Exclusive: The former UK chief of one of Europe’s biggest production giants has been drafted in by Channel 4 to advise on the formation of its in-house productions unit.
Lucinda Hicks, who left her Banijay UK CEO post two years ago, will be consulting with Channel 4 two days per week over the coming months to help with the network’s strategy to seek “diversified revenue streams,” which includes in-house productions and comprises part of its Fast Forward blueprint. CEO Alex Mahon is understood to be keen to have a fleshed-out plan in place by the end of this year depending on the success of the media bill currently making its way through parliament.
Reporting into Chief Operating Officer Jonathan Allan, Hicks is working closely with Mahon and content boss Ian Katz on the plans.
A Channel 4 spokeswoman said Hicks is examining how the broadcaster can “explore the potential of...
Lucinda Hicks, who left her Banijay UK CEO post two years ago, will be consulting with Channel 4 two days per week over the coming months to help with the network’s strategy to seek “diversified revenue streams,” which includes in-house productions and comprises part of its Fast Forward blueprint. CEO Alex Mahon is understood to be keen to have a fleshed-out plan in place by the end of this year depending on the success of the media bill currently making its way through parliament.
Reporting into Chief Operating Officer Jonathan Allan, Hicks is working closely with Mahon and content boss Ian Katz on the plans.
A Channel 4 spokeswoman said Hicks is examining how the broadcaster can “explore the potential of...
- 4/3/2024
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
Channel 4 has confirmed Ollie Madden, director of Film4, is expanding his role to encompass TV drama commissioning as part of the ongoing restructuring at the UK broadcaster.
As director of Film4 and C4 drama, he takes over from Caroline Hollick, the Leeds-based head of TV drama for Channel 4, who departed Channel 4 on March 21.
”Ollie is a creative powerhouse who has been at the heart of Film4’s extraordinary success and has a bold and ambitious vision for what Channel 4 drama can be,” said Ian Katz, Channel 4’s chief content officer, today.
Channel 4 has previously confirmed the film and TV...
As director of Film4 and C4 drama, he takes over from Caroline Hollick, the Leeds-based head of TV drama for Channel 4, who departed Channel 4 on March 21.
”Ollie is a creative powerhouse who has been at the heart of Film4’s extraordinary success and has a bold and ambitious vision for what Channel 4 drama can be,” said Ian Katz, Channel 4’s chief content officer, today.
Channel 4 has previously confirmed the film and TV...
- 3/28/2024
- ScreenDaily
Channel 4 Bonuses Are “Slap In The Face” For Fired Staffers & Ailing Freelance Workforce, Bectu Says
“A slap in the face” was the verdict of broadcasting union Bectu to Channel 4 bosses’ decision to accept bonuses this year amidst a 250-staff layoff program.
Deadline revealed yesterday that the network’s CEO Alex Mahon, content boss Ian Katz and Chief Operating Officer Jonathan Allan would be taking their bonuses in 2024, although at reduced rates.
Responding, Bectu Head Philippa Childs pointed to the optics of the bonuses being taken at a time when freelance community morale is at an all-time low. Channel 4’s Remuneration Committee would have rubberstamped the bonuses around the time the broadcaster began implementing a 250-staff layoff program, which is seeing commissioning teams shrunk back amidst tricky economic headwinds and a slowdown in commissioning.
“Hot on the heels of recent announcements of mass redundancies at the broadcaster, this will come as a slap in the face to both those at risk of redundancy and the...
Deadline revealed yesterday that the network’s CEO Alex Mahon, content boss Ian Katz and Chief Operating Officer Jonathan Allan would be taking their bonuses in 2024, although at reduced rates.
Responding, Bectu Head Philippa Childs pointed to the optics of the bonuses being taken at a time when freelance community morale is at an all-time low. Channel 4’s Remuneration Committee would have rubberstamped the bonuses around the time the broadcaster began implementing a 250-staff layoff program, which is seeing commissioning teams shrunk back amidst tricky economic headwinds and a slowdown in commissioning.
“Hot on the heels of recent announcements of mass redundancies at the broadcaster, this will come as a slap in the face to both those at risk of redundancy and the...
- 3/19/2024
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Channel 4 bosses will take home reduced bonuses in 2024 as 250 staffers are laid off.
Deadline can reveal that the vast majority of Channel 4 staff will receive a bonus this year around half the level of 2023, including CEO Alex Mahon, content boss Ian Katz and Chief Operating Officer Jonathan Allan. The trio will see their pay reduced by around 30% to 40% from last year’s record highs, we are also told.
The decision on bonuses was recently rubberstamped by the network’s Remuneration Committee and a Channel 4 spokesman told Deadline the bonus was calculated from the network’s “annual targets, remit and business goals.” This decision to award them bonuses was made in the past few weeks as the redundancy program has been in full flow – the biggest such program initiated by the broadcaster for 15 years.
Senior bosses’ separate six-figure loyalty bonuses, which Deadline revealed had been indefinitely deferred last year amidst a revolt from producers,...
Deadline can reveal that the vast majority of Channel 4 staff will receive a bonus this year around half the level of 2023, including CEO Alex Mahon, content boss Ian Katz and Chief Operating Officer Jonathan Allan. The trio will see their pay reduced by around 30% to 40% from last year’s record highs, we are also told.
The decision on bonuses was recently rubberstamped by the network’s Remuneration Committee and a Channel 4 spokesman told Deadline the bonus was calculated from the network’s “annual targets, remit and business goals.” This decision to award them bonuses was made in the past few weeks as the redundancy program has been in full flow – the biggest such program initiated by the broadcaster for 15 years.
Senior bosses’ separate six-figure loyalty bonuses, which Deadline revealed had been indefinitely deferred last year amidst a revolt from producers,...
- 3/18/2024
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: A producer wryly tells us that they arrived to Channel 4 HQ in late 2023 to discover a boarded-up front, feeling their way around to a narrow door on the side of the building “where there stands a huge f***ing bouncer.”
If ever there was a metaphor for the British broadcaster’s relations with the indie sector in recent months, surely this is it. After pulling up the commissioning drawbridge and passing on the financial pain of a disturbingly prolonged ad crisis, producers have oscillated between rage and disillusionment when the subject of Channel 4 rears its head.
There has been an inescapable sense that Channel 4 has not been listening to the concerns of its suppliers, even if this is hotly disputed by the broadcaster itself. But the mood music has now changed. Channel 4 is, for the first time, publicly acknowledging that it must share in the pain being felt by producers.
If ever there was a metaphor for the British broadcaster’s relations with the indie sector in recent months, surely this is it. After pulling up the commissioning drawbridge and passing on the financial pain of a disturbingly prolonged ad crisis, producers have oscillated between rage and disillusionment when the subject of Channel 4 rears its head.
