Feuding

Imagine one of those Freeview channels in the high numbers beating the big boys of BBC and ITV in the ratings. It's just happened in the States, for the first time with a non-sports programme.  The History Channel's first scripted drama, "Hatfields & McCoys",  a three-part mini-series, attracted nearly 14 million viewers on the Memorial Day holiday for episode one, beating America's Got Talent, the leading network offering, which came home with 10 million.

Hatfields and McCoys stars Kevin Costner and Bill Paxton as the respective heads of two feuding families after the American Civil War. The Hatfields of West Virginia were led by William Anderson "Devil Anse" Hatfield; the McCoys of Kentucky were headed by Randolph "Ole Ran'l" McCoy.

If you can't wait for Danny Cohen and Sky to tussle over the tv series, there's a regular Dinner Show version in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, not far from the Dollywood theme park.