Channel 4 programming
Encyclopedia
Channel 4
, in common with the other main British stations broadcast on analogue
, airs a highly comprehensive range of programming. It was established in 1982 with a specific intention of providing programming to groups of minority interests, not catered for by its competitors, which at the time amounted to only the BBC
and ITV
.
Channel 4 was one of the first "publisher-broadcaster" stations in the world. All of its programming is produced by other companies; it exists only to fund, broadcast and distribute its programmes — a stipulation which is included in its licence to broadcast. It was also one of the first broadcasters to put its name on the introduction or end credits of programmes that it did not produce, a practice that is now widespread. More significantly, it also began a trend of owning the copyright
and distribution rights of the programmes it aired, in a manner that is similar to the major Hollywood studios' ownership of television programs that they did not directly produce
. Thus, although Channel 4 does not produce programmes, many are seen as belonging to it.
Channel 4 also pioneered the concept of stranded programming, where seasons of programmes following a common theme would be aired and promoted together; the 4 Mation
season, for example, showed innovative animation.
states that:
The remit also involves an obligations to provide Schools Programming, and a substantial amount of programming produced outside of Greater London
,
's picture book The Snowman
, which in 1982 was the new channel's first major animated commission, every Christmas
. From 2002, the film was controversially cropped from its original 4:3 picture format to the current widescreen standard of 16:9. The Channel also commissioned early work by Nick Park
and Aardman Animation.
Other notable animations include:
And imported animations:
Channel 4 have also promoted animation by independent film makers through a season called 4 Mation
. After 4Mation ended a new series called "Dope Sheet", followed the tradition of screening animation by less well known animators as well as classic animation from around the world.
was launched. It was a mix of news and current affairs, more serious in its nature than its then sister service, TV-am
, and Channel 4 News
, operators of the ITV
Breakfast franchise at the time. The programme was initially branded as a television equivalent of a newspaper. After failing to gain enough viewers, it was replaced in September 1992 by The Big Breakfast
, a notable magazine format containing light entertainment, interviews and features with news and weather. It enjoyed periods of notable popularity during its near ten-year run. It was replaced by RI:SE
in 2002, which failed to gain the same popularity and was axed after just one year. Since the end of RI:SE, Channel 4 has had no overall Breakfast programme so the music programmes like B4 and Freshly Squeezed
both replaced RI:SE. Now Freshley Squeezed is on from 7am until 7.30am and the rest of the morning cconsists of repeats of Everybody Loves Raymond, Frasier, Location Location Location and Supernanny.
and ITV's cult favourite Wide Awake Club, a children's magazine-style series called Early Bird was launched, and broadcast on Saturday mornings between 7:00am and 9:30am. Hosted by Don Austen
, who played the "title character" (Earl E. Bird), this series became best-remembered for its competition to find a team of six children to compete in the The Crystal Maze
Christmas special aired on 01 January 1991. This Christmas special proved so popular that the competition was repeated the following year; however, overall the series' viewing figures regularly fell well short of Going Live! and Wide Awake Club, and in September 1992, Early Bird was dropped to make way for a Saturday morning spin-off of The Big Breakfast
.
Aaahh!!! Real Monsters
Adventures Of Sonic The Hedgehog
(1993–1998) The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3
(1993–1998) The Adventures of Tintin
(1992-1999 moved to Channel 5 from 2001 till 2003/04) The Adventures of T-Rex
Alfie Atkins
Alfred J. Kwak
Angela Anaconda
(2000–2006) Animal Alphabet
Animated Tales of the World
Babar
(moved to Channel 5 in 2000) The Baby-Sitters Club
Back to the Future
Bagpuss
(previously shown on BBC One
in 1974) (1999–2000 and moved to Channel 5 in 2006) The Banana Splits (1992/93–1994/95 and moved to Channel 5 from 1997 to 2000)
Biker Mice From Mars
Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventures
Bobobobs
Blue's Clues
The Bluffers
Bug Alert
Cadillacs and Dinosaurs
California Dreams
Camberwick Green
(previously shown on BBC One
in 1966) (1989–2000) Chicken Minute
Chigley
(previously shown on BBC One
in 1969) (1989–2000) Clangers
(previously shown on BBC One
from 1969 to 1974) (1992–2000 and moved to Channel 5 in 2006) Creepy Crawlers
Cow and Chicken
(Moved to CITV) Cubeez
(previously shown on ITV
) Dance a Lot Robot (previously shown on Playhouse Disney)
Dennis the Menace
Deputy Dawg
Dig and Dug
Doug (Moved to CITV)
Dog City
(1993–1996) Dr Snuggles (previously shown on ITV
in 1980) (1993–1994) Dumb and Dumber
Earthworm Jim
Eureeka's Castle
Faerie Tale Theatre
The Ferals
The Finder
Flash Gordon
Foofur
Fourways Farm
Frootie Tooties
Gagarin
Grabbit The Rabbit
The Greatest Tune on Earth
Grim Tales
(previously shown on ITV
from 1989 to 1991) Hammerman
Heathcliff
(previously shown on BBC One
from 1980 to 1987) (1989–1994) The Herbs
(previously shown on BBC One
from 1968 to 1970) (1992–1997) Hong Kong Phooey
(previously shown on BBC One
in 1974) (1996–1997) The Hoobs
(import) Home To Rent
I Am Weasel
Insektors
(1996–2000) Inspector Gadget
(previously shown on ITV
) Inuk
The Investigators
Ivor the Engine
(previously shown on BBC One
from 1975 to 1977) (1989–2000) Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors
(1992–1993) Johnny Bravo
Kaboodle
Katie and Orbie
Kideo
The Kids from Room 402
Kid 'n Play
King Arthur and the Knights of Justice
A Laurel and Hardy Cartoon
(1994)
(1995–1996) The Legend of Zelda
Let's Go Chaos School!
Lift Off
Little Dracula
(1996) Little Miss (previously shown on BBC One
in 1983) (1992–1995) Little Rosie
Little Shop
Little Wolf's Book of Badness
Madeline (1993 Series)
The Magic Roundabout
(previously shown on BBC One
from 1965 to 1977 in a new recent series narrated by Nigel Planer in 1992) (1992–2000) The Magic School Bus
Making It (Children's craft show) (from 2003)
Mighty Max
Monster Tails
Mr. Bogus
Mr Men (previously shown on BBC One
in 1974) (1992–1995) Murun Buchstansangur
(later shown on BBC Two
) The Neverending Story
The New Pink Panther Show
Noggin The Nog
(previously shown on BBC One
from 1979 to 1980) (1989–1994) Ovide (1987–1998/99)
OWL/TV
Paddington Bear
(previously shown on BBC One
from 1975 to 1986) (1992/93–1995/96; moved to CITV
in 1999) Pelswick
Pippi Longstocking
Planet Cook (previously shown on CBBC
) Pob's Programme
Pole Position
Postman Pat
Press Gang
Princess Sissi (1999 onwards)
ProStars
Pugwall
Pugwall's Summer
Quaq Quao
Ramona
The Real Life Adventures of Professor Thompson (1996)
Really Wild Animals
Ric
(Ric the Raven) Road to Avonlea
Rocko's Modern Life
(1994–1996) Roobarb
(previously shown on BBC One
from 1974 to 1989) (1989/90–1995/96 and moved to Channel 5 in 1997) Round the Bend
(previously shown on ITV
from 1989 to 1991) Salty's Lighthouse
Sandokan
Saved by the Bell
(import) (1994–2001) The Secret World of Alex Mack
(import) Sesame Street
(import) (previously shown on ITV
from 1982–1985) (1987–2001, 2011-present) Sharky and George (1992–1998)
Space Cats
Spider-Man
(also shown on BSB's Galaxy
channel) Spiff and Hercules
(1993–1995) Sonic the Hedgehog
(1996) Star Street: The Adventures of the Star Kids
Storybook Classics
Super Dave: Daredevil for Hire
The Super Mario Bros. Super Show
Super Mario World (1994–1998)
Tales of a Wise King
TerryToons
Totally Spies! (import) (also aired on ITV
until 2008) The Treacle People
(import) The Trap Door
(1996–2003; previously shown on ITV
and Sky1) Trumpton
(previously shown on BBC One
in 1967) (1989–2000) Ulysses 31
(previously shown on BBC One
from 1981 to 1986) (1993–1996) Victor and Maria
Where on Earth is Carmen Sandiego?
Widget
(1993–1994) Wish Kid
The Wombles
(previously shown on BBC One
from 1973 to 1991) (1992/93–1995/96; moved to CITV in 1999, where a new series also aired) The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (previously shown on ITV
from 1989 to 1990) The World of David the Gnome
Wowser
(Previously shown on ITV
from 1990 to 1991) (1993–1996) Yo Gabba Gabba (import) (from 2009)
The Zack Files
Some programmes include:
(import) Charmed
(import; later moved to Channel Five
and Living) Star Trek Enterprise
(import) 2002-2005 One Tree Hill
(import) The O.C.
(import) The Simple Life
(import) Smallville
(import) Coach Trip
(showed series 1 and 2 only; later repeated on Sky3 and More4
)
(import) Totally Frank
Ugly Betty
(import) Beauty and the Geek
(import) Popworld
Frock Me
Vanity Lair
Friends (import) (Until 2011 - Now on Comedy Central UK)
The Simpsons
(import)
, Adrian Edmondson
, Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders
, Peter Cook
, Peter Richardson, and Alexei Sayle
. The Tube
and Friday Night Live also launched the careers of a number of a number of up and coming comedians and writers. Channel 4 broadcast a number of popular American imports including: Roseanne, Friends, Sex and the City
, South Park
and Will & Grace
. The popularity of this time-slot lead to the brand Channel 4 Friday Comedy often being promoted.
Other significant US acquisitions include The Simpsons
, for which the station was reported to have paid £700,000 per episode for the terrestrial television
rights.
In April 2010, Channel 4 became the first UK broadcaster to adapt the American comedy institution of roasting to British television, with A Comedy Roast.
Other notable comedies include:
, a stand-up comedy
benefit show
in aid of Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital
. With over 25 comedians appearing, it billed it as "the biggest live stand up show in United Kingdom history". Filmed live on 30 March in front of 14,000 at The O2 Arena
in London, it was broadcast on 5 April.
to be carried out in the UK for 170 years, carried out by Gunther von Hagens
in 2002, or the 2003 one-off stunt Derren Brown
Plays Russian Roulette Live.
Its critically acclaimed news service, Channel 4 News
, is supplied by ITN whilst its long-standing investigative documentary, Dispatches
, causes perennial media attention.
Other notable factual programmes include:
has created a number of documentaries such as Jamie's Kitchen
, Jamie's School Dinners
(broadcast to coincide with his campaign to improve the quality of school dinners) and Jamie's Great Escape.
Other food related programmes include:
broadcast in the 10–11pm slot. Channel 4 is also noted for the screening of Big Brother
. Based on the original Dutch format, the UK version has attracted massive press attention as well as various degrees of criticism for each of its series from 2000 to date.
In October 2005, Channel 4 began broadcasting the UK
version of Endemol's
worldwide smash game show Deal or No Deal. Despite being broadcast at a relatively slow time slot — 4.15pm weekdays and originally 4.25pm Saturdays — the show, presented by Noel Edmonds
, on some occasions has been the most-watched show on the channel. The Saturday edition of the show has had a spell in a prime-time slot, and in June 2006 the show's popularity led to "Double Deal Week" where a second show at 8pm was broadcast each day for a week.
The highest audience ever attained by Channel 4 was 13.8 million for the final part of the mini-series A Woman of Substance
, broadcast on 4 January 1985.
Since then, and excluding films, the channel's highest rating was 10 million viewers for the final of the third series of Big Brother
on 27 July 2002. The channel's daily share of viewing on that date was 22.8%, then the highest recorded by the station. This record was beaten on Monday 12 September 2005, the final day of the 2005 Ashes, when the channel's daily share of viewing in UK homes was recorded as 23.2%. This was also the first time that Channel 4 had been the highest-rating UK television station across a 24-hour period.
, a soap opera
which had run for the 21 years since the channel started. Channel 4 currently runs a soap opera called Hollyoaks
, which sharing the same creator as Brookside, aims at a younger audience. An imported French soap, Chateauvallon was shown on the station for a time, dubbed into English.
American drama is a key part of Channel 4's portfolio, initially with NYPD Blue
and ER
. These were followed by Without a Trace
, The Sopranos
, The West Wing
and Six Feet Under.
Popular US teen series Dawson's Creek
which starred James Van Der Beek
, Katie Holmes
, Michelle Williams
and Joshua Jackson
began airing on channel 4 in 1998. It got channel 4 a huge uk audience on its prime time slot and the show lasted for an impressive six years.
In August 2005, Channel 4 started showing the US
TV show Lost
after a lengthy advertising campaign that included a 60-second commercial shot by David LaChapelle
, that featured the cast and cost over £1 million becoming the most expensive advertisement produced in the UK. This gamble seems to have paid off, however; the pilot episode was watched by over 6 million viewers, placing it second in the overall ratings for the channel for that year, Big Brother securing the top spot. However, in October 2006 Channel 4 suffered a blow when BSkyB
acquired the rights to the third and fourth seasons of Lost
.
Also in 2008, after a lengthy bidding war with Five, ITV2
and Living, Channel 4 acquired the rights to the updated version of 90210
. It started airing True Blood
after its global success, having originally aired on FX
in the United Kingdom. It was confirmed that Glee
will air on E4 would air on Tuesday 15 December as a sneak peek at 9:00 and the full series launch on January 11, 2009 replacing One Tree Hill
s time slot.
Other notable dramas include:
(import; the original version was shown by ITV
and Sky1) Brothers & Sisters (import)
Brookside
(1982–2003) Caught in a Free State
(first broadcast in 1984, made by RTÉ
) Dawson's Creek
(import; moved to Five
in 2002) Desperate Housewives
(import) Real Housewives of New Jersey (import)
ER
(import; first-run episodes moved to Sky1 in 1996) The Ghost Squad
Glee
(import) Heartbreak High
(import) Lost
(import) Nip/Tuck
(import) No Angels
Oz
(import)
Sex Traffic
Shameless (last English language programme to be shown on S4C
before the analogue signals were switched off in Wales
and S4C becoming a 100% Welsh language channel) Sugar Rush
(currently repeated on 4Music
) Without a Trace
(import) Dirty Sexy Money
(import) The Sopranos
(import) Skins
Misfits
Top Boy
Hollyoaks
Smallville
(import) True Blood
(import)
, and play-out originating from Birmingham. Thus ITV Schools on Channel 4 was effectively a separate station broadcasting on Channel 4's frequencies. Even some regional schools programming was aired, in contrast with Channel 4's lack of any regional variations to its programming.
In 2000, the service was renamed 4Learning, and in April 2007, the commercial arm and rights exploitation of its programmes and support materials was sold to Espresso Education and the business re-named Channel 4 Learning
. Today, the service has diversified into pre-school and adult programmes, with much of its content also available in text and video form via the Internet, or through DVD sales. Its programming runs to around 400 hours per annum. One of its well known programmes is The Hoobs
.
In March 2008, the 4Leaning interactive new media commission slabovia.tv was launched. The Slabplayer online media player showing TV shows for teenagers was launched on 26 May 2008.
See also: Channel 4 Learning site.
The schools programming has always had elements different to its normal presentational package. In 1993, the Channel 4 Schools idents featured famous people in one category, with light shining on them in from of an industrial looking setting supplemented by instrumental calming music. This changed in 1996 with the circles look to numerous children touching the screen, forming circles of information then picked up by other children. The last child would produce the channel 4 logo in the form of three vertical circles, with another in the middle and to the left containing the Channel 4 logo.
A present feature of presentation was a countdown sequence featuring, in 1993 a slide with the programme name, and afterwards an extended sequence matching the channel branding. In 1996, this was an extended ident with timer in top left corner, and in 1999 following the adoption of the squares look, featured a square with timer slowly make its way across the right of the screen with people learning and having fun while doing so passing across the screen. It finished with the Channel 4 logo box on the right of the screen and the name 'Channel 4 Schools' being shown. This was adapted in 2000 when the services name was changed to '4Learning'. In 2001, this was altered to various scenes from classrooms around the world and different parts of school life. The countdown now flips over from the top, right, bottom and left with each second, and ends with four coloured squares, three of which are aligned vertically to the left of the Channel 4 logo, with is contained inside the fourth box. The tag 'Learning' is located directly beneath the logo. The final countdown sequence lasted between 2004 and 2005 and featured a background video of current controversial issues, overlaid with upcoming programming information. the video features people in the style of graffiti enacting the overuse of CCTV cameras, fox hunting, computer viruses and pirate videos, relationships, pollution of the seas and violent lifestyles. Following 2005, no branded section has been used for school programmes.
), Channel 4 and its subsidiary channels also screen a range of acquired features, ranging from Hollywood blockbusters to small independent productions. In addition to films from the UK and USA, Channel 4 has also been a key broadcaster of films from overseas, and its schedule has at various times included various European, Australian, Canadian, and Bollywood
productions, amongst others. Numerous genres of film-making - such as drama, comedy
, documentary, adventure/action, romance and horror/thriller - are represented in the channel's schedule. From the launch of Channel 4 until 1998, film presentations on C4 would often be broadcast under the "Film On Four" banner.
In March 2005, Channel 4 screened uncut Lars von Trier
film The Idiots
that includes unsimulated sexual intercourse, making it the first UK terrestrial channel to do so. The Channel had screened before other films with similar material but censored and with warnings. The broadcast after midnight only raised one complaint and has been taken as an indication of how far audience values have changed since the Channel began.
Since 1 November 1998, Channel 4 has had a digital subsidiary channel dedicated to the screening of films. This channel launched as a paid subscription channel under the name FilmFour, and was relaunched in July 2006 as a free-to-air channel under the current name of Film4
. The Film4 channel carries a wide range of film productions, including acquired and Film4-produced projects. Channel 4's general entertainment channels E4 and More4
also screen feature films at certain points in the schedule as part of their content mix.
Channel 4 also operates a music and entertainment digital channel, 4Music
, as part of its Box Television
subsidiary.
Former Sporting Events on Channel 4
The glasses are classic amber/blue colour and featured a chequered theme, the glasses were available at Sainsburys in the UK, Channel 4 also asked for viewers to create a film and then use software to make it 3D and will be shown online. However there was a massive demand for 3D specs and they were not met and Channel 4 received a number of complaints that viewers could not enjoy 3D quality as the colours were amber/blue unlike the red/blue glasses received in DVD releases of 3D movies.
are heavily edited in comparison to those on rival channel Sky1.
