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ITV sees further leadership changes as Director of Television Peter Fincham steps down

Written by Daniel Kirby on 18th January 2016

After nearly eight years of success at the broadcaster, Director of Television Peter Fincham has made the decision to step down from the post, and will be succeeded by Kevin Lygo who is currently Managing Director of ITV studios.

Fincham explained: “This is a personal decision that I have been thinking about for a good while. By the time I leave at Easter I will have been a channel controller at the BBC and ITV, amazing as it seems, for eleven years. Quite simply, it’s time to do something different.”

He also suggested that he may consider a return to the indie sector, having achieved great success at TalkBack Productions during his twenty year stint there.

His successor Lygo has previously worked as Director of Television at Channel 4, and will face the difficult task of counteracting the decline in viewing figures for ITV’s core channels, however the company will be hoping that its recently acquisition of The Voice will help spark a revival.

Julian Bellamy, Current Managing Director of ITV in the UK, will be Lygo’s natural replacement, spurring ITV’s Chief Executive Adam Crozier to announce his thanks that the availability of ‘creative talent’ at the company has allowed for ‘a seamless succession plan’. The company will likely need to utilise its talent over the coming months as Fincham’s departure has come immediately after news that company Chairman Archie Norman, who was responsible for recruiting Crozier is also set to step down. Clearly ITV are undergoing significant changes, and it will be interesting what kind of effect this shake up will have on the network.

OSCARS 2016 – NOMINATIONS & REACTIONS

Written by Daniel Kirby on 15th January 2016

After months of speculation, the nominations for this year's Oscars have finally been revealed, and we’ve put together a few of the highlights and reactions so far.

As many anticipated, The Revenant leads the way with 12 nominations, however Mad Max has exceeded expectations by coming close behind with 10. Major talking points so far include the increasing belief that DiCaprio will finally get his much deserved Best Actor Oscar this year, whilst it is widely suggested that Alejandro González Iñárritu will receive his second consecutive Academy Award for Best Director after his huge success with Birdman at last year’s awards.

Interestingly Tom Hardy, who appears in both films, makes a surprise appearance as a Best Supporting Actor nominee for his part in The Revenant. Whilst positive news for British acting, some were disappointed not to see Idris Elba make an appearance for his part in Beasts of No Nation.

Speaking of British acting talent however, this year’s hopefuls do include Charlotte Rampling for 45 Years, Mark Rylance for Bridge of Spies, Tom Hardy for the The Revenant and Christian Bale for The Big Short, whilst other Brits on the shortlist include Sam Smith and Nick Hornby who are up for Best Original Song and Best Adapted Screenplay respectively.

Overall this year’s Oscars looks set to be an exciting one, with its fair share of controversy and an impressive selection of talent on show. The event, which will be hosted by Chris Rock, will be held at Hollywood’s Dolby Theatre on 28th February.

ITV sees further leadership changes as Director of Television Peter Fincham steps down

OSCARS 2016 – NOMINATIONS & REACTIONS

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