TV Choice
TV Choice is a British weekly TV listings magazine published by H. Bauer Publishing, the UK subsidiary of family-run German company Bauer Media Group.[2] It features weekly TV broadcast programming listings, running from Saturday to Friday, and goes on sale every Tuesday.[3] A double issue is released to cover the Christmas & New Year period at a higher price.
_cover.jpg.webp) Queen's Diamond Jubilee edition | |
| Editor-in-Chief | Jon Peake |
|---|---|
| Categories | TV magazines |
| Frequency | Weekly (except Christmas Specials) |
| Circulation | 1,219,107 (September 1999 – present)[1] Print and digital editions. |
| Publisher | Bauer |
| Founded | 1999 |
| First issue | 14 September 1999 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Based in | London |
| Language | English |
| Website | TVChoiceMagazine.co.uk |
| ISSN | 2044-7337 |
Overview
Regular issues
Launched on 14 September 1999, the magazine includes features on UK TV shows, including the British soap operas, and films, as well as puzzles, crosswords, a letters page and prize competitions.
Prices
The following prices have been effective.
| Date | Price | Special issue price |
|---|---|---|
| 14 September 1999 – 22 February 2012 | 42p | £1 |
| 29 February 2012 – 2 March 2013 | 45p | |
| 9 March 2013 | 38p | N/A |
| 16 March 2013 – 6 July 2013 | 20p[4] | |
| 13 July 2013 – 16 December 2013 | 38p | |
| 23 December 2013 – 23 April 2015 | 45p | £1 |
| 30 April 2015 – 1 January 2016 | 50p | |
| 8 January 2016 – 1 January 2017 | 52p | |
| 8 January 2017 – 1 January 2018 | 55p | £1.10 |
| 8 January 2018 – 15 March 2019 | 57p | |
| 22 March 2019 – 30 November 2019 | 62p | N/A |
| 5 December 2019 – 2 December 2020 | 65p | £1.30 |
| 3 December 2020 – 1 December 2021 | 69p | £1.40 |
| 2 December 2021 – 2 January 2023 | 72p | £1.50 |
| 3 January 2023 – present | 75p |
Christmas and New Year issues
A special Christmas & New Year double-issue was originally priced at £1, double the normal price. As of January 2023, the seasonal issue is priced at £1.50, twice the price of the regular 75p weekly issues.
| Issue # | Date range | Released |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 18 – 31 December 1999 | 7 December 1999 |
| 2 | 23 December 2000 – 5 January 2001 | 12 December 2000 |
| 3 | 22 December 2001 – 4 January 2002 | 11 December 2001 |
| 4 | 21 December 2002 – 3 January 2003 | 10 December 2002 |
| 5 | 20 December 2003 – 2 January 2004 | 9 December 2003 |
| 6 | 18 – 31 December 2004 | 7 December 2004 |
| 7 | 17 – 30 December 2005 | 6 December 2005 |
| 8 | 23 December 2006 – 5 January 2007 | 12 December 2006 |
| 9 | 22 December 2007 – 4 January 2008 | 11 December 2007 |
| 10 | 20 December 2008 – 2 January 2009 | 9 December 2008 |
| 11 | 19 December 2009 – 1 January 2010 | 8 December 2009 |
| 12 | 18 – 31 December 2010 | 7 December 2010 |
| 13 | 17 – 30 December 2011 | 6 December 2011 |
| 14 | 22 December 2012 – 4 January 2013 | 11 December 2012 |
| 15 | 21 December 2013 – 3 January 2014 | 10 December 2013 |
| 16 | 20 December 2014 – 2 January 2015 | 9 December 2014 |
| 17 | 19 December 2015 – 1 January 2016 | 8 December 2015 |
| 18 | 17 – 30 December 2016 | 6 December 2016 |
| 19 | 23 December 2017 – 5 January 2018 | 12 December 2017 |
| 20 | 22 December 2018 – 4 January 2019 | 11 December 2018 |
| 21 | 21 December 2019 – 3 January 2020 | 10 December 2019 |
| 22 | 19 December 2020 – 1 January 2021 | 8 December 2020 |
| 23 | 18 – 31 December 2021 | 7 December 2021 |
| 24 | 24 December 2022 – 6 January 2023 | 13 December 2022 |
Podcast
In February 2022, it was announced that TV Choice would release its first ever podcast entitled My TV Years, with television presenter and radio DJ Mel Giedroyc hosting. The podcast ran for eight weeks, on a Wednesday, with the first airing 23 February 2022, and the final episode on 13 April 2022.