A season of television
programmes about masturbation
, called Wank Week, was to be broadcast in the United Kingdom by Channel 4 in March 2007. The first show was about a Masturbate-a-thon
, a public mass masturbation event, organised to raise money for the sexual health charity Marie Stopes International
. Another film would have focused on compulsive male masturbators and a third was to feature the sex educator
Dr Betty Dodson
.
The series came under public attack from senior television figures, and was pulled amid claims of declining editorial standards and controversy over the channel's public service broadcasting
credentials. However, the films it was meant to showcase may yet be broadcast by the channel at a later date.
. The programme states that global warming is "a lie" and "the biggest scam of modern times". The programme's accuracy has been disputed on multiple points and several commentators have criticised it for being one-sided, noting that the mainstream position on global warming is supported by the scientific academies of the major industrialized nations
There were 246 complaints to Ofcom
as of April 25, 2007, including the complaints that the programme falsified data. The programme has been criticised by scientists and scientific organizations and various scientists which participated in the documentary claimed their views had been distorted.
Against Nature: An earlier controversial Channel 4 programme made by Martin Durkin which was also critical of the environmental movement and was charged by the Independent Television Commission of the UK for misrepresenting and distorting the views of interviewees by selective editing.
The Greenhouse Conspiracy
: An earlier Channel 4 documentary broadcast on 12 August 1990, as part of the Equinox
series, in which similar claims were made. Three of the people interviewed (Lindzen, Michaels and Spencer) were also interviewed in The Great Global Warming Swindle
.
A spokeswoman for the FCO said: “President Ahmadinejad has, during his time in office, made a series of appalling anti-Semitic statements. The British media are rightly free to make their own editorial choices, but this invitation will cause offence and bemusement not just at home but among friendly countries abroad.”
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article5397462.ece
slot produced by Mentorn Films
, called the Channel 4 Daily. In 1992 this was replaced by The Big Breakfast
, which briefly outrated the ITV breakfast broadcast, GMTV
, after the closure of TV-am
. The Big Breakfast was axed in March 2002. It was replaced by RI:SE
, which rated poorly. With the demise of RI:SE, Channel 4 withdrew from original programming in the breakfast TV slot. Now T4 runs the early morning slots on weekdays showing repeats of popular shows such as Friends, Everybody Loves Raymond
and Just Shoot Me. (This was temporarily interrupted in early 2006 with the show Morning Glory, designed to keep the audience following the early morning transmission of Big Brother's Little Breakfast).
There are bases in London
, Birmingham
, Glasgow
and Belfast
, serving editorial hubs known respectively as 4Talent National, 4Talent Central England, 4Talent Scotland and 4Talent Northern Ireland. These four sites include features, profiles and interviews in text, audio and video formats, divided into five zones: TV, Film, Radio, New Media and Extras, which covers other arts such as theatre, music and design. 4Talent also collates networking, showcasing and professional development opportunities, and runs workshops, masterclasses, seminars and showcasing events across the UK.
4Talent has an active presence on social networking site Facebook
.
See also 4Talent.
Subjects are usually UK-based, with contributing editors based in Northern Ireland, Scotland, London and Birmingham, but the publication has been known to source international content from Australia, America, continental Europe and the Middle East. The magazine is frequently organised around a theme for the issue, for instance giving half of November 2007's pages over to profiling winners of the annual 4Talent Awards.
An unusual feature of the magazine's credits is the equal prominence given to the names of writers, photographers, designers and illustrators, contradicting standard industry practice of more prominent writer bylines. It is also recognisable for its 'wraparound' covers, which use the front and back as a continuous canvas - often produced by guest artists.
Although 4Talent Magazine is technically a newsstand title, a significant proportion of its readers are subscribers. It started life as a quarterly 100-page title, but has since doubled in size and is now published bi-annually.
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
, in common with the other main British stations broadcast on analogue
Analogue television in the United Kingdom
Analogue television in the United Kingdom includes terrestrial, satellite and cable services broadcasting using analogue television signals.-Analogue terrestrial television in the United Kingdom:...
, airs a highly comprehensive range of programming. It was established in 1982 with a specific intention of providing programming to groups of minority interests, not catered for by its competitors, which at the time amounted to only the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
and ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
.
Channel 4 was one of the first "publisher-broadcaster" stations in the world. All of its programming is produced by other companies; it exists only to fund, broadcast and distribute its programmes — a stipulation which is included in its licence to broadcast. It was also one of the first broadcasters to put its name on the introduction or end credits of programmes that it did not produce, a practice that is now widespread. More significantly, it also began a trend of owning the copyright
Copyright
Copyright is a legal concept, enacted by most governments, giving the creator of an original work exclusive rights to it, usually for a limited time...
and distribution rights of the programmes it aired, in a manner that is similar to the major Hollywood studios' ownership of television programs that they did not directly produce
. Thus, although Channel 4 does not produce programmes, many are seen as belonging to it.
Channel 4 also pioneered the concept of stranded programming, where seasons of programmes following a common theme would be aired and promoted together; the 4 Mation
4 Mation
4 Mations was regular animation strand broadcast in the UK on Channel 4. The series often featured a documentary on different artists, animators and a series of animated films. The series was notable for co-financing some films and broadcasting animated films from around the world...
season, for example, showed innovative animation.
Public service
The station holds a remit of public service obligations which it must fulfill. The remit changes periodically, as dictated by various broadcasting and communications acts, and is regulated by the various authorities Channel 4 has been answerable to. The preamble of the remit as per the Communications Act 2003Communications Act 2003
The Communications Act 2003 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It gave regulation body Ofcom its full powers. Among other measures, it introduced legal recognition of Community Radio and paved the way for full-time Community Radio services in the UK; as well as controversially...
states that:
The remit also involves an obligations to provide Schools Programming, and a substantial amount of programming produced outside of Greater London
Greater London
Greater London is the top-level administrative division of England covering London. It was created in 1965 and spans the City of London, including Middle Temple and Inner Temple, and the 32 London boroughs. This territory is coterminate with the London Government Office Region and the London...
,
Animation
The channel has established a tradition of broadcasting the animated film of Raymond BriggsRaymond Briggs
Raymond Redvers Briggs is an English illustrator, cartoonist, graphic novelist, and author who has achieved critical and popular success among adults and children...
's picture book The Snowman
The Snowman
The Snowman is a children's book by English author Raymond Briggs, published in 1978. In 1982, this book was turned into a 26-minute animated movie by Dianne Jackson for the fledgling Channel 4. It was first shown on Channel 4 late on Christmas Eve in 1982 and was an immediate success. The film was...
, which in 1982 was the new channel's first major animated commission, every Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
. From 2002, the film was controversially cropped from its original 4:3 picture format to the current widescreen standard of 16:9. The Channel also commissioned early work by Nick Park
Nick Park
Nicholas Wulstan "Nick" Park, CBE is an English filmmaker of stop motion animation best known as the creator of Wallace and Gromit and Shaun the Sheep....
and Aardman Animation.
Other notable animations include:
- The KNTV ShowThe KNTV ShowThe KNTV Show is an educational television programme that was broadcast on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom beginning in 2006, which taught about science, and philosophy ....
- Bromwell HighBromwell HighBromwell High is an animated series about a British high school in South London. It first aired on Teletoon in Canada and Channel 4 in the UK . It is a co-production between Hat Trick Productions in the UK and DHX Media in Canada. According to the Website , it was originally to be entitled...
- Bob & Margaret and the original Oscar winning short, Bob's BirthdayBob's BirthdayBob's Birthday is a 1993 animated short by Alison Snowden and David Fine, winner of the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film at the 67th Academy Awards. The 12 minute 18 second film features a humorous look a wife's plans to throw a surprise birthday party for her husband on his 40th...
And imported animations:
- FuturamaFuturamaFuturama is an American animated science fiction sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening and David X. Cohen for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series follows the adventures of a late 20th-century New York City pizza delivery boy, Philip J...
(now shown on Sky1) - King of the HillKing of the HillKing of the Hill is an American animated dramedy series created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels, that ran from January 12, 1997, to May 6, 2010, on Fox network. It centers on the Hills, a working-class Methodist family in the fictional small town of Arlen, Texas...
(also shown on FXFX (UK)FX is a television channel in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, owned by Fox, launched in 12 January 2004. It was originally branded as FX289 in reference to its Sky EPG number. It was rebranded to FX in May 2005 as the channel moved in the Sky EPG.FX targets a demographic between 25...
and E4) - Family GuyFamily GuyFamily Guy is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie; and their anthropomorphic pet dog Brian...
(previously shown on Sky1, now shown on BBC ThreeBBC ThreeBBC Three is a television network from the BBC broadcasting via digital cable, terrestrial, IPTV and satellite platforms. The channel's target audience includes those in the 16-34 year old age group, and has the purpose of providing "innovative" content to younger audiences, focusing on new talent...
and FXFX (UK)FX is a television channel in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, owned by Fox, launched in 12 January 2004. It was originally branded as FX289 in reference to its Sky EPG number. It was rebranded to FX in May 2005 as the channel moved in the Sky EPG.FX targets a demographic between 25...
) - The SimpsonsThe SimpsonsThe Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
(previously shown on BBC TwoBBC TwoBBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
, also shown on Sky1 and Sky2Sky2Sky2 is a British television channel originally launched on 2 December 2002 as Sky One Mix. Sky2 is now available on Sky, Virgin Media, Smallworld Cable and TalkTalk TV platforms in the UK. It is also available in the Republic of Ireland on the UPC Ireland platform.-Rebrand:Sky One Mix was...
) (edited version) - South ParkSouth ParkSouth Park is an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone for the Comedy Central television network. Intended for mature audiences, the show has become famous for its crude language, surreal, satirical, and dark humor that lampoons a wide range of topics...
(now shown on Comedy CentralComedy Central (UK)Comedy Central in the United Kingdom and Ireland is a localised version of Comedy Central which first began in the United States in the 1990s. The television channel is available through the Sky, Virgin Media, TalkTalk TV in the United Kingdom, Sky Ireland, UPC Ireland and Magnet Networks in the...
, VivaViva (UK & Ireland)Viva is a music video and entertainment channel in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The channel was officially launched on 26 October 2009 by Alexandra Burke, with an exclusive live performance of her single "Bad Boys". The channel replaced TMF. The channel is owned by MTV Networks Europe and was...
and MTVMTV (UK and Ireland)MTV is a 24-hour general entertainment channel operated by Viacom International Media Networks.The channel was launched as part of MTV Networks Europe localization strategy in 1997. MTV UK was launched on 1 July 1997. The channel was set up to provide audiences with local artists and more relevant...
) - The Cleveland ShowThe Cleveland ShowThe Cleveland Show is an American animated television series that premiered on September 27, 2009, as a part of the "Animation Domination" lineup on Fox in the United States...
(Shown on E4) - The Ricky Gervais ShowThe Ricky Gervais Show (animated series)The Ricky Gervais Show is an American cartoon series produced for and broadcast by HBO. The series is an animated version of the popular British audio podcasts and audiobooks of the same name, which feature Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant , along with colleague and friend Karl Pilkington,...
(Shown on E4)
Channel 4 have also promoted animation by independent film makers through a season called 4 Mation
4 Mation
4 Mations was regular animation strand broadcast in the UK on Channel 4. The series often featured a documentary on different artists, animators and a series of animated films. The series was notable for co-financing some films and broadcasting animated films from around the world...
. After 4Mation ended a new series called "Dope Sheet", followed the tradition of screening animation by less well known animators as well as classic animation from around the world.
Breakfast
Prior to April 1989, programming on Channel 4 did not start until 10am on weekdays, although in 1984 a segment called 'Early Morning' aired on Saturday and Sundays between 6:00am and 9:00am each weekend. Channel 4's first serious attempt at dedicated breakfast television was in April 1989 when The Channel Four DailyThe Channel Four Daily
The Channel Four Daily was a breakfast television newsmagazine produced by Independent Television News, in collaboration with other production companies, for Channel 4. The programme was the first breakfast news programme for Channel 4, broadcasting between 06.00 and 09.25 each weekday morning...
was launched. It was a mix of news and current affairs, more serious in its nature than its then sister service, TV-am
TV-am
TV-am was a breakfast television station that broadcast to the United Kingdom from 1 February 1983 to 31 December 1992. It made history by being the first national operator of a commercial television franchise at breakfast-time , and broadcast every day of the week for most or all of the period...
, and Channel 4 News
Channel 4 News
Channel 4 News is the news division of British television broadcaster Channel 4. It is produced by ITN, and has been in operation since the broadcaster's launch in 1982.-Channel 4 News:...
, operators of the ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
Breakfast franchise at the time. The programme was initially branded as a television equivalent of a newspaper. After failing to gain enough viewers, it was replaced in September 1992 by The Big Breakfast
The Big Breakfast
The Big Breakfast was a British light entertainment television show shown on Channel 4 and S4C each weekday morning from 28 September 1992 until 29 March 2002 during which period 2,482 shows were produced. The Big Breakfast was produced by Planet 24, the production company co-owned by former...
, a notable magazine format containing light entertainment, interviews and features with news and weather. It enjoyed periods of notable popularity during its near ten-year run. It was replaced by RI:SE
RI:SE
RI:SE was a breakfast television show made by Princess Productions in collaboration with BSkyB for Channel 4 in the UK. It was scheduled to replace The Big Breakfast after declining ratings. It launched on 29 April 2002...
in 2002, which failed to gain the same popularity and was axed after just one year. Since the end of RI:SE, Channel 4 has had no overall Breakfast programme so the music programmes like B4 and Freshly Squeezed
Freshly Squeezed
Freshly Squeezed is a British television programme broadcast every weekday morning around 07:00 on Channel 4.-Format:The programme takes the format of a music-based breakfast show, featuring studio performances, music videos and interviews.-Current:...
both replaced RI:SE. Now Freshley Squeezed is on from 7am until 7.30am and the rest of the morning cconsists of repeats of Everybody Loves Raymond, Frasier, Location Location Location and Supernanny.
Children's and Youth
Childrens programmes had been featured between 7:00am and 9:00am on the weekend segment Early Morning from 1986. However, in April 1989, in an attempt to emulate the success of BBC1's popular Going Live!Going Live!
Going Live! was a Saturday morning magazine show, broadcast on BBC1 between 1987 and 1993. It was presented by Phillip Schofield and Sarah Greene.Other presenters included Trevor and Simon, Peter Simon, Emma Forbes, and puppet Gordon the Gopher....
and ITV's cult favourite Wide Awake Club, a children's magazine-style series called Early Bird was launched, and broadcast on Saturday mornings between 7:00am and 9:30am. Hosted by Don Austen
Don Austen
British puppeteer Don Austen joined the Jim Henson Creature Shop in 1986 for the movie Labyrinth.He was a puppeteer for other blockbuster movies including Santa Claus: The Movie , The Little Shop of Horrors , Who Framed Roger Rabbit , The Bear , The Witches , and Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom...
, who played the "title character" (Earl E. Bird), this series became best-remembered for its competition to find a team of six children to compete in the The Crystal Maze
The Crystal Maze
The Crystal Maze was a British game show, produced by Chatsworth Television and shown on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom between 15 February 1990 and 10 August 1995. There was one series per year, with the first four series presented by Richard O'Brien and the final two by Ed Tudor-Pole, who made...
Christmas special aired on 01 January 1991. This Christmas special proved so popular that the competition was repeated the following year; however, overall the series' viewing figures regularly fell well short of Going Live! and Wide Awake Club, and in September 1992, Early Bird was dropped to make way for a Saturday morning spin-off of The Big Breakfast
The Big Breakfast
The Big Breakfast was a British light entertainment television show shown on Channel 4 and S4C each weekday morning from 28 September 1992 until 29 March 2002 during which period 2,482 shows were produced. The Big Breakfast was produced by Planet 24, the production company co-owned by former...
.
Children's programming
Some children's programmes aired on the 4 Junior block include:2 Stupid Dogs
2 Stupid Dogs was an American animated television series created by Donovan Cook and produced by Hanna-Barbera and Turner Program Services that originally ran from September 5, 1993 to February 13, 1995 on TBS. The main segments of the show featured two dogs, "Big Dog" and "Little Dog". The Big Dog...
AAAHH!!! Real Monsters
Aaahh!!! Real Monsters is an American animated television series about adolescent monsters in training, developed by Klasky Csupo for Nickelodeon...
Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog
The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog is an American animated series that was first broadcast in September 1993, and only for one season...
(1993–1998)
The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3
The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 is an American animated television series based on the video game Super Mario Bros. 3. It aired on NBC with Captain N: The Game Master in a programming block titled Captain N & The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 from September 8, 1990 through December 1,...
(1993–1998)
The Adventures of Tintin (TV series)
The Adventures of Tintin is an animated television series based on The Adventures of Tintin, a series of books by Hergé. It debuted in 1991, and 39 half-hour episodes were produced over the course of three seasons...
(1992-1999 moved to Channel 5 from 2001 till 2003/04)
The Adventures of T-Rex
The Adventures of T-Rex was a co-production between Japanese and American animated series that aired in syndication from 1992 to 1993 in North America...
Alfie Atkins
Alfie Atkins is a fictional character created by the author Gunilla Bergström from Sweden in 1972. Alfie Atkins appears in books and animated cartoons. In Swedish, he is known as Alfons Åberg....
Angela Anaconda
Angela Anaconda is a Canadian cutout animation television series that aired on the channels Teletoon and Fox Family. It centers on the adventures of an eight-year-old girl named Angela who lives in the fictional town of Tapwater Springs, has wacky brothers, weird friends, and hates a snobbish...
(2000–2006)
Animated Tales of the World
Animated Tales of the World is a 2001 American animated series that aired on HBO. It won two Primetime Emmy Awards in 2001, for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation and Outstanding Voice-Over Performance for Peter Macon.-External links:...
Babar (TV series)
Babar is an animated television series produced in Canada by Nelvana Limited and The Clifford Ross Company. It premiered in 1989 on CBC and HBO, subsequently was rerun on HBO Family and Qubo. The series is based on Jean de Brunhoff's original Babar books, and was Nelvana's first international...
(moved to Channel 5 in 2000)
The Baby-Sitters Club (TV series)
The Baby-Sitters Club is a 1990 American television series based on Ann M. Martin's children's book series of the same name. The series originally aired on the The Disney Channel, but was also broadcast on HBO and Nickelodeon; all thirteen thirty minute episodes were also released to home video...