There has been an inescapable sense that Channel 4 has not been listening to the concerns of its suppliers, even if this is hotly disputed by the broadcaster itself. But the mood music has now changed. Channel 4 is, for the first time, publicly acknowledging that it must share in the pain being felt by producers.
- 1/11/2024
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
Stephen Fry is set to deliver a deeply person Alternative Christmas Message for U.K. broadcaster Channel 4, in which he will address the rising tide of antisemitism across the world.
Calling for solidarity, Fry, who is an atheist and a humanist, urges the audience to call out antisemitism as they would any other form of racism: “Standing upright means speaking up and calling out venomous slurs and hateful abuse wherever you encounter them.”
“There is real fear stalking the Jewish neighbourhoods of Britain,” he continues. “Jewish people here are becoming fearful of showing themselves. In Britain, in 2023. Can you imagine, Jews afraid to be themselves in the open for fear of reprisal?”
Fry opens the message, which will air shortly after King Charles III’s annual Christmas speech on the BBC, by publicly proclaiming his own Jewishness, a fact he says many people don’t realize. “Indeed sometimes people...
Calling for solidarity, Fry, who is an atheist and a humanist, urges the audience to call out antisemitism as they would any other form of racism: “Standing upright means speaking up and calling out venomous slurs and hateful abuse wherever you encounter them.”
“There is real fear stalking the Jewish neighbourhoods of Britain,” he continues. “Jewish people here are becoming fearful of showing themselves. In Britain, in 2023. Can you imagine, Jews afraid to be themselves in the open for fear of reprisal?”
Fry opens the message, which will air shortly after King Charles III’s annual Christmas speech on the BBC, by publicly proclaiming his own Jewishness, a fact he says many people don’t realize. “Indeed sometimes people...
- 12/18/2023
- by K.J. Yossman
- Variety Film + TV
Channel 4 is in “market shock territory” and may finally look to use its £75M ($94M) revolving credit facility next year, according to CEO Alex Mahon.
Mahon faced a barrage of questions about the embattled Gogglebox broadcaster’s finances from the Culture, Media & Sport Committee this morning and was at pains to stress how bad the ad market has been this year and its impact on Channel 4.
In line with rivals, she said Channel 4 hasn’t seen predicted recoveries in H2 or Q4 of 2023 and revenues will likely be down around 8% for 2023, while the channel expects to post a deficit following three years of surplus.
“We are in what I would probably call market shock territory,” she told MPs. “This level of ad fall was only deeper in the 2008 recession.”
In a marked change of position, Mahon said she “imagines” Channel 4 may “look at how to use” the credit facility next year,...
Mahon faced a barrage of questions about the embattled Gogglebox broadcaster’s finances from the Culture, Media & Sport Committee this morning and was at pains to stress how bad the ad market has been this year and its impact on Channel 4.
In line with rivals, she said Channel 4 hasn’t seen predicted recoveries in H2 or Q4 of 2023 and revenues will likely be down around 8% for 2023, while the channel expects to post a deficit following three years of surplus.
“We are in what I would probably call market shock territory,” she told MPs. “This level of ad fall was only deeper in the 2008 recession.”
In a marked change of position, Mahon said she “imagines” Channel 4 may “look at how to use” the credit facility next year,...
- 11/28/2023
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
Channel 4 bosses will be grilled on the network’s finances, commissioning slowdown and streaming strategy in front of an influential parliamentary committee next week.
The Culture, Media and Sport Committee has invited CEO Alex Mahon and Chair Ian Cheshire to examine the various issues facing the network on Wednesday 29 November.
While the scrutiny session is a regular one and not out of the ordinary, the committee pointed to Channel 4’s overall financial performance in 2022 being down on the prior year, which will be raised.
“Questions may scrutinise C4’s dependence on the advertising market – in 2022, 89% of C4’s income came from advertising – and its non-advertising revenue,” added the committee. “MPs could discuss C4’s cut in commissioning, its streaming strategy and dependence on younger audiences.”
With a string of high-profile incidents in British TV over the past year, the committee will also examine Channel 4’s safeguarding policies, it said,...
The Culture, Media and Sport Committee has invited CEO Alex Mahon and Chair Ian Cheshire to examine the various issues facing the network on Wednesday 29 November.
While the scrutiny session is a regular one and not out of the ordinary, the committee pointed to Channel 4’s overall financial performance in 2022 being down on the prior year, which will be raised.
“Questions may scrutinise C4’s dependence on the advertising market – in 2022, 89% of C4’s income came from advertising – and its non-advertising revenue,” added the committee. “MPs could discuss C4’s cut in commissioning, its streaming strategy and dependence on younger audiences.”
With a string of high-profile incidents in British TV over the past year, the committee will also examine Channel 4’s safeguarding policies, it said,...
- 11/24/2023
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Channel 4’s finance boss is to exit after five years, coming at a tricky time for the Gogglebox network.
Vince Russell has decided to leave at the end of the year and will work alongside interim Terry Downing, a former Endemol and Fox finance exec, until then. The search for Finance Director Russell’s long-term replacement has started.
Russell joined Channel 4 in 2018, overseeing finances during the pandemic, privatization period and, more recently, the economic downturn brought on by the ad recession. Prior to Channel 4, he worked for Sky in various finance and product roles.
His boss, Chief Operating Officer Jonathan Allan, said Russell had “helped shepherd the channel through a very interesting period with great skill and unwavering good humour – steering Channel 4 through the pandemic and then on to achieve some tremendous results including posting record revenues and programme investment in 2022.”
Russell has “helped mitigate the stresses of...
Vince Russell has decided to leave at the end of the year and will work alongside interim Terry Downing, a former Endemol and Fox finance exec, until then. The search for Finance Director Russell’s long-term replacement has started.
Russell joined Channel 4 in 2018, overseeing finances during the pandemic, privatization period and, more recently, the economic downturn brought on by the ad recession. Prior to Channel 4, he worked for Sky in various finance and product roles.
His boss, Chief Operating Officer Jonathan Allan, said Russell had “helped shepherd the channel through a very interesting period with great skill and unwavering good humour – steering Channel 4 through the pandemic and then on to achieve some tremendous results including posting record revenues and programme investment in 2022.”
Russell has “helped mitigate the stresses of...
- 11/23/2023
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
It’s been a big week for British broadcasting cancelations.
Channel 4 has axed daily daytime show Steph’s Packed Lunch just a day after the BBC revealed it was culling Doctors, one of its longest-running drama series.
Steph’s Packed Lunch has been running since the early days of the Covid-19 era and will end later this year, with those who work on the show told earlier today.
In an all-staff email from Ian Katz, seen by Deadline, the Chief Content Officer said it had been a “difficult decision” but “with audience habits changing faster than ever we need to focus our resources more rigorously on driving streaming, and prioritise programmes that drive digital growth wherever we can.”
