We come Highly Commended y'know..

Last night Sky Arts 1 HD was up for the Broadcast Awards 2010 "Channel Of The Year" prize....but we were pipped at the post for the big shiny gong by ITV1. We were however, Highly Commended!
Our colleagues in Sky News won Best News Programme for their Pakistan: Terror’s Front Line report, so it was a night of celebration..

Staff Virgin Virtuosos: Tracy at Midem.

I'm at Midem 2010 for the first time and I'm here to network and see if there are any gems of programmes out there. Well, day 1 was a bit daunting. My flight was delayed by half an hour but I managed to get myself from the airport to Cannes without a hitch. I even managed to find my hotel with no problem. But then registration for Midem happened and when I walked into the Palais des Festivals I thought: Jeez, what is all this about and how am I going to make sense of it all.

Well, I attended the First Timers Cocktail, which was less cocktail and more orientation but no matter, I got a tour out of it (and found out there are free massages! - defo worth attending for that alone). 

Once the tour was over, it was a case of, off you go my pretties and good luck. Day 1 wasn't too bad. I got my bearings, found out where my meetings were taking place for the next day and just meandered. Then it was off for dinner and after that the South African opening night at the Martinez hotel which was suitably decorated in the South African colours and I presume the food that was served there was also South African (I didn't try any). The music was better than I expected. There was a traditional African band, a hip hop act, an indie rock act (think Billy Joe from Green Day x3) and another rock type act. 

I met a few nice people who didn't have anything to do with TV but lots to do with music and music publishing. 1 man in particular is friends with the Head of Universal Music Australia and he, Sky Arts 2 viewers, is very good friends with a certain Mr Rieu. As I have my contacts at Universal UK already, I'm told that if I have any problems, Cyrus AKA head honcho, will be able to help me secure Andre. After that, I thought I'd end the day and head off back to my hotel.

Day 2 was better and less chaotic for me as I got used to my surroundings. It helped that I had meetings planned and I was especially looking forward to meeting Sandrine from Euroarts who I deal with on a regular basis. It was nice to hear a familiar voice and finally put a face to the name and we had an enjoyable chat about what's coming up for Sky Arts 2 and what I'm looking for.

I also attended some screenings where they show you showreels of all the programming that are available from the various channels/distributors. And then a few more meetings where as a newbie I made the school girl error of taking all hand outs and loading up my bag till it was so heavy my right shoulder is now located a lot lower than my left one. 

However, I remembered the wonderful free massage offer and promptly went there where the masseuse got rid of those horrible knots in my shoulder.... Bliss! After that, more walking (and surprisingly, my feet were still OK) and then it was off to dinner with Sandrine and to the British music night at the Martinez where Chipmunk was present (yes, that is the artist's name. He had a number one single called Whoopsadaisy for those who don't know the Chip). 

We did also pop into the Carlton for some alternative Jazz but Armenian Jazz isn't really my thing so we left again and caught the rest of Newton Faulkner's act. He of 'Dream Catch Me' fame. He was very good and especially his closing number which was an acoustic version of.... indeed, Bohemian Rhapsody..... This went down well with the crowd and was surprisingly good. That ended day 2 for me.

Day 3 roundup will follow later as I am now off to meet the Head of the LSO and I have 4 mins to weave my way back up to the main hall.

Au revoir, Tracy.

Snowed-in? We'll warm you up!

So, it's 2010 already and we're still not floating about in flying cars. Pity that. Would solve a lot of the 'travel chaos' caused by snow all over the UK today.

If you're stuck at home and you've still got electricity...there's plenty to watch on Sky Arts 1 and Sky Arts 2 while you toast your toes by the fire or indeed, burn your bum sitting on the radiator!

Today on Sky Arts 1:

15:35 Directed By John Ford
Clint Eastwood, Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg contribute to this profile of Oscar-winning director John Ford, famous for his Western epics The Searchers and Stagecoach.

17:30 Tim Marlow On Pop Life: Art In A Material World [HD]
Tim Marlow leads a tour of the Tate Modern's new exhibition, discussing Pop Art by artists such as Damien Hirst, Jeff Koons, Andy Warhol and Tracey Emin.

18:00 CONCRETE CANVAS [HD]
Berlin
Julian Beever heads to the German capital to meet local artists who are turning the city's streets into a living art gallery, before adding his own very appetising contribution.

18:30 ART RACE [HD]
Art Race 6
Ben and Kenny continue their journey across America. Ben abandons art for motor mechanics and Kenny gets trapped in a Missouri strip mall. Is Kenny about to fall even further behind?

19:00 HAY SESSIONS [HD]
Hay Sessions 4: Chris Mullin
The maverick parliamentarian and author of A Very British Coup, Chris Mullin, talks to Guto Harri about his rivetingly funny political diaries.