Back to the Future: The Animated Series
Back to the Future: The Animated Series is an animated series for television based on the Back to the Future trilogy of feature films. The series lasted two seasons, each featuring 13 episodes, and ran on CBS from September 7, 1991 to November 28, 1992. It reran until August 14, 1993...
Bagpuss
Bagpuss is a 1974 UK children's television series, made by Peter Firmin and Oliver Postgate through their company Smallfilms. The title character is "an old, saggy cloth cat, baggy, and a bit loose at the seams"...
(previously shown on BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
in 1974) (1999–2000 and moved to Channel 5 in 2006)
Biker Mice from Mars
Biker Mice from Mars is a science fiction animated series created by Rick Ungar that began airing in 1993 in the United States and lasted for three seasons before it was cancelled...
Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventures (1990 TV series)
Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventures is a 1990 spin-off animated television series following the misadventures of two time-travelling slackers as they travel into the distant past and future...
Bobobobs
Bobobobs is a series of fictional children’s stories created by Henk Zwart and Nerida Zwart. The Bobobobs consists of several illustrated books and comics, and an animation children’s television series produced in 1988...
Blue's Clues
Blue's Clues is an American children's television show airing on the Nickelodeon family of channels. The show premiered on September 8, 1996 and airs on Nick Jr. and other channels, although production of new episodes ceased by 2006. Versions of the show have been produced in other countries,...
The Bluffers
The Bluffers is a Dutch children's cartoon series created by Frank Fehmers. It was first screened in 1984. The stories revolved around the inhabitants of the fictitious land of 'Bluffoonia' and their ongoing struggle against the evil tyrant 'Clandestino' and his plans to destroy the forest in...
Bug Alert
Bug Alert is a British Children's television series, first shown on GMTV in 1996. It featured the antics of a range of bug-like characters who lived in the kitchen of an unnamed house...
Cadillacs and Dinosaurs (TV series)
Cadillacs and Dinosaurs is an American Saturday morning animated television series which aired on CBS Kids in the United States from 1993 to 1994. Based on the comic book of the same name by Mark Schultz, the show was created by screenwriter Steven E...
California Dreams
California Dreams is an American teen-oriented sitcom that aired from 1992 to 1996 on Saturday mornings during NBC's TNBC programming block. It was created by writers Brett Dewey and Ronald B. Solomon and executive produced by Peter Engel, all known for their work on Saved by the...
Camberwick Green
Camberwick Green is a British children's television series, originally seen on BBC One, featuring stop-motion puppets. It was one of the first British television series to be filmed in colour.-Background:...
(previously shown on BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
in 1966) (1989–2000)
Chigley
Chigley is the third and final stop-motion children's television series in Gordon Murray's Trumptonshire sequence. Production details are identical to Camberwick Green....
(previously shown on BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
in 1969) (1989–2000)
Clangers
Clangers is a popular British stop-motion animated children's television series of short stories about a family of mouse-like creatures who live on, and in, a small blue planet . They speak in whistles, and eat green soup supplied by the Soup Dragon...
(previously shown on BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
from 1969 to 1974) (1992–2000 and moved to Channel 5 in 2006)
Creepy Crawlers (TV series)
Creepy Crawlers is an joint-venture between American and French animated series from 1994, produced by: Saban Entertainment.-Origins:The Creepy Crawlers TV Show was based on ToyMax's Creepy Crawlers Activity toy. A line of 12 action figures were made by ToyMax in conjunction with the show, as well...
Cow and Chicken
Cow and Chicken is an American animated series, created by David Feiss. The series shows the surreal adventures of a cow, named Cow, and her chicken brother, named Chicken. They are often antagonized by "The Red Guy", who poses as various characters to scam or hurt them...
(Moved to CITV)
Cubeez
Cubeez is an animated TV show developed between 2001 and 2006 and first aired on GMTV's Kids strand, now known as CITV. It is aimed at pre-school children aged 2–5. The four box-like characters, Bozz, Doody, Dink and Tizzy are accompanied on their adventures by a talking paintbrush and a variety of...
(previously shown on ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
)
Dennis the Menace (1986 TV series)
Dennis the Menace is an American animated series produced by DIC Entertainment , based on the comic strip by Hank Ketcham....
Deputy Dawg
Deputy Dawg is a Terrytoons cartoon character featured on the animated television series of the same name in an original TV weekly run from 8 September 1962 to 25 May 1963, with no episodes on 8 December to 29 December 1962, resuming on 5 January 1963. The cartoons are between four and six minutes...
Dig and Dug
Dig and Dug was a stop motion animated television series produced in the UK during in 1993 by Dorling Kindersley . There are 16 ten minute episodes and the characters were created and the stories written by writer Richard Everett...
Dog City
Dog City is a television series that was produced by Nelvana Limited and Jim Henson Productions and aired on FOX from September 26, 1992 to January 28, 1995, and in Canada on Global in 1993, then on Teletoon until 2000. The show contained both animation by Nelvana, and puppetry by Jim Henson...
(1993–1996)
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
in 1980) (1993–1994)
Dumb and Dumber (TV series)
Dumb and Dumber is an Hanna-Barbera-produced animated series based on the hit 1994 comedy film of the same name. The animated series premiered in 1995 on the ABC television network, as part of its Saturday morning cartoon lineup. The cartoon revolves around the continued misadventures of Harry and...
Earthworm Jim (TV series)
Earthworm Jim is an American animated television series which appeared on Kids' WB! for two seasons from September 9, 1995 through December 13, 1996. It is based on the video game series of the same name...
Eureeka's Castle
Eureeka's Castle is an American children's television series that aired on Nickelodeon from September 4, 1989 to June 30, 1995.-Synopsis:The show follows various puppet characters , including Eureeka, a sorceress in training. She and her friends live in a wind-up castle music box owned by a...
Faerie Tale Theatre
Faerie Tale Theatre is a live-action children's television anthology series retelling popular fairy tales. Shelley Duvall serves as narrator, host and executive producer of the program, and occasionally stars in episodes...
The Ferals
The Ferals is an Australian children's comedy television series created by Wendy Gray and Claire Henderson and produced by the ABC. It ran from 1994 to 1995, and it featured a mixture of people and animal puppets known as the "Ferals." It was lauded for its irreverent humour and distinctive...
Foofur
Foofur is a children's animated series made by Hanna-Barbera and Freddy Monnickendam. It aired on NBC from 1986 to 1988. The protagonist and title character was a skinny blue dog. The animated series was produced in part by William Hanna...
Fourways Farm
Fourways Farm was a Stop Motion animation produced in 1994 by Case Television and aired on Channel 4 during 4Learning Primary Science in 1994-1995.-Characters:* Davenport the Dog* Martha the Cow* Godfrey the Horse* Ginger the Cat* Dudley the Pig...
Grim Tales
Grim Tales is animated a British television program based on fairy tales by the Brothers Grimm, featuring Rik Mayall as the storyteller dressed in his pyjamas and dressing gown...
(previously shown on ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
from 1989 to 1991)
Hammerman
Hammerman is a Saturday morning cartoon, produced by DIC Entertainment and starring pop rapper MC Hammer, which aired for thirteen episodes on ABC.-Synopsis:...
Heathcliff (1980 TV series)
Heathcliff is an animated TV series that debuted on October 4, 1980. It was the first series based on the Heathcliff comic strip and was produced by Ruby-Spears Productions...
(previously shown on BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
from 1980 to 1987) (1989–1994)
The Herbs
The Herbs is a television series for young children made for the BBC by Graham Clutterbuck's FilmFair company. It was written by Michael Bond , directed by Ivor Wood using 3D stop motion model animation and first transmitted from 12 February 1968 in the BBC1 Watch with Mother timeslot...
(previously shown on BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
from 1968 to 1970) (1992–1997)
Hong Kong Phooey
Hong Kong Phooey is a 16-episode Hanna-Barbera animated series that first aired on ABC Saturday morning from to . The main character, Hong Kong Phooey, is a superhero who uses Chinese martial arts to fight crime. Hong Kong Phooey is the secret alter ego of Penrod "Penry" Pooch, a "mild-mannered"...
(previously shown on BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
in 1974) (1996–1997)
The Hoobs
The Hoobs is a BAFTA-winning children's television programme created and produced by The Jim Henson Company. It stars five creatures called Hoobs from the fictional Hoobland, and their interactions with Earth and the human race...
(import)
Space Goofs
Space Goofs is a French animated series produced by Gaumont Film Company, Gunther-Waul Productions and Xilam for France 3 that first aired in 1997...
I Am Weasel
I Am Weasel is an American animated television series produced by Cartoon Network Studios in co-production with Hanna-Barbera, created by David Feiss, and broadcast on Cartoon Network....
Insektors
Insektors was a 1994 French animated TV series about a conflict between two tribes of anthropomorphic insects: the Joyces and the Yuks . Made in a small studio, Fantome, in France, it was the 1994 recipient of a "Children and Young People" Emmy Award...
(1996–2000)
Inspector Gadget
Inspector Gadget is an animated television series that revolves around the adventures of a clumsy, simple-witted cyborg detective named Inspector Gadget – a human being with various bionic gadgets built into his body. Gadget's arch-nemesis is Dr...
(previously shown on ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
)
Ivor the Engine
Ivor the Engine is a British children's animation by Oliver Postgate and Peter Firmin's Smallfilms company. It is a children's television series relating the adventures of a small green locomotive who lived in the "top left-hand corner of Wales" and worked for The Merioneth and Llantisilly Railway...
(previously shown on BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
from 1975 to 1977) (1989–2000)
Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors
Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors is a French/North American animated TV show which first aired on September 16, 1985. It was produced by DIC Entertainment , and animated by Japanese animation studios Sunrise, Shaft, Studio Giants, Studio Look and Swan Production...
(1992–1993)
Johnny Bravo
Johnny Bravo is an American animated television series created by Van Partible for Cartoon Network. The series stars a muscular beefcake young man named Johnny Bravo who dons a pompadour hairstyle and an Elvis Presley-like voice and has a forward, woman-chasing personality...
Kaboodle
Kaboodle is a spelling derivation of the English word "caboodle", meaning a group, bunch, lot, pack, or collection of things or people. Caboodle is further derived from Boodle or booty...
Katie and Orbie
Katie and Orbie is an animated television series aimed at preschoolers, originally broadcast in Canada in 1994 by Family Channel and later aired in the United States on PBS from 1995–1997 and on Disney Channel from 1997–2000. In Canada, the series still airs on Family and Disney Junior...
The Kids from Room 402
The Kids from Room 402 is a television program that originally aired on Fox Family in the USA starting in 1999, previously aired on Teletoon, and currently airs in the UK.The show is focused primarily on the students from Room 402, as the title implies...
King Arthur and the Knights of Justice
King Arthur & the Knights of Justice was a Sunday morning, syndicated animated series which lasted for two seasons of 13 episodes each. The cartoon was produced by Golden Films, C&D Entertainment and Bohbot Entertainment...
Laurel and Hardy (animated series)
Laurel and Hardy is an American animated television series and an updated version of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy's comedic acts by the animation studio Hanna-Barbera from Hal Roach...
(1994)
The Legend Of White Fang
The Legend of White Fang was a cartoon series created in 1992 by Cinar. Renowned popular Canadiana writer, Pierre Berton, was a history consultant on the series.-Plot:...
(1995–1996)
The Legend of Zelda (TV series)
The Legend of Zelda is an American animated series based on the The Legend of Zelda video game series for the Nintendo Entertainment System. The plot follows the adventures of Link and Princess Zelda as they defend the kingdom of Hyrule from an evil wizard named Ganon...
Lift Off
Lift Off was an Australian educational television series that was broadcast on ABC Television from 1992 until the series ended in 1996. Each episode featured a live action storyline about a group of young children, and the problems they encountered with growing up, their parents, and various other...
Little Dracula
Little Dracula is a British series of children's books and an American animated television series that originally aired on FOX. Little Dracula revolves around a green-skinned, child vampire who aspires to be like his father, Big Dracula, yet also enjoys rock 'n roll and surfing...
(1996)
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
in 1983) (1992–1995)
Little Rosie
Little Rosey was Roseanne Barr's first attempt at a cartoon.-Plot:Based loosely on comedian Roseanne's childhood, this animated series aired late in the day on ABC's Saturday morning lineup...
Little Shop
Little Shop is a 1991 animated television series about a teenager and a giant talking plant that eats everything in sight. Little Shop was based on the off-broadway musical Little Shop of Horrors, which was based on the 1960 Roger Corman film The Little Shop of Horrors...
The Magic Roundabout
The Magic Roundabout was a children's television programme created in France in 1963 by Serge Danot...
(previously shown on BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
from 1965 to 1977 in a new recent series narrated by Nigel Planer in 1992) (1992–2000)
The Magic School Bus (TV series)
The Magic School Bus is an American Saturday morning animated television series based on the book series of the same name by Joanna Cole. It is notable for its use of celebrity talent and combining entertainment with an educational show, according to an article in Animation World Magazine by...
Mighty Max (TV series)
Mighty Max is an American animated action/sci-fi/horror television series that aired from 1993 to 1994 to promote the British Mighty Max toys, an offshoot of the Polly Pocket line, created by Bluebird Toys in 1992. It ran for two seasons, with a total of 40 episodes airing during the show's run...
Mr. Bogus
Mr. Bogus was an animated television series from the 1990s. Each episode was separated into two distinct parts, one using traditional cel-based animation and another using stop-motion. Characters often walked around on a kitchen counter having various adventures with common household items.Mr...
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
in 1974) (1992–1995)
Murun Buchstansangur
Murun Buchstansangur was a series of animated shorts produced by Bevanfield Films for the TV station Channel 4 in the United Kingdom. It comprised fifty-two episodes; each was written, directed and narrated by Timothy Forder....
(later shown on BBC Two
BBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
)
The Neverending Story (TV series)
The Neverending Story: The Animated Adventures of Bastian Balthazar Bux is an animated television series, produced by CineVox , Ellipse , and Nelvana , aired for one season on HBO, ran for 26 episodes, and loosely based on Michael Ende's book, The Neverending Story .In the animated series, the...
The Pink Panther (1993 TV series)
The Pink Panther is a 1993 animated television series. It was credited as a co-production of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Animation, Mirisch-Geoffrey DePatie-Freleng and United Artists .-Plot:This version stars the legendary hip feline in new adventures...
Noggin the Nog
Noggin the Nog is a popular British children's character appearing in his own TV series and series of illustrated books, the brainchild of Oliver Postgate and Peter Firmin. The TV series is considered a 'cult classic' from the golden age of British children's television...
(previously shown on BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
from 1979 to 1980) (1989–1994)
OWL/TV
OWL/TV is a children's educational television series that aired on the CBC, and then later on CTV, from 1985 to 1994. Its focus is nature and science discovery, emphasizing to viewers how they can have an impact on their own environment. PBS, BBC, ITV and Showtime also aired the show for a brief...
Paddington (1975 TV series)
Paddington Bear is a series of British animated shorts based on the Paddington Bear book series by Michael Bond produced by FilmFair. This was the first television series based on the popular children's book Paddington Bear. In the United States it was usually shown on pay television as filler in...
(previously shown on BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
from 1975 to 1986) (1992/93–1995/96; moved to CITV
CITV
CITV is a British television channel from ITV Digital Channels Ltd, a division of ITV plc. It broadcasts content from the CITV archive, as well as commissions and acquisitions. CITV itself is the programming block on the main ITV Network .The CITV channel broadcasts from 06:00 to 18:00...
in 1999)
Pelswick
Pelswick is an animated television series produced by Nelvana for CBC Television in Canada and the Nickelodeon cable channel in the United States. The series is about a teenage boy who uses a wheelchair, emphasized how he lived a normal life and was based on the books created by John Callahan. It...
CBBC
CBBC is one of two brand names used for the BBC's children's television strands. Between 1985 and 2002, CBBC was the name given to all the BBC's programmes on TV for children aged under 14...
)
Pob's Programme
Pob's Programme was a children's television programme, which was broadcast in the United Kingdom on Channel 4 and BBC between October 1985 and 1990...
Pole Position (TV series)
Pole Position is an animated cartoon series produced by DIC Entertainment.The name Pole Position was used under license from Namco, who held the rights to the name due to the video game Pole Position. The show sought to capitalize on the popularity of the video game...
Postman Pat
Postman Pat is a British stop-motion animated children's television series first produced by Woodland Animations. It is aimed at pre-school children, and concerns the adventures of Pat Clifton, a postman in the fictional village of Greendale .Postman Pat's first 13-episode season was screened on...
Press Gang
Press Gang is a British children's television comedy-drama consisting of forty-three episodes across five series that were broadcast from 1989 to 1993...
ProStars
ProStars was a Saturday morning cartoon show produced by DiC that aired on NBC from September 14 to December 7, 1991.-Synopsis:Originally intended to air on ESPN, the show centers on Michael Jordan, Bo Jackson and Wayne Gretzky fighting crime and helping children, often protecting the environment...
Pugwall
Pugwall is an Australian children's television series. It revolves around the title character Peter Unwin George Wall, PUGWALL, and his friends as they form a band called the Orange Organics.-Premise:...
Quaq Quao
Quaq Quao was an Italian animated television series for children based on the adventures of a duck.The series consisted of 26 episodes of 5 minutes duration. It was filmed using stop-motion with origami figures and was written and directed by Francesco Misseri with music by Piero Barbetti. Quaq...
Ramona (1988 TV series)
Ramona is a Canadian children's television series which followed the life of eight-year-old title character Ramona Quimby . It was based on the Ramona book series by Beverly Cleary....
Really Wild Animals
Really Wild Animals is a children's nature television series comprising 26 episodes that aired between December 29, 1993 and December 31, 1997, starring the late Dudley Moore as Spin, a talking globe. The series was released on 13 VHS tapes, and later on 13 DVDs.Released by the National Geographic...
RIC
-Companies:* Reliance Infocomm* Rickenbacker International Corporation , or merely short for Rickenbacker* RIC TV Rede Independência de Comunicação)- Brazilian network television...
(Ric the Raven)
Road to Avonlea
Road to Avonlea was a television series which was first broadcast in Canada and the United States between 1990 and 1996. It was created by Kevin Sullivan and produced by Sullivan Films in association with CBC and the Disney Channel, with additional funding from Telefilm Canada.It was adapted from...
