W1A - Season 1

W1A - Season 1

Season 1

Network
Episodes4
DatesMar 19, 2014 - Apr 9, 2014
Next Season

Episodes

Episode 1
Season 1Episode 130 min

Episode 1

With the London games of Twenty Twelve successfully delivered, Ian Fletcher starts a new chapter in his life as head of values at the BBC. Ian's first challenge on arriving at New Broadcasting House, on his brand new and much-improved folding bike, is to find somewhere to sit in a building aggressively over-designed around the principle of not having a desk.

Ian finds himself holding the hottest of hot potatoes when Mebyan Kernow activist Nigel Trescott complains that Cornwall, and the Cornish, are shamefully under-represented on the BBC. Things get worse when BBC Spotlight South West presenter Sally Wingate goes public with her feeling that her failure to progress to a national presenting role might be part of the BBC's institutionally anti-Cornish bias. Ideas of how best to limit the damage lead to PR company Perfect Curve's Siobhan Sharpe suggesting Sally should do something on Snog, Marry, Avoid or some kind of Bake Off.

Meanwhile, producer Lucy Freeman is having meetings with head of output Anna Rampton and entertainment format creative David Wilkes about a forthcoming new flagship show - Britain's Tastiest Village - which, according to David, is 'kind of Britain's Got Talent meets Countryfile with a bit of The One Show thrown in just in case'. Anna wants a progress report and there's good news and bad news. They've virtually got Alan Titchmarsh on board now, but the very bad news is that it looks like they've lost Clare Balding - 'words you never ever want to hear' - as the dates of How Big Is Your Dog, a new show she's doing for ITV, have changed at the last minute.

Mar 19, 2014
Episode 2
Season 1Episode 230 min

Episode 2

BBC Head of Values Ian Fletcher has only been in the job a few weeks and already finds himself at the centre of a media storm.

Spotlight South West presenter Sally Wingate believes she has been discriminated against because of her age and so Ian is on a mission to take the sting out of what has become known as 'Wingategate'. As he journeys North to Salford for his first big interview in the job - live on air with Jenni Murray on Woman's Hour - he finds himself unhelpfully joined by brand consultant Siobhan Sharpe, who is in serious tweeting mode.

Meanwhile, things are getting complicated for the Britain's Tastiest Village production team. Having wooed and won Carol Vorderman as Clare Balding's replacement to co-present with Alan Titchmarsh, they have discovered at the very last minute that Clare Balding is unexpectedly available and she is keen to do the show. The problem is that no-one has told Clare that they were moving on and she unhelpfully turns up for her first production meeting at the same time as Carol Vorderman is leaving.

Mar 26, 2014
Episode 3
Season 1Episode 330 min

Episode 3

A month into his job as head of values and Ian Fletcher is still trying to find somewhere to sit. But there are more important issues to get to grips with - not least the director general's desire to shape the debate as to what the BBC is really for.

Anna Rampton already knows what it's for and, in a thinly veiled move to further her own career, advocates moving Songs of Praise to radio, thus freeing up a prime slot for her own series, Britain's Tastiest Village.

The debate about the future of the BBC is not helped when Ian Fletcher's salary comes under intense scrutiny in the press - why should the BBC's head of values be paid more than the prime minister?

Neil Reid, current controller of current affairs, is having to deal with the fallout from a blunder in BBC News coverage of the Syrian crisis when a photo of Trudi Styler was used instead of Asma Assad. Intern Will Humphries is given something important to do by the object of his desire, Izzy - a task he is keen to get right. And producer Lucy Freeman goes in to pitch Home Truth, a script she's been developing over several years with writer Dan Shepherd.

But it's Siobhan Sharpe and her team at Perfect Curve that find themselves with the biggest challenge when they are asked to refresh the BBC logo and come to the conclusion that the problem with the current logo is that it has too many letters.

Apr 2, 2014
Episode 4
Season 1Episode 430 min

Episode 4

A national paper has not only published details of Ian Fletcher's salary but followed up with a story of how he took Sally Owen, his PA at the Olympic Deliverance Commission, on holiday to Italy. So the BBC can either stand by their man or get him to pre-empt potential criticism by persuading him to cut his own salary.

Meanwhile, a female Newsnight presenter has been accused of wearing clothes that are inappropriately watchable. When her legs get their own Twitter account there is a feeling something should be done about it.

Flagship series Britain's Tastiest Village has lost all three of the big name presenters who were attached to do the show - so the search continues.

And brand consultant Siobhan Sharpe and her team unveil their barnstorming idea for a new BBC logo.

Apr 9, 2014

Recently Updated Shows

Recently updated shows that might be of your interest.
The Daily Show
Running

The Daily Show

Hosted by a rotating cast of comedy greats, The Daily Show remains the go-to source for provocative satire, insightful interviews and an award-winning team of correspondents and contributors.

GenreComedy
Bachelor in Paradise
Running

Bachelor in Paradise

Some of The Bachelor's biggest stars and villains are back. They all left The Bachelor or The Bachelorette with broken hearts, but now they know what it really takes to find love, and on Bachelor in Paradise they'll get a second chance to find their soul mates. Contestants will live together in an isolated romantic paradise in Mexico and explore new romantic relationships.

GenreRomance
Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta
Running

Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta

The city's hip hop elite are about to have their lives changed in ways they never imagined - for better or for worse! In the music mecca of the South, artists rise and fall, families grow and are torn apart, and what goes around - definitely comes around. These players continue to be on the cutting edge of the good, bad and naughty side of love. Returning fan favorites will be joined by some new faces on Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta.

GenreMusic
Mystery at Blind Frog Ranch
Running

Mystery at Blind Frog Ranch

There are some places on earth where the land just seems different, and Blind Frog Ranch in eastern Utah is one of those places. Locals say the land is cursed. That it's trying to hold on to something. From Aztec treasure to caverns of gold and silver to lost Mormon mines, legends surround Duane Ollinger's 160-acre ranch in Utah's Uintah Basin. But Duane isn't concerned with the lore. After discovering a system of seven underground caves that run through his property, he is singularly focused on finding what's hidden in them - no matter what the cost.

American Pickers
Running

American Pickers

This isn't your grandmother's antiquing. The American Pickers are on a mission to recycle America, even if it means diving into countless piles of grimy junk or getting chased off a gun-wielding homeowner's land. Hitting back roads from coast to coast, the Pickers earn a living by restoring forgotten relics to their former glory, transforming one person's trash into another's treasure. The show follows the team as they scour the country for hidden gems in junkyards, basements, garages and barns, meeting quirky characters and hearing their amazing stories. If you think the antique business is all about upscale boutiques and buttoned-up dealers, this show may change your mind – and teach you a thing or two about American history along the way.