Produced by Expectation and Can Can Productions, Steph’s Packed Lunch aired weekdays from Leeds and featured celebrity guests and topical discussions. It kicked off in the Covid era after Channel 4 decided it wanted...
Channel 4 has axed daily daytime show Steph’s Packed Lunch just a day after the BBC revealed it was culling Doctors, one of its longest-running drama series.
Steph’s Packed Lunch has been running since the early days of the Covid-19 era and will end later this year, with those who work on the show told earlier today.
In an all-staff email from Ian Katz, seen by Deadline, the Chief Content Officer said it had been a “difficult decision” but “with audience habits changing faster than ever we need to focus our resources more rigorously on driving streaming, and prioritise programmes that drive digital growth wherever we can.”
Produced by Expectation and Can Can Productions, Steph’s Packed Lunch aired weekdays from Leeds and featured celebrity guests and topical discussions. It kicked off in the Covid era after Channel 4 decided it wanted...
- 10/19/2023
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
“It’s the Alex Mahon show,” was how one seasoned British TV executive characterized the industry’s biennial gathering in Cambridge, chaired by the Channel 4 CEO.
The Royal Television Society conference’s line-up was such a draw that even Elisabeth Murdoch was in attendance the day before news broke of her father’s surprise retirement. The traditional turns from UK network leaders were elevated by CAA’s Bryan Lourd jetting in from Hollywood, while James Corden gave his first interview since quitting The Late Late Show.
In an auspicious bit of timing, Katherine Ryan was the after-dinner speaker. She declined to address the Russell Brand-shaped elephant in the room, but did manage to roast an audience member called Ian for looking like a golf fanatic. Unbeknownst to Ryan, he turned out to be Channel 4 chairman Ian Cheshire.
But it was Mahon who presided over it all. The Channel...
The Royal Television Society conference’s line-up was such a draw that even Elisabeth Murdoch was in attendance the day before news broke of her father’s surprise retirement. The traditional turns from UK network leaders were elevated by CAA’s Bryan Lourd jetting in from Hollywood, while James Corden gave his first interview since quitting The Late Late Show.
In an auspicious bit of timing, Katherine Ryan was the after-dinner speaker. She declined to address the Russell Brand-shaped elephant in the room, but did manage to roast an audience member called Ian for looking like a golf fanatic. Unbeknownst to Ryan, he turned out to be Channel 4 chairman Ian Cheshire.
But it was Mahon who presided over it all. The Channel...
- 9/22/2023
- by Jake Kanter and Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Channel 4 has asked third-party production companies to report “historical allegations” about Russell Brand after he was accused of raping and sexually assaulting women.
In an email seen by Deadline, Chief Content Officer Ian Katz said Channel 4 wanted to hear from anyone impacted by Brand, urging producers to “bring to our attention any historical allegations or concerns.”
The call for evidence follows The Times, Sunday Times, and Channel 4 reporting allegations that Brand sexually assaulted four women at the height of his fame. Brand vehemently denies the claims and has said all of his relationships were consensual.
Katz said he was “appalled” by the accusations against Brand, saying that the Dispatches investigation — which he ultimately commissioned — paints an “ugly picture” that means Channel 4 must “redouble our commitment to ensuring safe working conditions for all those in our industry.”
The Times newspapers and Dispatches reporting revealed questions about Brand’s conduct on Big Brother,...
In an email seen by Deadline, Chief Content Officer Ian Katz said Channel 4 wanted to hear from anyone impacted by Brand, urging producers to “bring to our attention any historical allegations or concerns.”
The call for evidence follows The Times, Sunday Times, and Channel 4 reporting allegations that Brand sexually assaulted four women at the height of his fame. Brand vehemently denies the claims and has said all of his relationships were consensual.
Katz said he was “appalled” by the accusations against Brand, saying that the Dispatches investigation — which he ultimately commissioned — paints an “ugly picture” that means Channel 4 must “redouble our commitment to ensuring safe working conditions for all those in our industry.”
The Times newspapers and Dispatches reporting revealed questions about Brand’s conduct on Big Brother,...
- 9/18/2023
- by Jake Kanter and Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
The UK TV production sector grew rapidly in 2022 to a near-£4B ($5B) high, but Pact boss John McVay has forecast a “tough” full-year 2023 and “shaky” 2024.
The producer trade body’s annual Pact Census, which covered the 2022 calendar year, found indie revenues to have risen by 21% – comfortably besting the previous record of £3.3B in 2019. International TV revenue skyrocketed by 70% to £1.6B and spend from the streamers rose by a whopping 133% to £700M – both smashing previous records.
Unveiled yesterday during a press briefing, the heady numbers will come as little surprise, given that 2021 was hit by Covid-19 and 2022 saw a rush back into production. Figures from across the UK TV sector regularly reported virtually full employment levels in 2022, and there were big increases in commissioning by both local networks and U.S. giants.
McVay labeled 2022 a “boom year,” adding: “Clearly the UK is a place where large sums of money are...
The producer trade body’s annual Pact Census, which covered the 2022 calendar year, found indie revenues to have risen by 21% – comfortably besting the previous record of £3.3B in 2019. International TV revenue skyrocketed by 70% to £1.6B and spend from the streamers rose by a whopping 133% to £700M – both smashing previous records.
Unveiled yesterday during a press briefing, the heady numbers will come as little surprise, given that 2021 was hit by Covid-19 and 2022 saw a rush back into production. Figures from across the UK TV sector regularly reported virtually full employment levels in 2022, and there were big increases in commissioning by both local networks and U.S. giants.
McVay labeled 2022 a “boom year,” adding: “Clearly the UK is a place where large sums of money are...
- 9/12/2023
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
The gloves are off for Channel 4’s Naked Education.
UK media regulator Ofcom has received 1,297 complaints about the controversial body image show, as anger grows at a format that parades naked adults in front of young teenagers.
The complaints were a combined figure for the first two episodes of the six-part season, which broadcasts on Channel 4 in the UK on Tuesday nights.
Presented by Anna Richardson, the show depicts full-frontal nudity before the 9Pm watershed, a threshold in the UK that protects young viewers from potentially harmful content.
Ofcom is yet to decide whether it will launch an investigation into Naked Education, but Channel 4 has robustly defended the format, which is made by All3Media-owned Betty TV.
Ian Katz, Channel 4’s Chief Content Officer, said Naked Education‘s ambition to confront body image anxiety was “valuable public service broadcasting.”
“Anyone who suggests that the Channel 4 show Naked Education promotes...
UK media regulator Ofcom has received 1,297 complaints about the controversial body image show, as anger grows at a format that parades naked adults in front of young teenagers.
The complaints were a combined figure for the first two episodes of the six-part season, which broadcasts on Channel 4 in the UK on Tuesday nights.
