What’s more is the BBC also revealed that throughout 2011, there were a staggering 1.94 million users who made both radio and TV requests via a vast array of platforms. Computers however, seem to still be the main access point for users who wish to use the BBC iPlayer to watch TV programs and listen to radio, with almost two thirds of the new figures being from computer users. That being said, last month was great news for the BBC, as there new data reported that there was a massive increase in those who accessed the iPlayer via other means such as smart-phones and tablet PCs.

During December 2011, the BBC saw 10 million programs viewed on tablet PCs; 7 million viewed on internet enabled TV’s; and an incredible 13 million tuned in to the BBC iPlayer on their smart-phones.

BBC iPlayer is entirely free to use, and is available to those who are in the UK (though of course readers here know how to get around that!). It is via iPlayer you can catch up on all of your favorite programmes that are available on BBC Channels, including soaps such as Eastenders and much more. The catch up service in particular is continuing to prove a great hit, with its busiest period being the week after Christmas, where 29.7 million users logged on to view programs aired over the festive period. The most popular show that was viewed on BBC iPlayer over Christmas was the Top Gear Christmas Special, which saw Clarkson, Hammond and James May travel throughout India in a British car of their choice. The controversial show was a clear hit on the iPlayer, seeing a record 1.7 million views.

As we entered 2012, users continued to access the BBC iPlayer, thus another record was made for the BBC. The first week of January 2012 has seen an impressive 623,000 hits in one day, as users new and existing logged on to catch up on the popular TV show Sherlock.

Programmes and On Demand Manager at the BBC, Daniel Darker commented, “2011 was a fantastic year for the BBC iPlayer, however the real news is how the iPlayer is accessed with the likes of smart-phones and tablets growing at a fast pace, thus quickly outpacing access via computers. 2012 is going to be a great year for the iPlayer, as we anticipate many users will be tuning in direct from their living rooms using internet connected TV.”

Despite the growth and ever continuing success of the BBC iPlayer, the BBC are not getting too comfortable with this year’s success. In fact they have huge plans to better their service, continuing to bring users new and innovative ways to catch up and view TV and radio programmes. One of the new services the BBC hopes to launch soon is You View, which is said to be the new Free View Box. You View will allow other internet service providers and UK TV broadcasters, to provide a service to the BBC iPlayer users via an internet connected set top box for viewers to use with their home TVs.

Starting over on Channel 4 beginning Monday 23^rd January is a new show for those who love a bit of real life drama. This new show is named Party Paramedics, and will air at 10pm and consists of three episodes over the following weeks.

This new documentary series will follow a team of dedicated paramedics, and what can only be described as brave volunteers around the busy Essex streets of Colchester. The team will hit the streets during party time, as locals and tourists from around the UK, hit the popular party city to enjoy a booze filled night. As thousands of party goers hit Colchester frequenting a plethora of local clubs and busy bars, the paramedics and volunteers await their mishaps from trips and falls to full blown drink fuelled fights.

This show in particular comes at a very fitting moment, as the UK has a big empathise on Brits cutting back on alcohol consumption. Through this show we will see just how much binge drinking, and even drug use when partying, can have a negative effect, with some parties ending up in frightening and harmful situations, in which the paramedics rush to their aid to help.

There is also news that a new show from the USA is coming soon as Channel 4 is about to confirm another new series, which will be piloted in the UK named Homeland. This gripping drama has already had huge success over in the States, with its second series already being made over there, thus Channel 4 are about to release the confirmed date the first series will air on British soil.

The tentative day for the first episode to air is the 18^th February over on Channel 4, which is awaiting to be confirmed, and is expected to be a huge hit. The show stars Claire Danes who plays a passionate CIA officer, and is also known for her part in award film films such as Baz Lurman’s adaptation of Romeo and Juliet alongside Leonardo Di Caprio. It is Danes’ character who has strong suspicions that an American Marine is working with the enemy Al Qaeda to crumble the United States. The marine was rescued by fellow Americans, after he was captured, tortured and held hostage in Iraq for a staggering 8 years, and now he is back on American turf, the CIA are keeping a watchful eye on him. Danes character however, takes things a little too far, becoming obsessed with the suspected terrorism plot that she believes the marine is hiding.

If you want a gripping drama that will stimulate almost every emotion including romance, jealousy, fear and excitement, then this is certainly something to tune into!

On Tuesday 10th January at 11.15pm, there is a brand new season of Desperate Housewives for you to tune into. Once the kids are in bed, curl up on the sofa and get ready for the first of a whipping 23 episodes of this addictive hit TV show. The first episode is named Secrets That I Never Want to Know, and will see the glamorous neighbours try to get rid of the body of Gabrielle’s evil step father. Also in this first episode of the new season of Desperate Housewives, we will see a new addition to Wisteria Lane who will quickly catch the attention of Renee.

