Freeview.

On election night itself the service will be expanded to a 5 screen multiscreen on Virgin and Sky with two screens on Freeview bringing you the key moments as the results come in.

Election Campaign
Sky, Virgin & Freeview
Service runs continuously until Thursday 6th May (not available on Freesat)

Freeview:
Sunday 18th April, 12am - 6.50am
Monday 19th - Friday 23rd April, 12am - 7.30am (daily)
Saturday 24th April, 12am - 4.40am
Sunday 25th April, 12am - 3.40am & 6.10am - 7.30am
Monday 26th April - Wednesday 5th May, 12am - 7.30am (daily)

Election Night
Sky & Virgin:
Thursday 6th May, 10.40pm - Friday 7th May, 12pm

Freeview:
Thursday 6th May, 10.40pm - Friday 7th May, 8.45am

(not available on Freesat)

]]>

Ashes to Ashes: Remember the 80s*

Think of Ashes to Ashes, and you think of music from the 1980s.
Now for the new series digital viewers can fire up their red buttons and join Gene Hunt for a selection of musical hits from 1983. He'll take you on a voyage of musical discovery from Duran Duran to the Human League, Culture Club to Haysi Fantayzee with a short stop off at Ozzy Osbourne on the way.

Tune in to relive the fantastic fashions, oversized hairdos and great, ahem, music from the decade of decadence, with a little bit of your favourite DCI thrown in for good measure.

The tracks change each week so keep coming back for more of those guilty pleasures.

Sky & Virgin:
Friday 23rd, 30th April & 7th May, 9.55pm - midnight

Freeview:
Friday 23rd April, 11.10pm - 11.50pm
Friday 30th April, 11.10pm - 11.50pm
Friday 7th May, 9.55pm - midnight

(not available on Freesat)

Bang Goes the Theory*

Get ready to put science to the test with BBC Red Button's Bang Goes the Theory Quiz. From Monday 26th April digital viewers will be able to test their knowledge of the new series by pressing red.

The quiz is bubbling over with an explosive mix of video clips and embedded questions featuring experiments from the show. And it's all hosted by Dallas Campbell making sure that things really will go off with a bang!

Sky:
Monday 26th April, 7pm - 5am (27th)
Tuesday 27th April, 6am - 7pm & 10.30pm - 5am (28th)
Wednesday 28th April, 6am - 5am (29th)
Thursday 29th April, 6am - 5am (30th)
Friday 30th April, 6am - 6.30pm & 9.30pm - 5am (1st)
Saturday 1st May, 6am - 5am (2nd)
Sunday 2nd May, 6am - 12pm & 4pm - 5am (3rd)
Monday 3rd May, 6am - 4am (4th)

Freeview:
Tuesday, 27th April, 6am - 7pm
Wednesday 28th April, 6am - 5am (29th)
Thursday 29th April, 6am - 5am (30th)
Friday 30th April, 6am - 6.30pm
Saturday 1st May, 6am - 5am (2nd)
Monday 3rd May, 6am - 4am (4th)

(not available on Virgin or Freesat)

Over the Rainbow*

BBC One is off to see the wizard to find a new Dorothy and Toto for Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber's West End production of The Wizard of Oz.

Digital viewers wishing to follow the yellow brick road need only press red to sing along with all the hopefuls.

Join in as they try to impress Sir Andrew, his panel of casting directors and the nation.

Available during the BBC One show.

Sky & Virgin:
Saturday 17th April, 7.15pm - 8.25pm
Saturday 24th April, 7.05pm - 8.10pm
Saturday 1st May, 7pm - 8pm

Freeview:
Saturday 1st May, 7pm - 8pm

(not available on Freesat)

BBC Comedy: Outnumbered*

Continuing our commitment to comedy, in April we'll be giving the red button treatment to the new series of Outnumbered.

Press red for exclusive interviews with stars Hugh Dennis and Clare Skinner, and creators/writers/directors Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin.
In addition digital viewers will be able to see behind the scenes footage and extended scenes.

More clips from Outnumbered are available on the BBC Comedy website.

Sky:
Saturday 17th - Monday 19th April, 9pm - 4am (daily)
Tuesday 20th April, 10.30pm - 4am (21st)
Wednesday 21st April, 9pm - 4am (22nd)
Thursday 22nd April, 9.55pm - 4am (23rd)
Friday 23rd April, 9.30pm - 4am (24th)
Saturday 24th - Wednesday 28th April, 9pm - 4am (daily)
Thursday 6th May, 9.55pm - 10.10pm
Friday 7th May, 9pm - 4am (8th)

Virgin:
Sunday 18th & Monday 19th April, 9pm - 4am (daily)
Tuesday 20th April, 10.30pm - 4am (21st)
Wednesday 21st April, 9pm - 4am (22nd)
Thursday 22nd April, 9.55pm - 4am (23rd)
Friday 23rd April, 9.30pm - 4am (24th)
Saturday 24th April, 12.30am - 4am & 9pm - 4am (25th)
Sunday 25th April, 9pm - 4am (26th)
Tuesday 27th & Wednesday 28th April, 9pm - 4am (daily)
Thursday 6th May, 9.55pm - 10.10pm
Friday 7th May, 9pm - 9.25pm
Saturday 8th May, 12.30am - 4am

Freeview:
Thursday 22nd April, 11.10pm - 11.50pm
Thursday 6th May, 9.55pm - 10.10pm
Friday 7th May, 9.10pm - 9.45pm

(not available on Freesat)

Luther*

Following each episode BBC Red Button viewers can view exclusive insights into the investigation team's private thoughts.

Sky:
Tuesday 4th May, 9.55pm - 4am

Virgin:
Tuesday 4th May, 9.55pm - 11.30pm

Freeview:
Tuesday 4th May, 9.55pm - 11.50pm

(not available on Freesat)

Weekend Wogan*

Each Sunday the show is filmed, and highlights and special backstage footage are shown on the Radio 2 website from Monday morning.

As a television treat digital viewers will have an opportunity to see one of the great man's shows on BBC Red Button from Monday 12th April. Additionally from Monday 3rd May, for a glorious week we'll be showing the best bits from the whole series ensuring your early May bank holiday will be absolutely lovely.

Sky:
Saturday 17th April, 6am - 6am (18th)
and from Monday 3rd May (timings TBC)

Virgin:
Saturday 17th April, 6am - 8.30am, 11.30am - 6.45pm & 8.55pm - 6am (18th)
and from Monday 3rd May (timings TBC)

Freeview:
Saturday 17th April, 8.40am - 9.50am
and from Monday 3rd May (timings TBC)

(not available on Freesat)

The Danny Baker Show on BBC Radio 5 live†

When BBC Red Button brought its cameras into the BBC Radio 5 live studios to give viewers a glimpse behind the scenes of the 606 football phone-in show last year, Danny Baker and Tim Lovejoy were among the presenters. Now Danny's back with his Saturday morning show for the 2009/2010 football season and the cameras are continuing to roll!

As well as seeing the man himself (possibly wearing his favourite pirate hat), digital viewers pressing the red button can send in texts and pictures to be shown on screen.
These will be accompanied by all the great content you might expect from 5 live: the weekend's football tables, fixture lists, upcoming commentaries, sports news and details of upcoming Red Button content. Plus, look out for some rather more unexpected content: spoof fixtures and unique animations as Danny sets up audience head-to-heads on the phone.

Brett Spencer, Interactive Editor at 5 live, discusses the visualisation in more depth on the station's blog.

Sky & Virgin:
Saturday 17th & 24th April & 1st May, 9am - 11am

(not available on Freesat and Freeview)

CBeebies Red Button

Satellite and digital terrestrial viewers will have slightly different offerings from one another. This has enabled us to offer the best games tailored to each system.

BBC Children's producer Damian Vicary discusses the service on the Press Red blog.

CBeebies Red Button is available now on the CBeebies channel, and via page 5900 on other channels.
Sky & Freeview
(not available on Virgin or Freesat)

Question Time Interactive

Available during the show (BBC One)
Thursday 22nd & 29th April & 6th May
Sky, Virgin, Freesat & Freeview

News Multiscreen: Video Choice

Video Choice: Weekdays (available around the clock)
Five Minutes With... / OddBox: Weekends (around the clock)
Sky & Virgin
(not available on Freeview or Freesat)

BBC Sport Multiscreen*

Coming up...

Snooker: World Championships*
Live coverage of the World Championship Snooker with a choice of tables. Only one table available on Freeview.
Sky/Virgin/Freesat:
Saturday 17th - Wednesday 21st April, 10am - 11pm (daily)
Thursday 22nd April, 2pm - 11pm
Friday 23rd April - Sunday 2nd May, 10pm - 11pm (daily)

Freeview:
Saturday 17th April, 10am - 2.30pm & 5pm - 11pm
Sunday 18th April, 11.15am - 11pm
Monday 19th - Wednesday 21st April, 10am - 11pm (daily)
Thursday 22nd April, 2pm - 11pm
Friday 23rd April, 10pm - 11pm
Saturday 24th April, 10am - 2pm & 5.30pm - 11pm
Sunday 25th April, 10am - 3pm & 6.30pm - 11pm
Monday 26th - Friday 30th April, 10am - 11pm
Saturday 1st May, 8pm - 11pm

Snooker: World Championships - Final Frame replay†
Another chance to watch the final frame of the World Championships.
Sky/Virgin/Freesat:
Monday 3rd May, 11pm - Thursday 6th May, 8.30am
(not available on Freeview)

F1 on BBC Red Button…*
F1 fans can customise their viewing experience via the red button with access to all on-track sessions including Friday and Saturday practice and qualifying with re-runs of classic GPs also available in the build-up to the main event.

On race day itself a choice of three streams will be available featuring split-screen in-car camera feeds, leaderboards and rolling highlights, with the option to listen to either network or BBC Radio 5 Live commentary. After the end of each race on BBC One there will be an additional interactive programme analysing the weekend's events and picking up views from the paddock with race highlights often available the following day.

For more schedule details visit the BBC Sport website.

Chinese Grand Prix from Friday 16th April
Barcelona Grand Prix, build-up from Wednesday 5th May

MotoGP*
BBC Sport will be trackside for every twist and turn of the 2010 MotoGP championship to as Valentino Rossi looks to defend his title.
Qualifying from every race of the 2010 MotoGP season will be available on the BBC Red Button and the BBC Sport website (UK users only).
Across Sport we'll also be showing full coverage of the 125cc and Moto2 races, including qualifying. .
And of course you can watch the race again on our iPlayer service for seven days after it has happened.
For more schedule details visit the BBC Sport website.