Presented by Anna Richardson, the show depicts full-frontal nudity before the 9Pm watershed, a threshold in the UK that protects young viewers from potentially harmful content.
Ofcom is yet to decide whether it will launch an investigation into Naked Education, but Channel 4 has robustly defended the format, which is made by All3Media-owned Betty TV.
Ian Katz, Channel 4’s Chief Content Officer, said Naked Education‘s ambition to confront body image anxiety was “valuable public service broadcasting.”
“Anyone who suggests that the Channel 4 show Naked Education promotes...
- 4/20/2023
- by Jake Kanter
- Deadline Film + TV
A documentary on the legal woes between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard headlines the new spring lineup from U.K. broadcaster Channel 4.
At the channel’s Content Showcase in London, chief content officer Ian Katz unveiled a slate of “purposeful, provocative but never predictable” programming that he hopes will get people “thinking, arguing and asking questions about the world in which we live.”
“Depp vs Heard” will be a three-part series by BAFTA-nominated series director Emma Cooper, investigating the notorious defamation trial that captivated global audiences for three straight months last year. The case — dubbed the world’s first ‘Tik Tok trial’ — was a global media event and raised significant issues regarding violence, gender and the nature of justice in the post-truth era.
Other titles announced include “Partygate: The True Story,” from the makers of BAFTA-winning “Killed By My Debt.” The docudrama promises a deep dive into the political...
At the channel’s Content Showcase in London, chief content officer Ian Katz unveiled a slate of “purposeful, provocative but never predictable” programming that he hopes will get people “thinking, arguing and asking questions about the world in which we live.”
“Depp vs Heard” will be a three-part series by BAFTA-nominated series director Emma Cooper, investigating the notorious defamation trial that captivated global audiences for three straight months last year. The case — dubbed the world’s first ‘Tik Tok trial’ — was a global media event and raised significant issues regarding violence, gender and the nature of justice in the post-truth era.
Other titles announced include “Partygate: The True Story,” from the makers of BAFTA-winning “Killed By My Debt.” The docudrama promises a deep dive into the political...
- 4/18/2023
- by Hannah Abraham
- Variety Film + TV
Channel 4 has announced plans to air a documentary about the “problem” with Prince Andrew as part of their “alternative schedule” around King Charles III’s forthcoming coronation.
Airing as part of the channel’s coronation programming around the coronation, Andrew – The Problem Prince will see Emily Maitlis speak in detail about her infamous Newsnight interview with the Duke of York in 2019.
Following the 2019 interview, in which the former BBC journalist grilled Andrew about his relationship with the late billionaire sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, the duke stepped down from public life.
The two-part series will also feature archive footage, an interview with former Newsnight producer Sam McAlister and access to palace insiders, Channel 4 has announced.
The programme is being executively produced by Maitlis along with James Goldston, Sheldon Lazarus and Nina Davies.
It will be broadcast as part of Channel 4’s “alternative schedule”, which the broadcaster said “will provide an...
Airing as part of the channel’s coronation programming around the coronation, Andrew – The Problem Prince will see Emily Maitlis speak in detail about her infamous Newsnight interview with the Duke of York in 2019.
Following the 2019 interview, in which the former BBC journalist grilled Andrew about his relationship with the late billionaire sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, the duke stepped down from public life.
The two-part series will also feature archive footage, an interview with former Newsnight producer Sam McAlister and access to palace insiders, Channel 4 has announced.
The programme is being executively produced by Maitlis along with James Goldston, Sheldon Lazarus and Nina Davies.
It will be broadcast as part of Channel 4’s “alternative schedule”, which the broadcaster said “will provide an...
- 4/17/2023
- by Isobel Lewis
- The Independent - TV
Itvx Hits One Billion Streams After Five Months
ITV’s streaming service Itvx has reached one billion streams, less than five months after it launched. The last time ITV hit a billion streams, in 2022, it took seven months. The service replaced ITV Hub in the UK on December 13, and integrated programs from BritBox, the streamer it ran with the BBC. March represented Itvx’s best streaming month, with 282 million streams, up 100 million year-on-year. Itx offers dramas such as The Twelve, Without Sin and A Spy Among Friends. From its archive content, early 2000s drama Footballers’ Wives is the top performing show, with One Tree Hill the top U.S. boxset. Love Island and Unforgotten are also singled out as drivers.
‘Naked Eduction’ Maker Betty TV Hires Head Of Production
All3Media’s Betty TV, the UK behind the controversial Channel 4 series Naked Education, has its first Head of Production in five...
ITV’s streaming service Itvx has reached one billion streams, less than five months after it launched. The last time ITV hit a billion streams, in 2022, it took seven months. The service replaced ITV Hub in the UK on December 13, and integrated programs from BritBox, the streamer it ran with the BBC. March represented Itvx’s best streaming month, with 282 million streams, up 100 million year-on-year. Itx offers dramas such as The Twelve, Without Sin and A Spy Among Friends. From its archive content, early 2000s drama Footballers’ Wives is the top performing show, with One Tree Hill the top U.S. boxset. Love Island and Unforgotten are also singled out as drivers.
‘Naked Eduction’ Maker Betty TV Hires Head Of Production
All3Media’s Betty TV, the UK behind the controversial Channel 4 series Naked Education, has its first Head of Production in five...
- 4/17/2023
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
“The Great British Bake Off” has introduced Alison Hammond as its new host.
The TV personality, who recently co-hosted the BAFTA Film Awards, confirmed the casting announcement in a TikTok Friday morning.
Hammond will replace Matt Lucas on Channel 4’s baking competition series, which has a loyal following on Netflix.
Read More: Jake Gyllenhaal Is A Big Fan Of ‘Great British Bake Off’ And Judge Prue Leith
@alisonhammond
Its Official !! Its happening The Great British Bake off !! Lets have it , the cake that is @The Great British Bake Off @Channel 4 #Gbbo
♬ original sound – Alison Hammond
Over the years, the 48-year-old has become a beloved TV presenter ever since she first graced British television screens competing on season three of “Big Brother” in 2002. Hammond is also known for hosting ITV’s “This Morning”, appearing in a number of viral celebrity interview, including one from 2017 with Harrison Ford and Ryan Gosling...
The TV personality, who recently co-hosted the BAFTA Film Awards, confirmed the casting announcement in a TikTok Friday morning.
Hammond will replace Matt Lucas on Channel 4’s baking competition series, which has a loyal following on Netflix.
Read More: Jake Gyllenhaal Is A Big Fan Of ‘Great British Bake Off’ And Judge Prue Leith
@alisonhammond
Its Official !! Its happening The Great British Bake off !! Lets have it , the cake that is @The Great British Bake Off @Channel 4 #Gbbo
♬ original sound – Alison Hammond
Over the years, the 48-year-old has become a beloved TV presenter ever since she first graced British television screens competing on season three of “Big Brother” in 2002. Hammond is also known for hosting ITV’s “This Morning”, appearing in a number of viral celebrity interview, including one from 2017 with Harrison Ford and Ryan Gosling...
