I just took a look at the Fame Academy TV listings, for Friday 14th March.

At 10pm, there is a show on BBC3 called Comic Relief Does Fame Academy Final. I don't see the Final on BBC1. The closest is Comic Relief Does Fame Academy Winner which is on at 8:45pm.

Does anyone know if the BBC1 program will just tell you the winner and ask you to switch to BBC3 to see the final?

I have got Freeview, so I can get it, but surely showing the final on a digital channel only is a bit unfair on those without digital?

Can somebody please say this isn't true....

I'm from Holland and there's quite a few people over here dying to follow the series.

It doesn't make it clear in Digiguide, but our TV listings magazines are published tomorrow, so hopefully they'll be more detailed. I cant believe they wouldn't put it on BBC1.I'll post tomorrow (if it's made clear in The Radio Times)

Grazie.

(That's Dutch for 'Thank you'....)

I can't believe they wouldn't show it on BBC1.
Surely that kind of defeats the object?
I'm assuming the point of the programme is to raise lots of cash.......so they should be going for the widest viewing figures possible?

I'm also in Holland........AND HAVE TO SEE THE FINAL!
Does everybody in the UK have BBC 3 now????

if the final is not shown on bbc one, i will record it off bbc three, and post it online

no, not everybody in the uk has bbc three, only people with digital tv, which is apparantly less than half of the population.

Right. I think you're OK over in The Netherlands. The only programme in the Radio Times to be listed on BBC3 is for the winner to be interviewed. As they'll only be 2 celebs left after Thursday's show, then, I should imagine the sing off will take place on Comic Relief BBC1 anytime from 7.00pm with the winner being announced at 8.45 approx.
(It's only listed on BBC1 under the banner of Comic Relief, I think the aim is to keep you watching as long as possible)

I was under the impression that the final VOTE would be on THURSDAY, from final 3 contestants (though I've read 2 elsewhere, but wasn't convinced by that); and that the Winner's Prize is the opportunity to sing (live?) for a huge TV audience on Friday on Comic Relief.

I wonder if the BBC are going to use the programme as part of their digital strategy. Lately they have been showing more stuff on BBC3 as a way to try to draw viewers into BB3/digital.

I'm just glad I kept my Ondigital box!

Programme listing in the Radio Times for Thursday 13th 7.00 pm reads as follows:

"Comic Relief Does Fame Academy At the end of the penultimate day, three celebrities become two. Who will triumph in tomorrow's final at 8.45 pm?"

...but then for Friday 8.45 it says "The week-long celebrity pop saga reaches its climax as Patrick Kielty and Cat Deeley announce the winner of Comic Relief Does Fame Academy. "

This 'slot' lasts 15mins and "timing is approximate" - but it doesn't give much, if any, time for performances and phone votes does it?

All a bit misleading, but I'd go with your theory OB - winner decided on Thursday but not announced to viewers or contestants(?) until Friday. Winner then sings live after announcement.

Oh no! It clashes with Corrie's Big Climax!!!!!!!

Oh shit

Have you paid your licence fee and are you going to raise loads of cash for Comic Relief?

I hate it when people bring this up.

Do you think we people in "continental Europe" are receiving the BBC illegally, or something? We're part of some pirate BBC-receiving gang?

We pay the BBC through the deal *they* have struck with our cable companies. And we can all donate cash to Comic Relief online, or by calling one of the numbers internationally on the night and paying with one of those new-fangled cross-border "credit card" things.

Ha ha!

No APK, like you I pay enough sodding cash to the Dutch cable company in order to get some decent telly!

Uh....donations, right........that's what it's all about 'course........

Thanks for the info. My Dutch guide just says '3 hours of Comic relief'.

But, "at the end of the penultimate day, 3 celebs become two and who will triumph in tomorrow's final at 8.45?"

If they don't have a final........those of you paying your licence fees can have a jolly good gripe, I'd say.

Don't lose your sense of humour over a silly comment.
I work with the woman I quoted.
We're both very pissed off about the BBC skipping the Ceefax pages and going digital.

We're afraid it'll get worse in the near future.

ps. We're both not rich enough to afford one of those cross-border credit cards.
We just want to see Ulrika trying to get Daviiiiid Giiiinola's attention and Jo Brand and Ruby Wax freaking out, what's his face, the fitness-mistah.