20:00 SONGBOOK [HD]
Ian McCulloch: Songbook
Echo & the Bunnymen's singer-songwriter gives a fascinating insight into some of his best tracks, including The Killing Moon, before performing them.

21:00 Elvis And June: A Love Story *UK PREMIERE*
The true story of Elvis's first romance with fiancee June Juanico and how his rise to fame pulled them apart. Featuring footage of the young couple on holiday in the summer of 1956.

21:50 Working Space: Michael Vaughan-Cricketer & Artist [HD]


22:00 In Dreams: The Roy Orbison Story (Relicence)
Rock 'n' roll greats pay tribute to the 'Big O', whose rise to fame was hampered by personal tragedies. His legacy was assured after the rediscovery of his work in David Lynch's Blue Velvet.

23:00 European Film Awards 2009 [HD]

...and over on Sky Arts 2 today:

16:40 Stage Light - Stage Fright
It may appear marvellous to be a musician, but it is the third most stressful profession in the world. Discover the pressures that face them and how they cope with life off- stage.

17:35 Anne-Sophie Mutter 3: Sonata In E Flat Major, K. 380 [HD]
Celebrated violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter, accompanied by pianist Lambert Orkis, performs Mozart's mature violin sonatas in Munich 2006.

18:00 MASTERMIND
Mastermind (BBC) 2
London taxi driver Fred Housego famously took to the black chair and won this classic series of the quiz challenge presented by Magnus Magnusson.

18:30 IN SEARCH OF BEETHOVEN [HD]
In Search Of Beethoven (Series) 2
Beethoven has long been romanticised as a tortured artist. Phil Grabsky attempts to separate fiction from fact in this biopic featuring leading performers and experts. 2/5

19:00 BARENBOIM ON BEETHOVEN [HD]
Beethoven:Piano Concerto No. 2 In B-Flat Major, Op. 19
Soloist Daniel Barenboim performs Beethoven's second Concerto before conducting the Staatskapelle Berlin at the 2007 Klavier-Festival.

19:35 Anne-Sophie Mutter 5: Sonata In B Flat Major, K. 378 [HD]
Celebrated violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter, accompanied by pianist Lambert Orkis, performs Mozart's mature violin sonatas in Munich 2006.

20:00 A Midsummer Night's Dream [HD] *CHANNEL PREMIERE*
The renowned Pacific Northwest Ballet perform George Balanchine's stunning ballet, based on Shakespeare's play and to music by Mendelssohn. From the Sadler's Wells Theatre, London.

21:35 Shakespeare's Globe
A revealing behind-the-scenes documentary on the modern-day Globe Theatre, the remarkable reconstruction of Shakespeare’s theatre on London’s South Bank.

22:25 Andre Rieu At Schonbrunn, Vienna [HD]
Accompanied by the Johann Strauss Orchestra, world renowned violinist Andre Rieu performs numbers including Roses from the South, and Emperor's Waltz at Schonbrunn in Vienna.

...and since we've no place to go, let it snow, let it snow, let it snow...

Staff recommendations for your sky+ box this xmas

Adrian, our head of planning, does the first of our staff recommendations videoblogs.

I think we might use an actual camera for this next time and not my phone, ahem.
You may need to whack up your volume to hear what he's saying, ha ha!

Merry xmas dear viewers!! (and don't worry - the onair output is still in glorious HD...and not shot on a mobile phone...)

xxx
The Sky Arts Team



More highlights here: http://www.skyarts.co.uk/skyarts/festive-highlights/

Merry Christmas! Roll on 2010...

Tis the xmas season as already the novelty trees are up in Sky Arts Corner. Our giant inflatable snowman is no-where to be seen though. Hopefully he make an appearence, if only for day. He's noisy...so he remains in stored in the tape room.
So, ho ho ho, highlights.....
We've got some fantastic xmas telly lined up across both channels this year.
Sky Arts 1 (also in HD folks!) has:

Sandi’s Christmas Cracker
Sky Arts is taking over Royal Festival Hall on London’s Southbank on 22 December to broadcast Sandi Toksvig’s Christmas Cracker, a cabaret show that features a glittering array of stars from the worlds of music, magic and comedy, starring the legendary Ronnie Corbett. Hosted by queen of the quips Sandi Toksvig and a house band, the show is a joyous mix of music and comedy. Find out more about Sandi's Christmas Cracker >>
From 8pm, 22 Dec, Sky Arts 1 / HD

Johnny Cash Christmas Special 1978
Celebrate Christmas with the Man In Black and some of the biggest stars of the ’70s. Guests include: Kris Kristofferson and singer Rita Coolidge, Steve Martin and of course June Carter Cash. This way for more on Johnny Cash Christmas Special 1978 >>
From 10.55pm, 24 Dec, Sky Arts 1