Japan GP from Saturday 24th April
Jerez GP from Saturday 1st May

Rugby on BBC Red Button...*
- Rugby League: Challenge Cup
Post-match interactive forum.
Saturday 17th April, 4.30pm - 5pm
(all platforms)

- Rugby League: The Super League Show†
Another chance to watch the weekend's Rugby League action.
Sunday 25th April, 11pm - 10am (26th)
(Sky/Virgin/Freesat. Not available on Freeview)

- Scrum V†
Live coverage of the Magners League with audio options.
Friday 23rd April, 7pm - 9pm
Sunday 25th April, 2pm - 4pm
Friday 30th April, 7pm - 9pm
(Sky/Virgin/Freesat. Not available on Freeview)

Football on BBC Red Button...*
With the 2009/10 season football season nearing its exciting conclusion, here at BBC Red Button we won't taking our eyes off the ball until the silverware is lifted with a host of programming to keep fans up to date with the action…
- Final Score*
Gaby Logan and guests keep you up to date with all the day's football news and results.
Sky/Virgin/Freesat:
Saturday 17th April, 2.30pm - 6pm
Saturday 24th April, 2.30pm - 6pm
Saturday 1st May, 2.30pm - 6pm

Freeview:
Saturday 17th April, 2.30pm - 4.30pm & 5.10pm - 6pm

- Midweek Final Score*
Keep up with the evening's football action. Choose from a selection of commentated matches with live stats, scores and the vidiprinter.
Sky/Virgin/Freesat:
Tuesday 20th April from 7.30pm
Tuesday 27th April from 7.30pm

Freeview:
Tuesday 20th April from 7.30pm

- Football League Show Repeat*
All the goals, round up and debate from the Football League. Presented by Manish Bhasin.
Sky/Virgin/Freesat:
Sunday 18th April, 1.05am - 12pm
Sunday 25th April, 1.05am - 8.30am
Sunday 2nd May, 1.05am - 12pm

Freeview:
Sunday 2nd May, 7.45am - 9.45pm

- Friday Focus†
Join Mark Lawrenson for his Premier League predictions along with pundit interviews.
Saturday 17th April, 4.30am - 8.30am
Saturday 24th April, 6am - 10am
Friday 30th April, 6pm - 8.30am (1st)
(Sky/Virgin/Freesat. Not available on Freeview)

- Match of the Day Live†
Live coverage of the Championship play-off final with audio options.
Sunday 2nd May, 12.30pm - 3.30pm
(Sky/Virgin/Freesat. Not available on Freeview)

Diving: World Cup†
Live coverage of the World Cup Diving from Sheffield.
Sunday 2nd May, 12.30pm - 3.30pm
(Sky/Virgin/Freesat. Not available on Freeview)

Gymnastics*
Live coverage of the European Championship Gymnastics.
Saturday 24th April, 1.50pm - 5.30pm
Sunday 25th April, 1.35pm - 5.30pm
Saturday 1st May, 2.50pm - 5.30pm
Sunday 2nd May, 3pm - 5.30pm (delayed on Freeview: 5pm - 7.30pm)
(all platforms)

London Marathon†
Live and extended coverage of the Men's and Women's races plus highlights.
Live Sunday 25th April, 8.30am - 4pm & 7pm - 6am
Marathon Extra
Sunday 25th April, 2pm - 3pm
Highlights
Sunday 25th April, 7pm - Wednesday 28th April, 10am
(Sky/Virgin/Freesat. Not available on Freeview)

Badminton Horse Trials
Live coverage of the Badminton Horse Trials.
Sunday 2nd May, 10.50am - 5pm
Monday 3rd May, 2.15pm - 3pm
(all platforms)

Cricket: World Twenty20†
BBC Radio 5live Sports Extra commentary with cricket scorecard, statistics and photos.
Monday 3rd May, 6.30pm - 10pm
(Sky/Virgin/Freesat. Not available on Freeview)

BBC Sport is available 24 hours a day on
Sky, Virgin, Freesat & Freeview*
(*limited coverage on Freeview, †unavailable on Freeview)

School Report

David Twyman — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 10:55:27 +0000

In March, thousands of school pupils took part in the BBC's School Report. In a slightly belated post (delayed due to holidays and Easter), David Twyman looks at BBC Red Button's involvement.

The red button has had many successful partnerships: Glastonbury, the Grand Prix and Wimbledon. But now it is time to introduce a new successful partnership, this time with BBC School Report.

The project that takes place yearly and pairs schools with BBC mentors helping them create a live news broadcast. Hundreds of 11-14 year olds research, prepare and present the news where it is broadcast globally through the BBC website.

But what has this got to do with the red button?

]]>Well we were not only able to give them space for their two channels, but it enabled us to explore what radio on television can be whilst exploring a new piece of software so see what extra options it could offer over our normal services.

Using it, we were able to design a visual display for the radio service on the red button that also brought together multiple picture galleries and text messages sent in from schools, which could be easily updated by the team.

The highlight of the day was probably the Manchester show on the School Report Radio (although I do have a conflict of interest - that was the part I worked on!)

It was such a good product for the North Team and our Software Engineer Andy, that we showcased at the Building A and B hand over in Salford Quays.

Above all it was a success for the Outreach Project, the young people involved and of course the Red Button.

Northern Exposure

David Twyman — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 10:37:55 +0000

Since Nick's first post about the move north, the TV Platforms Manchester team have had been hard at it. We have recruited new staff, given placement opportunities to new entrants, staff have given talks at universities and engaged with local organisations ahead of our move.

And now the advance guard in the North has another new home. After the vacation of North West Vision and Media from the BBC in Manchester, the Television Platforms team pounced on such a great opportunity for a new office which brought us together with our other Northern Future Media and Technology teams.

]]>So we moved from this office (which is now being used as a run through room for the Entertainment team to test out new game show ideas):

To this:

What was exciting about this office was that this is a microcosm and start of the way the department will work when the department completely relocates to Salford. So all the buzzwords like: mobile working, hot desking and collaboration are being put into action. However my first day with TVP was the same as the departments first day in the office with about five other people, no computer and many many boxes, which still have not been cleared. The office now houses around 30 people and has a lot of computers in.

Working on the office for the department I have come quite familiar with what the BBC wants to achieve in Salford. But what do all these concepts actually mean:

Mobile working - Work anywhere, even from home as people are given laptops. So if you want to avoid commuting, have no meetings and rather would not be disturbed in a loud office, why travel in?

Hot desking - no one has a fixed desk, people use the generic spaces that are kitted out with standard equipment. This makes it easier for teams and individuals to collaborate around an area and not be separated by distance.

Collaboration - This is obvious, but the key to our success is partnering with other departments.

So will they be of benefit, well like everything there are pros and cons, but the benefits to the licence payer are enormous as these radically cut costs. It will mean more people can work at the buildings with less people marking out their territory in the form of a permanent desk - therefore reducing the BBC's property portfolio.

As a very technical department we are still working on the 'hot desking' part of this vision as it has created challenges for us, as a designer will need different equipment to an engineer. So we have come up with 'Hot Project Desking', where projects are built and disbanded around a bank of desks for a fixed period of time.

Although this might not seem particularly revolutionary stuff, when BBC North inhabits its buildings at MediaCityUK then it will change a lot of ways that the BBC operates.

Unfortunately as my placement at Television Platforms comes to an end, they will make this transition without me, but it is still an exciting time and I wish the department all the best.

What's On BBC Red Button: 27th March - 16th April

John Horth — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 18:00:13 +0000

Here's our regular look at what's coming up under the red button...

Weekend Wogan*

Sir Terry Wogan recently made a triumphant return to the Radio 2 airwaves with a brand new show. Coming live from BBC Broadcasting House's Radio Theatre every Sunday, Weekend Wogan showcases a lively mix of celebrity interviews, music with star guests and performances from Elio Pace's house band.
For the first time, the infamous 'Janet and John' stories are told in front of a live audience, in the presence of John 'Boggy' Marsh - their hero and inspiration.

Each Sunday the show is filmed, and highlights and special backstage footage are shown on the Radio 2 website from Monday morning.
As a television treat digital viewers will have an opportunity to see TWO of the great man's shows on BBC Red Button.

For the week beginning Monday 5th April we'll show the best of Sunday 4th's show.
A joyous new Wogan show will land on your red button the following Monday.
Your April will be absolutely lovely.

Sky:
Monday 5th April, 6am - Sunday 11th April, 11am
Monday 12th April, 6am - Sunday 18th April, 6am

Virgin:
Monday 5th April, 6am - Thursday 8th April, 9.25pm
Friday 9th April, 4.30am - 9.25pm
Saturday 10th April, 12.30am - 8.30am, 11.30am - 6.30pm & 8.40pm - Sunday 11th April, 11am
Monday 12th April, 6am - 11pm
Tuesday 13th April, 12.45am - Thursday 15th April, 8.55pm
Friday 16th April, 6am - 9.25pm
Saturday 17th April, 12.30am - 8.30am, 11.30am - 6.50pm & 9pm - Sunday 18th April, 6am

Freeview:
Monday 5th April, 6am - 2.50pm & 7.25pm - Tuesday 6th April, 7.20pm
Tuesday 6th April, 10.10pm - 11.50pm
Wednesday 7th April, 8am - 2pm & 3pm - 7.50pm & 10.10pm - 11.50pm
Thursday 8th April, 8.10am - 3.35pm
Friday 9th April, 8.10am - 3pm & 1pm - 3.35pm
Saturday 10th April, 8.10am - 8.50am & 11.10am - 2.20pm
Monday 12th April, 7.40am - 6.50pm
Tuesday 13th April, 7.40am - 7.20pm
Wednesday 14th April, 7.40am - 2pm & 3pm - 7.20pm
Thursday 15th April, 7.40am - 7pm
Friday 16th April, 8.45am - 12pm & 1pm - 6.50pm
Saturday 17th April, 8.40am - 9.50am

(not available on Freesat)

]]>

Ashes to Ashes: Remember the 80s*

Think of Ashes to Ashes, and you think of music from the 1980s.
Now for the new series digital viewers can fire up their red buttons and join Gene Hunt for a selection of musical hits from 1983. He'll take you on a voyage of musical discovery from Duran Duran to the Human League, Culture Club to Haysi Fantayzee with a short stop off at Ozzy Osbourne on the way.

