XMAS TV ADS

Here's a little something festive from funny man Adam Buxton, celebrating the unique art of television advertising at Christmas...

BAFTA FINDS NEW BRITISH WRITING STARS

Congratulations are in order for another member of the HOME.corp family! Our very own Greg De Roeck is one of three new writers selected by BAFTA to participate in the Rocliffe New Writing Forum at the 2011 NYTV Festival.

Following a nationwide competition, a series of tense interviews and a lot of deliberation, 3 winning scripts were selected from hundreds of submissions. The lucky winners - that's Greg, Anne-Marie Draycott & Thomas Phipps - are being flown to New York this September, where they will mix with the cream of the US television industry.

Read the full press release from BAFTA here, and check out Greg's blog here, where he'll share his experiences as he embarks on his adventure across the pond.

Here are some words from the man himself: "This is a brilliant opportunity, I feel very lucky and can't wait to go to New York. All young writers out there should get to know Rocliffe and get involved."

AB FAB TURNS 20

Ab Fab fans rejoice. Jennifer Saunders' popular BBC comedy is set to return with a three-part 20th anniversary special that will see Edina and Patsy take on... the 2012 Olympics.

Saunders and Lumley, pictured above shooting scenes for the special outside Stella McCartney's London store, are currently filming scenes all around the capital. Other original cast members June Whitfield, Jane Horrocks and Julia Sawalha will also return for 3 thirty-minute episodes.

BBC comedy exec Jon Plowman said "Viewers have been fantastically loyal to this show, so we're really thrilled to say that it's coming back to celebrate our 20th anniversary. All of the originals who are back together again are still truly absolutely fabulous and the new adventures of Edina, Pasty, Saffy, Bubble and Mother, plus a few surprising guests, will be a real treat for viewers." (quote source: metro)

HACKS

And in even more TV news: another one-off special worth looking out for later this year is Hacks - Channel 4's upcoming comedy based on the recent newspaper phone-hacking scandal. 

Written by Drop The Dead Donkey creator Guy Jenkins (pictured above), Hacks is set in a fictional newspaper, where journalists frequently use phone-tapping, private investigators and even pinging - which is when a phone signal is used to track someone's whereabouts.

Shane Allen, Channel 4's head of comedy, says: "We are very excited bout Hacks and it's great that Channel 4 can be so quick off the mark to shine a satirical light on what's been happening in the media over the last few months". (quote source: BBC)

A TOUCH OF CLOTH

Tv fans, listen up. Sky, who have recently committed to invest more time and money in original programming, have just announced a new spoof detective drama from TV critic and Guardian columnist Charlie Brooker - who also created & wrote the excellent zombie comedy Dead Set for E4 back in 2008.

A Touch of Cloth, which will air as a two-hour special some time in 2012, stars Suranne Jones and John Hannah (pictured above) as DCI Jack Cloth, a maverick, heavy drinking loner. Brooker's work is always impeccable, so we're very much looking forward to that one.

LIFE'S TOO SHORT

Here's your first look at Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant's brand new sitcom for the BBC, Life's Too Short. The highly-anticipated show, from the makers of The Office and Extras, follows the adventures of dwarf actor Warwick Davis.

As has become customary from the comedy duo's work, you can expect many celeb cameo appearances, including Johnny Depp, Cat Deeley, Right Said Fred, Liam Neeson, Helena Bonham Carter and Sting.

ANGRY BOYS

Chris Lilley (he of Summer Heights High and We Can Be Heroes fame) is back with a new 12-part mockumentary entitled Angry Boys. The Sydney Morning Herald has an exclusive preview trailer, which you can view HERE. The series was filmed in Australia, the US and Japan during the course of 2010, and is a co-production between Aussie network ABC & US cable channel HBO, with pre-sale to the BBC in the UK. Cannae wait.