MUMBAI: This Christmas, UK pubcaster The BBC?s religious programming goes behind the scenes of one of Britain?s most treasured places of worship - Westminster Abbey.

Actor David Suchet will embark on a personal journey following in the footsteps of St Paul; writer and historian Simon Sebag Montefiore will explore Rome, the Eternal City; and, as he prepares to step down as Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams will intimately reveal the beauty and heritage of Canterbury Cathedral.

Live worship on BBC One comes from St Anne?s Cathedral, Leeds and St Mary Redcliffe, Bristol. And BBC Radio 4 will herald the start of Christmas Day with a live broadcast from Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral.

BBC Commissioning Editor Religion and Head of Religion & Ethics Aaqil Ahmed said, "As we prepare for Christmas, it is befitting that Westminster Abbey is at the heart of our celebrations given it?s unique stature at the centre of national worship in this country. Throughout the Christmas period there will also be a diverse rich mix of traditional carols, festive music, contemplation, conversation and live worship across BBC Television and Radio.

Christmas preparations start on BBC One on Sunday mornings, with the return of ?Fern Britton Meets?, the series in which Fern talks to people in the public eye about their faith. Throughout the Advent season, ?Songs Of Praise? presents four special programmes. On Advent Sunday, Sir Derek Jacobi and Sheila Hancock herald the start of the season with a selection of poems and readings that focus on the preparation for Christ?s birth.

In ?Wartime Christmas?, Aled Jones visits Holy Cross Church in Greenford, Middlesex, a building conceived on the eve of the Second World War and completed in 1941.

Also in the run up to the festive period is a two-part series on BBC One - ?David Suchet: In The Footsteps Of St Paul?, which follows the actor as he goes on a personal journey in search of this enigmatic man and his mission.

BBC One will herald the start of Christmas Day with the traditional Midnight Mass, live from St Anne?s Cathedral in Leeds.

On the Sunday after Christmas, in Celebrating 2012 Big Sing, Alfie Boe and soprano sensation Laura Wright are the guest soloists to join 5,000 voices in the Royal Albert Hall for spectacular hymns that reflect this historic year for the United Kingdom. Aled Jones meets Olympic gold medalists Helen Glover and Heather Stanning and there?s a special performance by the Songs of Praise Senior School Choir of the Year from St George?s College in Weybridge.

And on New Year?s Day BBC One will broadcast the Archbishop of Canterbury?s annual New Year?s Message.

Next month, BBC Two presents Westminster Abbey, a three-part series that takes a behind-the-scenes look at one of Britain?s most historic institutions, following the rhythm of the liturgical calendar from Candlemas to preparations for Christmas. Featuring interviews with members of the 250 staff who oversee the Abbey?s spiritual mission, to ensure the upkeep of a World Heritage site and co-ordinate 1,500 services a year.

On Christmas Eve, BBC Two presents Carols From King?s. This traditional celebration of the birth of Christ is the television programme that for many marks the true start of Christmas. The sight and sound of a lone choirboy singing Once in Royal David?s City amid the candlelit fan-vaulted splendour of the Chapel of King?s College, Cambridge is the beginning of a feast of Christmas words and music. The Christmas story is told in the words of the King James? Bible and in poems by Rainer Maria Rilke, William Austin and Laurie Lee, and the world-famous Chapel Choir, under the direction of Stephen Cleobury, sing carols old and new, including The Holly and the Ivy, Good Christian Men Rejoice and The Angel Gabriel.

For BBC Four in a new three-part series, Rome: A History Of The Eternal City, historian Simon Sebag Montefiore, uncovers the central role played by religion in creating and maintaining the power of the city of Rome, from its foundations to the modern day. From its founding myth and its pagan gods whose actions dictated the politics of ancient Rome, to the time that a new cult from the East threatened the status quo - Christianity.

MUMBAI: BBC and HBO have announced that ?Family Tree?, a new eight-part comedy series co-written and co-created by filmmaker Christopher Guest ?Best In Show? and Jim Piddock and starring Chris O?Dowd ?Bridesmaids?, is in production in the UK.

The show is being directed by Guest. Filming will continue until early next year on location in the UK and Los Angeles, to air on BBC Two and HBO next year.

Chris O?Dowd will be joined by Nina Conti ?For Your Consideration? in the role of his sister Bea, and Tom Bennett The Hunt For Tony Blair? playing his best friend Pete.

?Family Tree? follows the world and journey of 30-year-old Tom Chadwick (Chris O?Dowd). Having recently lost his job and girlfriend, Tom has a rather unsure sense of his own identity. But when he inherits a mysterious box of belongings from a great aunt that he never met, he starts investigating his family lineage and uncovers a whole world of unusual stories and characters and a growing sense of who he is and who his real family are.

?Family Tree? will be a single-camera, improvisational, documentary-style comedy, a style that Christopher Guest?s films have pioneered.

BBC Two controller Janice Hadlow said, ?I am delighted to welcome Christopher Guest to BBC Television. It will be his first television series for British audiences and one I am proud to have here on the BBC. It has a stellar cast led by the fantastic Chris O?Dowd and is an exciting collaboration with NBCU International and HBO. Family Tree will form a key part of the channel?s comedy next year.?

