BBC showcases entertainment news

Boyzone's Mikey Graham (centre) will be the first guest on Liquid News

The BBC is launching what it describes as a unique live entertainment news programme on Tuesday night.

Liquid News will round up the top stories of the day and invite guests from the world of showbusiness to talk about them.

The show will be transmitted on the BBC's digital channel BBC Choice every weekday from 2030 BST until 2100.

Programme editor Chris Wilson said they were providing a service that was not being done anywhere else in the UK.

Former Prodigy dancer Thornhill, here with Radio 1's Sara Cox, will be a future guest

"We see ourselves as being the UK's only daily live entertainment news show," he explained.

"We aim to be the flagship show which will define the channel - just like other news programmes do.

Liquid News has grown from BBC News 24's now defunct Zero Thirty show and features the same host, Christopher Price.

Joining him for the first show will be Mikey Graham from Boyzone, who is just about to release his solo debut single, and showbiz correspondent Matthew Wright from the Mirror newspaper.

Former Prodigy dancer Leroy Thornhill, comedy writer Ben Elton and 11 O'Clock Show host Ian Lee will also be on later in the week.

Fun

"The guests won't just be talking about whatever it is they're plugging, we'll also be getting them to comment on the top entertainment stories of the day," said Wilson.

He stressed the format would "encompass all the principles" of a BBC News service as far as accuracy and fairness was concerned, but would also be fun.

Liquid News will be working closely with other parts of the BBC, using established correspondents like Tom Brook, Nick Higham and Rosie Millard, along with Radio 1 Newsbeat reporters, who will be equipped with cameras for the first time.

The show, which will be repeated at 0030 every morning, has also pulled off a coup by getting dance music idol Moby to provide the theme tune, Bedhead.

"He appeared on Zero Thirty and got on really well with Christopher (Price)," Wilson explained.

"I phoned up his people and they sent us the DAT of four unreleased tracks from his album Play. He told us to take our pick, so we did," he added.