What's on

Your complete three-day guide to the Edinburgh TV Festival

Friday August 24
Opening session
Star in a Reasonably Priced Car Edinburgh Special

Venue: Pentland
How will five TV executives fare under the tutelage of the legendary Stig? Can they hold their nerve or will they be exposed as a bunch of Sunday drivers?

Trust Me... I'm in Telly
Venue: Pentland
From the faked phone-in quiz to the rigged reality show, TV has hit new lows this year. Can viewers believe what they see?

Controller Interview Claudia Rosencrantz & Celia Taylor
Venue: Sidlaw
Claudia Rosencrantz and Celia Taylor discuss how they plan to unite the ever-expanding Virgin Media TV family.

Don't Mention Islam
Venue: Moorfoot/Kilsyth
How have the media responded to the challenges of reporting Islam in the post 9/11 world?

Paul Watson Masterclass
Venue: Tinto
Documentary maker Paul Watson talks to BBC2 controller Roly Keating about his 40 years of "telling the tale" and the row surrounding Malcolm and Barbara: Love's Farewell.

Screening Back to You (Channel 4)
Venue: Tinto
Sitcom veterans Kelsey Grammer (Cheers, Frasier) and Patricia Heaton (Everybody Loves Raymond) star as news anchors reunited at a Pittsburgh television station in an attempt to return the newscast to the top of the ratings.

We Need to Talk About Kevin
Venue: Pentland
In his first speech since being promoted to his job as Channel 4's director of television and content, Kevin Lygo (above) will outline his vision of how the channel should respond to the digital age.

The Great Nations and Regions Swindle
Venue: Fintry
Is TV's commitment to regional production a con? Are London-based production companies simply setting up regional offices to take advantage of quotas?

Interview Roly Keating
Venue: Sidlaw
Is BBC2 struggling to be heard among its terrestrial and digital rivals?

Are You Havin' A Laugh?
Venue: Moorfoot/Kilsyth
A panel of experts discuss their favourite comedy moments of all time.

Screening The Omid Djalili Show (BBC1)
Venue: Tinto
Award-winning stand-up Omid Djalili's new sketch show.

Fuck off, I'm a TV God
Venue: Fintry
Since Jamie Oliver brought about a change in government policy on school dinners, TV executives have been playing God. But are "change the world" formats just an ego trip for arrogant producers or a force for social good?

Interview Simon Shaps
Venue: Sidlaw
Simon Shaps was widely tipped to be the first casualty of Michael Grade's appointment as executive chairman at ITV. But he has survived, building up a new commissioning team and implementing a new vision for ITV. What's his take on a tumultuous year?

Indies @ 25: From Kitchen Table to Boardroom
Venue: Moorfoot/Kilsyth
How did indies go from kitchen table outfits to global PLCs? And how did the people who once made shows like Food and Drink become multi-millionaires? Are super-indies the overpaid, unacceptable face of British TV?

Screening Whistleblowers (ITV)
Venue: Tinto
Having blown the cover of a secret government policy on suspected terrorists, Ben Graham and Alisha Cole leave behind their jobs as lawyers to aid those brave enough to step forward, whatever the consequences.

The Futureview Address Janus Friis
Venue: Pentland
Friis and his business partner, Niklas Zennstrom, were the brains behind the internet telephony service Skype. Now they lead the race to win the battle for internet television.

The James MacTaggart Memorial Lecture Jeremy Paxman
Venue: McEwan Hall
Paxman address the subject of power, politics and the media. What is the responsibility of television in combatting public cynicism about politics? And what is the way forward for an industry undergoing a crisis of trust?

Saturday August 25
Screening The Marchioness Disaster (ITV)
Venue: Tinto
Reconstruction of the 1989 disaster.

Richard Dunn Interview Gerry McCann
Venue: Pentland
The father of missing Madeleine McCann is convinced that the power of television and our 24-hour news culture is vital to their search and will discuss how he thinks other people in similarly unthinkable situations could use the power of the media to their advantage.

Pitch Perfect
Venue: Fintry
How will three Fast Track delegates fare when they pitch live to win a £12,000 commission to make a 15-minute short from ITV2?

Controller Interview Richard Woolfe
Venue: Sidlaw
Speaking a year since his move from Living, how has 2005's MGEITF Industry Player of the Year fared?

Who'll Win the Web?
Venue: Moorfoot/Kilsyth
Broadcasters are using the internet to expand their text-based services and newspapers are adding video and audio to their printed output. The big names in broadcasting and newspapers discuss the converging world.

Terror Tapes: Broadcast and be Damned?
Venue: Pentland
A British citizen is taken hostage in a major UK city. The government requests a news blackout. But as details leak out through viewers' videos and on the internet, will our panel of senior editors obey the authorities or push the boundaries?

Peep Show Masterclass
Venue: Fintry
What's the secret formula behind making a hit British comedy? Jesse Armstrong, Sam Bain and Andrew O'Connor will reveal how the hilarious Peep Show was conceived, written and produced.

Controller Interview Angela Jain & Peter Dale
Venue: Sidlaw
The bosses of E4 and More4 review their year.

Making a Drama Out of a Crisis
Venue: Moorfoot/Kilsyth
Do factual dramas reveal hidden truths or are they just insensitive rubbernecking?

Screening KateModern
Venue: Tinto
From the creators of Lonelygirl15 and Bebo comes KateModern, the first spin-off from the world's most popular interactive drama.

If I Can Make it There, I'll Make it Anywhere
Venue: Pentland
What does it take to make it as a Brit in the US? TV presenter Cat Deeley explains.

