Brit News Round-Up: Patrick Stewart Knighted, Summer Wine to End, New Head for BBC America and More!

There were a lot of happenings in the Britosphere today, so I thought I’d try something new and put together a larger posts similar to Mandy’s Royal Round-up (Every Tuesday like clockwork!).

Patrick Stewart Knighted Officially

We reported earlier this year that Patrick Stewart was given a Knighthood by the Queen in her New Year’s Honours list. Well, yesterday she finally physically gave it to him and he can now be called Sir Patrick Stewart.

Stewart Praised a Teacher that inspired him:

”When I leave here I will be going to a luncheon that has been arranged and sitting on my right will be a man called Cecil Dormand who was my English teacher when I was a child.

”Although many people in my life and career have had great influence on me, without this one man, none of it would have happened.

”Because he was the one that put a copy of Shakespeare in my hand, he was the one who told me it was a play and not a dramatic poem, he was the one who said ‘now get up on your feet and perform, this is a play, it’s life’.

”He was the one who said when I was leaving the secondary modern ‘have you ever thought of doing this as a profession?’.

”He put me in a play with adults, so I owe literally everything to this man.”

Read More About his day here at the Telegraph.

Last of the Summer Wine Cancelled

The longest running TV Show in the UK – Last of the Summer Wine has been cancelled by the BBC after 37 years on TV.

From the BBC:

Long-running BBC comedy Last of the Summer Wine is to be axed after 37 years, the BBC has announced.

The series – which has followed the exploits of Compo, Nora Batty and friends – made its TV debut in 1973.

Over the years it has featured a host of famous faces including Eric Sykes, Dame Thora Hird and Bill Owen as Compo.

Jay Hunt, controller of BBC One, said the final series to be shown this summer will be a “fitting farewell” to the well-loved characters.

It will feature Peter Sallis as Norman Clegg alongside several other cast members including Russ Abbott as Hobbo and Brian Murphy, who plays Alvin.

Every single episode of the sitcom has been written by Roy Clarke and produced and directed by Alan J W Bell.

Read the rest here at the BBC.

BBC America Gets a New Boss

Herb Scannell, a former Nickelodeon Executive has been appointed the head of BBC Worldwide America, effectively immediately.

His plans for the network?

In a telephone interview, Mr. Scannell said that he would push for BBC America to be fully distributed in the country’s 100-million-plus cable and satellite households. (It is currently available in about 67 million households.)

He said he harbors ambitions for the BBC to be “an expanded and more diversified producer of television.” That includes “made in America programs,” “which I’m hoping to usher in,” he said.

Last week the BBC announced the first such program, “Come Dine With Me.” A reality show featuring amateur chefs, it is based on a British format, and it will be produced in New York.

Eyeing potential ratings gains, Mr. Scannell said that programs made in the U.S. would be relevant to American audiences while maintaining “the D.N.A. of the BBC, which is smart, innovative and irreverent.”

Read more about the appointment here at the New York Times.

I question the logic in appointing an American to the role of running a British themed network – but we’ll see what he does. BBC America has been improving over the last few years, so hopefully that will continue apace.

Churchill Memorabilia Auction Snags £600k

File this under “I wish I had a huge amount of disposable income.” A huge collection of Winston Churchill Memorabilia from through his life went on the auction block yesterday.

One of the largest collections of Sir Winston Churchill memorabilia, including an unsmoked cigar, has sold for nearly £600,000 at auction.

The items were sold by US publishing magnate, Steve Forbes, who amassed them over three decades.

The collection also featured a candid letter from the wartime leader, and a set of his free trade speeches.

Auctioneer Christie’s says the items, being sold in three parts, provided an exceptional insight into the man.

The first sale, of about 150 lots, will be followed by a second in New York in December and a third in London next summer.

Described as “the most important and comprehensive private collection of letters and books related to Winston Churchill ever assembled”, the items realised £577,063 in total.

Read the rest at the BBC here.