Tune in to relive the fantastic fashions, oversized hairdos and great, ahem, music from the decade of decadence, with a little bit of your favourite DCI thrown in for good measure.

The tracks change each week so keep coming back for more of those guilty pleasures.

Sky & Virgin:
Friday 2nd, 9th & 16th April, 9.55pm - midnight

Freeview:
Friday 2nd April, 9.55pm - midnight
Friday 9th April, 10.25pm - 11.50pm
Friday 16th April, 9.55pm - midnight

(not available on Freesat)

Doctor Who: The Eleventh Hour - The First Scene*

Can't wait for the new series of Doctor Who?Then take a look at the first scene from the Eleventh Doctor's adventures.

The Doctor has just regenerated and the TARDIS spins crazily out of control, plummeting towards Earth. But what happens next? Find out by pressing the red button.

You can catch the new series on BBC One on Saturday 3rd April.

Sky, Virgin & Freeview:
Saturday 27th March, 6am - Saturday 3rd April, 6.15pm

(Trail runs intermittently on Virgin & Freeview. Not available on Freesat)

Over the Rainbow

BBC One is off to see the wizard to find a new Dorothy and Toto for Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber's West End production of The Wizard of Oz.

Digital viewers wishing to follow the yellow brick road need only press red to sing along with all the hopefuls.

Join in as they try to impress Sir Andrew, his panel of casting directors and the nation.

Available during the BBC One show:
Saturday 27th March, 6.30pm - 8pm
Saturday 3rd March, 7.25pm - 8.40pm
Saturday 10th April, 7pm - 8.15pm

(not available on Freesat)

Election Multiscreen

Throughout the election campaign and on election night itself BBC News will be running a special Red Button multiscreen service devoted entirely to the election. Here viewers will find highlights of each day's campaigning including live and recorded elements.

The service will be available 24 hours a day on Virgin and Sky and overnight on Freeview.

Sky & Virgin:
Service runs continuously from Tuesday 6th April

Freeview:
Wednesday 7th - Monday 12th April, 12am - 8am (daily)
Tuesday 13th April, 12.15am - 8am (14th)
Wednesday 14th April - Thursday 15th April, 12am - 8am (daily)
Friday 16th April, 12am - 2.45am & 6am - 6.45am

(not available on Freesat)

BBC Comedy: Outnumbered*

Continuing our commitment to comedy, in April we'll be giving the red button treatment to the new series of Outnumbered.

Press red for exclusive interviews with stars Hugh Dennis and Clare Skinner, and creators/writers/directors Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin.
In addition digital viewers will be able to see behind the scenes footage and extended scenes.

Sky:
Thursday 8th April, 9.55pm - 4am (9th)
Saturday 10th April, 12.30am - 4am & 9pm - 4am (11th)
Sunday 11th April, 9.30pm - 4am (12th)
Tuesday 13th April, 12.30am - 4am & 9pm - 4am (14th)
Wednesday 14th April, 9pm - 4am (15th)
Thursday 15th April, 9.25pm - 4am (16th)
Friday 16th April, 9.30pm - 4am (17th)

Virgin:
Thursday 8th April, 9.55pm - 4am (9th)
Sunday 11th April, 9.30pm - 4am (12th)
Tuesday 13th April, 12.30am - 4am (14th)
Thursday 15th April, 9.25pm - 4am (16th)

Freeview:
Thursday 8th April, 10.25pm - 11.50pm
Thursday 15th April, 9.25pm - 2.45am (16th)

(not available on Freesat)

BBC Northern Ireland: Headroom Live

Red Button viewers are invited to join BBC Radio Ulster's Rigsy and Sarah McGlinchey for a night of great music at the Oh Yeah centre in Belfast.
Live acts include General Fiasco, Duke Special and Panama Kings.

The special gig is presented by the BBC Northern Ireland's Headroom campaign on mental health and the Across the Line radio programme and features special guest Dr Mark Hamilton.

The gig can also be viewed as a webcast on www.bbc.co.uk/headroomni

Sky, Virgin & Freeview:
Monday 29th March, 7.55pm - 11pm

(not available on Freesat)

The Danny Baker Show on BBC Radio 5 live*

Brett Spencer, Interactive Editor at 5 live, discusses the visualisation in more depth on the station's blog.

Sky & Virgin:
Saturday 27th March, 3rd & 10th April, 9am - 11am

Freeview:
Saturday 27th March & 10th April, 9am - 11am

(not available on Freesat)

CBeebies Red Button

Satellite and digital terrestrial viewers will have slightly different offerings from one another. This has enabled us to offer the best games tailored to each system.

BBC Children's producer Damian Vicary discusses the service on the Press Red blog.

CBeebies Red Button is available now on the CBeebies channel, and via page 5900 on other channels.
Sky & Freeview
(not available on Virgin or Freesat)

Question Time Interactive

Available during the show (BBC One)
Thursday 1st, 7th & 15th April
Sky, Virgin, Freesat & Freeview

News Multiscreen: Video Choice

Video Choice: Weekdays (available around the clock)
Five Minutes With... / OddBox: Weekends (around the clock)
Sky & Virgin
(not available on Freeview or Freesat)

BBC Sport Multiscreen*

Coming up...

Golf: US Maters
Sport Multiscreen will be getting ahead of the game for this year's Masters. Before BBC Sport's network coverage gets underway Red Button viewers are invited to pitch up to the Augusta National for extended coverage including live action from the notorious Amen Corner.
Wednesday 7th April, 8pm - 10pm
Thursday 8th April, 3.45pm - 10.15pm
Friday 9th April, 3.45pm - 10.15pm
Saturday 10th April, 3.45pm - 10.15pm
Sunday 11th April, 6.15pm - 11pm
(all platforms)

MotoGP*
BBC Sport will be trackside for every twist and turn of the 2010 MotoGP championship to as Valentino Rossi looks to defend his title.
Qualifying from every race of the 2010 MotoGP season will be available on the BBC Red Button and the BBC Sport website (UK users only).
Across Sport we'll also be showing full coverage of the 125cc and Moto2 races, including qualifying. .
And of course you can watch the race again on our iPlayer service for seven days after it has happened.
For more schedule details visit the BBC Sport website.

Losail Qatar GP from Saturday 10th April.
Limited coverage available on Freeview.

Rugby on BBC Red Button...*
- Rugby League: The Super League Show†
Another chance to watch the weekend's Rugby League action.
Sunday 28th March, 11pm - Wednesday 31st March, 3pm
Sunday 4th April, 3pm - Wednesday 7th April, 8pm
Monday 12th April, 12am - Tuesday 13th April, 3pm
(Sky/Virgin/Freesat. Not available on Freeview)

- Scrum V Live
Live coverage of the Magners League with audio options.
Ospreys v Scarlets:
Friday 2nd April, 7pm - 9pm

Glasgow Warriors v Newport Dragons:
Sunday 4th April, 3pm - 5pm

TBC:
Friday 16th April, 7pm - 9pm
(all platforms)

Football on BBC Red Button...
With the 2009/10 season football season nearing its exciting conclusion, here at BBC Red Button we won't taking our eyes off the ball until the silverware is lifted with a host of programming to keep fans up to date with the action…
- Final Score
Gaby Logan and guests keep you up to date with all the day's football news and results.
Saturday 27th March, 3rd & 10th April from 2.30pm
(all platforms)

- Midweek Final Score
Keep up with the evening's football action. Choose from a selection of commentated matches with live stats, scores and the vidiprinter.
Tuesday 6th April from 7.30pm
Tuesday 13th April from 7.30pm
(all platforms)

- Football League Show Repeat*
All the goals, round up and debate from the Football League. Presented by Manish Bhasin.
Sky/Virgin/Freesat:
Sunday 28th March, 1.05am - 12pm
Sunday 4th April, 1.05am - 12pm
Sunday 11th April, 1.05am - 12pm

Freeview:
Sunday 4th April, 1.05am - 8am
Sunday 11th April, 8.15am - 12pm

- Friday Focus†
Join Mark Lawrenson for his Premier League predictions along with pundit interviews.
Sky/Virgin/Freesat:
Friday 2nd April, 6pm - 6am (3rd)
Friday 9th April, 6pm - 12pm (10th)
(Sky/Virgin/Freesat. Not available on Freeview)

- Match of the Day: Nottingham Forest v Cardiff City
Live coverage with audio options.
Monday 5th April, 3pm - 5pm
(all platforms)

Grand National Highlights†
Highlights of all the action from Aintree.
Sunday 11th April, 6am - 7.45pm
(Sky/Virgin/Freesat. Not available on Freeview)

BBC Sport is available 24 hours a day on
Sky, Virgin, Freesat & Freeview*
(*limited coverage on Freeview, †unavailable on Freeview)

One Million Downloads!

Ruhel Ali — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 13:56:55 +0000

A couple of weeks ago we had some fantastic news from Nintendo. We reached the one million mark. That's one million BBC iPlayer Wii channels downloaded, by you, the audience. This is a phenomenal achievement considering we only launched in November!

Since January the Wii has accounted for 4% of all TV viewing on BBC iPlayer across all platforms. This has now grown to 5% for February. To put these figure into perspective, we had 116 million requests in February.

So to commemorate all this, we have released an update that enables some long awaited features. One of the features that we are most proud of and one that a lot of viewers wanted was the Resume Playback function.

You can now resume watching partially viewed programmes from the point you were watching previously, like you can on the web version of BBC iPlayer. Plus we have added a list of your previously watched programmes. You can see that in action within the improved home page.

That's not all we've improved, Search was one of the areas that you all like. But some viewers expected to be able to search using alphanumeric search. So we created a nice keypad toggle to switch between numbers and letters.

Other subtle improvements have been made, as well as some changes to the underlying code, which will improve the overall service.

The feedback we have received from you has helped to shape this release, we really appreciate your continued feedback. We had a number of viewers express their thoughts on the service via twitter and comments to the original blog posts in November.

We hope you continue to use and enjoy BBC iPlayer on Wii, if you have any comments or suggestions about the new features please feel free to comment.