Soul Power
A verité documentary, entirely composed of footage shot in 1974 at the 3-night long legendary South African music festival (dubbed "Zaire '74"). It shows the experiences and performances of such musical luminaries as James Brown, BB King, Bill Withers, Celia Cruz, Miriam Makeba, among a host of others. Funk this way for more on Soul Power >>
From 9pm, 25 Dec, Sky Arts 1 / HD

Sky Arts 2 (again, also in HD folks!) has:

Metropolitan Opera at Christmas
It’s the countdown to Christmas but forget advent calendars, we’ve developed our own way to tick off the dark days of December. You don’t need the pricey dress, the binoculars and the private box - Sky Arts 2 brings all the glamour and emotion of one of the world’s premier stages into your living room, with 25 stunning operas in December. Click this way to find out the seasonal Met Opera line-up >> From 8pm, 1 Dec, Sky Arts 2 / HD

Elaine Page - Live in Concert
Brand new - this recently took place in Sydney at The State Theatre – a beautiful old Edwardian venue – on 31st October 09 - the first time Elaine Page has been filmed in concert since 1991. All her Broadway hits helped along with a sprinkling of anecdotes and stories from her impressive career. See the full line-up for Elaine Page - Live in concert >>
From 7pm, Sun 20 Dec, Sky Arts 2 / HD

• OTHER UNMISSABLE FESTIVE TREATS INCLUDE

Eating Art
From 7pm, 7 Dec, Sky Arts 2 / HD

Meat Loaf In Search of Paradise
From 9pm, 18 Dec, Sky Arts 1 / HD

Songman – The Untold Story of Jim Croce
From 9pm, 21 Dec, Sky Arts 1 / HD

Festival! The Newport Folk Festival
From 9pm, 23 Dec, Sky Arts 1 / HD

Jewel in the Crown
From 6pm, 21 Dec, Sky Arts 2 / HD (7pm start, apart from the first night)

Edinburgh Tattoo 2006 (pipes and drums)
From 3.55pm, 24 Dec, Sky Arts 2 / HD

Pinter’s Progress: Philip Saville on Harold
From 10pm, 24 Dec, Sky Arts 1 / HD

Playtime
From 10.55pm, 24 Dec, Sky Arts 2 / HD

Dear Mr Fantasy: A tribute to Jim Capaldi
From 9pm, 26 Dec, Sky Arts 1 / HD

The Fantastic World of Michael Crawford
From 8pm, 27 Dec, Sky Arts 2 / HD

Have a fantastic Christmas everyone - as you're sipping the mulled wine and nibbling the mince pies you can be thinking of our scheduling team here, who are already getting into the month of March 2010!

The three B's - Adrian's Belated Biennale Blog...

Better than two years ago when the blog was posted 4 months late I believe but two years later I'm still tardy...


Back to Venice for the Biennale. Same apartment - albeit redecorated (who'd have thought that things like a table and shelves would be deemed optional in a kitchen...)

Jake's older, so no pushchair, but still more interested in chasing pigeons and eating ice cream than anything else in Venice.

So, the Biennale itself. After Tracey Emin's disappointing British Pavilion I had high hopes for Steve McQueen's film (I thought Hunger was one of the best British films of recent years and one of the best films last year). But it wasn't to be and I left the 30min film disappointed and argumentative - my mother in law (an art historian) disagreed with me and gave me a dozen reasons why it was wonderful. I still disagree...

The Danish and Nordic Pavilions though were something else - their first collaboration and the talk of the Biennale. The first was a house with a "For Sale" sign outside and the signs of foul play inside with a dining table cut in half, a staircase lying in pieces and a message scrawled on a mirror in the hall...

The 2nd part was the house of a gay author - possibly the body floating in the pool outside. What did it all mean? It was there with the "intention of dismantling the national representative model..." etc etc It was also something fun and provocative...

I was warned to be careful taking Jake (my son and pigeon chaser) across to the far side of the author's house by one of the curators - those "Tom of Finland" drawings on the wall (!) but Jake was more interested in sitting in a rather cool swivel chair.

Jake was fascinated by a lot of the work - the trashed kitchen and staircase kept him occupied for ages as he tried to work it out and the body in the pool didn't bother him either - and his toy Pinocchio even made an appearance in a couple of the Pavilions... oops. Then tragedy struck. He got left in the loo and, when Bekah went back, someone had nicked him - which is pretty poor. That left it up to dad to leg it across Venice - harder than it sounds - to find the stall that was selling them and then "find Pinocchio" by the time we get back to the apartment. Skin of the teeth but did the deed and "found" the lost toy.

The last images of Pinocchio before his tragic disappearance

The Polish Pavilion was a real surprise and really cool too - a video installation with the screens appearing to be windows behind which ghostly figures appeared in silhouette...

