Shane actually got started in showbiz in an unlikely way; after a mining accident at the age of just 27, he sang in small pubs in the ’70s and was eventually offered television roles. His biggest role was that of entertainer Ted Bovis on the popular BBC series “Hi-De-Hi!”

Linda Kremer, Shane’s agent, had this to say about her client and friend:

“Paul Shane was a consummate professional, a true gentleman, a good friend, and a joy to work with over the past 15 years. He didn’t suffer fools, always maintained his sense of humour, never stinted on the time he gave to his fans. He lightened my life and I’ll miss him enormously.”

Shane is also being remembered on Twitter today by those who knew him and those who grew up watching him.

Very sad to hear about the passing of Paul Shane. A comedy genius full of joy, talent, and charm. ‘Goodnight campers.’

— westendproducer (@westendproducer) May 16, 2013

Sad to hear of Paul Shane’s passing – really loved him in Hi-De-Hi #massivepartofmychildhood

— Aled Jones (@realaled) May 16, 2013

I remember watching the first ever episode of Hi de Hi and just loving him. RIP PaulShane.

— Tracy Ann Oberman (@TracyAnnO) May 16, 2013

RIP Paul Shane I adored you in Hi-Di-Hi great comedy actor lost!!

— Lisa Jane riley (@Reallisariley) May 16, 2013

RIP Paul Shane. His Pebble Mill appearance scarred us all. With brilliance.youtu.be/ZJvGdOC6D1Y

— David Easson (@DavidEasson) May 16, 2013

I’m genuinely sad at the death of Paul Shane. He was a huge part of my childhood and had a really endearing way about him! RIP Ted!

— Kosmic Kris (@KosmicKris) May 16, 2013

A representative from the organization posted in a Google Webmaster Help forum (as noticed by Search Engine Roundtable):

My URL is: www.bbc.co.uk

I am a representative of the BBC site and on Saturday we got a ‘notice of detected unnatural links’.

Given the BBC site is so huge, with so many independently run sub sections, with literally thousands or agents and authors, can you give us a little clue as to where we might look for these ‘unnatural links’.

Later in the thread, he adds:

Yeah the problem is that the site is so big, and has so many agents, that something stupid might have been done, but without being given a clue to what or where, it is kind of hard to track the culprits down and ‘advise them to be a better web citizen’. I have certainly been involved previously is stopping people before they do something ‘unwise’ in relation to the site.

Of course, I’m not saying someone connected with the site has done something naughty, just that it is a possibility.

He says he sent a reconsideration request, and explained the situation to Google.

At SMX West, earlier this week, Google’s Matt Cutts made a point of saying that big brands are penalized often. Of course, we recently saw UK flower site Interflora get penalized, though that didn’t last long.

Jeremy Paxman, presenter for BBC’s Newsnight program, recently investigated the rise of 3D printing and the challenges it faces. The special does a pretty good job of explaining the basics, but it gets a little cringeworthy when the focus turns to a one-on-one between Paxman and Paul Webber at Objet. Even then, Webber keeps his cool like a champ while Paxman throws a barrage of inane questions at him.

Much of the ground covered in BBC’s program has been covered before, but it’s worth watching to see how the mainstream media views 3D printing. Much of the conversation is still centered on piracy and how 3D printing threatens traditional manufacturing. It may be true, but we should be focusing on how 3D printing is improving lives. Webber did a fantastic job of showing the medical innovations that 3D printing has brought to the table.

[h/t: Objet]

Copper is the story of Detective Kevin Corcoran, an officer for the 1864 New York City Metropolitan Police. While investigating the murder of a child prostitute that reminds him of his own daughter, he and his partners move from the brothels and slums of Five Points to classy Uptown residences.

Robert Lloyd of LA Times had a fairly positive review for Copper, calling it “rather good.” He declared the straightforward morality of Copper to be “refreshing,” though he thought its depiction of Five Points looked a little too “clean.” IGN’s Matt Fowler couldn’t get into the show’s characters, but thought the show’s premiere “has some good seeds planted down.”

Most reviewers seems to be taking a wait-and-see approach, which is understandable for a slow-building drama. Though many TV series, such as Mad Men or Deadwood, can be judged by their first episode, some take time to settle in and propel characters on interesting trajectories.

One word of advice: if you are planning on watching Copper but haven’t seen Martin Scorsese’s Gangs of New York, go ahead and avoid the movie. Set in the same time period as Copper, Gangs of New York is a masterpiece starring Daniel Day-Lewis and Leonardo DiCaprio. Certainly see it eventually, but I suspect more enjoyment will come from Copper if you avoid seeing the movie, which can’t help but overshadow the series.

