Outgoing BBC One controller Lorraine Heggessey was today launching the new "Africa Season" for BBC One....it was a Q&A session, in which she was attributed to the following words by Media Guardian (subscription required):


I still say it would take a brave NEW BBC One controller to take the decision, but it sounds like the BBC don't feel the show is too 'tainted' to mention in public, especially given the continuing Charter Review.

Thanks for that It looks very optimistic after those comments and the interview with Carrie Grant in the Sun where she says she has two projects with the BBC coming up

I hope one of those projects isn't a second series of "Can't Sing Singers".

It could be more of those shows on BBC2 recently where people learn to sing a song to say thankyou to someone (can't remember the title), or that CBBC thing where that had to put on a show or something.

Heggessey is sticking to the standard line on FA (the BBC have never said it definately wont be back, they just don't say it definately will either until the last minute).

Yes but "might" is more positive than "unsure". I think we will see another one

I e-mailed endemol on the subject and they said:

"There are no plans at present for a new series."

Don't know whether this means they never rule anything out, but it is very unlickly, or whether they are just waiting to announce a new series officially.

Yeah but they're hardly going to leak the information over the internet, are they. If they definately are going to do another series they'll keep it hush-hush.

Princess u r the 1 who told us all ages ago that Jake whatisface told you personally that there DEFINITELY would be a new series because he was signed for it. Which is rubbish by the way because i emailed him and he replied on his website. He isn't signed for another series at all except the comic relief one. And my best friends mum has spoken to people at Endemol to their face and by email cos she runs a website for fame academy and she said that endemol told her ages ago that there MIGHT be a series in 2005 but they were sure that there wouldnt be 1 in 2004. Well that proved right. Why would they keep it hush hush anyway as if they were ashamed of it. If theyre ashamed of it they wont do another one. If they told people that theyre going to do another show then it would stop them getting all the hassle from people like you who pester them for information. They haven't decided yet thats all because the bbc havent decided yet either. Its quite simple really.

Anything could happen. Its all very silly. They have the announcement about the licence and some news type decides to use FA as the example of derivative TV. Next thing we see CFA on and its their biggest success of the year with many of the Fa2 problems resolved. Then i see a trailer for Graham Norton doing yet another dance show. Dancing in umpteen copycat shows with Graham, Craig and other Orange-men - good. People learning how to sing in a far more serious and less tacky show - bad. Its truly, truly silly. As David said on CFA singing is inherently more interesting - most obviously because if we could adequately convey information and emotions with our feet we would never have developed speech or singing in the first place.

Well either way they'd better hurry up and decide because if they do they'll have auditions to arrange and then the call back auditions to get down to the ones they want in the academy. the one thing I hope they do keep from the second edition is shows where we get to pick who goes in.

Cynics would say that they don't need to have auditions if they hand pick the contestants from a pool of people who already have songwriting deals or are the girlfriends of Formula 1 drivers, etc, etc.

What will be will be, I just hope there is one.