Slight mishap when Jake spotted a ball which was part of an installation and gave it a kick ("when is a toy not a toy? - when it's a piece of an installation" doesn't really register for a four year old) and then later another small ball that was part of an installation made up of toys, balls and wool - kind of a kitten's wet dream - got a little nudge before we could stop him. Got away with it and moved swiftly on.

The Arsenale part of the Biennale (held in the old dock buildings) opened with a stunning piece - you walked into a dark room and there were beams of light coming down from the ceiling in A Matter of Life and Death style which, when you get close, are actually pieces of wire stretching down... it's quite beautiful

A video work by two Barcelona-based artists - David Bestue and Marc Vives - which is part of their Actions at Home piece was brilliant. A slapstick film with gags paying homage to the likes of Chaplin and Laurel and Hardy it drew a huge crowd and was one of the highlights. I found a clip youtube but unfortunately it's not subtitled in English - but you can get the drift...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNXP1qu5RQA

Stumbled across a real treat when we turned the corner and found some Chihuly glass sculptures which were amazing especially when seen against such a dull backdrop as the concrete pavilion buildings

What else sticks in the mind? The nightmarish cafe - firstly a bureaucratic nightmare along the lines of Terry Gilliam's Brazil where you have to select from a dot matrix scrolling menu before you get to the counter and then pay and then collect the food (which you've only just seen although you've already had to order it). But best of all was the decor - garish highlighter-pen style fluorescent colours and angled mirrors giving it a mildly emetic quality.

What else? The Peggy Guggenheim museum is one of the best galleries in the world with a stunning permanent collection including works by Kandinsky, Pollock, Ernst, Magritte, Kapoor, Calder and Klee. It also had a brilliant exhibition called Gluts featuring Robert Rauschenberg's sculptures from his Oil Gluts series made from car parts, garage signs etc. One of the US interns told Jake that one of the pieces looked like Wall-E which is one way of getting kids into art and Jake spent the rest of our time in this wing telling other visitors about Wall-E.

Less impressive was the Franois Pinault Collection which is an amazing building but hardly inviting as, on seeing Jake, we were effectively followed from room to room by a black suit-clad guard with an earpiece. Some reading this will think "fair enough" given Jake's "interaction" with the balls in the Biennale but we certainly kept them on edge as we walked from room to room. There's some amazing pieces here - a great Jeff Koons and a really beautiful Murakami but it's like someone with a lot of money has worked through a checklist of modern artists and picked up a piece by all of them regardless of the quality.

I leave you with two things

First, a chair that looks like an arse (well, it amused me) and secondly a weird idea for a kids toy...

Our lovely new buses :-)

We're launching another HD channel!

It won't launch properly until 4th May but to hold onto the EPG numbers that we want (very important behind-the-scenes information this!), we're showing content from both Sky Arts 1 and Sky Arts 2 across these HD channels at varying hours/days for the next couple of months, just like we've been doing with the old Sky Arts HD channel.

You'll have your Sky Arts channels all lined up next to each other:
256 - Sky Arts 1
257 - Sky Arts 2
258 - Sky Arts 1 HD (simulcast of 256, but in full HD on programmes that were shot in HD)
259 - Sky Arts 2 HD (simulcast of 257, but in full HD on programmes that were shot in HD)

We hope you're as thrilled as we are with the news and come May 4th we'll have 2 fantastic HD channels on your EPG.
And now that Sky has the amazing deal of Sky+HD for £45 you've no excuse to not see and hear (5.1 Dolby Digital surround sound in some cases!) our content in stunning high definition. Enjoy!

LIVE opera...and live behind the scenes too! See La bohème as you've NEVER seen it before! Only on Sky Arts 1 and Sky Arts 2. Wow, we're good...

We're bringing you a world exclusive...the Sky Arts channels are showing a live broadcast from London's Coliseum...but this is no ordinary live broadcast...
Sky Arts 1 gives you incredible access to what goes on backstage while an opera is being performed live and Sky Arts 2 gives you the actual opera performance...with HD viewers able to watch this simultaniously on Sky Arts HD in stunning clarity of sound and vision.

For more...go to the Sky Arts website feature page about it.

We're pretty excited about bringing something like this to TV viewers - hopefully we'll not only make the opera fans very happy but possibly interest some viewers who've never really experienced opera before.
This is the whole production, warts an' all, as they say. If the leading lady's dress rips backstage then you'll see the panic as the wardrobe team try to stich it up in time to make her cue! Or, perhaps, nothing will go wrong and it'll it be a well-oiled, slick night of flawless movement between the stage and wings. We'll see....!

La bohème live from 7:30pm 2 Feb '09, Sky Arts 1, Sky Arts 2 and Sky Arts HD

Crackin' Nuts

The whole team headed off to see English National Ballet's The Nutcracker last night at London's Coliseum.