BBC2 has a brand new show for you to enjoy, which is sure to get your taste-buds going. The show is called The Great Sports Relief Bakeoff and will start on Tuesday 10^th January at 8pm. The new four part series is hosted by Mel Giedroyc, and will see a selection of popular celebrities go head to head in a baking competition. The show will begin with the first round of the competition, and will feature Angela Griffen, James Wong, Sarah Hadland and Joe Swift. The foursome will each compete as they are set a challenge of having to create a perfect meringue and cheese scones. The shows judges Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood will then score each contestant, with only one being given a place in the final.

Bringing a little sunshine to your living room during this cold season, Channel 5 takes you on a visual trip over to Spain. Their new show Benidorm ER will debut on Wednesday 11^th January at 8pm, and will consist of 6 episodes over the following weeks. The new documentary will each week follow a group of both expats and tourists from the UK, who despite their visions of being able to soak up the sun on the beach; will end up spending their free time in a local hospital. The show will see some of the tourists and expats be treated for illnesses and accidents at the Clinica Benidorm by either Carmen Ruiz, who is the A&E doctor at the clinic, or Antonio Blasco who is their orthopaedic surgeon., The first episode will see every type of patient from those on holiday in Benidorm for a stag do to those who have had an unfortunate fall next to the pool.

Thursday 29th December will see a new show named Earthflight begin over on BBC1 at 8pm. This new show takes you on a journey via a bird’s eye view of five continents starting in North America. The new series, which is narrated by David Tennant, will follow several popular bird’s journeys over the continents, and you will see birds such as pelicans, bald eagles, cranes and snow geese.

Kicking off your day on New Year’s Eve at 7am over on Channel 4 is a brand new season of GT Academy. There will be four episodes in this new third season of the show, and will see all the hottest action from the international competition. The show has plenty for you to enjoy throughout the series, such as a visit to the 24 hour Le Mans contest, as well as a look at the training exercises which take place a week before 12 virtual racing experts arrive at Silverstone.

As many will be nursing a hangover from the previous night’s events, New Years Day is the perfect day to relax at home and crash in front of the TV. At 8pm over on BBC2 on January 1st 2012 why not tune in to another new series named The Great Barrier Reef. This new three part series will take you on a journey to the famous Great Barrier Reef, where Monty Halls, who is a marine biologist, takes an in depth look at the coral reef and the wildlife around it.

For those who want a little variety on New Year’s Day, there is also another new program starting at the same time of 8pm, but over on Channel 4. This new program is named The Hotel, and is one for those with an interest in business and documentaries. There will be 8 episodes of the new second series for you to enjoy over the following weeks, all which take a look at what really happens at the Grosvenor Hotel, including both the good and bad. The first episode of this new series sees a couple from the Midlands arrive at the hotel for their wedding. However, it seems all is not running smoothly at the Grosvenor Hotel, as rooms have been double booked and the wedding coordinator struggle with his nerves!

Last but not least, we have yet another new series coming the following day on the 2nd January 2012. Starting at 11.30am over on BBC1 is Britain’s Empty Homes. Kicking of the start of the third season, there will be 20 episodes in total for you to enjoy during its new season. The first will begin with the host Joe Crowley meeting with a couple who have just bought a derelict metal waste warehouse. This episode will see the determined couple try to transform this property in Shropshire into their new home.

One of the most talked about TV shows returning to our screens in the first few weeks of January 2012, is Celebrity Big Brother. The show has been running for almost a decade now in the UK, and despite the fact that it only seems like yesterday that we seen the lovable traveler Paddy win a few months ago, Channel 5 has already began negotiating with stars around the world to tempt them into starring in the new series in January.

Although there are no official confirmations of stars who will be appearing on the reality show we all love to hate, yet cannot resist watching, there have been many hard to ignore rumors all over tabloids and the internet of who will be going into the house next year. Lindsay Lohan, is one celebrity said to be talking with Channel 5 at the moment, however despite her interest in doing the show her recent chain of legal issues may hinder her chances of being allowed to leave the US to spend time in the UK for Celebrity Big Brother 2012. Natasha Giggs is another name we have all seen splashed over newspapers this year, and is also said to be considering a stint in the house. Other familiar names within the UK who we may just see in the house next year include Denise Welch from Loose Women; ex Eastenders actress Natalie Cassidy; and even X factor rejects Frankie Cocozza and Kitty Bruckenell have expressed an interest in entering the house in January.

Who goes in? Who doesn’t? We will have to stay tuned to find out!

January 8^th 2012, over on BBC1 sees the return of The Big Questions. This show is quite the opposite to Channel 5’s Big Brother, as the show’s host Nick Cambell brings an open debate to our living rooms each morning. The show is filmed in front of a live audience, and will see a variety of guests each week engage in sometimes heated debates with one an another surrounding a cast range of topics from religion to politics.