Red Button and widescreen

Andrew Bowden — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 08:30:00 +0000

One of the questions we occasionally get asked is why our red button services aren't built in widescreen.

As it's now very hard to buy a traditionally shaped television, and widescreen has become the new standard, it's a fair question to ask.

The answer boils down to the fact that most digital devices still only allow us to build services in a traditional 4:3 format - even if the device is HD.

We build our services in 720x576 - the size of a standard definition television picture, and resolutely 4:3. When viewed on a widescreen TV, the picture is simply stretched out to fill the whole screen and it's not possible to find out how someone's TV is set up - there are no flags available to us to tell us whether someone is viewing in 4:3 or widescreen, so we can't do any detection and arrange the service appropriately.

]]>One of the problems we face with this is that our graphics have to work in both widescreen and 4:3 - which is naturally not particularly easy! Let's take, for example, the BBC logo. This is something we obviously use in all our services, and thanks to it being made up of three squares, shows up the challenges very well.

If we designed it to look good on a traditional TV set, it would simply look too wide on a widescreen set, as you can see on the image on the right.

And, of course, if we designed it to look good on a widescreen set, it would appear too narrow on a 4:3 screen, as you can see below:

What we do is a bit of a compromise and design our images for 14:9 - this is a compromise screen format that's half way between 4:3 and 16:9, and is often used for widescreen television programmes shown on analogue. The result is that pictures - including the BBC logo - wouldn't look quite right when viewed in either, however doesn't look noticeably wrong in either mode.

Whilst this is the current state of affairs, changes in technology give us new opportunities to design our services with widescreen in mind. For example, games consoles like the Wii and PS3 allow us to build widescreen services - we just position the content in the middle of the screen so that anyone using a non-widescreen TV won't see the edges of the screen.

Freesat HD and forthcoming Freeview HD devices will also offer us the ability to use HD graphic planes, and we're hoping to do some experiments in that area in the near future to see what we can do.

One thing we will continue to do is make sure what we build looks and works the best for all our users, regardless of what shape TV is being used.

What's On BBC Red Button: 6th - 26th March

John Horth — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 16:51:23 +0000

Here's our regular look at what's coming up under the red button...

The UK Asian Music Awards*

The UK Asian Music Awards are the British Asian equivalent of the Brits, and for this year's event BBC Red Button will be on hand to bring you the very best of the awards.
Front of house, BBC Asian Network's Bobby Friction will be hosting the star-filled ceremony from London's Royal Festival Hall with Murtz reigning backstage granting viewers exclusive access to all the stars and antics.

Press red for performances from Imran Khan, Jaz Dhami, Mumzy and Talvin Singh.
The awards to be presented include Best Album, Female, Male, Producer, Urban and International Acts - and the overall Outstanding Achievement gong.

Full details of the nominees and photo highlights can be seen on the Asian Network website.

Sky & Virgin:
Wednesday 17th March, 6pm - Wednesday 24th March, 4am

Freeview:
Wednesday 17th March, 6pm - Friday 19th March, 12pm
Friday 19th March, 1pm - 6.45pm & 9.10pm - 8.50am (20th)
Saturday 20th March, 11.10am - 2.20pm & 6.10pm - 9.50pm
Sunday 21st March, 1.10am - 1.35pm & 4.15pm - Wednesday 24th March, 4am

(not available on Freesat)

]]>

CBeebies: Nuzzle & Scratch*

Younger BBC Red Button viewers can are in for a treat as CBeebies' very own safety rangers Nuzzle & Scratch make their debut on the service.

Our alpacas want to share all they know about 'Hoof and Safety', so press the red button on your remote and see if you can spot those disasters waiting to happen by taking their special interactive quiz!

Sky:
Saturday 6th - Friday 12th March, 6am - 7pm (daily)

Virgin:
Saturday 6th March, 6am - 8.30am & 11.30am - 7pm
Sunday 7th - Friday 12th March, 6am - 7pm (daily)

Freeview:
Saturday 6th March, 6am - 8.50am, 11.10am - 2.20pm & 6.10pm - 7pm
Sunday 7th March, 6am - 2.50pm
Monday 8th & Tuesday 9th March, 6am - 7pm
Wednesday 10th March, 6am - 2pm & 3pm - 7pm
Thursday 11th March,6am - 8.20am
Friday 12th March, 8.45 - 10.45am & 1.10pm - 7pm

(not available on Freesat)

BBC News: School Report

Thursday 11th March is News Day for School Report.
11-14 year olds at 700 schools across the UK will be filing their reports to a 2pm deadline. More than 50,000 pupils have been involved over the school year with around half that number working on their reports on the day.

Classrooms will turn into Newsrooms, so instead of normal lessons students will start their day discussing the news of the day. What stories will they choose? Who will they interview? And will they make that all important deadline?

Follow their day as it unfolds on BBC News School Report LIVE and School report radio.
We'll be reporting from schools across the UK and on location in Bristol, London, Manchester, Edinburgh and Ammanford.

Thursday 11th March, 9am - 6pm
Sky, Virgin & Freeview
(not available on Freesat)

Sport Relief: Red Button Donation†

Once again Sky viewers will be able to use their remote controls to make a donation to Sport Relief.
Since 2001, BBC audiences have used the Red Button to raise £9.5m for charitable causes.

Sky only:
Monday 15th - Sunday 21st March
(Not available on Virgin, Freesat & Freeview)

BBC Blast Live

BBC Blast Northern Ireland presents Volume Control at the Oh Yeah Music Centre in Belfast - a music event, organised and driven by young people.

Viewers pressing red on the night can see three of Northern Ireland's most promising new bands - The Good Fight (featured), Skruff and The Key of Atlas.

Blast Live is a BBC Northern Ireland production but will be available to all UK viewers on BBC Red Button via BBC One and Two.

Sky/Virgin/Freeview:
Friday 19th March, 7.55pm - 10pm

(not available on Freesat)

Eurovision: Your Country Needs You!

Your Country Needs You!
Graham Norton and Pete Waterman host the show where you decide which contestant will represent the UK at this year's Eurovision Song Contest.

Press red to sing along with the contestants and decide who you want to sing for Britain.

Sky, Virgin & Freeview:
Friday 12th March, 8.30pm - 10pm

(not available on Freesat)

EastEnders 25th Anniversary Quiz*

BBC Comedy: Bellamy's People*

Continuing our commitment to comedy we're giving the red button treatment to Bellamy's People, the show that reunites Paul Whitehouse and Charlie Higson for their first television collaboration in 10 years.

The Danny Baker Show on BBC Radio 5 live*

Brett Spencer, Interactive Editor at 5 live, discusses the visualisation in more depth on the station's blog.

Sky &Virgin:
Saturday 6th, 13th & 20th March, 9am - 11am

Freeview:
Saturday 6th & 20th March, 9am - 11am

(not available on Freesat)

CBeebies Red Button

Satellite and digital terrestrial viewers will have slightly different offerings from one another. This has enabled us to offer the best games tailored to each system.

BBC Children's producer Damian Vicary discusses the service on the Press Red blog.

CBeebies Red Button is available now on the CBeebies channel, and via page 5900 on other channels.
Sky & Freeview
(not available on Virgin or Freesat)

Question Time Interactive

Available during the show (BBC One)
Thursday 11th, 18th & 25th March
Sky, Virgin, Freesat & Freeview

News Multiscreen: Video Choice

Each weekday BBC News' On Demand team will be rounding-up the day's strongest news pictures to bring viewers a two-minute package of highlights. On weekends the tone becomes more conversational when Red Button viewers can watch a topical interview in 'Five Minutes with...' or a round of the week's weird and wonderful videos in OddBox.

Video Choice: Weekdays (available around the clock)
Five Minutes With...: Weekends (around the clock)
Sky & Virgin
(not available on Freeview or Freesat)

BBC Sport Multiscreen*

Catch up on all the latest Sport via the BBC Sport multiscreen. Headlines are available around the clock with up to five additional streams available to cover the best that BBC Sport has to offer.

Coming up...

Bahrain GP coverage from Friday 12th March
Australian GP coverage from Friday 26th March

- Jenson Button's Glorious Season†
Looking back at the 2009 F1 Season and Jenson Button's road to success.
Saturday 20th February from 2.30pm
Sunday 7th March, 10am - Friday 12th March, 12.30pm
(Sky/Virgin/Freesat. Not available on Freeview)

- Murray Walker's F1 Season†
Murray Walker takes Red Button viewers through the upcoming races and looks back at Classic Grands Prix.
Wednesday 10th March, 6pm - Saturday 13th March, 6am
(Sky/Virgin/Freesat. Not available on Freeview)

- Inside F1†
Looking ahead to the weekend's Grand Prix.
Friday 12th March, 10.30pm - Saturday 13th March, 6am
Friday 26th March, from 6.30pm
(Sky/Virgin/Freesat. Not available on Freeview)

- Classic F1†
Looking back at memorable Grands Prix.
Wednesday 24th March, 6pm - Saturday 27th March, 6am
(Sky/Virgin/Freesat. Not available on Freeview)

Winter Olympics: Vancouver 2010†
Highlights from the 14th Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver.
Saturday 6th March, 6am - Wednesday 10th March, 7.30pm
(Sky/Virgin/Freesat. Not available on Freeview)

Paralympics: Curling*
Live coverage of the Winter Paralympic Curling Semi Final and Final.
Saturday 20th March,
Semi-final: 5pm - 7pm (Sky/Virgin/Virgin/Freesat. Not available on Freeview)
Final: 10pm - 1am (21st) (all platforms)

Rugby on BBC Red Button...*
- 6 Nations Live: Commentary Choice†
Live coverage of the 6 nations with audio options.
Saturday 13th March:
Ireland v Wales, 2pm - 4.25pm
Scotland v England, 4.35pm - 7pm

Sunday 14th March:
France v Italy, 2pm - 6.30pm

Saturday 20th March:
Wales v Italy, 2pm - 4.30pm
Ireland v Scotland, 4.45pm - 7pm
France v England, 7.15pm - 10pm
(Sky/Virgin/Freesat. Not available on Freeview)

- 6 Nations Highlights*
Highlights of the weekend's 6 Nations matches.
Sky/Virgin/Freesat:
Saturday 13th March, 4.35pm - Saturday 20th March, 6am
Saturday 20th March, 4.45pm - Friday 26th March, 6pm
Freeview:
Saturday 13th March, 6pm - 12.50am (14th)
Sunday 14th March, 7pm - 6am (15th)

Full details of the BBC's 6 Nations coverage available on the BBC Sport website.