- 3/17/2023
- by Melissa Romualdi
- ET Canada
ITV presenter Alison Hammond has been tapped as the new co-host on “The Great British Bake Off,” replacing Matt Lucas.
Hammond confirmed the news on Friday morning with a short clip featuring the full “Bake Off” hosting line-up in figurines made out of icing. “It’s Official!! It’s happening The Great British Bake off ! let’s have it – The cake that is [emoji] so excited,” she tweeted.
It’s Official!! It’s happening The Great British Bake off ! let’s have it – The cake that is...
Hammond confirmed the news on Friday morning with a short clip featuring the full “Bake Off” hosting line-up in figurines made out of icing. “It’s Official!! It’s happening The Great British Bake off ! let’s have it – The cake that is [emoji] so excited,” she tweeted.
It’s Official!! It’s happening The Great British Bake off ! let’s have it – The cake that is...
- 3/17/2023
- by Manori Ravindran
- Variety Film + TV
Alison Hammond has been confirmed as the new host of The Great British Bake Off.
Hammond, who co-hosted the BAFTA Film Awards last month, will replace Matt Lucas on Channel 4’s baking competition. The show has a loyal following on Netflix in the U.S.
The Daily Mirror first reported the news on Thursday and Hammond confirmed it on TikTok this morning.
It’s Official!! It’s happening The Great British Bake off ! let’s have it – The cake that is...
Hammond, who co-hosted the BAFTA Film Awards last month, will replace Matt Lucas on Channel 4’s baking competition. The show has a loyal following on Netflix in the U.S.
The Daily Mirror first reported the news on Thursday and Hammond confirmed it on TikTok this morning.
It’s Official!! It’s happening The Great British Bake off ! let’s have it – The cake that is...
- 3/17/2023
- by Jake Kanter
- Deadline Film + TV
Alison Hammond has confirmed that she will be the new co-host of The Great British Bake Off.
The presenter, who is known to many for her work on This Morning, will take over Matt Lucas’s position on the programme, after his departure at the end of 2022.
She will join Noel Fielding, who has hosted the programme since its move from BBC One to Channel 4 in 2017.
On Friday morning (17 March), Hammond posted the announcement on social media.
“It’s Official!! It’s happening, The Great British Bake off!” she wrote on Twitter. “Let’s have it – The cake that is... so excited!”
The post includes a video that shows a cake version of her, Fielding, and judges Prue Leith and Paul Hollywood, in a mock Bake Off tent.
Hammond is heard interviewing the figurine version of herself about the new gig in the light-hearted clip.
It’s Official!! It...
The presenter, who is known to many for her work on This Morning, will take over Matt Lucas’s position on the programme, after his departure at the end of 2022.
She will join Noel Fielding, who has hosted the programme since its move from BBC One to Channel 4 in 2017.
On Friday morning (17 March), Hammond posted the announcement on social media.
“It’s Official!! It’s happening, The Great British Bake off!” she wrote on Twitter. “Let’s have it – The cake that is... so excited!”
The post includes a video that shows a cake version of her, Fielding, and judges Prue Leith and Paul Hollywood, in a mock Bake Off tent.
Hammond is heard interviewing the figurine version of herself about the new gig in the light-hearted clip.
It’s Official!! It...
- 3/17/2023
- by Nicole Vassell
- The Independent - TV
All things crust come to an end.
Actor and comedian Matt Lucas is leaving as co-host of “The Great British Bake Off” after three seasons on the show, citing scheduling conflicts with his new series “Fantasy Football League” for Sky.
“It’s become clear to me that I can’t present both ‘Fantasy Football League’ and ‘Bake Off’ alongside all my other projects,” Lucas said in a statement posted to Twitter. “So, after three series and 51 episodes, I am cheerfully passing the baguette on to someone else.”
Lucas began co-hosting “Bake Off” (which airs on Netflix as “The Great British Baking Show” in the U.S.) for the 11th season, replacing co-host Sandi Toksvig. He worked alongside co-host Noel Fielding and judges Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith, and in the first two of those seasons, it was under severe Covid restrictions that required the production to remain sequestered together in a Covid bubble.
Actor and comedian Matt Lucas is leaving as co-host of “The Great British Bake Off” after three seasons on the show, citing scheduling conflicts with his new series “Fantasy Football League” for Sky.
“It’s become clear to me that I can’t present both ‘Fantasy Football League’ and ‘Bake Off’ alongside all my other projects,” Lucas said in a statement posted to Twitter. “So, after three series and 51 episodes, I am cheerfully passing the baguette on to someone else.”
Lucas began co-hosting “Bake Off” (which airs on Netflix as “The Great British Baking Show” in the U.S.) for the 11th season, replacing co-host Sandi Toksvig. He worked alongside co-host Noel Fielding and judges Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith, and in the first two of those seasons, it was under severe Covid restrictions that required the production to remain sequestered together in a Covid bubble.
- 12/6/2022
- by Adam B. Vary
- Variety Film + TV
Channel 4’s former Deputy Programmes Chief Kelly Webb-Lamb has launched a non-scripted production outfit with two former Channel 4 commissioners to create “global formats and ideas of scale.”
Webb-Lamb, who up until recently was the second most senior content person at the Gogglebox network, has opened Mothership Productions with Creative Director Charlotte Desai and Director of Programmes Gilly Greenslade, both of whom worked extensively with her at Channel 4 before she departed last year.
The production outfit looks set to be a key player in the booming British non-scripted TV sector, focusing on big, sellable formats, and said it already has several projects in advanced development while the team is currently pitching to broadcaster and SVoD commissioners.
Webb-Lamb was at Channel 4 for five years and deputy to Chief Content Officer Ian Katz for three, during which time she commissioned the likes of The Circle, Studio Lambert’s format that was subsequently remade for Netflix,...
Webb-Lamb, who up until recently was the second most senior content person at the Gogglebox network, has opened Mothership Productions with Creative Director Charlotte Desai and Director of Programmes Gilly Greenslade, both of whom worked extensively with her at Channel 4 before she departed last year.
The production outfit looks set to be a key player in the booming British non-scripted TV sector, focusing on big, sellable formats, and said it already has several projects in advanced development while the team is currently pitching to broadcaster and SVoD commissioners.
Webb-Lamb was at Channel 4 for five years and deputy to Chief Content Officer Ian Katz for three, during which time she commissioned the likes of The Circle, Studio Lambert’s format that was subsequently remade for Netflix,...