Also said to be returning to Channel 4 in January 2012 is season 9 of Shameless. The show will return with its usual late night slot over on Channel 4, and will run for several weeks with more than 15 episodes for us all to enjoy. The show will see the return of everyone’s favourite lout Frank Gallagher, as well as a good number of the existing cast we seen in season 8. Bringing something fresh to the new season in January 2012, there has also been news of several new cast members who will be joining next year’s show. Some details of who will be joining include an ex Eastenders cast member Stephen Lor, as well as Angela Ball from the Commitments, which will play alongside Lord as his sister. There will also be an ex Skins cast member Morwenna Banks joining who is said to be playing a project consultant with a ruthless attitude sure to cause a stir amongst the Chatsworth Estate residents.

BBC One

The award winning soap Eastenders, have already penned their Christmas special, which will be focused around the current Masood family plot, which will see  one of the family members being killed and leave Albert Square for good!

This next coming month will also see the return of David Jason, who is most well known for his  lovable character Del Boy in Only Fools and Horses. BBC One will see David return to our screens in the new TV show The Royal Bodyguard, as Captain Guy Hubble. This new show will see him play a soldier who is soon to be retired, but has been given a job for the Royal security, however the character will bring us lots of comedic moments as we see in reality he is not really the best man for this high profile job and makes somewhat of a disaster of his new role!

Also confirmed for BBC One over Christmas we have the highly anticipated Doctor Who special, as well as Christmas specials for Absolutely Fabulous and Micheal McIntyre.

BBC Two

There will be plenty of shows available on BBC Two this Christmas for all, most of which are set to fill your living room with laughter. We will see Clarkson, May and Hammond come together for a special extended episode of Top Gear, which is rumored to bring us plenty of humorous moments from India.

Two of the hit TV shows Gavin and Stacey cast members Ruth Jones and Rob Brydon, will also be hosting their very own shows separately. Additionally, we will see Mock the Week having their own Christmas special too, which will surely have some fantastic guests in store.

ITV

ITV’s top soaps Emmerdale and Coronation Street, will of course be seeing huge story-lines for the Christmas period, battling against rival soap Eastenders on BBC One, for ratings. We will also see the Royal Variety show over on ITV in the first few weeks of December, in which we can expect to see some of our favourite comedians, solo singers and groups perform in front of a live audience, and of course the viewers at home.

Also on ITV there has been a Jonathan Ross Christmas Special confirmed. Ever since his move from the BBC to ITV, we have seen the cheeky chap relax, and in turn present an overall more humorous and exciting chat show. ITV have also confirmed a one off special set of performances, which is said to be the last ever by Irish boy-band Westlife. The band will hopefully be performing a good selection of both their older classic hits as well as some of their most recent material.

Channel 4

Last but not least Channel 4 have also provided a few details on confirmed Christmas shows to be shown this year. It is over on Channel 4, which is known for its, let’s say braver more innovative TV ideas, we will see specials by favourites such as Coach Trip, and Alan Carr.

Popular celebrity chef Gordon Ramsey, will show his festive more gentle side with this year’s Gordon’s Christmas Special Cook-a-long. This show will give those of you who are planning on cooking Christmas lunch at home some delicious ideas and give you step by step instructions on how to create some of Ramsey’s top dishes.

The hospital was built in 1855 and was opened to look after children of mental disability. The Queen’s other cousins lived the high life of luxury and royal splendour, while the two mentally challenged children were sent off to be forgotten about. Katherine and Narissa were wrongly written about in Burke’s Peerage in 1963, stating that the sisters had died in 1940 and 1961, but in actual fact, they lived on. Nerissa passed away in 1986, while Katherine was moved to a community home in 1997, when the Royal Earlswood Hospital closed down.

There has been no record of any royalty of the Bowes-Lyon family visiting the hospital, despite the Queen Mother (aunt of the sisters) was a Patron of MENCAP. The TV programme, which airs in the UK on Thursday 17^th November at 9pm, shows the life inside the former asylums and testimonies from residents and workers at the hospital. It’s a shocking report on how the Royal Family disregarded members of their family and how the perceptions and education regarding disabilities has changed over the years.

The studio at Alexandra Palace in London was the choice for two competing TV systems to be tested for six months simultaneously. The first, and most daring, was the system from Marconi-EMI, which was the most flexible, used 405 lines and had moveable TV camera dollies so the the images could be filmed in motion and follow the actors around the stage as well as being able to achieve good close up shots.

The second system, which was situated in Studio B, was John Logie Baird’s ‘Baird’ system, which ran on 240 lines, and was less advanced in terms of capacity and range.