(They should've invited Johnny Vegas....) http://home.hccnet.nl/a.p.komen/cool-bye.gif

Edit: Can't work out them [IMG] tags...

That's the way I read the listings - it's the same in Heat magazine as the Radio Times. So, final is on Thursday with phone lines opening and winner is announced on Friday.

In The Star Says column yesterday I had to laugh out at the comment on FA. They are looking forward to it and the celebs they've picked are great but they commented about Jo and Ruby that 'TATU they ain't'!!! What an image

OK I can see there has been much confusion - so i'll post what my TV guide says:

COMEDY: Comic Relief Fame Academy Winner
Channel: BBC 1
Date: Friday 14th March 2003
Time: 20:45 to 21:00 (starting in 9 days)
Duration: 15 minutes.
The announcement of the Celebrity Fame Academy winner, with Patrick Kielty and Cat Deeley.
(Subtitles)

ENTERTAINMENT: Comic Relief Does Fame Academy Final
Channel: BBC 3
Date: Friday 14th March 2003
Time: 22:00 to 22:30 (starting in 9 days)
Duration: 30 minutes.
The enthralling climax to a week of nerve-racking tension as the winning celebrity student emerges triumphant from the pressure-cooker atmosphere of the Fame Academy.

Excerpt taken from DigiGuide - the world's best TV guide available from http://www.digiguide.com. Copyright ©1999-2002 GipsyMedia Ltd. Information copied from DigiGuide cannot be re-distributed, sold or used without prior written consent from GipsyMedia Ltd. All rights reserved.

(considering digiguide gets its program information directly from the broadcaster - the BBC obviously has high hopes for this mini-series)

And as someone mentioned earlier about the BBC trying to "persuade" people to watch BBC3 - I did read somewhere on the BBC site that they are planning to show Eastenders first on BBC3 and then on BBC1 (as part of a trial)

The trial is now over and BBC 3's ratings have subsequently dropped.

So the ratings climbed when the trial was running??

Was the Eastenders trial not on from the launch of BBC3 so it had okay ratings and then they dropped when the trial stopped?

I know the Radio Times doesn't always get things right (eg it says Fearne is presenting The Saturday Show this Sat,whereas she told viewers Sarra's doing it in her place, 'cos of CFA);
but having scoured next week's issue for CFA info, I'm beginning to think what I'd thought before might not be quite accurate.

The scenario I'd depicted wouldn't raise much voting money for Comic Relief, 'cos each night's voting time would be very short. The nightly terrestrial Shows from Sat last from 45 minutes down to 30.
Each night 3 probationers perform solos - then we're allowed to vote, during which time I wonder whether the others perform duets (it said Lord Lloyd Webber was coming in in connection with Group Work), or whether we get shown clips of Academy life. After the short voting period closes, the 1 with the most votes stays (OR is the one with the fewest eliminated, like on the first night???), and the remaining contestants choose which other probationer to keep.

What I now think might happen at the end of the week is that on Thursday, after the last 3 sing, the TWO who win the public vote both stay in and continue training, while the public have 24hours or so to phone and vote for who they want to Win.
Then on Comic Relief on Friday at 8.45 the Winner is announced, and just the Winner sings live on Comic Relief.

That doesn't sound much fun for the runner-up though!

I hope you're right OB. The more live feed the better. If it was all over bar the shouting (sorry, singing) on Thursday, they'd be no live feed on Friday would there?
I wonder if they'll show the rehearsals? I'm puzzled as to how much live feed we're actually going to get.
Oh well, not long to wait now.

I think someone mentioned 'round the clock' - but I think that was said about FA too, yet during the night FA only showed a still of the outside.

The Radio Times BBC3 Mon to Thurs says one of the programmes each of those nights includes "unseen footage" - in fact Mon, Tues & Wed call it "unseen reality footage".
Is that likely to mean unseen even by red-button viewers?

Before that, there's a 15 minute break for the news, after 'the expelled celebrity talks'.
But it also says 'the expelled celebrity talks' in the half hour which includes the 'unseen footage'.
So I don't know whether that means 2 interviews, or 1 interview repeated, or clips.

We don't like suspense, do we!
Not feeling in control can be very stressful!