- 8/1/2022
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
Netflix Offers Free Euro Capitals Walking Tours To Highlight Iconic Show Locations
For fans wanting to eat a croissant at Place de l’Estrapade like in Emily in Paris or experience a Callao money heist in Callao from La Casa De Papel, Netflix is providing the service from July 11-17. The streamer has teamed with Sandeman’s New Europe Tours in London, Paris and Madrid for a series of free guided walking tours that share history and details of the cities — including visits to the locations of iconic scenes from its international shows and films. The walks will also include behind-the-scenes insights from filming.
BBC Orders Adoption Story ‘Lost Boys And Fairies’ From Duck Soup
The BBC has commissioned Lost Boys and Fairies, a story of queer adoption from Welsh writer Daf James. BBC Drama and BBC Cymru Wales are uniting on the four-part series, which is from Leeds-based indie Duck Soup Films.
For fans wanting to eat a croissant at Place de l’Estrapade like in Emily in Paris or experience a Callao money heist in Callao from La Casa De Papel, Netflix is providing the service from July 11-17. The streamer has teamed with Sandeman’s New Europe Tours in London, Paris and Madrid for a series of free guided walking tours that share history and details of the cities — including visits to the locations of iconic scenes from its international shows and films. The walks will also include behind-the-scenes insights from filming.
BBC Orders Adoption Story ‘Lost Boys And Fairies’ From Duck Soup
The BBC has commissioned Lost Boys and Fairies, a story of queer adoption from Welsh writer Daf James. BBC Drama and BBC Cymru Wales are uniting on the four-part series, which is from Leeds-based indie Duck Soup Films.
- 6/16/2022
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
Some of the U.K.’s biggest TV and streaming stars are set to appear at the 2022 Edinburgh TV Festival. Among those who will be present at the in-person event in Edinburgh are “Succession” patriarch Brian Cox, “Heartstopper” star Kit Connor and “Strictly Come Dancing’s” Rose Ayling-Ellis, who will give this year’s Alternative Mactaggart speech.
Actor Ayling-Ellis, who was “Strictly’s” first deaf contestant and is a British Sign Language (Bsl) campaigner, is set to discuss her experiences in the industry in what is sure to be a no-holds barred speech that follows on from last year’s Alternative Mactaggart lecture by “His Dark Materials” writer and disability campaigner Jack Thorne.
Cox will appear in conversation to discuss his career, his scene-stealing role as Logan Roy and his working-class Scottish roots while the cast and creative team from Netflix hit “Heartstopper” will also be on hand to discuss the coming-of-age romantic drama,...
Actor Ayling-Ellis, who was “Strictly’s” first deaf contestant and is a British Sign Language (Bsl) campaigner, is set to discuss her experiences in the industry in what is sure to be a no-holds barred speech that follows on from last year’s Alternative Mactaggart lecture by “His Dark Materials” writer and disability campaigner Jack Thorne.
Cox will appear in conversation to discuss his career, his scene-stealing role as Logan Roy and his working-class Scottish roots while the cast and creative team from Netflix hit “Heartstopper” will also be on hand to discuss the coming-of-age romantic drama,...
- 6/8/2022
- by K.J. Yossman
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Channel 4 has greenlit formats on auctions and dogs in the search for its next Gogglebox-style international smash via the £30M (£37M) two-year Global Format Fund, which has kicked off its third funding round.
Responsibility for the fund has passed from Head of Factual Entertainment Alf Lawrie to Senior Commissioning Editor Vivienne Molokwu, one of the architects of last year’s Black to Front day of programing, who unveiled The Dog Academy and The Greatest Auction to Deadline.
In the former, difficult dogs will be sent to an academy by their desperate owners and a crack team of Britain’s top trainers will help them in dog management skills and dog psychology. The show comes from former Channel 4 Head of Documentaries Nick Mirksy’s Five Mile Films shingle.
Meanwhile, Salvage Hunters producer Curve Media’s The Greatest Auction takes a competitive, youthful twist on the traditional auction genre...
Responsibility for the fund has passed from Head of Factual Entertainment Alf Lawrie to Senior Commissioning Editor Vivienne Molokwu, one of the architects of last year’s Black to Front day of programing, who unveiled The Dog Academy and The Greatest Auction to Deadline.
In the former, difficult dogs will be sent to an academy by their desperate owners and a crack team of Britain’s top trainers will help them in dog management skills and dog psychology. The show comes from former Channel 4 Head of Documentaries Nick Mirksy’s Five Mile Films shingle.
Meanwhile, Salvage Hunters producer Curve Media’s The Greatest Auction takes a competitive, youthful twist on the traditional auction genre...
- 5/23/2022
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
U.K. broadcaster Channel 4, which is facing the threat of being privatized by Boris Johnson’s government, has revealed an unsuccessful counter-proposal to remain independent.
A key element of the proposal, which is titled “4: The Next Episode,” is creating an intellectual property joint venture (Jv) proposition with an external investor as majority shareholder, which would see a significant private capital investment into Channel 4 for the first time. The broadcaster claims it would bring £1 billion (£1.25 billion) of new British investment in British content by 2030. Some aspects of the plan, which was presented to the government in February, were leaked to the press in April.
Channel 4, which currently operates on a broadcaster-publisher model, where all programming is commissioned from external producers (Channel 4 doesn’t have an in-house production outfit), says that it would “reinvest revenues from the secondary sale of IP [presumably by setting up a distribution outfit] into domestic U.K. content commissioning, bringing new money...
A key element of the proposal, which is titled “4: The Next Episode,” is creating an intellectual property joint venture (Jv) proposition with an external investor as majority shareholder, which would see a significant private capital investment into Channel 4 for the first time. The broadcaster claims it would bring £1 billion (£1.25 billion) of new British investment in British content by 2030. Some aspects of the plan, which was presented to the government in February, were leaked to the press in April.
Channel 4, which currently operates on a broadcaster-publisher model, where all programming is commissioned from external producers (Channel 4 doesn’t have an in-house production outfit), says that it would “reinvest revenues from the secondary sale of IP [presumably by setting up a distribution outfit] into domestic U.K. content commissioning, bringing new money...
- 5/5/2022
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
U.K. Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries has sharply criticized detractors of her plan to sell broadcaster Channel 4. The plan was decried by several leading media industry unions and filmmakers.
In a strongly worded column in The Mail on Sunday, Dorries wrote that the reaction to her plan was “as predictable as it was inflammatory.” “Let’s dump the lazy, overwrought and ill-informed rhetoric from the Leftie luvvie lynch mob and take a cool look at the facts,” Dorries wrote.
U.K. independent companies are flourishing and only 7 of the industry’s revenue comes from Channel 4, Dorries wrote. As a publisher-broadcaster, Channel 4 does not produce its own programs but commissions them from more than 300 independent production companies across the U.K. every year. It is publicly owned and funded by advertising.
Dorries wrote that because of the way Channel 4 is owned, it cannot build a back catalogue to export, or...