Sad to see that this is the last Christmas that this particular production will be be staged but after 7 successful years I guess it's time for a change.
The wildly eccentric production is designed by Gerald Scarfe and choreographed by Christopher Hampson and features what I can confidently say is the largest stage fridge in any theatre in the country this Christmas....unless there's a panto about giant white goods that I don't yet know about...either way, their fridge probably won't have what seemed like a hundred snowflake dancers leaping out of it!

We weren't sure about the ending. Or lack of. But we still enjoyed it....a really seasonal class outing that's put us all in the right mood for xmas.

And just to prove we're in the right mood...we posed for a team xmas pic...our own live interpretation of Botticelli's nativity painting. The key artistic reference here is 'interpretation'....

The Sky Arts team could never be accused of not taking their fun seriously...

A very merry Christmas from everyone at Sky Arts 1, Sky Arts 2 & Sky Arts HD. Enjoy your festive viewing!

Sky Arts' new media team pop 'round to Madame Zingara's place...

...and boy what a place!


On arriving at Battersea Power Station we were told to walk down a darkish little alleyway made of bamboo that would have looked great in a more lush green environment but slightly odd in the carpark for the power station...and, as instructed, walked thought the loveheart and basked in the warm glow of the giant tent's entrance. It was bloody freezing last Thursday night so the very fast-moving Q at the door was a relief.

Inside, this was awesome. And not in a west coast USA I-say-that-all-the-time kinda way...I really mean it was awesome. And warm. Did I mention what a cold night it was?! Lavish, stylish, atmospheric and instantly welcoming, this whole evening was pretty special right from the start. Click on the TENT TOUR interactive 360 to see what I mean...and that was taken in the daylight - lit for the evening it was spectacular.

There's a fantastic HISTORY about the tent that's well worth a read - though the most incredible story from the night was the 40-strong kitchen staff, including 4 head chefs, that served the 400-strong restaurant the most incredible food in a rather unbeliveably efficient and stylish manner. The South African wine was also, naturally, excellent.

The old 'strangers are just friends you haven't met yet' definately came into play with our dinner companions...

Once seated, Raymond, our table's server looked after our every need. Though this was a media invite night and we didn't know who'd be sitting at our table...it turned out that they were as up for a good fun evening as we were so we all hit it off famously.

The acrobatics, fused with incredible choreography did not disappoint - we were all ooh-ing and aah-ing much as you'd have expected but the rounds of spontaneous applause when something particularly spectacular happened were far more frequent than certainly I was expecting. It felt like you weren't given a second to breathe (in a very good way!) as the entertainment and food were seamlessly served to you.

The food…ummm, the food. Serving the most tender, medium-rare fillets to a couple of hundred people at the same time might give you shivers of the hotel wedding kind – but fear not. This was exceptional. The ONLY food complaint is that there was far too much. It was all amazing.

Sky Arts' Sinead and Sari get into the swing of things at Madame Zingara in London...

The plate of little novelties that were presented to you upon arrival included a warm soup thing in a kind of a big shooter glass that was so incredibly delicious I could have drunk it, and it alone, all night and walked away content. The South African wine they chose for the tables was very good indeed and the menu choices were superb - extremely limited, but very well thought out.

Incredible handmade pasta stuffed with mushroom for starters, the Chocolate Chilli Fillet was my choice for main…or a choice of lamb shanks (they got a thums up from those at our tabel who enjoyed them) or freshly-caught fish or a four cheese polenta stack, with the desert being a plate of 3 mini deserts…a ‘to die for’ sticky toffee pudding, a light & fluffy tiramisu and umm…something else that I can’t remember but it was delicious whatever it was…chocolate mousse methinks? My taste buds were overawed with surprise and delight by this stage and I was a bit busy watching the final act to notice what I was actually eating...it was yummie anyway, whatever it was!

The dressing-up shop is a must-visit and with prices so low that you don’t even have to think twice about it – you can quickly pick up anything from theatrical hats and feather head-dresses to novelty glasses to…if you’re so inclined…fake burlesque boobs. A must for all the men…

Then, after all the acrobatic performances and the food, somehow, the whole tent…full of cynical media types, was up on its feet, dancing to the fabulous “Original Tons” belting vocals and having an all ‘round jolly time.

There was one problem with the whole night…we didn’t pre-order a cab to get us back to our respective train stations and hailing a cab late at night in Battersea is, as we found, like panning for gold in the Thames. Be warned.

So, if you’re going to be visiting London in the next 3 months MAKE SURE you book a table at Madame Zingara for a night of full-on entertainment that you won’t forget for a long, long time. We loved it :-)

Read our PREVIEW on skyarts.co.uk

Hello Arts Virgins...

