Bravo debuts new series of GamePad

UK cable and satellite TV channel Bravo is today debuting the first in a new series of popular videogame show GamePad, which is being broadcast in primetime slots through November and December.

The new series, which is created by presenter Violet Berlin and director Gareth Jones' independent production company WhizzBang TV, promises to expand its audience by focusing increasingly on gaming culture and the "lighter side" of the pastime.

"To evolve things further, we decided to concentrate less on reviews, and more on providing a digest of intriguing features, in-depth interviews and wry comedy, all based around the culture of gaming," explains series producer and presenter Violet Berlin.

To this end, the new series promises to include such fascinating asides as a blind date with the "real" Lara Croft, a test of dancing games by "80's Time Warp pop star Damian", advice on how not to play games from comic actor Matt Lucas, and a segment on two blokes who rearranged their girlfriends flat into a gaming heaven while she was away. We can guess the outcome of that oneâ¦

Previous series of GamePad have reached three million viewers, and Berlin and Jones are hoping that this latest series will reach an even wider audience. "Games playing has grown upâ mused Jones, âand GamePad has itself grown up over the four series, into a show that truly appeals to gamers and non-gamers alike."