Episodes
| No. | Broadcast date | Runtime | Title | Episode details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 23 February 2022 | 44 minutes | Sanjeev Bhaskar | Sanjeev Bhaskar, star of The Kumars at No. 42, Goodness Gracious Me and Unforgotten is the guest on this episode of My TV Years from TV Choice. Why could Sanjeev never miss an episode of Star Trek? How did he & his family respond to depictions of Indian characters on TV in the 1970s? And which TV star did Sanjeev embarrass himself in front of as a teenager, so much so that he still cringes at it to this day? |
| 2 | 2 March 2022 | 43 minutes | Kirstie Allsopp | In light of recent events related to the ongoing conflict crisis in Ukraine, this episode was prerecorded in the first week of February 2022.
Kirstie Allsopp, co-host of various property shows like Location, Location, Location and Love It or List It, is the guest on this episode of My TV Years from TV Choice. What historic event caused Kirstie’s family television to explode? What TV show made Kirstie consider changing her name? Which long-time regional news presenter’s recent retirement saddened Kirstie? |
| 3 | 9 March 2022 | 44 minutes | Hugh Dennis | Hugh Dennis, star of Outnumbered, Mock The Week, Not Going Out, and so much more, is the guest on this episode of My TV Years From TV Choice. What happened when Hugh forgot his lines during his first major TV appearance? What ridiculous outfit did Hugh have to wear during one of his early performances? And what’s Hugh’s favourite TV show of all time? |
| 4 | 16 March 2022 | 40 minutes | Sally Ann Matthews | Sally Ann Matthews, Coronation Street’s Jenny Connor (nee Bradley), joins Mel for this episode of My TV Years From TV Choice. What snacks did Sally like to buy from the shops before settling down in front of the TV? How did she land a role in Corrie aged just 15? And what classic kids TV show from the 1970s still stresses her out today? |
| 5 | 23 March 2022 | 45 minutes | Adjoa Andoh | Adjoa Andoh, star of stage, film & some of the nation’s favourite TV shows including Doctor Who, Casualty, Eastenders and Bridgerton as Lady Danbury, is the guest on this episode of My TV Years From TV Choice. What TV show inspired Adjoa’s adventures as a little girl growing up in the Cotswolds? Which TV show did her parents love that nearly sent her to sleep? And how did Adjoa help create an iconic Eastenders family? |
| 6 | 30 March 2022 | 37 minutes | Jon Richardson | Jon Richardson, one of the nation’s favourite comedians, is the guest on this episode of My TV Years from TV Choice. Which children’s TV show is Jon so obsessed with that he will happily watch it by himself? What was his ritual for watching Eurotrash on a weekend with his mate Lee? And which moment in a cooking programme is Jon’s favourite TV moment of all time? |
| 7 | 6 April 2022 | 34 minutes | Morgana Robinson | Morgana Robinson, impressionist, comedian, writer and actress extraordinaire, is the guest on this episode of My TV Years from TV Choice. Which comedian did Morgana grow up watching on TV who she’s now starring alongside? What’s the key to doing a good impression of Mel? And how did Morgana meet her agent whilst working in a restaurant?
Morgana's brand new comedy, Newark, Newark is now available on Gold, as well as a boxset on Sky UK and Virgin Media. |
| 8 | 13 April 2022 | 42 minutes | Alex Horne | Alex Horne, the brains behind the BAFTA award-winning TV series Taskmaster, is the guest on this episode of My TV Years from TV Choice. Which show did Alex work on that had a big influence on Taskmaster? Which celebrity is top of Alex’s wish-list for Taskmaster? And how did he use Countdown to celebrate getting a new word in the dictionary? |
Circulation
In February 2008, TV Choice became the biggest selling (actively purchased) magazine of all categories in the UK, a position it has held ever since.[5] It sells over 1.2 million copies a week and has an adult readership of 1.8 million. It has a target market among C1 C2 young, mass market adults.[6]
Awards
TV Choice also has its own annual awards ceremony, the TV Choice Awards originally called the TV Quick Award, awarded on the basis of a public vote by readers of TV Choice. The following categories and winners are shown from the 2009 awards to the present day.
References
- "ABC Certificates and Reports: TV Choice". Audit Bureau of Circulations. Retrieved 6 January 2015.
- – TV Choice information Media UK
- TV Choice Bauer Media
- Roy Greenslade (12 March 2013). "TV listings magazines in price war". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 February 2016.
- Luft, Oliver. "Magazine ABCs: TV Choice tops 100 actively purchased". Press Gazette, 11 February 2010. Archived from the original on 3 July 2013.
- "TV Choice – Key Facts". H Bauer Publishing. Archived from the original on 19 April 2013.
- "TV Choice Awards: Ant and Dec take home three awards - BBC Newsbeat". BBC Newsbeat. 9 July 2015. Retrieved 4 September 2018.