...or, those in Virgin cable homes who've never previously had the pleasure of enjoying Sky Arts...

We're coming to Virgin!

From Thursday, Sky Arts 1 and Sky Arts 2 will be available to all those Virgin cable customers who subscribe to the XL package of channels.

Welcome Virgin households, to the wonderful world of arts broadcasting....

Returning to something resembling normality...

After what has been an incredibly busy past few months Sky Arts Corner is finally managing to get itself back to a regular routine. We've successfully re-launched the brand onair as Sky Arts 1, Sky Arts 2 and Sky Arts HD, overhauled the website and planned more original commissions for the coming year than ever before. We're even starting to go home before 10 at night now!

We're currently recording a brand new second season of What The Dickens? with Sandi Toksvig and a third season of The Book Show with Mariella Frostrup (episode 2 onair this Thursday) as well as being in pre-production on our fantastic new Bridge programme that you may have read about in the media - Celebrity Bridge: Grand Slam.

Our launch drinks on Wednesday were a very pleasant affair with people like Tim Marlow, Peter Ackroyd and Antony Gormley...

...and of course the whole Sky Arts team...

Can you guess what the theme was in this corner of the room where we had our "Sky Arts Class of '08" photo taken? The clue is probably in the green 'grass' carpet and the stacked bales of, ahem, hay, ahem....

We hope you're enjoying the new channels and finding the kind of programmes that you want to watch.

I survived MIPCOM 08

Ah MIP, the big international TV marketplace held twice a year in Cannes - MIPTV in April and the bigger MIPCOM in October. A week out of the office to swan around the Croissette, sipping cocktails and schmoozing. Er, no. A week out of the office with three solid days of meetings from 9 til 7pm. Then drinks. Then dinner. Then more drinks...

For a channel our size these are important markets as it's where a lot of our cool content comes from. The excellent doc "Who's Afraid of Michel Gondry?" for example. Found at MIPTV in April. "Queen Rock Montreal"? April again.

We buy content from all over the world so twice a year we actually get to meet, in the flesh, the distributors and producers. You get a good working relationship and everything's cool - distributors will come to you with new programming and that saves time - and shoe leather. Imagine a giant trade fair held across multiple floors with thousands of TV types from all over the globe running around trying to look more important than anyone else. Want to stand out from the crowd? Wear a ridiculous Rupert Bear-style checked suit. No one will forget you in a hurry. Even if that's for all the wrong reasons. It wasn't me either before you suggest such a thing. Probably American.

In the month or so before MIP you start making appointments with your regulars (oo er) as well as wading through the tons of e-mails from distributors who've accessed the buyer database. The latter is supposed to help them target their mail shots. It's getting better but I still don't remember ticking the "animated Russian pornography" box on the list of programming I was looking for.

On the flight try and avoid eye contact with strangers less you get pitched at... though I did manager to get pitched whilst waiting to collect my case at Nice airport. Got to admire that I guess...

Then it works like speed dating. You have a calendar that's a series of 30min meetings back to back - maybe with a lunch or a break for lunch - between 9ish and 7pm (there are team breakfasts most days too at 8.30am). This is all fine if, like my colleague Phil, you plan your diary so you don't have to run around - a day of meetings in the Riviera Hall, then a day down in the Bunker (it's much worse than it sounds). Of course you can do it like me, which means starting out with these good intentions then losing track or just forgetting and finding yourself running all over the place between meetings. And if you don;'t build in at least a free slot you can find, thanks to people overrunning, that you have about 10mins to actually talk about programming. If it's the first time you're meeting a distributor there's a few minutes small talk, a coffee or water (depending on whether you look like you're about to fall asleep or collapse), some talk about the channel (this time around about our relaunch plans) and then you get onto the catalogue. If you're not meeting them on stand but in the buyer's lounge then it's true speed dating territory as people furtively cruise the room looking at everyone's badges to find who they're supposed to meet. One guy last year attached a photo to the e-mail request - forward thinking if a little odd at first.

Comfy trainers are one thing. Dried fruit and/or snack bars and water help too. A large bag even more so. Delegates get a bag when they register. Strangely they've never quite mastered the idea that carrying a bright red or orange bag around that screams "tourist!!" isn't what everyone wants. My local charity shop gets two a year - though demand in Holloway is probably even more limited. Anyway, the reason for the large (preferably expandable) bag is for the flyers and DVDs. They add up. This year I was snowed under after my first meeting (old school producer who doesn't do websites but prefers programming info in hardcopy form). Got a break when a meeting got rearranged and had half an hour to leg it back to the apartment and in a Black Hawk Down style remove anything and everything surplus to requirements - a rainforest of catalogues, tons of DVDs etc etc

So, highlights...