- Rugby League: The Super League Show†
Another chance to watch the weekend's Rugby League action.
Sunday 7th March, 3pm - Monday 8th March, 8.30pm
Sunday 14th March, 4pm - Wednesday 17th March, 6.30pm
(Sky/Virgin/Freesat. Not available on Freeview)

- Rugby Union: Ireland v Wales U20s†
Live coverage of the Rugby Union match between Wales U20 and Ireland U20.
Friday 12th March, 7.15pm - 9.30pm
(Sky/Virgin/Freesat. Not available on Freeview)

- Scrum V Live†
Live coverage of the Magners League Ulster v Ospreys match with audio options.
Friday 19th March, timing TBC
(Sky/Virgin/Freesat. Not available on Freeview)

Football on BBC Red Button...
With the 2009/10 season football season in full swing, here at BBC Red Button we won't taking our eyes off the ball with a host of programming to keep fans up to date with the action until the silverware is lifted in May…

- Final Score
Gaby Logan and guests keep you up to date with all the day's football news and results.
Saturday 6th, 13th & 20th March from 2.30pm
(all platforms)

- Midweek Final Score
Keep up with the evening's football action. Choose from a selection of commentated matches with live stats, scores and the vidiprinter.
Tuesday 9th March from 7.30pm
(all platforms)

- Football League Show Repeat*
All the goals, round up and debate from the Football League. Presented by Manish Bhasin.
Sky/Virgin/Freesat:
Sunday 7th March, 12.50am - 12pm
Sunday 14th March, 1.05am - 12pm
Sunday 20th March, 1.05am - 12pm
Freeview:
Sunday 7th March, 12.50am - 6.45am

- Friday Focus*
Join Mark Lawrenson for his Premier League predictions along with pundit interviews.
Sky/Virgin/Freesat:
Friday 12th March, 6.30pm - 6am (13th)
Friday 19th March, 9pm - 6am (20th)
Friday 26th March, 6pm - 6am (27th)
Freeview:
Friday 12th March, 7.10pm - 8.15pm

- Match of the Day: Leicester v Coventry City
Live coverage with audio options.
Sunday 21st March, 1.45pm - 4pm
(all platforms)

- NI Schools Cup
Live coverage of the Northern Ireland Schools Cup football tournament with audio options.
Wednesday 17th March, 1pm - 4.45pm
(all platforms)

Cycling: World Track Championships
Live coverage of the World Track Cycling Championships.
Wednesday 24th March, 6pm - 7pm
Thursday 25th March, 6pm - 6.30pm
Friday 26th March, 6pm - 7pm
(all platforms)

BBC Sport is available 24 hours a day
Sky, Virgin, Freesat & Freeview*
(*limited coverage on Freeview, †unavailable on Freeview)
Please note that Red Button sport timings are subject to change at short notice.
For the latest information please check the BBC Sport website.

What's On BBC Red Button: 20th February - 5th March

John Horth — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 17:23:11 +0000

Here's our regular look at what's coming up under the red button...

EastEnders 25th Anniversary Quiz*

BBC Red Button viewers are cordially invited to the Queen Vic where John Partridge and Rita Simons aka Christian and Roxy await your company for some banter at the bar.
Press red to take a trip down memory lane and celebrate Albert Square's 25th year with our EastEnders Anniversary Quiz. Filmed on location at the world-famous boozer these two well known faces from the Square take us through some of the series' most infamous episodes from the 80s to the 00s.
Using the colour keys on your remote you'll be tested on your knowledge of some of the show's greatest story lines.
Will you be a Walford wonder or just another duff-duff?

Sky & Virgin:
Monday 22nd February, 10am - 2.30am (23rd)
Tuesday 23rd & Wednesday 24th February, 6am - 5am (daily)
Thursday 25th February, 6am - 9.55pm
Friday 26th February, 6am - 2.30pm & 11.30pm - 5am (27th)
Saturday 27th February, 6am - 8.30am, 11.30am - 2pm & 9.50pm - 5am (28th)
Sunday 28th February - Friday 5th March, 6am - 5am (daily)

Freeview:
Monday 22nd February, 8.10pm - 9.50pm
Thursday 25th February, 7.10pm - 9.50pm
Monday 1st March, 9.30am - 12.35am (2nd)
Tuesday 2nd March, 4.10am - 5am & 6am - 5am (3rd)
Wednesday 3rd March, 6am - 2pm, 3pm - 7.20pm & 10.10pm - 12.35am (4th)
Thursday 4th March, 4.10am - 5am & 6am - 10.15pm
Friday 5th March, 4.10am - 5am, 6am - 12pm & 1pm - 5am

(not available on Freesat)

]]>

The Virtual Revolution*

Twenty years on from the invention of the world wide web a major new BBC Two series takes stock of its profound impact - how, for better and for worse, the digital revolution is reshaping our lives.

Each of the four episodes is the result of a groundbreaking production process that invited web users to help shape the series on the programme's website.

As part of this initiative, for the first time ever raw uncut video from a BBC documentary was made available online to download allowing users to create their own content and comment based on the original material.

Now, following each episode, the winners of this Virtual Revolution short film competition will be shown on BBC Red Button.

To view more entries and download the digital rushes used in the competition visit the website at bbc.co.uk/virtualrevolution

Available following The Virtual Revolution (BBC Two)
Sky & Virgin:
Saturday 20th February, 9.10pm - 4am
Tuesday 2nd March, 12.45am - 4am
Thursday 4th March, 12.45am - 4am

Freeview:
Tuesday 2nd March, 12.45am - 4am
Thursday 4th March, 12.45am - 4am

(not available on Freesat)

Bellamy's People*

Continuing our commitment to comedy, throughout January and February we'll be giving the red button treatment to Bellamy's People, the show that reunites Paul Whitehouse and Charlie Higson for their first television collaboration in 10 years.

The National Lottery: In It to Win It*

Dale Winton presents the game show where more people compete for a big money jackpot.

Think you can do better?
Press red during the show to pit your wits against the studio contestants every Saturday night.
Come the final round will YOU still be in it to win it?

Available during the show (BBC One)
Saturday 20th & 27th February
(Sky only. Not available on Virgin, Freeview or Freesat)

The Danny Baker Show on BBC Radio 5 live

Brett Spencer, Interactive Editor at 5 live, discusses the visualisation in more depth on the station's blog.

Sky, Virgin & Freeview:
Saturday 20th & 27th February, 9am - 11am
(not available on Freesat)

CBeebies Red Button

Satellite and digital terrestrial viewers will have slightly different offerings from one another. This has enabled us to offer the best games tailored to each system.

BBC Children's producer Damian Vicary discusses the service on the Press Red blog.

CBeebies Red Button is available now on the CBeebies channel, and via page 5900 on other channels.
Sky & Freeview
(not available on Virgin or Freesat)

Question Time Interactive

Available during the show (BBC One)
Thursday 25th February & Thursday 4th March
Sky, Virgin, Freesat & Freeview

News Multiscreen: Video Choice

Each weekday BBC News' On Demand team will be rounding-up the day's best picture stories to bring viewers a two-minute package of highlights. On weekends the tone becomes more conversational when Red Button viewers can watch a topical interview in our 'Five Minutes with...' slot.

Video Choice: Weekdays (available around the clock)
Five Minutes With...: Weekends (around the clock)
Sky & Virgin
(not available on Freeview or Freesat)

BBC Sport Multiscreen*

Catch up on all the latest Sport via the BBC Sport multiscreen. Headlines are available around the clock with up to five additional streams available to cover the best that BBC Sport has to offer.

Coming up...

Winter Olympics: Vancouver 2010*
The 2010 Vancouver Olympics is the 14th Winter Olympic Games broadcast by the BBC, a sequence that has run unbroken since the 1960 Games in Squaw Valley, California, USA.
Viewers will be able to access live coverage, the latest news updates and any of those missed magical moments, regardless of the time of day and where they are, through the BBC's extensive TV, radio, online, red button, mobile and BBC iPlayer services.

The competition schedule involves 86 medal events from biathlon to bobsleigh; curling to cross-country; skiing to skeleton; snowboarding to ski jumping and BBC TV will broadcast more than 160 hours on BBC Two and BBC HD (with an additional 13 hours also available on BBC HD), bringing British audiences the global stories of ambition, determination and courage, while capturing the excitement, drama and magical moments that make the Winter Olympics such a unique sporting event.

A packed BBC Red Button schedule will ensure the most extensive Winter Games programme yet with 2000 hours of interactive coverage being made available. Red Button viewers will be able to access up to six additional streams with live action being shown 4pm - 6am daily, while from 6am each day a 30-minute highlights show will also be screened encapsulating all the day's action.

Live coverage from Saturday 13th - Sunday 28th February.
Highlights available until Wednesday 10th March (Sky/Virgin/Freesat. Until 1st March on Freeview)

The full Winter Olympics schedule is available to view here.
Additionally, all Red Button streams can viewed on the BBC Sport website.

Rugby on BBC Red Button...*
- 6 Nations Live: Commentary Choice†
Live coverage of the 6 nations with audio options.
Friday 26th February:
Wales v France, 7.55pm - 10pm

Saturday 27th February:
Italy v Scotland, 1pm - 3.30pm
England v Ireland, 3.30pm - 6pm
(Sky/Virgin/Freesat. Not available on Freeview)

- 6 Nations Forum†
Post match analysis and debate with interviews.
Saturday 27th February, 6pm - 6.30pm
(Sky/Virgin/Freesat. Not available on Freeview)

- 6 Nations Highlights*
Sky/Virgin/Freesat:
Saturday 27th February, 6.30pm - 9.45pm
Sunday 28th February, 4.30pm - 6am (1st)
Monday 1st March, 6.30pm - 6am (2nd)
Tuesday 2nd March, 6.30pm - Sunday 7th March, 6am

Freeview:
Sunday 28th February, 1pm - 4.30pm

Full details of the BBC's 6 Nations coverage available on the Sport website.

