MIPCOM, the major European TV market, held its 2025 edition. "Format Doctor" Justin Scroggie notes the event is shorter and quieter, but still showcases strong sales for shows such as 'The Floor'. Major themes include “Format Plus” (adding unique twists), the use of existing IP, the rise of creator-led YouTube formats, and micro-dramas for mobile audiences. Standout shows across genres range from survival reality ('Code Red: The Lighthouse'), inventive quizzes ('Inside the Grid'), and experimental factual series ('Crime Night', 'Atypical Critics').

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Justin and David give their thoughts on shows from the past, present and future, namely: the BBC's version of 'Destination X', 'Shark: Celebrity Infested Waters' on ITV, NBC's 'On Brand' (airing currently) and the upcoming prank show 'Celebrity Sabotage' on ITV.

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Sian Gwilliam is the founder of Bloody Norah TV, and a highly experienced Consultant and Production Executive across many genres, including comedy, quizzes, documentaries and sport. In terms of unscripted entertainment, she's worked on MasterChef, Mental Samurai, Next Level Chef and Ellen's Game of Games. Justin and David discuss E4's dating format 'The Honesty Box', the many flavours of court TV, and Netflix's 'Building the Band'.

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Our special guest is Abigail Dankwa, director of a wide range of entertainment and factual shows including 'Big Brother', 'Grayson's Art Club', '24 Hours in A&E', 'Have I Got New For You' and the rebooted version of 'The Big Breakfast'. She also series directed the BAFTA-winning show 'Life and Rhymes'. Justin reports back from the Create London Festival, and David wonders if the TV industry has a time-lag problem.

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Joe Mace presented various youth and music programmes, before hopping over the fence to the development side. He's now Commissioning Editor for Entertainment at ITV, looking after a wide portfolio of entertainment shows, from 'Deal or No Deal' to the upcoming 'Genius Game'. Justin and David have a bumper batch of news, and review two recent shows: 'Chess Masters' and 'Last One Laughing'.

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We chat with Will van Rest, the founder of JEM Media Ventures, about how TV brands can be extended to events and products that audiences want to purchase. After stints at Fremantle and Sky, Will worked at ITV for 17 years, ending up as the Director for Games, Live and Merchandising. Justin and David also discuss how ratings sit alongside 'bang for buck', and we cast an eye over the eye-popping 'Beast Games'. Plus a deep dive into the latest formats on the TV market.

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Having worked her way up at the BBC, Michelle Woods is now one of the most experienced Executive Producers in the UK, with long stints at Remarkable and Youngest Media. Recently, she oversaw two new game shows series for Mattel, based on the board game properties 'Scrabble' and 'Trivial Pursuit'. David gives his take on the recent ITV reboot of 'You Bet!', and Justin tests our knowledge of the most iconic catchphrases in television. Plus all the usual features and opinions.

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MIPCOM, the major European TV market, held its 2024 edition recently. "Format Doctor" Justin Scroggie takes a discerning look over the important points from the event, touching on the impact of A.I., a glut of saboteur formats, and the aftermath of a global industry slump. However, there's plenty of intriguing new formats to listen out for, including "Upside Down", "The Box" and "Freeze".

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Special guest Pascal Dalton explains how formats are sold and licenced across the world. While at ITV Studios, he looked after properties such as 'The Chase', 'Love Island' and 'My Mum, Your Dad'. He also set up a European production hub for 'The Wall', based in Poland. Justin and David discuss the origins of 'The Traitors' and similar shows about lying (honest), and whether shows need hosts at all. Plus all the latest format news and a computer-assisted edition of Four Minute Format.

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David and Justin are 'back to busy' as they discuss some interesting recent statistics about the TV industry. Channel 4's Grand Designs property format turns 25 – what has made it stand the test of time? Plus, what's German comedian Stefan Raab up to, and can chess work on television?

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Barrie Kelly is Vice President of International Format Production and Development at NBCUniversal. As well as making format sales and co-development deals across the world, Barrie looks after the production of major formats including Top Chef, Real Housewives, Saturday Night Live and Hollywood Game Night. Justin and David discussing the small things that formats get wrong, and something else... oh, yes, timing, and why it takes so long for TV shows to be made. Plus a very tricky edition of Four Minute Format.

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Actor, writer and business coach Neil Mullarkey is a founding member of London's Comedy Store Players improv group. We'll hear about his friendship with Mike Myers, his involvement with Saturday morning kid's television, and his work in teaching businesses to embrace creativity in the workplace. David and Justin look at whether board games can be adapted to make good TV formats, and how to stop viewers changing channel. Plus, there's a special version of 'Four Minute Format' and all the usual news.

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Irad Eyal is the co-creator of the Netflix gungy game show 'Floor is Lava'. After a brief stint in early 'dot com' companies, he developed multiple formats for Endemol, and later 'Southern Charm' for his own production company, Haymaker West. David and Justin look at alternative outlets for formats beyond TV, and whether there's no such thing as a bad review. Plus all the usual news and views.

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What makes a good quiz question, and what are the pitfalls of writing them? Julia Hobbs is a top question producer working in the UK on shows such as 'The Chase', 'Pointless', 'Tipping Point', 'Million Pound Drop' and 'Fifteen to One'. Julia also has an interesting personal story about how she came into the business. Talking of questions, Justin and David will also be looking at how to make them fair, as well as fairness when structuring formatted series. Plus all the latest news and views.

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A developing new artform is the iconic thumbnails and screenshot images that appear in the menus and feeds of streaming platforms. What goes into them, and who decides what they should show? Fred Hammarlund, Creative Director of 2nd Place Studio, tells us about the secret science of 'key art'. Justin and David discuss 'quizcoms' and the changing job roles in the TV industry. Plus all the usual news, features and opinions.

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Freelance director Thomas Stark Holland has a wide-ranging CV from specialist factual 'Meet the Humans' to prime-time L.E. hits like 'Saturday Night Takeaway'. He discusses the planning and technical know-how that goes into an ever-popular strand of entertainment: hidden camera stunts. David and Justin wonder whether we've already had our 'Concorde moment' with diminishing game show prizes, and tackle the thorny issue of A.I. in television production. Plus the major industry news that's worth knowing and another Four Minute Format.

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Our special guests are Daniel Jones and Luke Hatfield from Vaudeville, specialists in sound design and mixing. Their credits include 'The Repair Shop', 'David Mitchell's Outsiders', 'Reacher', 'The Kardashians' and many documentary series and one-offs. David and Justin take a look at two American game show remakes, and discuss the pros and cons of spoilers. Plus all the news that's fit to hear.

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Richard McKerrow is co-founder of Love Productions, best known for The Great British Bake Off and, most recently, The Piano. David and Justin also discuss how a game show's rules are honed to avoid emptying the production's coffers, and look at an interesting €1 million live TV stunt from Germany. Plus the usual news and another Four Minute Format.

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Special guest Stuart Holdham is a 'warm up artist' for an impressive roster of entertainment shows including Strictly Come Dancing, Britain’s Got Talent, The Masked Singer, The Voice, Dancing On Ice and The Jonathan Ross Show. Justin and David discuss multichannel productions and the term "showing the plumbing", plus there's all the usual news and features.

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In our now-traditional special, Justin reports back from MIPCOM 2023. The 39th edition of the TV entertainment market, held in its usual home of Cannes in France, reflects an industry still in flux but still raring to do business.

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