Team dinner on Sunday was fun - most of the Sky people had arrived (granted not everyone's luggage had but...). Downside, my quitting smoking lasted about 3/4 hour when willpower went and I bummed one off Ian Lewis who runs movies. Shameful but God hates a quitter.

Brit Films - was introduced to Nick from Britfilms by Ian from Eureka! (UK's best DVD label who release the "Masters of Cinema" titles). Britfilms have a shortfilm competition which we might be able to collaborate on. And Nick asked if I'd be interested in being a judge next time.

Dinner with Sandrine from Euroarts - one of our regular suppliers of classical/opera programming. We alternate who buys dinner and this market it was Sandrine who took Phil and I out for dinner.

This was followed by the Beat Club launch party - Andrew and Will from Eagle Rock got Phil and I in (technically we were gatecrashing but my invite arrived on the Monday I got back into the office). Mungo Jerry (ask your parents) playing live in a tiny bar followed by some appropriate tracks from the likes of the Stones, Hendrix etc. Try to get a late/early drink at 2.15 but tonight, for some reason, the bar at the Grand is shut. Given the prices they may have run out of room to put all the cash from the bar...

Drink with John Wyver from Illuminations - he wanted to see the England game so we're in the Irish bar next door to the Irish bar where the previous night's Beat Club party was held. Then a change of shirt (no time for shower so it's a "spray aftershave in the air and walk through it" moment) then off to the Eagle Rock team dinner. A great crowd - welcoming, entertaining and fun. Tonight the Grand has deigned to stay open so a few late drinks (Wednesday is my last full day as I fly out tomorrow after one last meeting), say au revoir to the Eagle crew and back to the apartment where, a 2.45am, the key snaps in the lock. Wonderful. I've had this apartment on 5 occasions now and the key has got steadily more bent. Tonight's the night it breaks. The concierge speaks no English, my French is somewhat basic but dangling the remains of the key in the air with a plaintive "monsieur" is more than enough. There was a worrying "non" and a shrug as he tried to open the door but with a screwdriver he got me in. Thank you sir! Obviously I still need to be able to get back in tomorrow so a quick rummage through the kitchen drawers and I finally settle on the knife that will trip the lock (where most of the key remains).

Been a bit of rush today - and 4 hours later sitting in the cafe waiting for the team I wish I'd checked the crackberry the previous night. That way I might have seen the message "Team breakfast cancelled. So don't turn up!". Oh well 4 hours sleep is plenty. If I was half my age and not hungover.

Final meeting a breeze. One result of the solo team breakfast was that I was 2nd in queue to Fed-Ex the catalogues, DVDs etc back to the office. Slight moment of paranoia as I walked up to the MIP security and realised I had a small vegetable knife in my bag (the key to my apartment).

Time for a dash to the shops to buy Jake (my son) a car and some clothes. Quick trip to FNAC (French Borders) - blu rays and DVDs horribly overpriced. Though wish I'd brought "MR73" from the director of the excellent "36" as it's not out here for yonks if at all.

Jump on case, go to the lettings office to show them the key - "oh, it's finally broken" one of the women in the office says. Hmm.

Cab to the airport where I meet a woman outside struggling to find her lighter. I give her mine and tell her to keep it. She makes a joke about another person quitting after the market and hope it lasts this time. Of course it will I reassure her.

Waiting to drop my case I bump into Andrew from Eagle who's on the earlier flight. "Fancy a quick fag?" he asks. Ignore the sound of willpower crashing down and join him outside. Luckily my lighter recipient isn't there.

Am seated next to a former colleague from Sky, Kate, who now works for five. She settles down with an heroic dose of crap mags while I kick back and enjoy the majesty and splendour of "The Inglorious Bastards". Wish I'd known about the nude scene though. Kind of embarrassing sitting next to someone you know while the obligatory B-movie skinny dipping is taking place...

Get home around 7 Jake waiting for his present (I shouldn't' have tipped him off). He loves the car but loves the box more. It's a cliche but true - we still have the box from our TV which, armed with a Stanley Knife and Duct Tape, I turned into a racing car for him about a year ago.

Relaunch pending so have two continuity scripts to check as soon as the paper's been ripped off the box/car.

Some excellent programmes out there at MIPCOM - hopefully you'll get to see some of them in the next few months

Think you know a bit about Italy?

Try our fun video quiz & then challenge your friends! skyarts.co.uk/suggs

Launching on Sky Arts 1 and Sky Arts HD on Oct 21st (7pm), this brand new exclusive series follows Madness frontman Suggs as he journeys through Italy in a Mini for his very own Italian Job, stopping off at various points of cultural interest along the way...possibly not the kind of Italian holiday features that Judith Chalmers ever focused on but then that's why we love Suggs...

