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Episode details

Radio 4,22 Dec 2010,30 mins

22/12/2010

The Media Show

Available for over a year

As revelations about Vince Cable's thoughts on Murdoch owned News Corp's bid for BSkyB come to light, Steve Hewlett looks at The Telegraph's role in reporting the story and asks where this leaves News Corp's bid. It's nearly thirty years since Rupert Murdoch bought The Times. Through freedom of information requests, the BBC has gained an insight into how the deal was done. Graham Stewart, author of The History of The Times: The Murdoch Years and Ben Fenton, Media Correspondent for the Financial Times, discuss the deal and the parallels with Murdoch's current bid for BSkyB. Upstairs or Downton? The creator of Upstairs Downstairs has suggested that ITV's successful Downton Abbey borrowed too heavily from her drama. With the BBC set to re-launch an updated version of Upstairs Downstairs this Christmas, freelance TV critic Emma Cox and Gareth McLean, soaps editor at The Radio Times, discuss who will win out in the costume drama wars. The producer is Simon Tillotson.

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