- Scrum V Live†
Live coverage with audio options.
Friday 5th March, 7pm - 9pm
(Sky/Virgin/Freesat. Not available on Freeview)

Football on BBC Red Button...†
With the 2009/10 season football season in full swing, here at BBC Red Button we won't taking our eyes off the ball with a host of programming to keep fans up to date with the action until the silverware is lifted in May…

- Final Score*
Gaby Logan and guests keep you up to date with all the day's football news and results.
Saturday 20th February from 2.30pm
(all platforms)

Saturday 27th February from 2.30pm
(all platforms, finishes early on Freeview)

- Live International Football: Northern Ireland v Albania
Live coverage of the friendly between Northern Ireland & Albania.
Wednesday 3rd March, 7.30pm - 10pm
(all platforms)

BBC Sport is available 24 hours a day
Sky, Virgin, Freesat & Freeview*
(*limited coverage on Freeview, †unavailable on Freeview)
Please note that Red Button sport timings are subject to change at short notice.
Please check the BBC Sport website for the latest information.

What's On BBC Red Button: 6th - 19th February

John Horth — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 19:30:18 +0000

Here's our regular look at what's coming up under the red button...

BBC Sport Multiscreen*

Catch up on all the latest Sport via the BBC Sport multiscreen. Headlines are available around the clock with up to five additional streams available to cover the best that BBC Sport has to offer.

Coming up...

The full Winter Olympics schedule is now available to view here.
Additionally, all Red Button streams will be available to view on the BBC Sport website.

Winter Olympics Preview
Sky/Virgin/Freesat:
Tuesday 9th February, 12pm - Saturday 13th February, 6am
Freeview:
Tuesday 9th February, 7.15pm - 8.45pm
Wednesday 10th - Friday 12th February, 6am - 6.50am & 7.15pm - 8.45pm, daily

Live coverage from Saturday 13th February

]]>

Rugby on BBC Red Button...*
- 6 Nations Live: Commentary Choice*
Live coverage of the 6 nations with audio options.
Saturday 6th February:
Ireland v Italy: 1.40pm - 4.30pm
England v Wales: 4.45pm - 7.15pm
(Sky/Virgin/Freesat. Not available on Freeview)

Sunday 7th February:
Scotland v France: 2.30pm - 5pm
(all platforms)

Saturday 13th February:
Wales v Scotland: 1.30pm - 4pm
France v Ireland: 4.15pm - 6.30pm
(Sky/Virgin/Freesat. Not available on Freeview)

Sunday 14th February:
England v Italy: 2pm - 4.30pm
(all platforms)

- 6 Nations Forum
Post match analysis and debate with interviews.
Saturday 6th February, 7.05pm - 7.30pm
Sunday 7th February, 5pm - 5.30pm
Sunday 14th February, 4.30pm - 5pm
(all platforms)

- 6 Nations Highlights*
Sky/Virgin/Freesat:
Saturday 6th February, 8pm - Friday 12th February, 6am
Freeview:
Sunday 7th February, 12pm - 2.30pm & 5.30pm - 8.45pm
Monday 8th February, 6am - 6.50am & 7.15pm - 9.45pm
Tuesday 9th February, 6am - 6.50am & 7.15pm - 9.45pm

Full details of the BBC's 6 Nations coverage available on the Sport website.

- Women's 6 Nations Highlights†
Highlights from the weekend's Women's 6 Nations.
Monday 8th February, 9pm - Saturday 13th February, 6am
(Sky/Virgin/Freesat. Not available on Freeview)

- Rugby League: The Super League Show Repeat†
Highlights from all the weekend's Rugby League action.
Tuesday 9th February, 4am - 9pm
(Sky/Virgin/Freesat. Not available on Freeview)

- Scrum V Live
Wales U20 v Scotland U20. Wales' youngsters play their first home game at their new base - Cardiff Arms Park. Live coverage with audio options.
Friday 12th February, 7pm - 9pm
(all platforms)

- Scrum V†
Friday 19th February, 7pm - 9pm
(Sky/Virgin/Freesat. Not available on Freeview)

Football on BBC Red Button...*
With the 2009/10 season football season in full swing, here at BBC Red Button we won't taking our eyes off the ball with a host of programming to keep fans up to date with the action until the silverware is lifted in May

- Friday Focus†
Join Mark Lawrenson for his Premier League predictions along with pundit interviews.
Sky/Virgin/Freesat:
Saturday 6th February, 6am - 8.30am
(not available on Freeview)

- Final Score
Gaby Logan and guests keep you up to date with all the day's football news and results.
Saturday 6th & 13th February from 2.30pm

- Midweek Score†
Keep up with the evening's football action. Match commentary with live stats, scores and the vidiprinter.
Tuesday 9th February, 7.30pm - 10.30pm (Sky/Virgin/Freesat. Not available on Freeview)
Wednesday 10th February, 7.30pm - 10.30pm (all platforms)

- The Football League Show Repeat*
All the goals, round up and debate from the Football League. Presented by Manish Bhasin.
Sunday 7th February, 1.05am - 12pm (Sky/Virgin/Freesat); 4.30am - 12pm (Freeview)

Super Bowl XLIV*
New Orleans Saints v Indianapolis Colts.
Live coverage of the 44th Super Bowl from Florida with audio options. Plus looping highlights.
Live:
Sunday 7th February, 10.55pm - 4am (all platforms)
Highlights:
Monday 8th February, 4am - Tuesday 9th February 12pm (Sky/Virgin/Freesat)
Monday 8th February, 7.15pm - 8.45pm (Freeview)

BBC Sport is available 24 hours a day
Sky, Virgin, Freesat & Freeview*
(*limited coverage on Freeview, †unavailable on Freeview)
Please note that Red Button sport timings are subject to change at short notice.
Please check the BBC Sport website for the latest information.

The Virtual Revolution

Twenty years on from the invention of the world wide web a major new BBC Two series takes stock of its profound impact - how, for better and for worse, the digital revolution is reshaping our lives.

Each of the four episodes is the result of a groundbreaking production process that invited web users to help shape the series on the programme's website.

To view more entries and download the digital rushes used in the competition visit the website at bbc.co.uk/virtualrevolution

Available following The Virtual Revolution (BBC Two)
Sky/Virgin/Freeview:
Saturday 6th February, 9.10pm - 4am
Tuesday 9th February, 12.15am - 4am
(not available on Freesat)

Tracy Beaker Quiz

Tracy Beaker is back and she's in trouble again!
To celebrate the return of the eponymous heroine to CBBC screens we've put together a special quiz to test your knowledge of previous series.

Are you a big enough fan to remember what happened when Tracy and Dolly hid 'Fang' the dog in their bedroom?
Join Lisa Coleman, aka Cam, behind the red button to take the ultimate Tracy test and prove you're the best!

Monday 8th - Friday 12th February, 7am - 7pm daily
(Sky & Freeview. Not available on Virgin or Freesat)

Bellamy's People*

Hapless radio talk show host Gary Bellamy will be taking digital viewers behind the scenes of his complex and ground breaking TV series. Follow Gary and his dedicated crew on a trip around our great nation as we look at the making of Bellamy's People of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. What could be more interesting than that?

Sky & Virgin:
Saturday 6th February, 9.25pm - 4am (not Virgin)
Sunday 7th - Wednesday 10th February, 9pm - 4am each night
Thursday 11th February, 10.25pm - 4am
Friday 12th February, 9pm - 4am
Sunday 14th February, 9pm - 1am
Monday 15th February, 9pm - 12.30am
Tuesday 16th February, 9pm - 4am
Wednesday 17th February, 9pm - 1.30am
Thursday 18th February, 10.25pm - 1.30am
Friday 19th February, 9.30pm - 4am

Freeview:
Sunday 7th February, 9pm - 10.40pm
Monday 8th February, 9pm - 12.05am
Wednesday 10th February, 10.40pm - 4am
Thursday 11th February, 10.25pm - 4am
Friday 12th February, 9.10pm - 1.35am

(not available on Freesat)

The Hairy Bikers: Mums Know Best*

Simon King and David Myers, perhaps more familiar to viewers as The Hairy Bikers, rev up for their new series rediscovering long lost family recipes that have been passed down the generations.

Following the show digital viewers can press red to spend some extra cooking time with one of the featured mums as she shares extra tips, recipes and a bit more motherly chat.

Sky & Virgin & Freeview:
Tuesday 9th February, 8.55pm - 4am
(not available on Freesat)

The National Lottery: In It to Win It

Dale Winton presents the game show where more people compete for a big money jackpot.
Think you can do better? Press red during the show to pit your wits against the studio contestants every Saturday night.
Come the final round will YOU still be in it to win it?

Available during the show
Saturday 6th February
(Sky & Freeview. Not available on Virgin or Freesat)
Saturday 13th February
(Sky only. Not available on Virgin/Freesat/Freeview)

The Danny Baker Show on BBC Radio 5 live

Brett Spencer, Interactive Editor at 5 live, discusses the visualisation in more depth on the station's blog.

Saturday 6th & 13th February, 9am - 11am
(not available on Freesat)

CBeebies Red Button

Satellite and digital terrestrial viewers will have slightly different offerings from one another. This has enabled us to offer the best games tailored to each system.

BBC Children's producer Damian Vicary discusses the service on the Press Red blog.

CBeebies Red Button is available now on the CBeebies channel, and via page 5900 on other channels.
Sky & Freeview
(not available on Virgin or Freesat)

Question Time Interactive

Thursday 11th & 18th February, during the show (BBC One)
Sky, Virgin, Freesat & Freeview

News Multiscreen: Video Choice

Video Choice: Weekdays (available around the clock)
Five Minutes With...: Weekends (around the clock)
Sky & Virgin
(not available on Freeview or Freesat)

What's On BBC Red Button: 23rd January - 5th February

John Horth — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 09:30:53 +0000

Here's our regular look at what's coming up under the red button...

BBC 6music Live: La Roux/Heaven 17 & Little Boots/Gary Numan*

6music has witnessed some unique performances with the cream of today's talent joining forces with rock's elder statesmen to create new musical moments. This great tradition looks set to continue in 2010.

For the latest session things take an electronic turn as La Roux, riding high from a breakthrough year, and the influential Heaven 17 swap synth licks for what is sure to be an unforgettable collaboration.

As if that's not electrifying enough we'll be upping the voltage yet further with another performance recorded in December at our Maida Vale studios when electro-pop legend Gary Numan teamed up with BBC Sound of 2009 winner Little Boots.

