BBC has lost the plot over Gaza appeal...

The BBC has taken a shameful and outrageous decision for totally spurious reasons NOT to broadcast an appeal by the respected Disasters Emergency Committee to send aid to Gaza.

It is a decision that MUST be overturned without delay to help save children and show the world that at least the British people have some compassion for the suffering innocents.

UPDATE: The Times says the BBC has been isolated by ITV, C4 and C5 who have all agreed to boradcast the appeal on Monday. There's also all-party pressure from Government Ministers and the Opposition to the BBC's bizarre decision.

But so far, BBC bosses has stuck their heads in the sand and refuse to do the decent thing.

Unless the BBC acts very quickly with an immediate u-turn, far from protecting their worldwide reputation, the BBC are shooting themselves in the foot.

With both barrells.

The day I ate pie, chips and gravy with Vera Duckworth...

I was out last night so missed Vera Duckworth's passing. But I'm pleased that after 33 years, the Queen of Corrie went peacefully, slumped in her armchair, while Jack had popped to the Rovers for a swift half.

Liz Dawn - who gave us the much-loved Vera - is said to be suffering from chronic lung disease and asked to be written out of Corrie when her illness became too much to cope with the rehearsal demands in Manchester.

As Bill Tarmey who played her partner Jack said, Liz Dawn is a wonderful woman. She's also a life-long Labour supporter and I've had the absolute pleasure of meeting her a couple of times.

In 2002, I was working in the local elections in Burnley, Lancashire where we were fighting a threat from the odious and divisive BNP.

On the final weekend of campaigning, Liz generously offered to come to Burnley to meet Saturday shoppers to encourage them to use their vote to stop the BNP.

We arranged a meet just off the motorway and I accompanied her into Burnley, briefing her on the way. We were dropped just round the corner and only a short walk from the town centre, where a crowd had gathered to meet the TV star.

But just a few steps from the car, Liz had to stop to catch her breath and painfully asked 'is it much further...?'

Then, as she turned the corner, her fans spotted the star and surrounded her. In an instant, the pained expression had gone. The famous Vera smile was turned on, and the media cameras clicked away.

Pictures done, she spent time signing autographs and speaking with everyone who wanted to meet her. Then a young, rather star-struck reporter from the Burnley Express asked to interview Liz.

Liz was clearly flagging, so I suggested we found a seat in a nearby cafe and had a chat over a cuppa.

As we approached the crowded little cafe, Liz instantly perked up. Inside we managed to find a table and she was soon ordering pie, chips and gravy all round to go with the teas...

Election day in Burnley was eventful, but thankfully, the BNP were held to three seats on the local council. It was not good, but could have been much worse.

The following day, as I was driving home down the A1, my mobile phone rang and I was gobsmacked to hear Liz in the other end...

"Hiya Chuck. Liz here. Are you all right? Did we beat that nasty BNP...?"

Six years later, I met Liz again, at a glittering reception on the Corrie set at Labour Party Conference in Manchester where this snap was taken.

But as the champagne cocktails and the canapes flowed, it was clear to me that Liz, like Vera (and me!!!) would have preferred a plate of pie, chips and gravy...

Vera's gone, but I hope Liz enjoys many years of happy retirement...

Ant and Dec not really exec producers: it's another ITV con

Even though Ant and Dec were 'Executive Producers' of their Saturday Night Takeaway show, ITV boss Michael Grade now says they did not know that millions of viewers were being cheated out of their money.

How can Michael Grade clear the pair?

Wait for it...

Grade now tells claims that Ant and Dec were shown on the credits of the show as 'executive producers' simply for their 'vanity'.

In other words, they weren't really in charge at all.

Another con - on top of the one I reported on earlier.

FACT 1: The Great Train Robbery netted a couple of million pounds for the crooks.

FACT 2: ITV have already admitted they wrongly raked in over £8 million from innocent viewers.

Police must investigate theft and fraud on Ant'n'Dec's rigged TV shows...

Yet another multi-million pound ripoff of the viewing public exposed today. This time it's ITV in the frame.

ITV boss Michael Grade makes the astonishing admission that some of the biggest shows on TV are guilty of conning millions of pounds out of their own viewers.

Grade holds his hands up, says sorry and promises to pay the money back to viewers who can be traced - and donate the rest to charity.

But questioned by Channel Four news tonight, Grade denies any evidence of criminality.

Well, I'm not sure what else you would call it: In just one of the many scams exposed, viewers of Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway were invited to pay premium rates to decide the location of a giant piggy-bank and have a chance of riding it to win the cash.

Turns out the location had already been decided by the producers - who also selected the winner. Those who responded to Ant and Dec's appeal to phone in - and part with their money - had no chance of influencing anything.

The X-Factor and I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here - also hosted by Ant and Dec - have also been routinely fleecing viewers.

Theft. Deception. Fraud. Robbery.

Whatever you call it, it's criminal.

Crime is a matter for the police, not for Michael Grade or even for the so called "regulator" (who clearly failed to protect the public from being ripped-off).

Ant and Dec - and ITV - have laughed all the way to the bank on the back of these shows.

The viewing public has been treated like mugs.

It's time the Police were called in to investigate a crime that has netted more profit than The Great Train Robbery.

Nasty Jim Davidson gets his marching orders...

I’ve always suspected so-called comedian Jim Davidson was an unsavoury character – and his behaviour on the 'reality' TV show “Hell’s Kitchen” last night shows just what a nasty piece of work he really is.

Full marks to ITV for quickly chucking Davidson off their show after his offensive homophobic rant against one of the other celeb guests in the kitchen...

And credit to former boxing champ Barry McGuigan who pulled no punches, telling Davidson on air that he has “issues that he should get sorted”.

As host Angus Deayton commented as Davidson's attempt at returning to mass audience TV was cut short: "...so Mr Davidson begins his long journey back to....the 1970s."

Nic Nic Not funny Jim. Good riddance.