British cruise passengers around the world will now be able to keep up to date with their favourite TV shows after the launch of BBC HD today.
Soap operas such as EastEnders, Casualty and Holby City will be shown days after their UK transmission, and it won’t just be soaps that are broadcast on the channel. Drama, comedy and factual programmes, such as wildlife series’, will also be available to watch.
The mixed genre channel will be introduced firstly on P&O Cruises and Cunard.
Paul Ludlow of P&O Cruises has stated: ‘We are delighted that our guests will be able to travel the world but still keep up with their favourite TV shows for that touch of home. BBC HD will be a superb addition to our in-cabin entertainment and I am sure will be welcomed by our guests on both P&O Cruises and Cunard’.
Jon Farrar, of BBC HD, pointed to the range of shows that will be broadcast on the channel starting today, including Doctor Who and Alan Carr’s Chatty Man. He added: ‘Taking a holiday doesn’t mean having to leave Dot Cotton at home.’
‘In the global market no one has a greater range than the BBC’, Mr Farrar told a press conference at Broadcasting House in London. ‘BBC HD is a bespoke channel for cruise ships that showcases the very best of the BBC in all genres’.
Other programmes planned to be broadcasted include Call The Midwife, Top Gear and comedies such as Friday Night Dinner and Big School, featuring Catherine Tate and David Walliams.
There will be warnings broadcast before shows with unsuitable content to avoid issues with the ‘watershed’ and the new service will complement the existing BBC World News which launched on MTN TV in 2010 and is shown on cruise ships throughout the world.
Vice President of BBC Worldwide, Zina Neophytou, has stated: ‘There has always been a strong demand for BBC content within the travel and hospitality sectors, especially cruise ships. BBC HD will be the one-stop shop for the best of British TV content!’
What are your thoughts on the news today? Are you excited at the prospect of never having to miss your favourite soap again when cruising? Or do you feel that you go on cruises to get away from your everyday routine? Leave us your comments!