MUMBAI: The BBC Trust has appointed Tony Hall - Lord Hall of Birkenhead - as BBC DG following the departure of George Entwistle.

Lord Hall is currently Royal Opera House CEO. He was Chairman of the board for the Cultural Olympiad and was head of BBC News and Current Affairs from 1996 to 2001. He was a digital pioneer, launching BBC News Online, as well as Radio 5 Live, BBC News 24 and BBC Parliament. At present he is Deputy Chairman of Channel 4.

Lord Hall is expected to start in early March and in the interim period Tim Davie will remain as Acting Director-General.

BBC Trust chairman Lord Patten said, "While there are still very serious questions to be answered by the on-going inquiries, it is in the interests of licence fee payers that the BBC now starts to refocus on its main purpose ? making great programmes that audiences love and trust.

"In doing this it will need to take a long, hard look at the way it operates and put in place the changes required to ensure it lives up to the standards that the public expects. Tony Hall is the right person to lead this.

"Tony Hall has been an insider and is a currently an outsider. As an ex-BBC man he understands how the Corporation?s culture and behaviour make it, at its best, the greatest broadcaster in the world.

"But perhaps most importantly, given where we now find ourselves, his background in news will prove invaluable as the BBC looks to rebuild both its reputation in this area and the trust of audiences."

Lord Hall will take up the post on a salary of ?450,000 per year.

Lord Hall said, "This organisation is an incredibly important part of what makes the United Kingdom what it is. And of course it matters not just to people in this country ? but to tens of millions around the world too."

The appointment was made following a direct approach from the BBC Trust to Lord Hall. The Trust did not approach any other candidates. Lord Hall did not apply for the job when it last became vacant as a result of Mark Thompson?s departure.

Entwhistle had to leave after allegations of child sex abuse done by late BBC television star Jimmy Saville came out. There was also a Newsnight report that had wrongly implicated a politician in child sex abuse.

MUMBAI: The BBC?s International reality TV format ?Dancing With The Stars? is to be brought to life in Thailand. BBC Worldwide has inked a deal with Thailand?s locally owned hotel brand Amari.

The new series will premiere on Channel 7 in January 2013 with seven episodes.

The Thai series will be independently produced by Metine Company (MCL) and Kantana Group and funded by advertising. Amari will feature in ad breaks throughout the series and will have logo signage within the show.

With the addition of Thailand, there are now 43 local productions of Dancing With The Stars around the world spanning six continents.

BBC Worldwide commercial director for ?Dancing with the Stars? Richard Halliwell said: ?This is an exciting deal for us as it reaffirms the global popularity of the format. We were really keen to work with a local partner using a funding model that has huge success in this market. Many of our commercial rivals have benefited with advertiser-funded models in Asia and we?re looking forward to creating our own success story at BBC Worldwide, starting with Dancing with the Stars in Thailand.?

Owners of the Amari hotel chain Onyx Hospitality Group president, CEO Peter Henley said: ?We are thrilled to be partnering with BBC Worldwide to bring such a globally successful TV show to Thailand. What better way to bring the colours and rhythms of modern Asia to life than through the medium of dance and music. We look forward to embracing Dancing With The Stars and introducing the energy and excitement of the show to our Amari guests and the Thai viewing public.?

MUMBAI: BBC Trust chairman Chris Patten has called for a radical overhaul of the broadcaster following the sex scandal that has plunged the world?s biggest broadcaster into crisis.

Patten said there is a "thorough, structural, radical overhaul" of the organisation. "My job is to make sure that we learn the lessons of those inquiries and that we restore confidence and trust in the BBC," Patten said.

Patten?s statements come after BBC?s Director General George Entwistle quit over the weekend in the wake of Newsnight report on North Wales child abuse. The report wrongly implicated a politician in child sex abuse.

Entwistle later told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: "We should not have put out a film that was so fundamentally wrong. What happened here is completely unacceptable."

BBC was facing a "bad crisis" of trust in the wake of the Jimmy Savile scandal - including a decision to drop a Newsnight investigation exposing the late DJ as a serial child abuser, Entwistle admitted.

The BBC is battling the scandal surrounding Jimmy Savile, the late BBC television star now alleged to have been a prolific child sex offender.

BBC?s acting DG Tim Davie said that he?s determined to provide clarity and leadership and promises there will be no handbrake turn.

Entwistle said that the DG is also the Editor-in-Chief and ultimately responsible for all content. "In the light of the unacceptable journalistic standards of the Newsnight film broadcast on Friday 2nd November; I have decided that the honorable thing to do is to step down from the post of Director-General.

When appointed to the role, with 23 years? experience as a producer and "leader at the BBC, I was confident the Trustees had chosen the best candidate for the post, and the right person to tackle the challenges and opportunities ahead. However, the wholly exceptional events of the past few weeks have led me to conclude that the BBC should appoint a new leader.

"To have been the Director-General of the BBC even for a short period, and in the most challenging of circumstances, has been a great honour.

"While there is understandable public concern over a number of issues well covered in the media, which I?m confident, will be addressed by the Review process - we must not lose sight of the fact that the BBC is full of people of the greatest talent and the highest integrity. That?s what will continue to make it the finest broadcaster in the world."