Comedy is one of our key commissioning areas. It’s a genre for which we’ve always been renowned. The brief here is wide-ranging to reflect our diverse audience but, in general, the focus is on all scripted comedy for Channel 4 and E4. Recent critical successes have included: Catastrophe, Flowers, Chewing Gum, The Windsors, Drifters, Man Down, Ballot Monkeys and Friday Night Dinner.
Our Drama output is designed to be as ambitious as it is entertaining. We invest in programmes that have a distinctively ‘Channel 4 feel’ about them; programmes like National Treasure, No Offence and Humans.
Facts with a different flavour and a focus on being first to air is the brief for our Documentary team. This sits within our Factual department. Edgy, innovative, intriguing strands which engage the interest of a peak audience is what we look for here. It can mean taking some big risks. But this comes with the territory, so we know how to make them pay off.
Channel 4 Entertainment and Events serves up a mix of ambitious, ground-breaking fayre alongside crowd-pleasing, perennial favourites. This has seen our audience Stand Up to Cancer; get inspired by the courage and sporting prowess of Paralympians; and take a different view of politics through our Alternative Election Night. The Last Leg, 8 out of 10 Cats does Countdown and Stand Up to Cancer are just a few of the award-winning programmes worth a name check here.
Unplanned. Unplugged. Unscripted. Freeform, free-flowing output that doesn’t like to conform is overseen by our Formats department. The eclectic mix of runners and riders here includes peak-time C4 factual thriller, ‘Hunted’, and leftfield comedy, ‘Lookalikes’; not to mention inspirers of devoted fandom ‘Made In Chelsea’, ‘Tattoo Fixers’ and ‘Celebs Go Dating’.
Channel 4 streaming is our on-demand channel, that’s in demand for its original and exclusive shows; box sets of iconic series, as well as watch live and catch-up from the broadcast channels.