Rocko's Modern Life
Rocko's Modern Life is an animated series created by Joe Murray. The show aired for four seasons between 1993 and 1996 on Nickelodeon. Rocko's Modern Life is based around the surreal, parodic adventures of an anthropomorphic wallaby named Rocko, and his life in the city of O-Town...
(1994–1996)
Roobarb
Roobarb is a British animated television programme for children, originally shown on BBC1 just before the evening news. Each cartoon, written by Grange Calveley and animated by Bob Godfrey, was about five minutes long. Thirty episodes were made, and the show was first shown on October 21, 1974...
(previously shown on BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
from 1974 to 1989) (1989/90–1995/96 and moved to Channel 5 in 1997)
Round the Bend
Round the Bend was a British children's television series, which ran on Children's ITV for three series from 1989 to 1991. The show was a Hat Trick production for Yorkshire Television...
(previously shown on ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
from 1989 to 1991)
Salty's Lighthouse
Salty's Lighthouse was a series for young children, produced by Sunbow Entertainment in 1997 in association with the Bank Street College of Education in New York. The show centred around a young boy named Salty, as he plays and learns with his friends in a magical lighthouse...
Sandokan
Sandokan is a fictional pirate of the late 19th century, who first appeared in publication in 1883, created by Italian author Emilio Salgari. He is the protagonist of eleven adventure novels and is known throughout the South China Sea as "The Tiger of Malaysia".-Sandokan novels:Emilio Salgari...
Saved by the Bell
Saved by the Bell is an American television sitcom that aired between 1989 and 1993. The series is a retooled version of the 1988 series Good Morning, Miss Bliss, which was itself later folded into the history of Saved by the Bell...
(import) (1994–2001)
The Secret World of Alex Mack
The Secret World of Alex Mack is an American television series that ran on Nickelodeon from October 8, 1994 to January 15, 1998, replacing Clarissa Explains It All on the SNICK line-up. It also aired on YTV in Canada and NHK in Japan, and was a popular staple in the children's weekday line-up for...
(import)
Sesame Street
Sesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
(import) (previously shown on ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
from 1982–1985) (1987–2001, 2011-present)
Space Cats
Space Cats is a cartoon series for television that aired on NBC in 1991. It is a comedy show about alien felines helping mankind. It was from Paul Fusco, the creator of ALF.-Plot:...
Spider-Man (1967 TV series)
Spider-Man is an animated television series that ran from September 9, 1967 to June 14, 1970. It was jointly produced in Canada and the United States and was the first animated adaptation of the Spider-Man comic book series, created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko...
(also shown on BSB's Galaxy
British Satellite Broadcasting
British Satellite Broadcasting was a British television company which provided direct broadcast satellite television services to the United Kingdom...
channel)
Spiff and Hercules
Spiff and Hercules is the English translation of a French comic strip titled Pif et Hercule, featuring an anthropomorphic brown-yellow dog and a black-white cat who, despite being best friends, are constantly fighting in a friendship/hate relationship...
(1993–1995)
Sonic the Hedgehog (TV series)
Sonic the Hedgehog: The Animated Series is an American animated series produced by DIC Entertainment with the partnership of Sega of America and was based on the Sonic the...
(1996)
Storybook Classics
Winnie the Pooh Storybook Classics started running on VHS's worldwide in 1994. The featurettes include, Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree , Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day , Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too! and Winnie the Pooh and a Day for Eeyore . One of these VHS's was last released in 2000....
Super Dave: Daredevil for Hire
Super Dave: Daredevil for Hire is a DiC animated television series.In the United States, the show premiered on September 9, 1992 on FOX. The series was cancelled after its first season, but a special based on the series titled "The Super Dave Superbowl of Knowledge" aired on January 29, 1994.The...
Terrytoons
Terrytoons was an animation studio founded by Paul Terry. The studio, located in suburban New Rochelle, New York, operated from 1929 to 1968. Its most popular characters included Mighty Mouse, Gandy Goose, Sourpuss, Dinky Duck, Deputy Dawg, Luno and Heckle and Jeckle; these cartoons and all of its...
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
until 2008)
The Treacle People
The Treacle People was a children's television programme shown on CITV in the United Kingdom, from 3 May 1996 to 25 July 1997. It only had two series, each with 13 episodes. The programme was short lived due to a lack of viewers. In a similar vein to other shows by the same writer, the humour...
(import)
The Trap Door
The Trap Door was a claymation-style animated television series, originally shown in the United Kingdom in 1984. The plot revolves around both the daily lives and the misadventures of a group of monsters living in a castle...
(1996–2003; previously shown on ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
and Sky1)
Trumpton
Trumpton is a stop-motion children's television show from the producers of Camberwick Green first shown on the BBC in the 1960s. The third and final series in the sequence was Chigley....
(previously shown on BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
in 1967) (1989–2000)
Ulysses 31
is a Franco-Japanese animated television series that updates the Greek mythology of Odysseus to the 31st century. The show comprised 26 half-hour episodes and was produced by DIC Audiovisuel in conjunction with anime studio Tokyo Movie Shinsha...
(previously shown on BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
from 1981 to 1986) (1993–1996)
Where on Earth Is Carmen Sandiego?
Where on Earth is Carmen Sandiego? is an American animated television series based on the series of computer games. It should not be confused with the PBS game show Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?. The Earth show was made by DIC/Program Exchange and originally aired Saturday mornings on FOX...
Widget (TV series)
Widget, the World Watcher is an animated television series which debuted in syndication on September 29, 1990. The series ran for two seasons; in the first season , it aired once a week , and in the second season , the series expanded to 5 days a week .-Overview:The show focused on a , purple alien...
(1993–1994)
Wish Kid
Wish Kid starring Macaulay Culkin was an animated television series that originally aired on Saturday mornings from September 14, 1991, through July 1992 on NBC, although a few repeats aired on Toon Disney after that...
The Wombles (TV series)
The Wombles is a stop motion animated British television series made in 1973–1975. Further animated episodes were made in 1996–1997.After the first Wombles book, published in 1968, was featured on the BBC children's television programme Jackanory....
(previously shown on BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
from 1973 to 1991) (1992/93–1995/96; moved to CITV in 1999, where a new series also aired)
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
from 1989 to 1990)
The World of David the Gnome
The World of David the Gnome, originally titled David el Gnomo , is a Spanish animated television series based on the children's book The Secret Book of Gnomes, by the Dutch author Wil Huygen and illustrator Rien Poortvliet...
Wowser (TV series)
is an anime based on the Belgian comic strip Cubitus. It consisted of 52 two-part episodes, and originally aired from April 5, 1988 to March 27, 1989.-Plot:Wowser is a big white dog who lives with his owner, the Professor...
(Previously shown on ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
from 1990 to 1991) (1993–1996)
The Zack Files
The Zack Files is a science fiction television program that revolves around a young boy, played by Robert Clark, who is a magnet for paranormal activity and attends Horace White High School for Boys along with his three friends Cam, Gwen, and Spencer. Zack manages to get himself into trouble with...
T4
T4 is a separately identified strand carried on Channel 4 (and briefly on E4 until 2002). It consists of programming in the mornings seven days a week for an age range of around 16–25.Some programmes include:
Andromeda (TV series)
Andromeda is a Canadian-American science fiction television series, based on unused material by the late Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, developed by Robert Hewitt Wolfe, and produced by Roddenberry's widow, Majel Barrett Roddenberry. It starred Kevin Sorbo as High Guard Captain Dylan Hunt...
(import)
Charmed
Charmed is an American television series that originally aired from October 7, 1998, until May 21, 2006, on the now defunct The WB Television Network. The series was created in 1998 by writer Constance M...
(import; later moved to Channel Five
Channel Five
Channel 5 is a television network that broadcasts in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1997, it was the fifth and final national terrestrial analogue network to launch. The station was branded as Five between 2002 and 2010...
and Living)
Star Trek: Enterprise
Star Trek: Enterprise is a science fiction television series. It follows the adventures of humanity's first warp 5 starship, the Enterprise, ten years before the United Federation of Planets shown in previous Star Trek series was formed.Enterprise premiered on September 26, 2001...
(import) 2002-2005
One Tree Hill (TV series)
One Tree Hill is an American television drama created by Mark Schwahn, which premiered on September 23, 2003, on The WB Television Network. After its third season, The WB merged with UPN to form The CW Television Network, and, since September 27, 2006, the network has been the official broadcaster...
(import)
The O.C.
The O.C. is an American teen drama television series that originally aired on the Fox television network in the United States from August 5, 2003, to February 21, 2007, running a total of four seasons...
(import)
The Simple Life
The Simple Life was a reality television series that was broadcast from December 2, 2003 to August 5, 2007. The first three seasons aired on Fox, and the final two on E!...
(import)
Smallville (TV series)
Smallville is an American television series developed by writers/producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar based on the DC Comics character Superman, originally created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The television series was initially broadcast by The WB Television Network , premiering on October...
(import)
Coach Trip
Coach Trip is a reality show that was broadcast on Channel 4 with More4 and Pick TV showing repeats since 7 March 2005. The programme returned on 25 May 2009. The show's format consists of 4 to 7 teams of 2 undertaking a coach tour principally of continental Europe...
(showed series 1 and 2 only; later repeated on Sky3 and More4
More4
More4 is a digital television channel, run by British broadcaster Channel 4, that launched on 10 October 2005. It is carried on Freeview, on satellite broadcasters Freesat and Sky, UK IPTV broadcaster TalkTalk TV and on UK cable network Virgin Media and in the Republic of Ireland cable networks...
)
Stargate SG-1
Stargate SG-1 is a Canadian-American adventure and military science fiction television series and part of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's Stargate franchise. The show, created by Brad Wright and Jonathan Glassner, is based on the 1994 feature film Stargate by Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich...
(import)
Totally Frank
Totally Frank was a comedy drama series with a real life band as its stars on Channel 4. It followed a band, Frank, who were struggling to make it in the music industry.-Frank:...
Ugly Betty
Ugly Betty is an American comedy-drama television series developed by Silvio Horta, which premiered on ABC on September 28, 2006, and ended on April 14, 2010. The series revolves around the character Betty Suarez and is based on Fernando Gaitán's Colombian telenovela soap opera Yo soy Betty, la fea...
(import)
Beauty and the Geek
Beauty and the Geek is a reality television series on The CW. It has been advertised as "The Ultimate Social Experiment" and is produced by Ashton Kutcher, Jason Goldberg and Nick Santora....
(import)
Popworld
Popworld was a British television programme that was broadcast on Channel 4, offering pop news, trivia, gossip, interviews and music videos, as well as musical performances from the most recent top artists....
Vanity Lair
Vanity Lair is a reality television program on Channel 4 , which started on the 3rd of February 2008, it is presented by Alexa Chung.The shows aim is to discover what being beautiful really is. The format involves ten pre-selected beautiful people living in a mansion called 'Vanity Lair'. Each week...
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
(import)
Comedy
During the station's early days screenings of innovative short one-off comedy films produced by a rotating line-up of alternative comedians went under the title of The Comic Strip Presents. Artists involved included Rik MayallRik Mayall
Richard Michael "Rik" Mayall is an English comedian, writer, and actor. He is known for his comedy partnership with Ade Edmondson, his over-the-top, energetic portrayal of characters, and as a pioneer of alternative comedy in the early 1980s...
, Adrian Edmondson
Adrian Edmondson
Adrian Charles "Ade" Edmondson is an English comedian. He is probably best known for his comedic roles in the television series The Young Ones and Bottom , for which he also wrote together with his long-time collaboration partner Rik Mayall.-Early life:Edmondson, the second of four children, was...
, Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders
Jennifer Saunders
Jennifer Jane Saunders is an English comedienne, screenwriter, singer and actress. She has won two BAFTAs, an International Emmy Award, a British Comedy Award, a Rose d'Or Light Entertainment Festival Award, two Writers' Guild of Great Britain Awards, and a Peoples Choice Award.She first came into...
, Peter Cook
Peter Cook
Peter Edward Cook was an English satirist, writer and comedian. An extremely influential figure in modern British comedy, he is regarded as the leading light of the British satire boom of the 1960s. He has been described by Stephen Fry as "the funniest man who ever drew breath," although Cook's...
, Peter Richardson, and Alexei Sayle
Alexei Sayle
Alexei David Sayle is a British stand-up comedian, actor and author. He was a central part of the alternative comedy circuit in the early 1980s. He was voted the 18th greatest stand-up comic on Channel 4's 100 Greatest Stand-ups in 2007...
. The Tube
The Tube (TV series)
The Tube was an innovative United Kingdom pop/rock music television programme, which ran for five seasons, from 5 November 1982 until 1987...
and Friday Night Live also launched the careers of a number of a number of up and coming comedians and writers. Channel 4 broadcast a number of popular American imports including: Roseanne, Friends, Sex and the City
Sex and the City
Sex and the City is an American television comedy-drama series created by Darren Star and produced by HBO. Broadcast from 1998 until 2004, the original run of the show had a total of ninety-four episodes...
, South Park
South Park
South Park is an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone for the Comedy Central television network. Intended for mature audiences, the show has become famous for its crude language, surreal, satirical, and dark humor that lampoons a wide range of topics...
and Will & Grace
Will & Grace
Will & Grace was an American television sitcom that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 21, 1998 to May 18, 2006 for a total of eight seasons. Will & Grace remains the most successful television series with gay principal characters...
. The popularity of this time-slot lead to the brand Channel 4 Friday Comedy often being promoted.
Other significant US acquisitions include The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
, for which the station was reported to have paid £700,000 per episode for the terrestrial television
Terrestrial television
Terrestrial television is a mode of television broadcasting which does not involve satellite transmission or cables — typically using radio waves through transmitting and receiving antennas or television antenna aerials...
rights.
In April 2010, Channel 4 became the first UK broadcaster to adapt the American comedy institution of roasting to British television, with A Comedy Roast.
Other notable comedies include:
- AbsolutelyAbsolutely (TV series)Absolutely is a popular United Kingdom television comedy sketch show shown on Channel 4 between 1989 and 1993.The cast and crew were mainly Scottish; the principal writers and performers were Moray Hunter, Jack Docherty, Peter Baikie, Gordon Kennedy , Morwenna Banks and John Sparkes...
- ALFALF (TV series)ALF is an American science fiction sitcom that originally aired on NBC from 1986 to 1990, created by Paul Fusco. The title character was Gordon Shumway, a friendly extraterrestrial nicknamed ALF , who crash lands in the garage of the suburban middle-class Tanner family.The series starred Max...
(import) - The Adam and Joe ShowThe Adam and Joe ShowThe Adam and Joe Show was a British television comedy show, written and presented by Adam and Joe, that is, Adam Buxton and Joe Cornish, which ran for four series on Channel 4 between 1996 and 2001...
- The Bernie Mac ShowThe Bernie Mac ShowThe Bernie Mac Show is an American sitcom featuring comic actor Bernie Mac and his wife Wanda raising his sister's three kids: Jordan, Bryana and Vanessa. The show aired for five seasons , concluding with a half-hour series finale on Fox....
(import) - BewitchedBewitchedBewitched is an American situation comedy originally broadcast for eight seasons on ABC from 1964 to 1972, starring Elizabeth Montgomery, Dick York and Dick Sargent , Agnes Moorehead, and David White. The show is about a witch who marries a mortal and tries to lead the life of a typical suburban...
(import) - The Big Bang TheoryThe Big Bang TheoryThe Big Bang Theory is an American sitcom created by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady, both of whom serve as executive producers on the show, along with Steven Molaro. All three also serve as head writers...
(import) - Black BooksBlack BooksBlack Books is a British sitcom television series created by Dylan Moran and Graham Linehan and produced by Nira Park, first broadcast on Channel 4 from 2000 to 2004...
- BlunderBlunder (TV series)Blunder was a Channel 4 comedy sketch series shown in the UK on E4 and repeated on Channel 4. No announcement of a second series has yet been made.-Characters:-The Baron:...
- Bo' Selecta!Bo' Selecta!Bo' Selecta! is a British sketch show written and performed by Leigh Francis, known for its often deeply surreal, abstract toilet humour, which lampoons popular culture. It was broadcast on Channel 4 and ran for three series between 2002 and 2004, spawning several spin-offs...
- Boy Meets WorldBoy Meets WorldBoy Meets World is an American comedy-drama series that chronicles the events and everyday life lessons of Cory Matthews, played by Ben Savage, a kid from suburban Philadelphia who grows up from a young boy to a married man. The show aired for seven seasons from 1993 to 2000 on ABC, part of the...
(import) - Brass EyeBrass EyeBrass Eye is a UK television series of satirical spoof documentaries. A series of six aired on Channel 4 in 1997, and a further episode in 2001....
- Captain ButlerCaptain ButlerCaptain Butler was a British sitcom starring Craig Charles as Butler, the captain of a motley crew of pirates which included Roger Griffiths, Shaun Curry, Lewis Rae and Sanjeev Bhaskar. Created by John Smith and Rob Sprackling, the series only ran for six episodes on Channel 4 during 1997...
- CheersCheersCheers is an American situation comedy television series that ran for 11 seasons from 1982 to 1993. It was produced by Charles/Burrows/Charles Productions, in association with Paramount Network Television for NBC, and was created by the team of James Burrows, Glen Charles, and Les Charles...
(import) - Chelmsford 123Chelmsford 123Chelmsford 123 is a British television situation comedy produced for Channel 4 by Hat Trick Productions. It ran for two series, of six and seven episodes, in 1988 and 1990....
- The Class (import)
- Comedy LabComedy LabComedy Lab is a British television series which showcases pilots of experimental comedy shows. Series have been aired irregularly on Channel 4 and E4 since 1998....
- The Comic Strip Presents
- The Cosby ShowThe Cosby ShowThe Cosby Show is an American television situation comedy starring Bill Cosby, which aired for eight seasons on NBC from September 20, 1984 until April 30, 1992...
(import) - Desmond'sDesmond'sDesmond's is a British television situation comedy broadcast by Channel 4 from 1989 to 1994. The first series was shot in 1988, with the first episode broadcast in January 1989...
- Drop the Dead DonkeyDrop the Dead Donkey- Major characters :* Gus Hedges — The unctuous Chief Executive of the company, and yes-man to Sir Roysten Merchant. A management stereotype, complete with clichés and clumsy metaphors, he swiftly transforms GlobeLink from a serious news network to a ratings-chasing tabloid channel...