In a strongly worded column in The Mail on Sunday, Dorries wrote that the reaction to her plan was “as predictable as it was inflammatory.” “Let’s dump the lazy, overwrought and ill-informed rhetoric from the Leftie luvvie lynch mob and take a cool look at the facts,” Dorries wrote.
U.K. independent companies are flourishing and only 7 of the industry’s revenue comes from Channel 4, Dorries wrote. As a publisher-broadcaster, Channel 4 does not produce its own programs but commissions them from more than 300 independent production companies across the U.K. every year. It is publicly owned and funded by advertising.
Dorries wrote that because of the way Channel 4 is owned, it cannot build a back catalogue to export, or...
- 4/10/2022
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Following the departure of Danny Horan, Channel 4’s head of factual, last year, the broadcaster has promoted Shaminder Nahal and Alisa Pomeroy to head factual roles.
Nahal will take on the role of head of specialist factual, reporting to Louisa Compton, head of news and current affairs, while Pomeroy, who will report in to chief content officer Ian Katz, has been appointed head of documentaries.
The two executives, who start immediately, will ensure that Channel 4 “maintains strong and creative relationships with independent production companies across the U.K.” and that the broadcaster “continues to identify, develop and produce the next generation of documentary and specialist factual programmes for the audience.”
“Documentaries and specialist factual programming have always been at the heart of the channel and these two appointments will ensure that Channel 4 remains the home of the most innovative, challenging and popular factual shows around,” said Katz.
“Alisa is...
Nahal will take on the role of head of specialist factual, reporting to Louisa Compton, head of news and current affairs, while Pomeroy, who will report in to chief content officer Ian Katz, has been appointed head of documentaries.
The two executives, who start immediately, will ensure that Channel 4 “maintains strong and creative relationships with independent production companies across the U.K.” and that the broadcaster “continues to identify, develop and produce the next generation of documentary and specialist factual programmes for the audience.”
“Documentaries and specialist factual programming have always been at the heart of the channel and these two appointments will ensure that Channel 4 remains the home of the most innovative, challenging and popular factual shows around,” said Katz.
“Alisa is...
- 1/11/2022
- by K.J. Yossman
- Variety Film + TV
Channel 4 has promoted factual commissioners Alisa Pomeroy and Shaminder Nahal to take over the running of its documentaries and specialist factual teams, replacing Danny Horan.
Former Head of Documentaries and Specialist Factual Horan’s role has been split into two, with Pomeroy taking on documentaries and Nahal specialist factual. Both have been with the Leaving Neverland broadcaster for several years, with credits including Jade: The Reality Star Who Changed Britain for Pomeroy and Grayson’s Art Club for Nahal. The role was previously held by two people before Fatima Salaria moved to join Fremantle indie Naked.
The pair start with immediate effect, with Pomeroy reporting to Chief Content Officer Ian Katz and Nahal to Head of News and Current Affairs, Sport and Specialist Factual Louisa Compton.
Pomeroy said: “The media landscape has changed unrecognisably since I came to Channel 4, but there’s everything to play for and I’m...
Former Head of Documentaries and Specialist Factual Horan’s role has been split into two, with Pomeroy taking on documentaries and Nahal specialist factual. Both have been with the Leaving Neverland broadcaster for several years, with credits including Jade: The Reality Star Who Changed Britain for Pomeroy and Grayson’s Art Club for Nahal. The role was previously held by two people before Fatima Salaria moved to join Fremantle indie Naked.
The pair start with immediate effect, with Pomeroy reporting to Chief Content Officer Ian Katz and Nahal to Head of News and Current Affairs, Sport and Specialist Factual Louisa Compton.
Pomeroy said: “The media landscape has changed unrecognisably since I came to Channel 4, but there’s everything to play for and I’m...
- 1/11/2022
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
As we enter 2022, the UK TV industry is desperate to put nearly 24 months’ worth of Covid-19 disruption behind it. But with the Omicron variant still raging, it could be a while until this comes to fruition. Industry execs have plenty else on their plates over the coming year, with British broadcasting under threat from the government like never before, the skills crisis showing no signs of abating and the sector desperate to overcome long-standing issues with bullying, harassment and poor working conditions. Below, Deadline analyzes the five key issues to keep an eye on in what could be a monumental year for the future of UK TV.
Channel 4: To Sell Or Not To Sell
It’s crunch time for the nation’s third-largest broadcaster. The government will soon decide whether to privatize the publicly-owned commercial operation, potentially leading to the biggest overhaul in the network’s history in...
Channel 4: To Sell Or Not To Sell
It’s crunch time for the nation’s third-largest broadcaster. The government will soon decide whether to privatize the publicly-owned commercial operation, potentially leading to the biggest overhaul in the network’s history in...
- 12/29/2021
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
It doesn’t get more ironic than the hand that’s been dealt the U.K.’s Channel 4.
The publicly owned broadcaster set up by then-Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher — and known overseas as the creative incubator of shows like “Derry Girls” and “It’s a Sin” — is facing a potential sale by Boris Johnson’s government at the exact moment it delivers the highest content budget in its 39-year history and eyes a record-breaking £1 billion ($1.3 billion) in revenues for 2021.
Ian Katz, chief content officer, tells Variety that £700 million is ear-marked for new shows in 2022 — a cash infusion that will only build on what he brands as an auspicious “purple patch” for the channel.
The broadcaster has had a bumper year, delivering the hard-won free-to-air premieres of British tennis star Emma Raducanu’s historic U.S. Open win and Lewis Hamilton’s Formula 1 championship run, and airing shows like Peacock co-produced comedy “We Are Lady Parts,...
The publicly owned broadcaster set up by then-Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher — and known overseas as the creative incubator of shows like “Derry Girls” and “It’s a Sin” — is facing a potential sale by Boris Johnson’s government at the exact moment it delivers the highest content budget in its 39-year history and eyes a record-breaking £1 billion ($1.3 billion) in revenues for 2021.
Ian Katz, chief content officer, tells Variety that £700 million is ear-marked for new shows in 2022 — a cash infusion that will only build on what he brands as an auspicious “purple patch” for the channel.
The broadcaster has had a bumper year, delivering the hard-won free-to-air premieres of British tennis star Emma Raducanu’s historic U.S. Open win and Lewis Hamilton’s Formula 1 championship run, and airing shows like Peacock co-produced comedy “We Are Lady Parts,...
- 12/17/2021
- by Manori Ravindran
- Variety Film + TV
Channel 4 have issued best practice recommendations on working with disabled talent, adopting a number of recommendations set out by newly-formed pressure group Underlying Health Condition (Uhc).
The group, founded by “His Dark Materials” scribe Jack Thorne, actor Genevieve Barr (“The Silence”), production manager Katie Player (“Churchill) and producer Holly Luban, launched last week.