Catch all 18 sessions tracks and exclusive interviews from the musicians on BBC Red Button and bbc.co.uk/6music.

Sky & Virgin:
Friday 29th January, 7pm - Saturday 6th February, 1.30pm (available around the clock)
Saturday 6th February, 8.15pm - 4am (Sun 7th)

Freeview:
Friday 29th January, 7pm - 12.50am (Sat 30th)
Saturday 30th January, 6.10pm - 7.20pm
Sunday 31st January, 4.10am - 4.40pm
Monday 1st February, 12.50am - 12.05am (Tues 2nd)
Tuesday 2nd February, 4.10am - 8.45pm
Wednesday 3rd February, 12.10am - 1.50pm & 5.25pm - 12.50pm (Thurs 4th)
Thursday 4th February, 5.25pm - 10.15pm
Friday 5th February, 4.10am - 12.50pm & 5.25pm - 8.50am (Sat 6th)
Saturday 6th February, 11.10am -12.30pm

(not available on Freesat)

]]>

The Virtual Revolution

Twenty years on from the invention of the world wide web a major new BBC Two series takes stock of its profound impact - how, for better and for worse, the digital revolution is reshaping our lives.

Each of the four episodes is the result of a groundbreaking production process that invited web users to help shape the series on the programme's website.

EastEnders: E20 Omnibus*

See Albert Square as you've never seen it before - through the eyes of four teenagers - exclusively on the EastEnders website and the red button!

EastEnders: E20 introduces Zsa Zsa Carter, Fatboy, Leon Small and Mercy Olubunmi who crash into the Square seeking solace from family life. With nowhere to live and no one else to turn to they begin to depend on one another for support. The foursome end up squatting together in 89b George Street and the highs and lows of their shared problems cement their friendship forever.

All webisodes to date are available online. Additionally Red Button viewers can watch an omnibus edition each Sunday.
To meet the new cast and take a look behind the scenes visit the EastEnders: E20 website.

Sky & Virgin:
Sunday 24th January, 3.10pm - 4am
Sunday 31st January, 4.55pm - 4am

Freeview:
Sunday 24th January, 3.10pm - 5.25pm & 6.35pm - 12.50am
Sunday 31st January, 4.55pm - 5.30pm & 6.35pm - 12am

(not available on Freesat)

Bellamy's People*

Hapless radio talk show host Gary Bellamy will be taking digital viewers behind the scenes of his complex and ground breaking TV series. Follow Gary and his dedicated crew on a trip around our great nation as we look at the making of Bellamy's People of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. What could be more interesting than that?

Sky & Virgin:
Saturday 23rd January, 9.20pm - 4am
Sunday 24th January - Wednesday 27th January, 9pm - 4am each night
Thursday 28th January, 10.25pm - 4am
Friday 29th January - Wednesday 3rd February, 9pm - 4am each night
Thursday 4th February, 10.25pm - 4am
Friday 5th February, 9pm - 4am

Freeview:
Saturday 23rd January, 9.20pm - 12.50am
Monday 25th January, 9.10pm - 12.50am
Thursday 28th January, 12.05am - 12.50am & 10.25pm - 12.50am (29th)
Thursday 4th February, 10.25pm - 4am

(not available on Freesat)

The Hairy Bikers: Mums Know Best*

Simon King and David Myers, perhaps more familiar to viewers as The Hairy Bikers, rev up for a new series this month rediscovering long lost family recipes that have been passed down the generations.

Following the show digital viewers can press red to spend some extra cooking time with one of the featured mums as she shares extra tips, recipes and a bit more motherly chat.

Sky & Virgin:
Tuesday 26th January & Tuesday 2nd February, 8.55pm - 4am

Freeview:
Tuesday 26th January, 8.55pm - 12.50am
Tuesday 2nd February, 8.55pm - 12am

(not available on Freesat)

The National Lottery: In It to Win It

Dale Winton presents the game show where more people compete for a big money jackpot.
Think you can do better? Press red during the show to pit your wits against the studio contestants every Saturday night.
Come the final round will YOU still be in it to win it?

Available during the show
Sky & Freeview:
Saturday 23rd & 30th January
(not available on Virgin or Freesat)

The Danny Baker Show on BBC Radio 5 live†

Brett Spencer, Interactive Editor at 5 live, discusses the visualisation in more depth on the station's blog.

Saturday 23rd & 30th January, 9am - 11am
(not available on Freeview or Freesat)

CBeebies Red Button

Satellite and digital terrestrial viewers will have slightly different offerings from one another. This has enabled us to offer the best games tailored to each system.

BBC Children's producer Damian Vicary discusses the service on the Press Red blog.

CBeebies Red Button is available now on the CBeebies channel, and via page 5900 on other channels.
Sky & Freeview
(not available on Virgin or Freesat)

Question Time Interactive

Thursday 28th January, & Thursday 4th February, during the show (BBC One)
Sky, Virgin, Freesat & Freeview

News Multiscreen: Video Choice

Video Choice: Weekdays (available around the clock)
Five Minutes With...: Weekends (around the clock)
Sky & Virgin
(not available on Freeview or Freesat)

BBC Sport Multiscreen*

Catch up on all the latest Sport via the BBC Sport multiscreen. Headlines are available around the clock with up to five additional streams available to cover the best that BBC Sport has to offer.

Coming up...

Football on BBC Red Button†
With the 2009/10 season football season in full swing, here at BBC Red Button we won't taking our eyes off the ball with a host of programming to keep fans up to date with the action until the silverware is lifted in May…

- Friday Focus†
Join Mark Lawrenson for his Premier League predictions along with pundit interviews.
Sky/Virgin/Freesat:
Saturday 23rd January, 6am - 8.30am
Friday 29th January, 6pm - Saturday 30th Jan, 8.30am
Friday 5th February, 6pm - 6am
(not available on Freeview)

- Final Score
Gaby Logan and guests keep you up to date with all the day's football news and results.
Saturday 23rd & 31st January from 2.30pm

- Midweek Score*
Keep up with the evening's football action. Match commentary with live stats, scores and the vidiprinter.
Tuesday 26th January, 7.30pm - 10.30pm (Sky/Virgin/Freesat. Not available on Freeview)
Wednesday 27th January, 7.30pm - 10.30pm (Sky/Virgin/Freesat); 7.30pm - 10pm (Freeview)

- The Football League Show Repeat†
All the goals, round up and debate from the Football League. Presented by Manish Bhasin.
Sky/Virgin/Freesat:
Sunday 24th January, 12.15am - 12pm
Sunday 31st January, 12.45am - 12pm
(not available on Freeview)

- Africa Cup of Nations*
Live coverage of the Africa Cup of Nations.
Thursday 28th January, 3.45pm - 6pm (all)
Saturday 30th January, 1.45pm - 4pm (Sky/Virgin/Freesat. Not available on Freeview)

Tennis: Australian Open*
Live coverage and highlights from the Australian Open, Melbourne.
Saturday 23rd January
Live: 8am - 2pm (all)
Highlights: 5pm - 6am (Sky/Virgin/Freesat); 6pm - 7pm (Freeview)

Sunday 24th January
Live: 8am - 2pm (all)
Highlights: 5pm - 6am (Sky/Virgin/Freesat. Not available on Freeview)

Monday 25th January
Live: 8.30am - 2pm (all)
Highlights: 5pm - 6am (Sky/Virgin/Freesat); 7pm - 1am (Freeview)

Tuesday 26th January
Live: 8am - 2pm (all)
Highlights: 5pm - 6am (Sky/Virgin/Freesat); 7pm - 8pm (Freeview)

Wednesday 27th January
Live: 8.30am - 2pm (all)
Highlights: 5pm - 6am (Sky/Virgin/Freesat); 11pm - 1am (Freeview)

Thursday 28th January
Live: 8.30am - 2pm (all)
Highlights: 5pm - 6am (Sky/Virgin/Freesat); 7pm - 10pm (Freeview)

Friday 29th January
Live: 8.30am - 2pm (all)
Highlights: 5pm - 6am (Sky/Virgin/Freesat. Not available on Freeview)

Saturday 30th January
Live: 8.30am - 11.30m (all)
Highlights: 5pm - 6am (Sky/Virgin/Freesat. Not available on Freeview)

Sunday 31st January
Highlights: 5pm - 10am, Tuesday 2nd February (Sky/Virgin/Freesat. Not available on Freeview)

Skiing: World Cup†
Live skiing from Kitzbühel:
Saturday 23rd January, 10.30am - 12.30pm
Sunday 24th January, 12.45pm - 2.45pm

Live skiing from Schladming:
Tuesday 26th January, 7.45pm - 9.45pm

Live skiing from St. Moritz:
Saturday 30th January, 10am - 12pm

Sky/Virgin/Freesat
(not available on Freeview)

Ski Sunday Extra
All the way through the season we’ll have live coverage and highlights of the best races from the World Cup circuit as well as the latest snow forecasts from the BBC Weather Centre.
Sunday 24th January, 5.55pm - 6.25pm
Sunday 31st January, 7pm - 7.30pm

Figure Skating: European Championships†
Live coverage of the Women's Free Programme from the European Figure Skating Championships.
Saturday 23rd January, 1pm - 3.35pm (Sky/Virgin/Freesat. Not available on Freeview)

Snooker: Welsh Open*
Live coverage of the Welsh Open from the Newport Centre.
Sky/Virgin/Freesat:
Saturday 30th January, 1pm - 4.30pm & 7pm - 10pm
Sunday 31st January, 1.30pm - 5pm & 7pm - 10pm
(not available on Freeview)

Bowls: World Championship†
Live coverage of the Bowls World Championship.
Saturday 23rd January
10am - 12pm (Sky/Virgin/Freesat. Not available on Freeview)

Bowls: Welsh International Open
Live coverage of the Welsh Bowls.
Wednesday 3rd February, 1pm - 5.15pm
Thursday 4th February, 1pm - 5.15pm

Rugby Union: Ireland A v Scotland A†
Live coverage of the match between Ireland A and Scotland A from Ravenhill.
Sky/Virgin/Freesat:
Friday 5th February, 7.15pm - 9.30pm
(not available on Freeview)

BBC Sport is available 24 hours a day
Sky, Virgin, Freesat & Freeview*
(*limited coverage on Freeview, †unavailable on Freeview)
Please note that Red Button sport timings are subject to change at short notice.
Please check the BBC Sport website for the latest information.