The Eternity Clock was written in collaboration with the BBC Wales team and looks to feature villains from the modern show’s sixth season. Players will shoot and sonic their way across time while solving puzzles. The puzzles themselves will actually involve time travel, as changes in the past will impact the future. Both Matt Smith and Alex Kingston have recorded full voice-work for the game. Take a look at the launch trailer below, and see what the BBC and Supermassive Games have brought to Doctor Who cannon:

Meanwhile, a tweet has came out from the official Doctor Who Twitter account that reveals Jenna-Louise Coleman, who will play the Doctor’s new companion, has begun working on the show:

Two months ago, a tweet from the Doctor Who Twitter account quoted head writer Steven Moffat as saying the Doctor’s current companions will leave the show in an episode featuring Weeping Angels – and that not everyone would survive. Big changes are coming to the show this fall. Hopefully The Eternity Clock will be able to tide Doctor Who fans over until the show returns.

Is it just me, or do Playstation 3 owners in the United States, which is the biggest market for them, get hosed when it comes to TV options? In Japan they can actually use their Playstation 3′s as a DVR for certain TV providers. We do get some fairly good apps like the NHL and MLB apps, but nothing like what they are about to get in Europe.

Over on the European Playstation Blog they have announced that there is going to be a BBC Sports app coming this summer before Wimbledon. It will be in the Video section of your Cross-Media Bar (XMB) and will feature over 2500 hrs of live streaming of the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London, England. It has the ability and will stream over 24 events simultaneously and they will all be in HD and FREE.

They will also be bringing Formula One and Wimbledon coverage live, with alternate viewing angles and coverage. Once again, the BBC Sports app launches this summer before Wimbledon. There will be more information in the near future.

A new special The Making of Planet Earth will also be aired Sunday April 22nd (Earth Day) at 8e.

In honor of the BBC version coming to America, director Joe Sabia created this promo, featuring 4-7 year olds trying out for the narrator spot. It is so cute, it might make you sick.

Planet Earth was released in the United States in 2007 with the voice talents of actress and conservationist Sigourney Weaver. It took 5 years to complete, making it the first expensive nature series ever released by the BBC. It was co-produced by Discovery Channel, who own the rights in the US.

Over the course of the shoot, 71 camera operators filmed in 204 locations in 62 countries, spend over 2000 days in the field.

The series includes species, locations, and natural events that have never been seen on television before, including:

Peter Wragg, a Visual Effects Designer at the BBC, was most known for his creative works with the models in Red Dwarf that we have grown fond of, such as: Starbug, Kryten, Camille, the Polymorph, the Psirens, the Mutton-Vindaloo Beast, the Holoship, Ace Rimmer’s dimension-jumper, Justice World, as well as many other creations that can be found throughout the Red Dwarf shows.

Prior to Wragg’s work with the BBC, he originally started to work with AP films (which was later renamed 21st Century), where Wragg demonstrated a unique craftsmanship for model work and created works for the Thunderbirds series.

As mentioned above, Wragg also was involved with some works with the classic Doctor Who series. His work with Doctor Who can be seen in the episodes of The Visitation, Resurrection of the Daleks, and Mindwarp.

The Twitter community has been active in saying their goodbyes to Wragg:

Peter Wragg leaves a legacy from his work in British television and will always be remember by the fans of his work.

I find the juxtaposition of Murdoch’s overbearing personality and his mix of inane, yet grandiose tweets fascinating. The low-grade paranoia displayed in these latest tweets, along with Murdoch’s refusal to stick to just one tweet for his thoughts, tell a story. Are Murdoch’s employees too afraid of him to tell the man he needs a PR person running his Twitter account? He has been putting himself on display on Twitter for a while now. Isn’t it time to take the keys away?

On a more serious note, these tweets came alongside a press release from News Corp that criticized the BBC for a new documentary it released investigating a News Corp subsidiary’s involvement in the hacking of competitor pay-TV companies devices. From the release:

“The BBC’s Panorama program was a gross misrepresentation of NDS’s role as a high quality and leading provider of technology and services to the pay-TV industry, as are many of the other press accounts that have piled on — if not exaggerated — the BBC’s inaccurate claims. Panorama presented manipulated and mischaracterized emails to produce unfair and baseless accusations. News Corporation is proud to have worked with NDS and to have supported them in their aggressive fight against piracy and copyright infringement. News Corporation fully endorses Executive Chairman of NDS Abe Peled’s attached letter to Panorama and supports NDS in clearing its name, just as the U.S. Department of Justice, a federal court jury and a federal appellate court have all done in past rulings.”

With this being just the latest twist in the News Corp scandal, Murdoch’s replies on Twitter are not laughing at him the way I am:

This past weekend, at the latest Doctor Who Convention in Cardiff, Wales, the BBC television station released a full HD trailer for the upcoming seventh series, even though only three episodes have been confirmed firmed so far. From the trailer that I have provided below, it looks like the Doctor will be back in the Stetson again (because it seems that Stetsons are cool as fezzes) for a Cowboys vs Aliens-type episode…

Also from this trailer, we see the following:

• New cyborgs and alien creatures.
• More explosions.
• More traveling through historic time periods.
• A familiar eyestalk (a Doctor Who series wouldn’t be complete without a Dalek appearance).

Various Whovians (along with myself) within the Twitter community are also hyped about Doctor Who Season 7 as well.

Are you excited about this upcoming season of Doctor Who? Please leave your feedback below in this post’s comments section.