- EdEd (TV series)Ed is an NBC television program co-produced by David Letterman's Worldwide Pants Incorporated, NBC Productions, and Viacom Productions that aired from 2000 to 2004....
(import) - Everybody Loves RaymondEverybody Loves RaymondEverybody Loves Raymond is an American television sitcom that originally ran on CBS from September 13, 1996, to May 16, 2005. Many of the situations from the show are based on the real-life experiences of lead actor Ray Romano, creator/producer Phil Rosenthal and the show's writing staff...
(import) - Father TedFather TedFather Ted is a comedy series set in Ireland that was produced by Hat Trick Productions for British broadcaster Channel 4. Written jointly by Irish writers Arthur Mathews and Graham Linehan and starring a predominantly Irish cast, it originally aired over three series from 21 April 1995 until 1 May...
- FrasierFrasierFrasier is an American sitcom that was broadcast on NBC for eleven seasons, from September 16, 1993, to May 13, 2004. The program was created and produced by David Angell, Peter Casey, and David Lee in association with Grammnet and Paramount Network Television.A spin-off of Cheers, Frasier stars...
(import) - FriendsFriendsFriends is an American sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994 to May 6, 2004. The series revolves around a group of friends in Manhattan. The series was produced by Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions, in association with Warner Bros. Television...
(import) - Garth Marenghi's DarkplaceGarth Marenghi's DarkplaceGarth Marenghi's Darkplace is a British dark comedy show made for Channel 4 by Matthew Holness and Richard Ayoade. Following on from Garth Marenghi's Netherhead, which won the 2001 Perrier Awards, the show revolves around fictional horror author Garth Marenghi and his publisher Dean Learner...
- The Golden GirlsThe Golden GirlsThe Golden Girls is an American sitcom created by Susan Harris, which originally aired on NBC from September 14, 1985, to May 9, 1992. Starring Bea Arthur, Betty White, Rue McClanahan and Estelle Getty, the show centers on four older women sharing a home in Miami, Florida...
(import) (1992) - Green WingGreen WingGreen Wing is a British sitcom set in the fictional East Hampton Hospital. It was created by the same team behind the sketch show Smack the Pony, led by Victoria Pile, and stars Tamsin Greig, Stephen Mangan and Julian Rhind-Tutt....
- The Harry Hill Show (later moved to ITV1ITV1ITV1 is a generic brand that is used by twelve franchises of the British ITV Network in the English regions, Wales, southern Scotland , the Isle of Man and the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey. The ITV1 brand was introduced by Carlton and Granada in 2001, alongside the regional identities of their...
as The All New Harry Hill Show) - Here's LucyHere's LucyHere's Lucy is Lucille Ball's third network television sitcom. It ran on CBS from 1968 to 1974.-Background:Though The Lucy Show was still hugely popular during the previous season, finishing in the top five of the Nielsen Ratings , Ball opted to end that series at the end of that season and create...
- Heroes of Comedy
- Home Improvement (import)
- The IT CrowdThe IT CrowdThe IT Crowd is a British sitcom by Channel 4, written by Graham Linehan, produced by Ash Atalla and starring Chris O'Dowd, Richard Ayoade, Katherine Parkinson and Matt Berry...
- Is It Legal?Is It Legal?Is It Legal? is a British television sitcom set in a solicitors office in Hounslow, west London, which ran from 1995 to 1998. It was produced by Hartswood Films and was shown on ITV for Series 1-2 and Channel 4 for Series 3...
(originally shown on ITVITVITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
from 1995 to 1996 - only Series 3 was shown on Channel 4 in 1998) - JamJam (TV series)Jam was a postmodern British dark comedy series created, written and directed by Chris Morris, and broadcast on Channel 4 during March and April 2000...
- Just Shoot Me!Just Shoot Me!Just Shoot Me! is an American television sitcom that aired for seven seasons on NBC from March 4, 1997 to August 16, 2003, with 148 episodes produced. The show was created by Steven Levitan, the show's executive producer.-Description:...
(import) - Let The Blood Run FreeLet The Blood Run FreeLet The Blood Run Free was an anarchic Australian spoof soap opera set in St Christopher's Hospital and created by comedy collective, The Blood Group.- Conception :...
(import) - The Mark Thomas Product
- The Mary Tyler Moore ShowThe Mary Tyler Moore ShowThe Mary Tyler Moore Show is an American television sitcom created by James L. Brooks and Allan Burns that aired on CBS from 1970 to 1977...
(import) - Max and Paddy's Road To NowhereMax and Paddy's Road to NowhereMax and Paddy's Road to Nowhere was an award-winning British comedy television show on Channel 4 starring and written by Peter Kay and Patrick McGuinness. All the episodes were also directed by Kay. It began on 12 November 2004 and ran for six 30 minute episodes up until 17 December 2004, with each...
- Mister EdMister EdOriginally produced in late 1960, Mister Ed is an American television situation comedy produced by Filmways that first aired in syndication from January 5 to July 2, 1961, and then on CBS from October 1, 1961, to February 6, 1966....
(import) - My Name Is EarlMy Name Is EarlMy Name Is Earl is an American television comedy series created by Greg Garcia that was originally broadcast on the NBC television network from September 20, 2005, to May 14, 2009, in the United States...
(import) - MoeshaMoeshaMoesha is an American sitcom series that aired on the UPN network from January 23, 1996 to May 14, 2001. The series stars R&B singer Brandy Norwood as Moesha Mitchell, a high school student living with her family in the Leimert Park neighborhood of South Central Los Angeles.-Overview:The show...
(import) - Nathan BarleyNathan BarleyNathan Barley is a Channel 4 sitcom written by Charlie Brooker and Chris Morris, starring Nicholas Burns, Julian Barratt and Claire Keelan. The series of six weekly episodes began broadcasting on 11 February 2005 on Channel 4...
- The Oprah Winfrey ShowThe Oprah Winfrey ShowThe Oprah Winfrey Show is an American syndicated talk show hosted and produced by its namesake Oprah Winfrey. It ran nationally for 25 seasons beginning in 1986, before concluding in 2011. It is the highest-rated talk show in American television history....
(import) - The Paul Hogan ShowPaul HoganPaul Hogan, AM is an Australian actor best known for his role as Michael "Crocodile" Dundee from the Crocodile Dundee film series, for which he won a Golden Globe award.-Early life and career:...
(import) - Peep ShowPeep Show (TV series)Peep Show is a British sitcom starring David Mitchell and Robert Webb. The television programme is written by Jesse Armstrong and Sam Bain, with additional material by Mitchell and Webb themselves, amongst others. It has been broadcast on Channel 4 since 2003. The show's seventh series makes it...
- PhenomPhenom (TV series)Phenom is an American sitcom about a tennis wunderkind that aired on ABC from September 14, 1993 to May 10, 1994. The series stars Angela Goethals, Judith Light, and William Devane.-Synopsis:...
(import) - That Peter Kay ThingThat Peter Kay ThingThat Peter Kay Thing was a series of six spoof documentaries shown on Channel 4 in January 2000. Set in and around Bolton, these followed the lives of different characters and starred Peter Kay as the subject of each documentary. All of the episodes displayed Kay's penchant for nostalgic humour and...
- Peter Kay's Phoenix NightsPeter Kay's Phoenix NightsPeter Kay's Phoenix Nights was a BAFTA-nominated English sitcom about The Phoenix Club, a working men's club in the northern English town of Farnworth, Greater Manchester. The show was written by Neil Fitzmaurice, Peter Kay and Dave Spikey, produced by Goodnight Vienna Productions and Ovation...
- The Ricky Gervais ShowThe Ricky Gervais Show (animated series)The Ricky Gervais Show is an American cartoon series produced for and broadcast by HBO. The series is an animated version of the popular British audio podcasts and audiobooks of the same name, which feature Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant , along with colleague and friend Karl Pilkington,...
(also shown on E4) - Roseanne (import)
- Sex and the CitySex and the CitySex and the City is an American television comedy-drama series created by Darren Star and produced by HBO. Broadcast from 1998 until 2004, the original run of the show had a total of ninety-four episodes...
(import) - Smack the PonySmack the PonySmack the Pony is a British sketch comedy show that ran from 1999 until 2003 on Channel 4. Its title was intended to sound like a euphemism for female masturbation; the working title was Spot the Pony. The main performers and writers on the show were Fiona Allen, Doon Mackichan and Sally Phillips...
- So Graham NortonSo Graham NortonSo Graham Norton is a British television programme, hosted by Irish personality Graham Norton. It ran from 3 July 1998 to 1 March 2002.-Theme:...
(became V Graham Norton) - South ParkSouth ParkSouth Park is an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone for the Comedy Central television network. Intended for mature audiences, the show has become famous for its crude language, surreal, satirical, and dark humor that lampoons a wide range of topics...
(import) - SpacedSpacedSpaced is a British television sitcom written by and starring Simon Pegg and Jessica Stevenson, and directed by Edgar Wright. It is noted for its rapid-fire editing, frequent pop culture references and jokes, eclectic music, and occasional displays of surrealism and non-sequitur humour...
- SpoonsSpoons (TV series)Spoons is a comedy sketch show first broadcast on the UK's Channel 4 from 30 September 2005. In the United States, Spoons is broadcast on BBC America...
- TeachersTeachers (UK TV series)Teachers is a British television sitcom, originally shown on Channel 4. The series follows a group of secondary school teachers in their daily lives....
- They Came From Somewhere ElseThey Came From Somewhere ElseThey Came From Somewhere Else is a British sitcom that was broadcast on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom in 1984. It pastiches numerous horror films including Dawn of the Dead, Don't Look Now and Carrie....
- Trigger Happy TVTrigger Happy TVTrigger Happy TV was a hidden camera/practical joke reality television program. The original British edition of the show, produced by Absolutely Productions, starred Dom Joly and ran for two series on the British television channel Channel 4 from 2000 until 2002...
- Ugly BettyUgly BettyUgly Betty is an American comedy-drama television series developed by Silvio Horta, which premiered on ABC on September 28, 2006, and ended on April 14, 2010. The series revolves around the character Betty Suarez and is based on Fernando Gaitán's Colombian telenovela soap opera Yo soy Betty, la fea...
(import) - Will & GraceWill & GraceWill & Grace was an American television sitcom that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 21, 1998 to May 18, 2006 for a total of eight seasons. Will & Grace remains the most successful television series with gay principal characters...
(import) - Whose Line Is It Anyway?Whose Line Is It Anyway?Whose Line Is It Anyway? is a short-form improvisational comedy TV show. Originally a British radio programme, it moved to television in 1988 as a series made for the UK's Channel 4, for a 10 series run...
Comedy Gala
In 2010, Channel 4 organised Channel 4's Comedy GalaChannel 4's Comedy Gala
Channel 4's Comedy Gala is a British stand-up comedy benefit show organised Channel 4 in aid of the Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital. The gig is filmed live at the O2 Arena in London, and then broadcast later by Channel 4...
, a stand-up comedy
Stand-up comedy
Stand-up comedy is a comedic art form. Usually, a comedian performs in front of a live audience, speaking directly to them. Their performances are sometimes filmed for later release via DVD, the internet, and television...
benefit show
Benefit concert
A benefit concert or charity concert is a concert, show or gala featuring musicians, comedians, or other performers that is held for a charitable purpose, often directed at a specific and immediate humanitarian crisis. Such events raise both funds and public awareness to address the cause at...
in aid of Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital
Great Ormond Street Hospital
Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children is a children's hospital located in London, United Kingdom...
. With over 25 comedians appearing, it billed it as "the biggest live stand up show in United Kingdom history". Filmed live on 30 March in front of 14,000 at The O2 Arena
The O2 arena (London)
The O2 Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in the centre of The O2, a large entertainment complex on the Greenwich peninsula in London, England.With a capacity of up to 20,000 depending on the event, it is second largest...
in London, it was broadcast on 5 April.
Factual and Current Affairs
Channel 4 also has a strong reputation for history programmes and real-life documentaries. It has also courted controversy, for example by broadcasting live the first public autopsyAutopsy
An autopsy—also known as a post-mortem examination, necropsy , autopsia cadaverum, or obduction—is a highly specialized surgical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of a corpse to determine the cause and manner of death and to evaluate any disease or injury that may be present...
to be carried out in the UK for 170 years, carried out by Gunther von Hagens
Gunther von Hagens
Gunther von Hagens is a controversial German anatomist who invented the technique for preserving biological tissue specimens called plastination.-Early life:...
in 2002, or the 2003 one-off stunt Derren Brown
Derren Brown
Derren Victor Brown is a British illusionist, mentalist, painter, writer and sceptic. He is known for his appearances in television specials, stage productions and British television series such as Trick of the Mind and Trick or Treat...
Plays Russian Roulette Live.
Its critically acclaimed news service, Channel 4 News
Channel 4 News
Channel 4 News is the news division of British television broadcaster Channel 4. It is produced by ITN, and has been in operation since the broadcaster's launch in 1982.-Channel 4 News:...
, is supplied by ITN whilst its long-standing investigative documentary, Dispatches
Dispatches (TV series)
Dispatches is the British television current affairs documentary series on Channel 4, first transmitted in 1987. The programme covers issues about British society, politics, health, religion, international current affairs and the environment, usually featuring a mole in an organisation.-Awards:*...
, causes perennial media attention.
Other notable factual programmes include:
- 10 Years Younger
- A Place in the SunA Place in the Sun (TV series)A Place in the Sun is a British FreeForm/Channel 4 lifestyle programme about buying property abroad. It most often focuses on places in southern Europe, but in recent years has also featured a number of places in other areas of the world...
- After Dark
- Bald!Bald!Bald! was a "fly-on-the-wall" documentary about baldness, broadcast on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom in April 2003. The show followed a number of men as they tried to hold back the advancement of hair loss, and the methods that they tried to cope with the problem.-Spray-on hair:The first method...
- BodyShockBodyShockBodyShock is a sensationalistic documentary series about the conditions or lives of extraordinary people. It was originally produced by redback for Channel 4 in the UK, but since September 2006, it has been carried by ArkMedia....
- Brat CampBrat CampBrat Camp is a reality TV show.The first season, featuring RedCliff Ascent, won an International Emmy. Subsequent seasons saw declining viewership. The American version of Brat Camp was cancelled after its one-season run, but is being aired in Canada on Slice as of early 2007...
- CoppersCoppers (TV series)Coppers is a 2010 British documentary television series series produced by Blast! Films for Channel 4, about policing in England. First broadcast on 1 November, the series followed the day to day lives of police officers from four territorial police forces around the country, covering various...
- Coach TripCoach TripCoach Trip is a reality show that was broadcast on Channel 4 with More4 and Pick TV showing repeats since 7 March 2005. The programme returned on 25 May 2009. The show's format consists of 4 to 7 teams of 2 undertaking a coach tour principally of continental Europe...
- Come Dine With MeCome Dine With MeCome Dine With Me is a popular Channel 4 television programme shown in the United Kingdom, produced by Granada Television and first broadcast in January 2005. The show has either four or five amateur chefs competing against each other hosting a dinner party for the other contestants...
- Cutting Edge
- Equinox
- Extreme Male BeautyExtreme Male BeautyExtreme Male Beauty is a British documentary series which began airing on Channel 4 and features television presenter Tim Shaw as he explores the various lengths men will go to in order to achieve the beauty standards placed on them....
- How Clean Is Your House?How Clean is Your House?How Clean Is Your House? was a British entertainment/lifestyle television programme in which expert cleaners Kim Woodburn and Aggie MacKenzie visited extremely filthy homes and then cleaned them to perfection...
- How To Divorce Without Screwing Up Your Children
- How to Look Good NakedHow to Look Good NakedHow to Look Good Naked is a television program, first aired on British Channel 4 in 2006, in which fashion stylist Gok Wan encourages women and men who are insecure with their bodies to strip nude for the camera...
- It's Me or the DogIt's Me or the DogIt's Me or the Dog is a television program produced by television production company Shed Media US, in which dog trainer Victoria Stilwell tackles behavioral problems in dogs by teaching their owners responsible dog ownership...
- Katie: My Beautiful Friends
- Make Me a Million
- Man on EarthMan on EarthMan on Earth is a four-part British documentary television series presented by Tony Robinson. The programme documents the effects of climate change across 200,000 years of human history. The series premiered 7 December 2009 on Channel 4 with 1.4 million viewers. Accompanying Robinson to help...
- Property LadderProperty Ladder (TV series)Property Ladder is the name of two television shows from the United Kingdom and United States where first-time property or real-estate developers purchase houses , renovate them, and attempt to sell them for a profit. Their efforts are the featured bit of the show...
- Relocation, Relocation
- The Secret Millionaire
- Seven DwarvesSeven Dwarves (TV series)Seven Dwarves is a seven-part documentary reality television series commissioned by Channel 4 in the United Kingdom. The show follows seven dwarf actors as they prepare for and take part in the pantomine Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs....
- Shariah TVShariah TVShariah TV is a Muslim-themed talk show, presented by Tazeen Ahmad, broadcast on a late-night slot on Channel 4. The audience, made up of British Muslims, asks a panel questions relating to life as a Muslim in Britain...
- Spirituality ShopperSpirituality ShopperSpirituality Shopper was a short lived British television series that ran on Channel 4 for 3 episodes in 2005. It was presented by Christian athlete, Jonathan Edwards. In each episode, a person looked at four different religious practices that could be implemented in their lives to see if it would...
- SupernannySupernannySupernanny is a reality TV programme which originated in the United Kingdom about parents struggling with their children's behaviour. The UK version has aired on Channel 4 with E4 showing repeats since 2004. The program returned in 2010...
- That'll Teach 'EmThat'll Teach 'EmThat'll Teach 'Em is a British reality television documentary series produced by Twenty Twenty Television for the Channel 4 network in the UK....
- Too Fat to Walk?
- The Truth About Female Desire
- Wakey Wakey CampersWakey Wakey CampersWakey Wakey Campers is a British Reality television series about a group of modern holiday-makers who stay on a mock 1960s-style holiday camp. The series finds out whether they will enjoy the experience, lack of technology, living conditions and activities...
- Wife SwapWife SwapWife Swap is a reality television program, originally produced by UK independent television production company RDF Media and created by Stephen Lambert. It was first broadcast in 2003 on the UK's Channel 4. Since 2004, a US version has also been broadcast on the ABC network...