The new Sky Arts channel logos

Behold, our new logos. They're replacing the current Sky Arts channel logos on Monday, Oct 20th '08. Our brand logo remains the same. For those of you who've asked on the Sky Arts website about channel DOGs or BUGs onscreen, rest assured that we have no plans here at Sky Arts Corner to add any 'promotional screen furniture' (ahem!) over our broadcast channels.

Sky Arts 1 logo

Sky Arts 1 logo
Sky Arts 2 logo
Sky Arts 2 logo
Sky Arts HD logo
Sky Arts HD logo

Classic FM Gramophone Awards - the day before

Hello, long time no blog. Quite a bit has changed since the last time I was on here. Been a bit busy, you know, launching a brand new channel, training newbie Sarah on the ins and outs of Tracy's system (let's say it involves a lot of process manuals and filing - we do like everything to be in its place), trying out a new role (yep, they have given me a WHOLE channel to schedule! I am officially the new Sky Arts Scheduler - why thank you, I'm quite chuffed myself) and the ever increasing politics involved with desk moves (fitting ever more members into a small corner is quite a feat in itself).

But hey ho, I'm very glad Sarah J has joined the Sky Arts team as for a little while I was juggling my old role and my new one. Now I can fully concentrate on my channel which is a daunting task. Adrian et al are convinced I'm the right person so I will try not to disappoint. December has been started now and it's going to be a cracker of a Christmas. You are all going to be spoilt rotten with the choice available.

Anyway, just wanted to express the extreme fear I am experiencing at the moment. Apparently, with a new role, comes new responsibilities and opportunities to leave good ole Osterley for a gander in that busy town called London. To the Classic FM Gramophone Awards to be precise. I shall be walking nervously towards The Dorchester tomorrow in my fancy frock, notepad in hand, with the target to speak to at least 2 people at the Awards. You see, I'm not good at networking or going to fancy do's on my own. The lovely Sinead just makes too much darn sense and all my protestations (2 days worth of saying I really can't do this) came to nothing. And so, tomorrow I shall be trying my best to smile sweetly, big up Sky Arts and try not to look or sound like a fool. Please think of me. It all starts at 11.30 and I'll be so nervous.

Best be off now. I must decide what to wear for tomorrow and try not to think too much about what could possibly go wrong. I shall definitely be taking advantage of that champagne that is sure to flow (though not too much mind, I am 'working').

Behind the scenes shooting Friday Night Hijack

We popped over to the studios to see Dan recording a Friday Night Hijack with the highly entertaining Nina Conti - a big favourite here at Sky Arts Corner since she appeared as one our Hay-on-Sky guests this summer.

In the above image, eagle-eyed viewers can spot the PM giving his conference speech on the left monitor coming from the Sky News Centre next door - while we're recording an exclusive Q&A with Nina for the website (we'll have it on the Sky Arts website the week she's 'hijacking' the channel!).

Dan can be seen here hard at work- all the glamour of telly (no-one ever belives us that it's just a desk job...with a very big desk...and, y'know, lots of twiddly things and big TV screens everywhere...) in the clip below...

collaborative canvas

http://www.thebigdraw.org/make%2Dyour%2Dmark/collaborative%2Dcanvas/
This is quite a nice thing to do - join in their collaborative drawing during your next coffee break.
It's a giant expanding canvas that anyone can add to, and you can send your drawing on to a friend once you've finished as well...

Update on the new channel...

Adrian, Tracy & Sarah are working away on the new schedules for Sky Arts 1 and Sky Arts 2 and we're looking forward to launching the new brands and new programmes on Oct 20th.

On the web side, we're editing more web video clips than ever before so there'll be lots to enjoy on the new video player and the whole site will have a much better design finish to it, with faster page loading times and better internal search.
Our Interactive Media Design Agency and our Small Projects Team have been working away on my wishlist for an improved viewer experience online and although we can't have everything ready in time for the channel launch, we'll have launched with quite a bit done by then...and we'll keep rolling out the improvements for you over the following months.

So much to do, so little time...

This week in Sky Arts Corner...

We're getting closer to the launch of the new channels and the whole team are working pretty flat out here. Not only are you getting a new arts channel from us but you'll also get a much-needed facelift on the website so I'm looking forward to launching that - new video section included :-)

We're also back into pre-production on The Book Show as of this week and the production team are lining up the guest authors for the forthcoming new season - due to start back onair next month.

Don't forget to watch David Gilmore live at the Royal Albert Hall on Sky Arts this Saturday (6th) at 9pm - part of our Centre Stage concerts line-up....

A few fun things we like...
Mix some sounds & record them :-)
http://www.becks.co.uk/mixer.aspx
This beer company have actually done some pretty interesting this lately, like this:
http://www.becks.co.uk/canvas.aspx
Total silliness by the Iceland tourist people...but good fun all the same: http://www.icelandsocks.com/
****************************