On the 2 November 1936, the systems were well underway and after using cyanide to process the film with a delay of 58 seconds, the first ever TV program was broadcast on British TV. To make it fair, after a toss of a coin, Baird’s system was used first then repeated using the Marconi-EMI system straight after. So, not only was the program the first to hit the screens, it was also its first repeat. The Marconi-EMI system was shot live and due to a higher specification of technology the BBC chose that as the system to use and did so for three more years at Alexandra Palace until World War II saw TV broadcasting shut down.

The last programme to be shown before the war was the iconic Mickey Mouse cartoon and when broadcasting was reinstated after the war, that same cartoon was shown as if to show a continuation of TV broadcasting in the UK. After the declaration of the war being over, the next programme was the Victory Parade in Europe, marking an incredible occasion for all involved in TV broadcasting, which could be seen as a start of the career of television after such devastation and loss.

The BBC expanded to Lime Grove and had additional studios at White City, and while Alexandra Palace was then used as an Open University campus, and still remains as the oldest TV broadcasting studio in the world. Being the home of where TV started and using Baird’s creation, history was certainly made there.

It’s highly doubtful that the employees that worked at the TV studios back then knew they would be changing history and creating one of the most influential pieces of scientific items the world has ever seen. In terms of business, advertising, information flow and entertainment, the television is something of a marvel and amazingly, 75 years on, not a great deal has changed in the way of creating images, expect perhaps the introduction of LCD and LED imagery, the basis is the same.

From the TOWIE star, Mark Wright, who is now single after splitting with his decade-long relationship with Lauren, and after seeing the line-up could well have his sights on Jessica-Jane Clement, The Real Hustle star, although will Mark be able to keep his cool without his hair gel, straighteners and moisturiser? Joining them, will be former javelin star from the 80s, Fatima Whitbread, who will most likely team up with funny man Freddie Star and Lorraine Chase.

Dougie Pointer, of McFly fame, is set to try and make people remember who he is by eating bugs, worms and beetles in the funny Bushtucker Trials. As ever, the hilarious Geordies of Ant and Dec will present the TV show, which again is filmed in Australia, and will be pushing their hilarious ideas on the unsuspecting ‘celebrities’. The 80s star Stefanie Powers, Antony Cotton from ‘Corrie’ and Crissy Rock of ‘Benidorm’ fame will be heading up the old-school cast to help the show appeal to people of all ages. The younger generation will be fixated on the latest reality TV stars, and everyone’s favourite jockey Willie Carson will also be in the jungle, although it’s anyone’s guess whether he knows what he’s in for.

Love it or hate it, I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here is one of the most watched TV shows in the UK, and thanks to Identity Cloaker the world over – don’t deny it, you love it!

The site is now offline after it was shut down on the 28 October 2011. One of the main factors contributing to the sites demise, was due to Criterion Capital Partners, who were the services major shareholder, failed to provide the popular video on demand service with new funding, which possibly would have prevented the sites unfortunate fate.

Earlier this year in January, the websites founder, Arviqa, who also runs and owns the UK’s digital TV transmission infrastructure, had tried to salvage the site by putting it up for sale. Unfortunately for those behind SeeSaw, and indeed the regular users of the site, no buyer was found.

With no-one in place to buy the popular site, the founders of the website made an announcement to its large number of visitors that the inevitable would be occurring – the site would shut down. Originally, the site was due to be taken offline in June this year, however just at the last minute Arqiva made a shock move – that many hoped would be the answer to saving the site, enabling users to still be able to catch up with their shows online for the foreseeable future! Arqiva approached a vast array of private equity firms, banks and investors and managed to sell almost 75% of the once successful online streaming company.

Despite all of the founders efforts to inject some cash back into the online business, as well as being able to hire ex-Channel 4 chief, Michael Jackson, it was not quite enough to continue being able to provide you with access to your favorite soaps and TV shows  in the future. The ex-Channel 4 chief, would have been a great move for the company in the long run, however it has been said that Jackson left the position at SeeSaw a few months later after the online streaming site had lost the rights to publish any of Channel 4’s content, which would have included hit TV programs such as Shameless and Hollyoaks.

The lack of content from Channel 4 didn’t help the site at all. After this the site seemed to be really struggling in terms of having enough content for users to enjoy. Those who once used SeaSaw found that they could be provided with the same video streaming service in the UK by other sites in the same industry and have access to a much wider range of content for free.

In addition to pumping cash into the business from selling shares of SeaSaw and appointing new staff the business also tried many other marketing tactics to keep the business afloat. Amongst these efforts the founders tried to source new paying advertisers.

They also explored new ways to make money from the site, such as giving users the option to skip adverts. Users were able to pay a small fee, in which would give them the privilege of watching shows such as Eastenders or Doctor Who, but without being interrupted with adverts. The company also tried to introduce pay per view content, however many users were put off by this and either stuck to standard online videos or simply went elsewhere. Eventually the company admitted defeat and in October 2011 we said Goodbye to SeeSaw.