- You Are What You Eat
Food
Television chef Jamie OliverJamie Oliver
James "Jamie" Trevor Oliver, MBE , sometimes known as The Naked Chef, is an English chef, restaurateur and media personality, known for his food-focused television shows, cookbooks and more recently his campaign against the use of processed foods in national schools...
has created a number of documentaries such as Jamie's Kitchen
Jamie's Kitchen
Jamie's Kitchen is a five-part British documentary television series that aired on Channel 4 from 5 November to 10 December 2002. It follows chef Jamie Oliver as he attempts to train a group of fifteen disadvantaged youth, who will — if they complete the course — be offered jobs at Oliver's new...
, Jamie's School Dinners
Jamie's School Dinners
Jamie's School Dinners is a landmark four-episode documentary series broadcast on Channel 4 in the UK from 23 February to 16 March 2005. The series was recorded between Spring to Winter 2004, in which it featured TV chef Jamie Oliver attempting to improve the quality and nutritional value of school...
(broadcast to coincide with his campaign to improve the quality of school dinners) and Jamie's Great Escape.
Other food related programmes include:
- Come Dine With MeCome Dine With MeCome Dine With Me is a popular Channel 4 television programme shown in the United Kingdom, produced by Granada Television and first broadcast in January 2005. The show has either four or five amateur chefs competing against each other hosting a dinner party for the other contestants...
- Cook Yourself Thin
- Food for Thought
- Forever Summer with Nigella
- The F Word
- Jamie at HomeJamie at HomeJamie at Home is a British cooking television programme presented by Jamie Oliver. In each episode, Jamie uses a different ingredient which has been grown organically at his home in rural Essex, England....
- Nigella Bites
- Ramsay's Kitchen NightmaresRamsay's Kitchen NightmaresRamsay's Kitchen Nightmares is a television programme featuring British celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay. The BAFTA and Emmy Award-winning programme debuted on Channel 4 in 2004....
- River CottageRiver CottageRiver Cottage is a former weekend and holiday home that was originally a game-keeper's lodge in the grounds of Slape Manor, Netherbury, Dorset. From 1998 it was used by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall as a setting for three television series: Escape to River Cottage, Return to River Cottage and River...
Observational / Documentary
Observational and Documentary carried by Channel 4 over the years include:- Beyond 2000
- The WarThe War (documentary)The War is a 2007 American seven-part documentary television mini-series about World War II from the perspective of the United States that premiered on September 23, 2007...
- yourHOUSE
FourDocs
FourDocs is an online documentary site provided by Channel 4. It allows viewers to upload their own documentaries to the site for other people to view. It focuses on documentaries of between 3 and 5 minutes. The website also includes an archive of classic documentaries, interviews with documentary film makers and short educational guides to documentary-making. The also includes a strand for documentaries of under 59 seconds called 'Microdocs'.Entertainment
Channel 4 pioneered the concept of 'after the pub' television, with series such as Who Dares Wins, Tonight with Jonathan Ross, Friday Night Live and The WordThe Word (TV series)
The Word was a 1990s Channel 4 television programme in the United Kingdom.-Format:Its presenters included Mancunian radio presenter Terry Christian, comedian Mark Lamarr, Dani Behr, Katie Puckrik, Jasmine Dotiwala, Alan Connor, Amanda de Cadenet and "Huffty"...
broadcast in the 10–11pm slot. Channel 4 is also noted for the screening of Big Brother
Big Brother (UK)
Big Brother UK is the British version of the Dutch Big Brother television format, which takes its name from the character in George Orwell's 1948 novel Nineteen Eighty-Four...
. Based on the original Dutch format, the UK version has attracted massive press attention as well as various degrees of criticism for each of its series from 2000 to date.
In October 2005, Channel 4 began broadcasting the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
version of Endemol's
Endemol
Endemol is an international television production and distribution company based in the Netherlands, with subsidiaries and joint ventures in 23 countries, including the United Kingdom, the United States, France, Mexico, Spain, Italy, Germany, Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Dominican Republic, Poland,...
worldwide smash game show Deal or No Deal. Despite being broadcast at a relatively slow time slot — 4.15pm weekdays and originally 4.25pm Saturdays — the show, presented by Noel Edmonds
Noel Edmonds
Noel Ernest Edmonds, is an English broadcaster and executive, who made his name as a DJ on BBC Radio 1 in the UK. He has presented many light entertainment television programmes, including Multi-Coloured Swap Shop, Top of the Pops, The Late, Late Breakfast Show, Telly Addicts, Noel's Saturday...
, on some occasions has been the most-watched show on the channel. The Saturday edition of the show has had a spell in a prime-time slot, and in June 2006 the show's popularity led to "Double Deal Week" where a second show at 8pm was broadcast each day for a week.
The highest audience ever attained by Channel 4 was 13.8 million for the final part of the mini-series A Woman of Substance
A Woman of Substance
A Woman of Substance is a novel by Barbara Taylor Bradford, and was published in 1979.This novel is the first of a saga about the fortunes of a retail empire and the machinations of the business elite across three generations....
, broadcast on 4 January 1985.
Since then, and excluding films, the channel's highest rating was 10 million viewers for the final of the third series of Big Brother
Big Brother (UK)
Big Brother UK is the British version of the Dutch Big Brother television format, which takes its name from the character in George Orwell's 1948 novel Nineteen Eighty-Four...
on 27 July 2002. The channel's daily share of viewing on that date was 22.8%, then the highest recorded by the station. This record was beaten on Monday 12 September 2005, the final day of the 2005 Ashes, when the channel's daily share of viewing in UK homes was recorded as 23.2%. This was also the first time that Channel 4 had been the highest-rating UK television station across a 24-hour period.
Light Entertainment
- 8 out of 10 cats8 Out of 10 Cats8 out of 10 Cats is a television comedy panel game made by Zeppotron for Channel 4. It was first broadcast on 3 June 2005. The show is based on statistics and opinion polls, and draws on polls produced by a variety of organizations and new polls commissioned for the programme, carried out by...
(Panel gamePanel gameA panel game or panel show is a radio or television game show in which a panel of celebrities participates. Panelists may compete with each other, such as on The News Quiz; facilitate play by guest contestants, such as on Match Game/Blankety Blank; or do both, such as on Wait Wait.....
) - Banzai
- Beat the NationBeat the NationBeat The Nation was a quiz show on the UK commercial channel Channel 4 that ran for just one series and 120 episodes from 5 January to 2 July 2004...
- Coach TripCoach TripCoach Trip is a reality show that was broadcast on Channel 4 with More4 and Pick TV showing repeats since 7 March 2005. The programme returned on 25 May 2009. The show's format consists of 4 to 7 teams of 2 undertaking a coach tour principally of continental Europe...
- Come Dine with MeCome Dine With MeCome Dine With Me is a popular Channel 4 television programme shown in the United Kingdom, produced by Granada Television and first broadcast in January 2005. The show has either four or five amateur chefs competing against each other hosting a dinner party for the other contestants...
- CountdownCountdown (game show)Countdown is a British game show involving word and number puzzles. It is produced by ITV Studios and broadcast on Channel 4. It is presented by Jeff Stelling, assisted by Rachel Riley, with regular lexicographer Susie Dent. It was the first programme to be aired on Channel 4, and over sixty-five...
- C4's first broadcast programme - The Crystal MazeThe Crystal MazeThe Crystal Maze was a British game show, produced by Chatsworth Television and shown on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom between 15 February 1990 and 10 August 1995. There was one series per year, with the first four series presented by Richard O'Brien and the final two by Ed Tudor-Pole, who made...
(1990–1995) (Repeated for a number of years after on the Bigger Breakfast and later T4) - Deal or No DealDeal or No Deal (UK game show)Deal or No Deal is the United Kingdom version of the Endemol game show format Deal or No Deal, hosted by Noel Edmonds. 1,758 shows have been aired...
- Deal or No Deal UK special episodesDeal or No Deal UK special episodesThe UK version of Deal or No Deal has broadcast since 31 October 2005. During this time, there have been many special episodes, usually themed to seasonal events such as Christmas, Halloween, Wimbledon and the Eurovision Song Contest....
- EurotrashEurotrash (TV series)Eurotrash is a 30-minute magazine-format programme in English produced by Rapido Television. It was shown in the United Kingdom on Channel 4 from 1993 and was a late-night comical review of weird and wonderful topics from around the world...
- Fifteen to OneFifteen to OneFifteen to One was a popular general knowledge quiz show broadcast on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom. It ran from 4 January 1988 to 19 December 2003, and had a reputation for being one of the toughest quizzes on TV. Throughout the show's run it was presented and produced by William G. Stewart...
(1988–2003) - The Girlie ShowThe Girlie Show (Channel 4)The Girlie Show was a 1990s Channel 4 television programme in the United Kingdom. Its presenters were Sarah Cawood, Claire Gorham, American Model Rachel Williams, and in her first presenting job, Sara Cox...
- I Survived a Japanese Gameshow (import)
- The Last Resort
- Manhattan Cable
- Naked ElvisNaked ElvisNaked Elvis was a late-night British television quiz show on Channel 4, hosted by Tania Strecker.Two teams of students would answer general knowledge questions. There was a scoremaster dressed as Elvis Presley, who would remove one item of clothing between each round until he was naked....
- The OsbournesThe OsbournesThe Osbournes is an American reality television program featuring the domestic life of heavy metal singer Ozzy Osbourne and his family. The series premiered on MTV on March 5, 2002, and in its first season, was cited as the most-viewed series ever on MTV...
(import) - Richard & JudyRichard & JudyRichard & Judy was a British magazine/chat show which was presented by married couple Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan. It originally aired on Channel 4 from 2001 to 2008 but later moved to digital channel Watch in October 2008. It featured the world's most famous stars, along with their Book Club...
(2001–2008, moved to UKTVUKTVUKTV is a digital cable and satellite television network, formed through a joint venture between BBC Worldwide, a commercial subsidiary of the British Broadcasting Corporation, and Scripps Networks Interactive, spun off from The E.W Scripps Company in 2008...
) - The Paul O'Grady ShowThe Paul O'Grady ShowThe Paul O'Grady Show was a BAFTA award-winning British comedy chat show hosted by Birkenhead-born comedian Paul O'Grady. The format was originally devised by Granada Television and was broadcast on ITV before moving to Channel 4...
(originally shown on ITVITVITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
from 2004 to 2005) - The 5 O'Clock ShowThe 5 O'Clock ShowThe 5 O'Clock Show was a daytime television chat show, which replaced The Paul O'Grady Show and is shown on Channel 4. It is presented by guest hosts every week. The format is along the same lines as O'Grady's show and consists of a mixture of celebrity guests, comic stunts and musical performances...
- TV Heaven, Telly HellTV Heaven, Telly HellTV Heaven, Telly Hell is a comedy television show on Channel 4, presented and produced by Sean Lock. The format is similar to Room 101, with guests discussing their likes and dislikes of items on television....
- Wogan's Perfect RecallWogan's Perfect RecallWogan's Perfect Recall was a game show presented by Terry Wogan. It was broadcasted on Channel 4 and ran from 25 August 2008 to 19 November 2010.-Format:...
- X-Fire
- The SearchThe Search (TV series)The Search was a seven part television show on Channel 4, which first aired on 7 January 2007, the final episode was broadcast on 24 February 2007. The premise of the programme was that ten contestants with unique skills must solve a variety of ancient clues and puzzles from throughout history,...
Drama
On 4 November 2003, Channel 4 screened its final episode of BrooksideBrookside
Brookside is a defunct British soap opera set in Liverpool, England. The series began on the launch night of Channel 4 on 2 November 1982, and ran for 21 years until 4 November 2003...
, a soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
which had run for the 21 years since the channel started. Channel 4 currently runs a soap opera called Hollyoaks
Hollyoaks
Hollyoaks is a long-running British television soap opera, first broadcast on Channel 4 on 23 October 1995. It was originally devised by Phil Redmond, who has also devised shows including Brookside and Grange Hill...
, which sharing the same creator as Brookside, aims at a younger audience. An imported French soap, Chateauvallon was shown on the station for a time, dubbed into English.
American drama is a key part of Channel 4's portfolio, initially with NYPD Blue
NYPD Blue
NYPD Blue is an American television police drama set in New York City, exploring the internal and external struggles of the fictional 15th precinct of Manhattan...
and ER
ER (TV series)
ER is an American medical drama television series created by novelist Michael Crichton that aired on NBC from September 19, 1994 to April 2, 2009. It was produced by Constant c Productions and Amblin Entertainment, in association with Warner Bros. Television...
. These were followed by Without a Trace
Without a Trace
Without a Trace is an American television drama which originally ran on CBS from September 26, 2002 to May 19, 2009. The series was set in New York City and concerned a fictitious FBI Missing Persons Unit.-Premise:...
, The Sopranos
The Sopranos
The Sopranos is an American television drama series created by David Chase that revolves around the New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster Tony Soprano and the difficulties he faces as he tries to balance the often conflicting requirements of his home life and the criminal organization he heads...
, The West Wing
The West Wing (TV series)
The West Wing is an American television serial drama created by Aaron Sorkin that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1999 to May 14, 2006...
and Six Feet Under.
Popular US teen series Dawson's Creek
Dawson's Creek
Dawson's Creek is an American teen drama television series which debuted on January 20, 1998, on The WB Television Network and was produced by Sony Pictures Television. The show is set in the fictional seaside town of Capeside, Massachusetts, and in Boston, Massachusetts, during the later seasons...
which starred James Van Der Beek
James Van Der Beek
James William Van Der Beek, Jr. is an American television, film, and stage actor, known for his portrayal of Dawson Leery in The WB series Dawson's Creek...
, Katie Holmes
Katie Holmes
Katherine Noelle "Katie" Holmes is an American actress who first achieved fame for her role as Joey Potter on The WB television teen drama Dawson's Creek from 1998 to 2003. Her movie roles have included the blockbuster Batman Begins along with art house films such as The Ice Storm and thrillers...
, Michelle Williams
Michelle Williams (actress)
Michelle Ingrid Williams is an American actress. After starting her career with television guest appearances in the early 1990s, Williams achieved recognition for her role as Jen Lindley on the WB television teen drama Dawson's Creek, which she played from 1998 to 2003...
and Joshua Jackson
Joshua Jackson
Joshua Carter Jackson is a Canadian American actor. He has appeared in primetime television and in over 32 film roles. He is best known for playing Charlie Conway in The Mighty Ducks film series, Pacey Witter in the television series Dawson's Creek and Peter Bishop in the television series...
began airing on channel 4 in 1998. It got channel 4 a huge uk audience on its prime time slot and the show lasted for an impressive six years.
In August 2005, Channel 4 started showing the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
TV show Lost
Lost (TV series)
Lost is an American television series that originally aired on ABC from September 22, 2004 to May 23, 2010, consisting of six seasons. Lost is a drama series that follows the survivors of the crash of a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, on a mysterious tropical island...
after a lengthy advertising campaign that included a 60-second commercial shot by David LaChapelle
David LaChapelle
David LaChapelle is a photographer and director who works in the fields of fashion, advertising, and fine art photography, and is noted for his surreal, unique, sexualized, and often humorous style.-Early life:...
, that featured the cast and cost over £1 million becoming the most expensive advertisement produced in the UK. This gamble seems to have paid off, however; the pilot episode was watched by over 6 million viewers, placing it second in the overall ratings for the channel for that year, Big Brother securing the top spot. However, in October 2006 Channel 4 suffered a blow when BSkyB
British Sky Broadcasting
British Sky Broadcasting Group plc is a satellite broadcasting, broadband and telephony services company headquartered in London, United Kingdom, with operations in the United Kingdom and the Ireland....
acquired the rights to the third and fourth seasons of Lost
Lost (TV series)
Lost is an American television series that originally aired on ABC from September 22, 2004 to May 23, 2010, consisting of six seasons. Lost is a drama series that follows the survivors of the crash of a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, on a mysterious tropical island...
.
Also in 2008, after a lengthy bidding war with Five, ITV2
ITV2
ITV2 is a 24 hour, free-to-air entertainment television channel in the United Kingdom owned by ITV Digital Channels Ltd, a division of ITV plc. It was launched on 7 December 1998, and is available on digital television via satellite, cable, IPTV and terrestrial platforms. The channel has the...
and Living, Channel 4 acquired the rights to the updated version of 90210
90210 (TV series)
90210 is an American teen drama television series developed by Rob Thomas, Jeff Judah and Gabe Sachs, and the fourth series in the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise created by Darren Star. 90210 is the first series produced by CBS Productions under the company's re-launch, but is now produced by CBS...
. It started airing True Blood
True Blood
True Blood is an American television series created and produced by Alan Ball. It is based on The Southern Vampire Mysteries series of novels by Charlaine Harris, detailing the co-existence of vampires and humans in Bon Temps, a fictional, small town in the state of Louisiana...
after its global success, having originally aired on FX
FX (UK)
FX is a television channel in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, owned by Fox, launched in 12 January 2004. It was originally branded as FX289 in reference to its Sky EPG number. It was rebranded to FX in May 2005 as the channel moved in the Sky EPG.FX targets a demographic between 25...
in the United Kingdom. It was confirmed that Glee
Glee (TV series)
Glee is an American musical comedy-drama television series that airs on Fox in the United States, and on GlobalTV in Canada. It focuses on the high school glee club New Directions competing on the show choir competition circuit, while its members deal with relationships, sexuality and social issues...
will air on E4 would air on Tuesday 15 December as a sneak peek at 9:00 and the full series launch on January 11, 2009 replacing One Tree Hill
One Tree Hill (TV series)
One Tree Hill is an American television drama created by Mark Schwahn, which premiered on September 23, 2003, on The WB Television Network. After its third season, The WB merged with UPN to form The CW Television Network, and, since September 27, 2006, the network has been the official broadcaster...
s time slot.
Other notable dramas include:
90210 (TV series)
90210 is an American teen drama television series developed by Rob Thomas, Jeff Judah and Gabe Sachs, and the fourth series in the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise created by Darren Star. 90210 is the first series produced by CBS Productions under the company's re-launch, but is now produced by CBS...
(import; the original version was shown by ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
and Sky1)
Brookside
Brookside is a defunct British soap opera set in Liverpool, England. The series began on the launch night of Channel 4 on 2 November 1982, and ran for 21 years until 4 November 2003...
(1982–2003)
Caught in a Free State
Caught in a Free State was a dramatised television series made by RTÉ in 1983. This four-part series was about German spies in neutral Ireland during World War II, known in Ireland as "The Emergency".-Production:...