Monkey Tennis
Venue: Fintry
Lee Kern and Stuart Denman mount an undercover operation to reveal the grubby truth about the commissioning process.

Controller Interview Peter Fincham
Venue: Sidlaw
It has been a difficult few months for BBC1 with the controversies over the trailer for the documentary series A Year with the Queen, and the Ofcom fine for a Blue Peter phone competition. How has Peter Fincham handled this period?

Mind Your Language
Venue: Moorfoot/Kilsyth
Emily Parr is evicted from Big Brother for using the N-word, Jeremy Clarkson is rebuked for describing a car as "a bit ginger beer" and an old episode of Porridge is re-edited to remove a mild gag about homosexuality. Has British television become paralysed by political correctness?

Screening Wayne's World (Five)
Venue: Tinto
Ten years ago Donal MacIntyre spent 12 months undercover exposing the drug empire of gangster Wayne Hardy. Now, MacIntyre returns to Nottingham, and faces Hardy for the first time.

Channel 4 on Trial After its most controversial year, what's next for Channel 4 at 25?
Venue: Pentland
After a tough year for Channel 4, its top executives take to the stage to defend their management.

Controller Interview Danny Cohen
Venue: Sidlaw
What is the vision of the new BBC3 controller, and how does he plan spend to the biggest budget in non-terrestrial TV?

Who Rules the World?
Venue: Moorfoot/Kilsyth
In this one-off gameshow a team of industry heavyweights from the UK go head to head against opponents from the rest of the world in a battle to see who knows the most about how to win the lion's share of the global TV market.

Screening Dirty Sexy Money (Channel 4)
Venue: Tinto
A gritty new series following the Darling clan of New York.

Discovery's Global Vision: Jane Root
Venue: Fintry
Root will discuss how serious and sophisticated programming can be commercial, intelligent and successful.

Controller Interview Lisa Opie
Venue: Sidlaw
How has Opie fared as managing director of content at Five since her appointment last December?

The £100 Million Giveaway
Venue: Moorfoot/Kilsyth
If the government decides to share licence fee money with broadcasters other than the BBC, who should get it, and how should that be decided?

Screening Journeyman (Sky One)
Venue: Tinto
A new series from the team behind The West Wing.

Jim'll Fix It Strikes Again
Venue: Pentland
Sir Jimmy Savile is in his big red chair live on stage with some surprises in store for TV executives.

Guilty Pleasures: Sex sells, but do the broadcasters feel ashamed of themselves?
Venue: Fintry
Is there too much on our screens? Richard Bacon chairs a panel that includes Abi Titmuss.

Controller Interview Julian Bellamy
Venue: Sidlaw
The new man at BBC3 outlines his vision.

TVYP Joint Session: Smells Like Teen Spirit
Venue: Moorfoot/Kilsyth
Does anyone in the television industry really know what teenagers want to watch?

Screening Pushing Daisies (ITV)
Venue: Tinto
Stars Golden Globe nominee Lee Pace and Anna Friel.

Channel of the Year awards
Venue: Pentland
Lauren Laverne hosts the gala ceremony.

Sunday August 26
BBC Question Time
Venue: Pentland
The panel and audience takes on the big issues facing the BBC.

Worldview Address Lionel Shriver - Hype & the Hyper-Narrative
Venue: Fintry
Novelist Lionel Shriver attacks what she calls the "hyper-narrative" in modern TV - moments such as the trial of OJ Simpson, the death of Diana, and this year the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.

Controller Interview David Abraham
Venue: Sidlaw
David Abraham, CEO of UKTV, and Hardeep Singh Kohli take an in-depth look at the network's 10 channels portfolio and online activities.

Quite Interesting Technology An idiot's guide to technology's next big things
Venue: Moorfoot/Kilsyth
The essential guide to how technology will change our world in the next year.

Screening The Devil Came on Horseback (BBC4)
Venue: Tinto

The Alternative MacTaggart: Vint Cerf
Venue: Pentland
Google's chief internet evangelist Vint Cerf shares his views on the future of the internet in the 21st century.

Merton, Widdecombe and Sweeney... is this the future of current affairs?
Venue: Fintry
As Iraq burns and the crisis in Darfur continues, the BBC current affairs department produces Fuck Off, I'm a Hairy Woman. Does Bafta dropping its awards for current affairs signal a genre in crisis?

Honey We're Killing the Kids: The Crisis in Children's Television
Venue: Sidlaw
Former Blue Peter presenter Richard Bacon chairs this essential session for anyone interested in the future of children's broadcasting.

The Making of Robin Hood: A Masterclass with Foz Allan and Dominic Minghella
Venue: Moorfoot/Kilsyth

Screening Californication
Venue: Tinto
Stars David Duchovny as Hank Moody, a troubled novelist whose honesty and self-destructive behaviour are simultaneously destroying and enriching his career. Also stars Natascha McElhone.

How Green is TV?
Venue: Fintry
What are the green credentials of the TV industry, from production to reporting?

Controller Interview Zai Bennett
Venue: Sidlaw
Bennett takes the stage after a year in which ITV2 become the number one digital channel in the UK.

Best of the Un-Festival
Venue: Tinto
This year the TV festival has spawned its own fringe event, the Un-Festival. This session presents the highlights.

Screening Commando on the Front Line (ITV)
Venue: Tinto
A new landmark ITV series that takes the viewer from day one of training with Royal Marine recruits to the front line in Afghanistan.

TV's University Challenge: Edinburgh Special
Venue: Pentland
Jeremy Paxman presents a special session of the UK's toughest quiz programme with two teams of top television industry executives and presenters.



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