BBC iPlayer on Freesat

Andrew Bowden — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 14:10:45 +0000

December 2009 saw the latest addition to the BBC iPlayer family, with the start of a beta evaluation period for Freesat devices.

This is the first time that we've delivered a service as complicated as BBC iPlayer onto a normal, household set top box or TV set, and we initially restricted the beta to a closed group of users.

Since then many Freesat users have been asking when they'll be able to try it for themselves, and as our testing has been going well we're making the beta product available more widely, and you're invited!

What's On BBC Red Button: 9th - 22nd January

John Horth — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 18:06:27 +0000

Here's our regular look at what's coming up under the red button...

Tracy Beaker Quiz

Tracy Beaker is back and she's in trouble again!
To celebrate the return of the eponymous heroine to CBBC screens in January we've put together a special quiz to test your knowledge of previous series.

Are you a big enough fan to remember what happened when Tracy and Dolly hid 'Fang' the dog in their bedroom?
Join Lisa Coleman, aka Cam, behind the red button to take the ultimate Tracy test and prove you're the best!

Sky & Virgin:
Saturday 9th - Friday 15th January, 7am - 7pm daily

Freeview:
Saturday 9th January, 7am - 10.20am
Sunday 10th January, 7am - 10.50am
Monday 11th January, 7am - 10.50am
Tuesday 12th January, 7am - 1.20pm
Wednesday 13th January, 7am - 1.50pm
Thursday 14th January, 7am - 1.20pm
Friday 15th January, 7am - 12pm

(not available on Freesat)

]]>

EastEnders: E20 Omnibus*

See Albert Square as you've never seen it before - through the eyes of four teenagers - exclusively on the EastEnders website and the red button!

EastEnders: E20 introduces Zsa Zsa Carter, Fatboy, Leon Small and Mercy Olubunmi who crash into the Square seeking solace from family life. With nowhere to live and no one else to turn to they begin to depend on one another for support. The foursome end up squatting together in 89b George Street and the highs and lows of their shared problems cement their friendship forever.

The first webisode airs online on Friday 8th January and Red Button viewers can watch an omnibus edition on Sunday 17th.
To meet the new cast and take a look behind the scenes visit the EastEnders: E20 website.

Sky & Virgin:
Sunday 17th January, 4.45pm - 4am

Freeview:
Sunday 17th January, 4.45pm - 5.35pm & 6.25pm - 12.50am

(not available on Freesat)

Bellamy's People*

The Hairy Bikers: Mums Know Best*

Sky & Virgin:
Tuesday 12th & 19th January, 8.55pm - 4am

Freeview:
Tuesday 12th January, 11.10pm -4am
Tuesday 19th January, 8.55pm - 4am

(not available on Freesat)

The National Lottery: In It to Win It

Dale Winton presents the game show where more people compete for a big money jackpot.
Think you can do better? Press red during the show to pit your wits against the studio contestants every Saturday night.
Come the final round will YOU still be in it to win it?

Available during the show
Sky & Freeview:
Saturday 9th & 16th January
(not available on Virgin or Freesat)

The Danny Baker Show on BBC Radio 5 live

Brett Spencer, Interactive Editor at 5 live, discusses the visualisation in more depth on the station's blog.

Saturday 9th January, 9am (Sky & Virgin only)
Saturday 16th January, 9am (Sky, Virgin & Freeview)
(not available on Freesat)

CBeebies Red Button

Satellite and digital terrestrial viewers will have slightly different offerings from one another. This has enabled us to offer the best games tailored to each system.

BBC Children's producer Damian Vicary discusses the service on the Press Red blog.

CBeebies Red Button is available now on the CBeebies channel, and via page 5900 on other channels.
Sky & Freeview
(not available on Virgin or Freesat)

Question Time Interactive

Thursday 14th & 21st January, during the show (BBC One)
Sky, Virgin, Freesat & Freeview

News Multiscreen: Video Choice

In a new feature on the the News Multiscreen each weekday BBC News' On Demand team will be rounding-up the day's best picture stories to bring viewers a two-minute package of highlights. On weekends the tone becomes more conversational when Red Button viewers can watch a topical interview in our 'Five Minutes with...' slot.

Video Choice: Weekdays (available around the clock)
Five Minutes With...: Weekends (around the clock)
Sky & Virgin
(not available on Freesat or Freeview)

BBC Sport Multiscreen*

Catch up on all the latest Sport via the BBC Sport multiscreen. Headlines are available around the clock with up to five additional streams available to cover the best that BBC Sport has to offer.

Coming up...

- Friday Focus*
Join Mark Lawrenson for his Premier League predictions along with pundit interviews.
Saturday 9th January
Sky/Virgin/Freesat: 6am - 10.30am (not available on Freeview)

Friday 15th January
Sky/Virgin/Freesat: 6.30pm - 12.15pm (16th Jan)
Freeview: 11pm - 8.45am (16th Jan)

- Final Score
Gaby Logan and guests keep you up to date with all the day's football news and results.
Saturday 9th & 16th January from 2.30pm

- Midweek Score†
Keep up with the evening's football action. Match commentary with live stats, scores and the vidiprinter.
Tuesday 12th & Wednesday 13th January, 7.30pm - 10.30pm
(not available on Freeview)

- The Football League Show Repeat*
All the goals, round up and debate from the Football League. Presented by Manish Bhasin.
Sunday 10th January, 1.05am - 12pm (Sky/Virgin/Freesat); 1.05am - 6.05am (Freeview)
Sunday 17th January, 1.05am - 12pm (all platforms)

- Carling Cup: Live†
Live coverage of the Carling Cup coverage with audio options (not Freeview)
Manchester City v Manchester United (semi-final, 1st leg):
Tuesday 19th January, 7.30pm - 10pm
Aston Villa v Blackburn Rovers (semi-final 2nd leg):
Wednesday 20th January, 7.30pm - 10pm

World Cup Skiing
Live skiing from Haus im Ennstal & Adelboden:
Saturday 9th January, 10.30am - 2.30pm
Live skiing from Wengen:
Saturday 16th January, 11.30am - 1.30pm
Sunday 17th January, 12.15pm - 2.15pm

Ski Sunday Extra*
All the way through the season we’ll have live coverage and highlights of the best races from the World Cup circuit as well as the latest snow forecasts from the BBC Weather Centre.
Sunday 10th January, 5.45pm - 6.15pm (potentially not available on Freeview)
Sunday 17th January, 5.15pm - 5.45pm (Sky/Virgin/Freesat); 5.45pm - 6.15pm (Freeview)

World Championship Darts: Live*
Live coverage of the World Championship Darts from Frimley Green.
Saturday 9th January, 5.30pm - 11pm (Sky/Virgin/Freesat); 6.00pm - 7.45pm & 9.05pm - 11pm (Freeview)

Snooker: The Masters*
Live coverage of the Masters Snooker from Wembley Arena.
Sunday 10th & Monday 11th January, 11am - 11pm
Tuesday 12th January, 1.30pm - 11pm
Wednesday 13th January, 2pm - 11pm
Thursday 14th & Friday 15th January, 1.30pm - 11pm
Saturday 16th January, 1pm - 11pm (Sky/Virgin/Freesat); 6pm - 7.20pm & 8.30pm - 11pm (Freeview)

Tennis: Australian Open*
Live coverage and highlights from the Australian Open, Melbourne.
Monday 18th January
Live: 8am - 2pm (all)
Highlights: 5pm - 6am (Sky/Virgin/Freesat); 7pm - 1am (Freeview)

Tuesday 19th January
Live: 8am - 2pm (all)
Highlights: 5pm - 6am (Sky/Virgin/Freesat); 7pm - 8pm (Freeview)

Wednesday 20th January
Live: 8am - 2pm (all)
Highlights: 5pm - 6am (Sky/Virgin/Freesat); 6pm - 1am (Freeview)

Thursday 21st January
Live: 8am - 2pm (all)
Highlights: 5pm - 6am (Sky/Virgin/Freesat); 7pm - 10pm (Freeview)

Friday 22nd January
Live: 8am - 2pm (all)
Highlights: 5pm - 6am (Sky/Virgin/Freesat. Not available on Freeview)

Bowls: World Championship*
Live coverage of the Bowls World Championship. Early session unavailable on Freeview.
Monday 18th & Tuesday 19th January
10am - 11.30am (Sky/Virgin/Freesat, not Freeview); 3pm - 4.45pm (all)

Wednesday 20th January
10am - 11.30am (Sky/Virgin/Freesat, not Freeview); 3pm - 4.45pm (all)

Thursday 21st January
9.30am - 11am (Sky/Virgin/Freesat, not Freeview); 3pm - 4.45pm (all)

Friday 22nd January
10am - 11.30am (Sky/Virgin/Freesat, not Freeview); 3pm - 4.45pm (all)

Figure Skating: European Championships
Live coverage of the Free Dance programme from the European Figure Skating Championships.
Friday 22nd January, 6pm - 8.10pm

BBC Sport is available 24 hours a day
Sky, Virgin, Freesat & Freeview*
(*limited coverage on Freeview, †unavailable on Freeview)
Please note that Red Button sport timings are subject to change at short notice.
Please check the BBC Sport website for the latest information.

Snow need to panic

Simon Lumb — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 12:15:35 +0000

Across the UK snow has caused lots of disruption. The recently relocated contingent of TV Platforms in Manchester are embracing new ways of working and are fully acclimatising to the situation. Due to difficult driving conditions and delays on public transport a number of employees chose to work from home on Tuesday. The only people who made it into the office were those who live in the City Centre in Manchester.

As the car park was suitably empty and as no inner child can resist that much untouched snow, lunchtime inevitably involved much tomfoolery. There was about 5 inches of snow overnight and it didn't really stop all day.

So we decided that we should enjoy the snow and have our lunch and breaks outside in the fresh air. To that end we needed a breakout area. So we built one. To this end please enjoy a few pictures of our new office. It includes the Snow Lounge, featuring a Snowfa, a TV (which is admittedly a bit flaky) and our new mascot Powder the Bear.

]]>

We also enjoyed mobile working.

As the forecast looks increasingly intense and the snow spreads, we wish everyone very safe travelling and hope you find some time to enjoy it if you can.

P.S. Sorry about the puns.

Simon Lumb is Senior Software Engineer, TV Platforms. He likes snow. And puns.