(first broadcast in 1984, made by RTÉ
RTE
RTÉ is the abbreviation for Raidió Teilifís Éireann, the public broadcasting service of the Republic of Ireland.RTE may also refer to:* Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, 25th Prime Minister of Turkey...
)
Dawson's Creek
Dawson's Creek is an American teen drama television series which debuted on January 20, 1998, on The WB Television Network and was produced by Sony Pictures Television. The show is set in the fictional seaside town of Capeside, Massachusetts, and in Boston, Massachusetts, during the later seasons...
(import; moved to Five
Channel Five
Channel 5 is a television network that broadcasts in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1997, it was the fifth and final national terrestrial analogue network to launch. The station was branded as Five between 2002 and 2010...
in 2002)
Desperate Housewives
Desperate Housewives is an American television comedy-drama series created by Marc Cherry and produced by ABC Studios and Cherry Productions. Executive producer Cherry serves as Showrunner. Other executive producers since the fourth season include Marc Cherry, Bob Daily, George W...
(import)
ER (TV series)
ER is an American medical drama television series created by novelist Michael Crichton that aired on NBC from September 19, 1994 to April 2, 2009. It was produced by Constant c Productions and Amblin Entertainment, in association with Warner Bros. Television...
(import; first-run episodes moved to Sky1 in 1996)
The Ghost Squad
The Ghost Squad was a 2005 British crime drama series produced by Company Pictures, for Channel 4. The show was created by Tom Grieves. Inspired by the real life "Ghost Squad" that existed between 1994 and 1998, secretly investigating police corruption, the premise of the series is that the squad...
Glee (TV series)
Glee is an American musical comedy-drama television series that airs on Fox in the United States, and on GlobalTV in Canada. It focuses on the high school glee club New Directions competing on the show choir competition circuit, while its members deal with relationships, sexuality and social issues...
(import)
Heartbreak High
Heartbreak High is an Australian television series that ran for seven years from 1994 to 1999. The series dealt with the students of Hartley High, a tough high school in a multi-racial area of Sydney, and proved to be a more gritty and fast-paced show than many of its contemporaries...
(import)
Lost (TV series)
Lost is an American television series that originally aired on ABC from September 22, 2004 to May 23, 2010, consisting of six seasons. Lost is a drama series that follows the survivors of the crash of a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, on a mysterious tropical island...
(import)
Nip/Tuck
Nip/Tuck is an American drama series created by Ryan Murphy, which aired on FX in the United States. The series focuses on McNamara/Troy, a plastic surgery practice, and follows its founders, Sean McNamara and Christian Troy...
(import)
No Angels (TV series)
No Angels is a critically acclaimed British television comedy drama series, produced by the independent production company World Productions for Channel 4, which ran for three seasons from 2004 to 2006. It was devised by Toby Whithouse.-Premise:...
Oz (TV series)
Oz is an American television drama series created by Tom Fontana, who also wrote or co-wrote all of the series' 56 episodes . It was the first one-hour dramatic television series to be produced by premium cable network HBO. Oz premiered on July 12, 1997 and ran for six seasons...
(import)
Queer as Folk (UK TV series)
Queer as Folk is a 1999 British television series that chronicles the lives of three gay men living in Manchester's gay village around Canal Street. Both Queer as Folk and Queer as Folk 2 were written by Russell T Davies...
Sex Traffic
Sex Traffic is a British-Canadian two-part television drama directed by David Yates, written by Abi Morgan and produced by Veronica Castillo and Derek Wax...
S4C
S4C , currently branded as S4/C, is a Welsh television channel broadcast from the capital, Cardiff. The first television channel to be aimed specifically at a Welsh-speaking audience, it is the fifth oldest British television channel .The channel - initially broadcast on...
before the analogue signals were switched off in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
and S4C becoming a 100% Welsh language channel)
Sugar Rush (TV series)
Sugar Rush is an Emmy Award–winning British television comedy drama series developed by Shine Limited and broadcast by Channel 4, based on the Julie Burchill novel of the same name...
(currently repeated on 4Music
4Music
4Music is a music and entertainment channel in the United Kingdom and available on some digital television providers in the Republic of Ireland - its web component can be found at with its own and pages. It is the only channel within the Box Television Network to be branded under Channel 4 and...
)
Without a Trace
Without a Trace is an American television drama which originally ran on CBS from September 26, 2002 to May 19, 2009. The series was set in New York City and concerned a fictitious FBI Missing Persons Unit.-Premise:...
(import)
Dirty Sexy Money
Dirty Sexy Money is an American prime time drama series created by Craig Wright, which ran on the ABC from September 26, 2007 to August 8, 2009. The series was produced by ABC Studios, Bad Hat Harry Productions, Berlanti Television and Gross Entertainment...
(import)
The Sopranos
The Sopranos is an American television drama series created by David Chase that revolves around the New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster Tony Soprano and the difficulties he faces as he tries to balance the often conflicting requirements of his home life and the criminal organization he heads...
(import)
Skins (TV series)
Skins is a BAFTA award-winning British teen drama that follows a group of teenagers in Bristol, South West England, through the two years of college. The controversial plot line explores issues such as dysfunctional families, mental illness , adolescent sexuality, substance abuse and death...
Misfits (TV series)
Misfits is a British science fiction comedy-drama television series about a group of young offenders forced to work in a community service programme, where they obtain supernatural powers after a strange electrical storm. The first series started broadcasting on 12 November 2009 on E4, and was...
Top Boy
Top Boy is a British television drama series, which was first broadcast on Channel 4. The four episodes were broadcast over consecutive nights, from 31 October to 3 November 2011. Set on the fictional Summerhouse housing estate in Hackney, North London, the series follows the lives of a group of...
Hollyoaks
Hollyoaks is a long-running British television soap opera, first broadcast on Channel 4 on 23 October 1995. It was originally devised by Phil Redmond, who has also devised shows including Brookside and Grange Hill...
Smallville (TV series)
Smallville is an American television series developed by writers/producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar based on the DC Comics character Superman, originally created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The television series was initially broadcast by The WB Television Network , premiering on October...
(import)
True Blood
True Blood is an American television series created and produced by Alan Ball. It is based on The Southern Vampire Mysteries series of novels by Charlaine Harris, detailing the co-existence of vampires and humans in Bon Temps, a fictional, small town in the state of Louisiana...
(import)
Schools Programming
Channel 4 is obliged to carry schools programming as part of its remit and licence.ITV Schools on Channel 4
Since 1957 ITV had produced schools programming which became an obligation. In 1987, five years after the new minority station was launched, the IBA afforded ITV free carriage of these programmes during Channel 4's, then largely unused, daytime hours. This arrangement allowed the ITV companies to fulfil their obligation to provide schools programming, whilst being able to use ITV proper to air more popular programming, which unlike schools programmes would provide advertising revenue. During the times in which schools programmes were aired, Channel 4 was effectively operated by ITV, with Central Television providing most of the continuityContinuity (broadcasting)
'Continuity' or 'presentation' is a term used in broadcasting, especially in the United Kingdom , to refer to announcements, messages and graphics played by the broadcaster between specific programmes...
, and play-out originating from Birmingham. Thus ITV Schools on Channel 4 was effectively a separate station broadcasting on Channel 4's frequencies. Even some regional schools programming was aired, in contrast with Channel 4's lack of any regional variations to its programming.
Channel 4 Schools / 4Learning
After the re-structuring of the station in 1993, ITV's obligations to provide such programming on Channel 4's airtime passed to Channel 4 itself, and the new service became Channel 4 Schools, with the new corporation administering the service and commissioning its programmes, some still from ITV, others from independent producers.In 2000, the service was renamed 4Learning, and in April 2007, the commercial arm and rights exploitation of its programmes and support materials was sold to Espresso Education and the business re-named Channel 4 Learning
Channel 4 Learning
Channel 4 Learning is a company based in London, England who market education resources, games and activities to primary and secondary schools across the United Kingdom. It is wholly owned by Espresso Group Ltd., a private company whose businesses also include Espresso Education, Ltd. and...
. Today, the service has diversified into pre-school and adult programmes, with much of its content also available in text and video form via the Internet, or through DVD sales. Its programming runs to around 400 hours per annum. One of its well known programmes is The Hoobs
The Hoobs
The Hoobs is a BAFTA-winning children's television programme created and produced by The Jim Henson Company. It stars five creatures called Hoobs from the fictional Hoobland, and their interactions with Earth and the human race...
.
In March 2008, the 4Leaning interactive new media commission slabovia.tv was launched. The Slabplayer online media player showing TV shows for teenagers was launched on 26 May 2008.
See also: Channel 4 Learning site.
The schools programming has always had elements different to its normal presentational package. In 1993, the Channel 4 Schools idents featured famous people in one category, with light shining on them in from of an industrial looking setting supplemented by instrumental calming music. This changed in 1996 with the circles look to numerous children touching the screen, forming circles of information then picked up by other children. The last child would produce the channel 4 logo in the form of three vertical circles, with another in the middle and to the left containing the Channel 4 logo.
A present feature of presentation was a countdown sequence featuring, in 1993 a slide with the programme name, and afterwards an extended sequence matching the channel branding. In 1996, this was an extended ident with timer in top left corner, and in 1999 following the adoption of the squares look, featured a square with timer slowly make its way across the right of the screen with people learning and having fun while doing so passing across the screen. It finished with the Channel 4 logo box on the right of the screen and the name 'Channel 4 Schools' being shown. This was adapted in 2000 when the services name was changed to '4Learning'. In 2001, this was altered to various scenes from classrooms around the world and different parts of school life. The countdown now flips over from the top, right, bottom and left with each second, and ends with four coloured squares, three of which are aligned vertically to the left of the Channel 4 logo, with is contained inside the fourth box. The tag 'Learning' is located directly beneath the logo. The final countdown sequence lasted between 2004 and 2005 and featured a background video of current controversial issues, overlaid with upcoming programming information. the video features people in the style of graffiti enacting the overuse of CCTV cameras, fox hunting, computer viruses and pirate videos, relationships, pollution of the seas and violent lifestyles. Following 2005, no branded section has been used for school programmes.
Film
Channel 4 has a long history of screening and supporting British and international feature films. In addition to supporting the production of movies through its production unit (now branded Film4 ProductionsFilm4 Productions
Film4 Productions is a British film production company owned by Channel 4. The company has been responsible for backing a large number of films made in the United Kingdom. The company's first production was Walter, directed by Stephen Frears, which was released in 1982.- History :Before 1998, the...
), Channel 4 and its subsidiary channels also screen a range of acquired features, ranging from Hollywood blockbusters to small independent productions. In addition to films from the UK and USA, Channel 4 has also been a key broadcaster of films from overseas, and its schedule has at various times included various European, Australian, Canadian, and Bollywood
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
productions, amongst others. Numerous genres of film-making - such as drama, comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
, documentary, adventure/action, romance and horror/thriller - are represented in the channel's schedule. From the launch of Channel 4 until 1998, film presentations on C4 would often be broadcast under the "Film On Four" banner.
In March 2005, Channel 4 screened uncut Lars von Trier
Lars von Trier
Lars von Trier is a Danish film director and screenwriter. He is closely associated with the Dogme 95 collective, although his own films have taken a variety of different approaches, and have frequently received strongly divided critical opinion....
film The Idiots
The Idiots
The Idiots is a 1998 Danish film directed by Lars von Trier. It is his first film made in compliance with the Dogme '95 Manifesto, and is also known as Dogme #2...
that includes unsimulated sexual intercourse, making it the first UK terrestrial channel to do so. The Channel had screened before other films with similar material but censored and with warnings. The broadcast after midnight only raised one complaint and has been taken as an indication of how far audience values have changed since the Channel began.
Since 1 November 1998, Channel 4 has had a digital subsidiary channel dedicated to the screening of films. This channel launched as a paid subscription channel under the name FilmFour, and was relaunched in July 2006 as a free-to-air channel under the current name of Film4
Film4
Film4 is a free digital television channel available in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, owned and operated by Channel 4, that screens films.-Programming:...
. The Film4 channel carries a wide range of film productions, including acquired and Film4-produced projects. Channel 4's general entertainment channels E4 and More4
More4
More4 is a digital television channel, run by British broadcaster Channel 4, that launched on 10 October 2005. It is carried on Freeview, on satellite broadcasters Freesat and Sky, UK IPTV broadcaster TalkTalk TV and on UK cable network Virgin Media and in the Republic of Ireland cable networks...
also screen feature films at certain points in the schedule as part of their content mix.
Music
Some Music programmes and strands include:- 4 Music
- B4
- The Chart ShowThe Chart ShowThe Chart Show is a music video programme which ran in the UK on Channel 4 between 1986 and 1988, then on ITV between 1989 and 1998. The production company was Video Visuals, and was credited as "A Yorkshire Television Presentation" from 1993 and 1998...
- Dance Daze
- Flava (1996–2001)
- Freshly SqueezedFreshly SqueezedFreshly Squeezed is a British television programme broadcast every weekday morning around 07:00 on Channel 4.-Format:The programme takes the format of a music-based breakfast show, featuring studio performances, music videos and interviews.-Current:...
- Goldie Lookin' Chain's Journey Through R'n'B
- Hit40ukHit40ukHit40UK was a networked Top 40 chart show broadcasting on around 130 UK commercial radio stations every Sunday from 4pm to 7pm. It is now a TV programme shown on 4Music. The radio version was produced in house by Global Radio and Somethin' Else...
- Hypnosis (1993 Dance Music Show)
- Jamiroquai: Live In London
- Naked City
- PopworldPopworldPopworld was a British television programme that was broadcast on Channel 4, offering pop news, trivia, gossip, interviews and music videos, as well as musical performances from the most recent top artists....
- Rock SchoolRock SchoolRock School is a British reality TV series starring Gene Simmons , in which he has a short time to turn a class of school children into a fully fledged rock band, at the end of which they must perform in a supporting slot for a leading rock band.Rock School is made by British production company...
- Smash Hits T4 Poll Winners' PartySmash Hits Poll Winners PartyThe Smash Hits Poll Winners Party was an awards ceremony which ran from 1988 to 2005. Each award winner was voted by readers of the Smash Hits magazine. It ended with the closure of the magazine in February 2006....
- Sufi Soul: The Mystic Music of Islam (2005 documentary shown as part of the Hidden Civilisation series)
- The TubeThe Tube (TV series)The Tube was an innovative United Kingdom pop/rock music television programme, which ran for five seasons, from 5 November 1982 until 1987...
- Video Exclusive (A premiere screening of a music video)
- The White Room
Channel 4 also operates a music and entertainment digital channel, 4Music
4Music
4Music is a music and entertainment channel in the United Kingdom and available on some digital television providers in the Republic of Ireland - its web component can be found at with its own and pages. It is the only channel within the Box Television Network to be branded under Channel 4 and...
, as part of its Box Television
Box Television
Box Television is the content subsidiary of Channel 4 and Bauer. It is a British television company which is owned by Bauer Group and Channel 4 and acts as its music television programme production arm.- Location :The company is based in London...
subsidiary.
Sports
Current Sporting events on Channel 4; (Most shown overnight and in early morning - Only horseracing, Paralympics and athletics shown in peaktime)- 2012 Summer Paralympics2012 Summer ParalympicsThe 2012 Summer Paralympic Games will be the fourteenth Paralympics and will take place between 29 August and 9 September 2012. The Games will be held in London, United Kingdom after the city was successful with its bid for the Paralympics and Summer Olympic Games.Even though 2012 will be London's...
- Channel 4 will provide coverage of the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London, with 150 hours of television coverage - World Athletics Championships - 2011 and 2013 (Live coverage and Highlights)
- That Paralympics Show - Saturday afternoon magazine show about Paralympic Sports with Rick Edwards
- American FootballAmerican footballAmerican football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
- the channel covered both the NFL from 1982 until 1998, and the World League of American FootballWorld League of American FootballThe World League of American Football was founded in 1990 with support from the National Football League to play professional American football in North America, Europe and later possibly Asia...
in its inaugural 1991 season. Hosts included The Vicious Boys, former NFL player Mick LuckhurstMick LuckhurstMichael Christopher Wilbert "Mick" Luckhurst is a retired American football placekicker. He made his professional debut with the Atlanta Falcons in 1981, remaining with the team until the 1987 NFL season. Mick was also the face of Channel Four's American Football coverage from 1988 through until...
and Gary ImlachGary ImlachGary Imlach is a British author, journalist and broadcaster, specialising in sport. Imlach is particularly associated with non-mainstream sports, working for many years as the face of Channel 4's coverage of American Football and the Tour de France, having transferred to ITV when the station...
. Channel 4 is widely considered to have pioneered the sport to the wider UK public. Channel 4 regained coverage of the NFL showing Sunday Night FootballSunday Night FootballSunday Night Football is a weekly American football game held throughout most of the season by the National Football League. Sunday night games have been played regularly since 1987 and have thus far aired on three different television outlets:...
from 2010-present after it was dropped by Five. NFL on Channel 4 is currently hosted by Danny Kelly and analysed by Mike Carlson. - Channel 4 RacingChannel 4 RacingChannel 4 Racing is the name given to the horse racing coverage on the British television station Channel 4.-History:The first transmission of racing on the channel was on 22 March 1984 from Doncaster, as it took over midweek coverage which had previously been on ITV...
- (Live on Saturday Afternoons and big meetings during the week) 1982-present - The Morning LineThe Morning LineThe Morning Line is a Saturday morning look at the day's live horse racing on Channel 4.It provides tips and advice for the forthcoming day's racing....
- Live on Saturday Mornings - UK Indoor Athletics
- IAAF Indoor Athetics Championships
- Freesports on 4 (Extreme sportExtreme sportAn extreme sport is a popular term for certain activities perceived as having a high level of inherent danger...
s magazine show)on Weekend Mornings - KOTV Boxing Weekly - Shown throught the night and is a Boxing Magazine show
- Beach VolleyballBeach volleyballBeach volleyball, or sand volleyball, is an Olympic team sport played by two teams of two players on a sand court divided by a net.Like volleyball, the object of the game is to send the ball over the net in order to ground it on the opponent’s court, and to prevent the same effort by the opponent....
- GT on 4FIA GT ChampionshipThe FIA GT Championship was a sports car racing series organized by the Stéphane Ratel Organisation at the behest of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The championship was mostly concentrated in Europe, but throughout the years has visited other continents including Asia and South...
- World Cup Skiing
- World Cup Snowboard
- World Superbike Highlights
Former Sporting Events on Channel 4
- Football ItaliaFootball ItaliaFootball Italia is an Italian football programme in the United Kingdom, known as Football Italiano for its final season. The first broadcasting of the show was in 1992 on Channel 4, the show is centered around live coverage of Serie A football, the top flight in the Italian league system...
with James Richardson 1992-2002 (Moved to Eurosport from 2002-2007, On channel 5 from 2007-2008 and now on ESPN UK from 2009-present) - Live Home Test MatchTest cricketTest cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
Cricket and Highlights of Home One-Day InternationalOne-day InternationalA One Day International is a form of limited overs cricket, in which a fixed number of overs, usually 50, but in the past 40, 45 or 60 overs, are played between two teams with international status. The Cricket World Cup is played in this format...
s plus Semi-Finals and Final of C&G TrophyC&G TrophyThe Friends Provident Trophy was a one-day cricket competition in the United Kingdom.It was one of the four tournaments in which the eighteen first-class counties compete each season. They were joined by teams from Scotland and Ireland...
1999-2005 (Now on Sky Sports from 2005) - The Cricket Roadshow/Cricket Show 1999-2005
- Red Bull Air Race 2005-2006 (Moved to Channel 5 in 2007) 2008-2009 (Moved to ITV4 in 2010 but series now cancelled)
- French Football (Moved to Channel 5 but not shown anymore on UK TV)
- FT on 4
- Channel 4 Tennis - 1990, 2010
- Sumo Wrestling - 1990, 2005
- Tour de FranceTour de FranceThe Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...
- Until 2001, now on ITV4ITV4ITV4 is a British television station which was launched on 1 November 2005. It is owned by ITV Digital Channels Ltd, a division of ITV plc, and is part of the ITV network. The channel has a male-oriented line-up, including sport, cop shows and US comedies and dramas, as well as classic ITV action... - Transworld SportTransworld SportTransworld Sport is a Sports-related television programme produced by Trans World International and shown worldwide on a variety of television channels....
Until 2009 - Now on Sky Sports - World Wrestling Entertainment Heat (import) - 2000-2001 (Moved to Sky Sports but now finished)
Other programmes
Some programmes not mentioned above include:- 4 Endurance
- 4 Nighttime (Late 1980s)
- Afterworld
- Airplaneski!Airplaneski!Airplaneski! is a Channel 4 documentary directed by Norman Hull, concerning the state of Russian civil aviation after the break-up of the Soviet Union and the subsequent division of Aeroflot into several hundred minor airlines. It contains interviews with passengers who give accounts of comical or...
- Alien WorldsAlien WorldsAlien Worlds was a science fiction anthology comic book published by Pacific Comics and, later, Eclipse Comics, in the early 1980s. The title was edited by Bruce Jones and April Campbell.-Publication history:...
- Bully 4 U
- Crossfire
- Deadsville
- Death of a Porn StarLolo FerrariLolo Ferrari, born Eve Valois , was a French dancer, sex star, pornographic actress, actress and singer billed as "the woman with the largest breasts in the world" though their size was artificially achieved....
- Dr. John On The Road
- Dubplate Drama
- European Poker TourEuropean Poker TourThe Pokerstars European Poker Tour is a series of poker tournaments similar to those in the World Poker Tour , created by John Duthie, winner of the inaugural Poker Million tournament. It began in 2004 as part of the worldwide explosion in Texas Hold 'em popularity...
- Extinct (2001 TV series)Extinct (2001 TV series)Extinct was a Channel 4 TV series, that originally aired in late 2001. There were 6 episodes.-Episodes:1. DodoIn this episode it recounts how the dodo became extinct. It starts with the introduction of people on the island of Mauritius. Animals are soon introduced that make life harder for the...
- Freshly SqueezedFreshly SqueezedFreshly Squeezed is a British television programme broadcast every weekday morning around 07:00 on Channel 4.-Format:The programme takes the format of a music-based breakfast show, featuring studio performances, music videos and interviews.-Current:...
- Get the Picture
- Grabbit the Rabbit
- Grand DesignsGrand DesignsGrand Designs is a British television series produced by Talkback Thames and broadcast on Channel 4 which features unusual and often elaborate architectural home-building projects....
- Grudge MatchGrudge MatchGrudge Match may refer to:*Grudge Match , a website that staged fictitious fights and contests between pop culture figures*Grudge Match , an episode of the TV series "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles"...
- Howard Goodall's Great Dates
- H Side Story
- House AuctionHouse AuctionThis article is about the television programme. For housing auctions, see Estate sale.House Auction is a programme on the UK television station Channel 4 which aired during the channel's weekday daytime programming...
- Incident in a Small Town
- In Search of The Tartan Turban
- Inuk
- KOTV
- Live Now, Pay Later
- Monster Mania
- My Eden
- National Gallery
- Neighbourhood Tales
- Network 7Network 7 (TV series)Network 7 was a short-lived but influential youth music and current affairs programme screened on Channel 4 over two series in 1987 and 1988...
- New BoyNew BoyNew Boy is a novel, published in 1996, written by British novelist William Sutcliffe.The book is largely autobiographical, mixing fact and fiction...
- Not ForgottenNot Forgotten (TV)Not Forgotten is a British television documentary series made by Wall to Wall for Channel 4. The series examines the impact on British society of the First World War. It is written and presented by Ian Hislop...
- One Minute Past Midnight
- Post Modern Pastimes
- Priest Idol
- Prince Eddy: The King We Never Had
- Pure Passion (3 Minute Wonder)
- Re-Writing History
- Rhona Cameron's Lesbian Moments
- Scrapheap ChallengeScrapheap ChallengeScrapheap Challenge is an engineering game show produced by RDF Media and broadcast on Channel 4 in the UK. In the show, teams of contestants have 10 hours in which to build a working machine that can do a specific task, using materials available in a scrapheap. The format was exported to the...
- Second Time Around
- Secret HistorySecret historyA secret history is a revisionist interpretation of either fictional or real history which is claimed to have been deliberately suppressed, forgotten, or ignored by established scholars.-Secret histories of the real world:...
- Self Portraits: The Me Generations
- Star TestStar Test (TV programme)Star Test was a British TV programme that ran from 1989 to 1991 on Channel 4. The show took an interview format, in which the guest "star" was seated facing directly to camera, questioned by an unseen voice...
- Sticks and StonesSticks and StonesSticks and Stones is the third studio album and major label debut by American rock band New Found Glory. As with its predesossor, their eponymously-titled second album, it was again produced by Neal Avron and was released on June 11, 2002 through MCA Records...
- Tate ModernTate ModernTate Modern is a modern art gallery located in London, England. It is Britain's national gallery of international modern art and forms part of the Tate group . It is the most-visited modern art gallery in the world, with around 4.7 million visitors per year...
- Totally Board
- The Big Squeeze
- The City GardenerThe City GardenerThe City Gardener is a gardening television series, produced by Twofour and broadcast on Channel 4 in the UK and on HGTV in the US.The show is hosted by Matt James, who is billed as "a genuine, 21st-century tree-hugger"...
- The Cutting Club
- The Deadly Knowledge Show
- The Great Pretenders
- The Hustlers
- The View From River Cottage
- TruelTruelA truel is a neologism for a duel between three opponents, in which players can fire at one another in an attempt to eliminate them while surviving themselves.-Game theory overview:A variety of forms of truels have been studied in game theory...
- Unreported World
- The Spy MachineThe Spy MachineThe Spy Machine was a documentary special about the work of the Mossad, made by Open Media and Israfilm and first broadcast by Channel 4 in May 1998...
- Secrets of the Super PsychicsSecrets of the Super PsychicsSecrets of the Super Psychics was a Channel 4 documentary special in the UK, first shown in the Equinox strand in 1997, later reformatted as a shorter The Learning Channel episode in 1998: "Viewers eager to know more about the differences between science and claptrap should tune in".The 90-minute...
' - How The Other Half LiveHow the Other Half LiveHow the Other Half Live is a British documentary series, broadcast on Channel 4. It features two families: one of which is rich, usually with parents from humble backgrounds; the other which is poor....
Channel 4 Presents... 3-D Week
From November 16, 2009 for one week only showing programmes such as...- The Queen in 3D
- Derren Brown's 3D Magic SpectacularDerren BrownDerren Victor Brown is a British illusionist, mentalist, painter, writer and sceptic. He is known for his appearances in television specials, stage productions and British television series such as Trick of the Mind and Trick or Treat...
- Andy Warhol's Frankenstein
- Friday the 13th: Part 3Friday the 13thFriday the 13th occurs when the thirteenth day of a month falls on a Friday, which superstition holds to be a day of bad luck. In the Gregorian calendar, this day occurs at least once, but at most three times a year...
- Greatest Ever 3D Moments
- T4's 3D WeekendT4 (Channel 4)T4 is a scheduling slot on Channel 4 from about 09:00 until 14:00 on Saturdays and 17:00 on Sundays. It also airs on weekdays in the school holidays. The slot has a separate station identification on screen graphic from Channel 4 and E4. The logo of T4 is noticeably the top right segment of the...
- Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert
- JLS in 3DJLS- Music :* JLS, an English boyband** JLS , debut album by JLS* JLS a Spanish Rock band based in Zaragoza , Spain formed in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic by lead Leo Susana.- Organizations :...
The glasses are classic amber/blue colour and featured a chequered theme, the glasses were available at Sainsburys in the UK, Channel 4 also asked for viewers to create a film and then use software to make it 3D and will be shown online. However there was a massive demand for 3D specs and they were not met and Channel 4 received a number of complaints that viewers could not enjoy 3D quality as the colours were amber/blue unlike the red/blue glasses received in DVD releases of 3D movies.
Controversies
Channel 4 and its associated channels do not cut programmes or movies for commercial timing purposes, however some imported shows have been known to be edited. Channel 4's broadcasts of animated comedy The SimpsonsThe Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
are heavily edited in comparison to those on rival channel Sky1.
Wank Week
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
programmes about masturbation
Masturbation
Masturbation refers to sexual stimulation of a person's own genitals, usually to the point of orgasm. The stimulation can be performed manually, by use of objects or tools, or by some combination of these methods. Masturbation is a common form of autoeroticism...
, called Wank Week, was to be broadcast in the United Kingdom by Channel 4 in March 2007. The first show was about a Masturbate-a-thon
Masturbate-a-thon
The Masturbate-a-thon is an event in which participants masturbate in order to raise money for charity and increase the public awareness and dispel the shame and taboos that exist about this form of sexual activity...
, a public mass masturbation event, organised to raise money for the sexual health charity Marie Stopes International
Marie Stopes International
Marie Stopes International is an International Non-Governmental Organisation working on Sexual and Reproductive Health with headquarters in London, UK. It is named after Marie Stopes, a Scottish author, campaigner for eugenics, women's rights, and a pioneer in the field of family planning...
. Another film would have focused on compulsive male masturbators and a third was to feature the sex educator
Sex education
Sex education refers to formal programs of instruction on a wide range of issues relating to human sexuality, including human sexual anatomy, sexual reproduction, sexual intercourse, reproductive health, emotional relations, reproductive rights and responsibilities, abstinence, contraception, and...
Dr Betty Dodson
Betty Dodson
Betty Dodson is an American sex educator, author, and artist. Dodson held the first one-woman show of erotic art at the Wickersham Gallery in New York City in 1968. She left the art world to teach sex to women...
.
The series came under public attack from senior television figures, and was pulled amid claims of declining editorial standards and controversy over the channel's public service broadcasting
Public broadcasting
Public broadcasting includes radio, television and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service. Public broadcasters receive funding from diverse sources including license fees, individual contributions, public financing and commercial financing.Public broadcasting may be...
credentials. However, the films it was meant to showcase may yet be broadcast by the channel at a later date.
Global Warming
On March 8, 2007 Channel 4 screened the highly controversial documentary The Great Global Warming SwindleThe Great Global Warming Swindle
The Great Global Warming Swindle is a polemical documentary film that suggests that the scientific opinion on climate change is influenced by funding and political factors, and questions whether scientific consensus on anthropogenic global warming exists....
. The programme states that global warming is "a lie" and "the biggest scam of modern times". The programme's accuracy has been disputed on multiple points and several commentators have criticised it for being one-sided, noting that the mainstream position on global warming is supported by the scientific academies of the major industrialized nations
G8
The Group of Eight is a forum, created by France in 1975, for the governments of seven major economies: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. In 1997, the group added Russia, thus becoming the G8...
There were 246 complaints to Ofcom
Ofcom
Ofcom is the government-approved regulatory authority for the broadcasting and telecommunications industries in the United Kingdom. Ofcom was initially established by the Office of Communications Act 2002. It received its full authority from the Communications Act 2003...
as of April 25, 2007, including the complaints that the programme falsified data. The programme has been criticised by scientists and scientific organizations and various scientists which participated in the documentary claimed their views had been distorted.
Against Nature: An earlier controversial Channel 4 programme made by Martin Durkin which was also critical of the environmental movement and was charged by the Independent Television Commission of the UK for misrepresenting and distorting the views of interviewees by selective editing.
The Greenhouse Conspiracy
The Greenhouse Conspiracy
The Greenhouse Conspiracy is a documentary film broadcast by Channel 4 in the United Kingdom on 12 August 1990, as part of the Equinox series, which criticised the theory of global warming and asserted that scientists critical of global warming theory were denied funding...
: An earlier Channel 4 documentary broadcast on 12 August 1990, as part of the Equinox
Equinox (television)
Equinox was a long-running Channel 4 popular science and documentary programme. The series ran from 1986 to 2001, originally aired on a weekly basis....
series, in which similar claims were made. Three of the people interviewed (Lindzen, Michaels and Spencer) were also interviewed in The Great Global Warming Swindle
The Great Global Warming Swindle
The Great Global Warming Swindle is a polemical documentary film that suggests that the scientific opinion on climate change is influenced by funding and political factors, and questions whether scientific consensus on anthropogenic global warming exists....
.
Ahmadinejad's Christmas speech
In the Christmas address of 2008, a Channel 4 tradition since 1993, Mr Ahmadinejad made a thinly veiled attack on the United States by claiming that Christ would have been against “bullying, ill-tempered and expansionist powers”.A spokeswoman for the FCO said: “President Ahmadinejad has, during his time in office, made a series of appalling anti-Semitic statements. The British media are rightly free to make their own editorial choices, but this invitation will cause offence and bemusement not just at home but among friendly countries abroad.”
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article5397462.ece
Notable Failures
Channel 4 has for a long time struggled in the breakfast slot. In 1989 the Channel launched a breakfast televisionBreakfast television
Breakfast television or morning show , is a type of infotainment television program, broadcast live in the morning...
slot produced by Mentorn Films
Tinopolis
Tinopolis plc is a Welsh independent television production company, owned by its senior management and private equity company Vitruvian Partners.Tinopolis produces over 2,500 hours of television annually for more than 200 UK and foreign broadcasters....
, called the Channel 4 Daily. In 1992 this was replaced by The Big Breakfast
The Big Breakfast
The Big Breakfast was a British light entertainment television show shown on Channel 4 and S4C each weekday morning from 28 September 1992 until 29 March 2002 during which period 2,482 shows were produced. The Big Breakfast was produced by Planet 24, the production company co-owned by former...
, which briefly outrated the ITV breakfast broadcast, GMTV
GMTV
GMTV was the national Channel 3 breakfast television contractor, broadcasting in the United Kingdom from 1 January 1993 to 3 September 2010. It became a wholly owned subsidiary of ITV plc. in November 2009. Shortly after, ITV plc announced the programme would end...
, after the closure of TV-am
TV-am
TV-am was a breakfast television station that broadcast to the United Kingdom from 1 February 1983 to 31 December 1992. It made history by being the first national operator of a commercial television franchise at breakfast-time , and broadcast every day of the week for most or all of the period...
. The Big Breakfast was axed in March 2002. It was replaced by RI:SE
RI:SE
RI:SE was a breakfast television show made by Princess Productions in collaboration with BSkyB for Channel 4 in the UK. It was scheduled to replace The Big Breakfast after declining ratings. It launched on 29 April 2002...
, which rated poorly. With the demise of RI:SE, Channel 4 withdrew from original programming in the breakfast TV slot. Now T4 runs the early morning slots on weekdays showing repeats of popular shows such as Friends, Everybody Loves Raymond
Everybody Loves Raymond
Everybody Loves Raymond is an American television sitcom that originally ran on CBS from September 13, 1996, to May 16, 2005. Many of the situations from the show are based on the real-life experiences of lead actor Ray Romano, creator/producer Phil Rosenthal and the show's writing staff...
and Just Shoot Me. (This was temporarily interrupted in early 2006 with the show Morning Glory, designed to keep the audience following the early morning transmission of Big Brother's Little Breakfast).
4Talent
4Talent is an editorial branch of Channel 4's commissioning wing, which co-ordinates Channel 4's various talent development schemes for film, television, radio, new media and other platforms and provides a showcasing platform for new talent.There are bases in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
and Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
, serving editorial hubs known respectively as 4Talent National, 4Talent Central England, 4Talent Scotland and 4Talent Northern Ireland. These four sites include features, profiles and interviews in text, audio and video formats, divided into five zones: TV, Film, Radio, New Media and Extras, which covers other arts such as theatre, music and design. 4Talent also collates networking, showcasing and professional development opportunities, and runs workshops, masterclasses, seminars and showcasing events across the UK.
4Talent has an active presence on social networking site Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
.
See also 4Talent.
4Talent Magazine
4Talent magazine is the creative industries magazine from 4Talent, which launched in 2005 (originally titled TEN4 magazine) under the editorship of Dan Jones. 4Talent Magazine is currently edited by Nick Carson. Other staff include deputy editor Catherine Bray and production editor Helen Byrne. The magazine covers rising and established figures of interest in the creative industries, a remit including film, radio, TV, comedy, music, new media and design.Subjects are usually UK-based, with contributing editors based in Northern Ireland, Scotland, London and Birmingham, but the publication has been known to source international content from Australia, America, continental Europe and the Middle East. The magazine is frequently organised around a theme for the issue, for instance giving half of November 2007's pages over to profiling winners of the annual 4Talent Awards.
An unusual feature of the magazine's credits is the equal prominence given to the names of writers, photographers, designers and illustrators, contradicting standard industry practice of more prominent writer bylines. It is also recognisable for its 'wraparound' covers, which use the front and back as a continuous canvas - often produced by guest artists.
Although 4Talent Magazine is technically a newsstand title, a significant proportion of its readers are subscribers. It started life as a quarterly 100-page title, but has since doubled in size and is now published bi-annually.