Now Channel 4 has issued a number of guides, which apply both off-screen and on-screen, in a bid to improve accessibility and inclusion for disabled creatives working in television.
On-screen, the broadcaster has issued three template documents to ensure disabled talent, presenters and contributors can focus on delivering great content, including an access rider for talent, an access statement for sets and an access plan to record any adjustments that may be needed.
Off-screen, three booklets have been issued to help production companies be more inclusive of deaf, disabled and neurodivergent people, create more accessible working environments...
The group, founded by “His Dark Materials” scribe Jack Thorne, actor Genevieve Barr (“The Silence”), production manager Katie Player (“Churchill) and producer Holly Luban, launched last week.
Now Channel 4 has issued a number of guides, which apply both off-screen and on-screen, in a bid to improve accessibility and inclusion for disabled creatives working in television.
On-screen, the broadcaster has issued three template documents to ensure disabled talent, presenters and contributors can focus on delivering great content, including an access rider for talent, an access statement for sets and an access plan to record any adjustments that may be needed.
Off-screen, three booklets have been issued to help production companies be more inclusive of deaf, disabled and neurodivergent people, create more accessible working environments...
- 12/6/2021
- by K.J. Yossman
- Variety Film + TV
U.K. public service broadcaster Channel 4 has revealed several further steps to increase Black representation in the U.K. industry following its “Black to Front” day of programming on Sept. 10.
The measures include a dedicated fund for commissions from ethnically diverse-led independent production companies, tripling current spend to £22 million ($29.5 million) by 2023. Starting in 2022, each genre will also commission at least one new show with ethnically diverse talent and/or ethnically diverse stories at its heart every year. In addition, from January 2022, every Channel 4 commissioning editor will have at least one ethnically diverse-led indie on their development slate.
Further, supported and funded by 4Skills, Channel 4 will partner with We Are Parable to deliver “Momentum,” a mentorship and training program for Black talent that will run across six U.K. cities in 2022.
“Black to Front” was an industry-first event, where the entire Channel 4 schedule for Sept. 10 — including commercial breaks — featured Black on- and off-screen talent.
The measures include a dedicated fund for commissions from ethnically diverse-led independent production companies, tripling current spend to £22 million ($29.5 million) by 2023. Starting in 2022, each genre will also commission at least one new show with ethnically diverse talent and/or ethnically diverse stories at its heart every year. In addition, from January 2022, every Channel 4 commissioning editor will have at least one ethnically diverse-led indie on their development slate.
Further, supported and funded by 4Skills, Channel 4 will partner with We Are Parable to deliver “Momentum,” a mentorship and training program for Black talent that will run across six U.K. cities in 2022.
“Black to Front” was an industry-first event, where the entire Channel 4 schedule for Sept. 10 — including commercial breaks — featured Black on- and off-screen talent.
- 11/19/2021
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
The organizers of Channel 4’s Black to Front initiative have spotlighted the challenge of forging a project that attracted public criticism from the likes of comedian London Hughes.
C4 Commissioning Editor Vivienne Molokwu, who oversaw the project with Shaminder Nahal and Kelly Webb-Lamb, said she understood some may have thought the initiative was “a gimmick” but the organizers were “united behind a clear vision.”
To Catch A D*ck star Hughes slammed the day of Black programming as “insulting” and “performative tokenism” in a set of tweets just prior to its September delivery, before subsequently saying she had communicated her concerns to C4 commissioners.
Speaking on a C4 Inclusion Festival panel, Molokwu said: “By its very nature you can see how easily people would think this was a gimmick and to ignore that would be insanity. It would have been tokenistic if it was only the day but the day was never the end.
C4 Commissioning Editor Vivienne Molokwu, who oversaw the project with Shaminder Nahal and Kelly Webb-Lamb, said she understood some may have thought the initiative was “a gimmick” but the organizers were “united behind a clear vision.”
To Catch A D*ck star Hughes slammed the day of Black programming as “insulting” and “performative tokenism” in a set of tweets just prior to its September delivery, before subsequently saying she had communicated her concerns to C4 commissioners.
Speaking on a C4 Inclusion Festival panel, Molokwu said: “By its very nature you can see how easily people would think this was a gimmick and to ignore that would be insanity. It would have been tokenistic if it was only the day but the day was never the end.
- 11/18/2021
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
Channel 4 News has unveiled BBC Newsnight Editor Esme Wren as its next Editor, replacing Ben de Pear.
Wren will start in the new year, overseeing the UK network’s flagship news show, which is produced by ITN.
She has led Newsnight for the past three years and has produced a raft of major exclusives and investigations during that time, most notably the notorious Prince Andrew interview, which won a number of awards.
Wren, who becomes C4 News’ second female Editor, replaces de Pear, who is stepping down after a decade.
“Ben left very big shoes to fill – but if anyone can do it, Esme can,” said C4 News Head of Current Affairs and Sport Louisa Compton, who Wren will report to.
“At a time when truly impartial journalism and trusted information is needed now more than ever Esme will play a vital part in maintaining Channel 4 News’ reputation for...
Wren will start in the new year, overseeing the UK network’s flagship news show, which is produced by ITN.
She has led Newsnight for the past three years and has produced a raft of major exclusives and investigations during that time, most notably the notorious Prince Andrew interview, which won a number of awards.
Wren, who becomes C4 News’ second female Editor, replaces de Pear, who is stepping down after a decade.
“Ben left very big shoes to fill – but if anyone can do it, Esme can,” said C4 News Head of Current Affairs and Sport Louisa Compton, who Wren will report to.
“At a time when truly impartial journalism and trusted information is needed now more than ever Esme will play a vital part in maintaining Channel 4 News’ reputation for...
- 11/2/2021
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
Key figures from major broadcasters, streaming services and unions in the British TV industry have joined forces to pledge to improve working practices for freelancers in across the sector in the UK. Dubbed The Freelance Charter, the historic document has been signed by the BBC, Channel 4, Channel 5/ViacomCBS, Sky, UKTV, Amazon Prime Video, Bectu, ScreenSkills and more.
The charter, which was unveiled today in a session at the Edinburgh TV Festival, comes after the impacts of Covid-19 put huge strain on the working lives of freelancers in the sector.
It marks the first time in the sector that industry bodies have united to address the working practices, culture of people across the industry and formally agree to improve conditions. It offers industry-wide guidance on issues such as recruitment and development, workplace culture, bullying, harassment, commissioner conduct and training opportunities with detailed sections on each.
Born from the pan-industry working group Coalition for Change,...
The charter, which was unveiled today in a session at the Edinburgh TV Festival, comes after the impacts of Covid-19 put huge strain on the working lives of freelancers in the sector.
It marks the first time in the sector that industry bodies have united to address the working practices, culture of people across the industry and formally agree to improve conditions. It offers industry-wide guidance on issues such as recruitment and development, workplace culture, bullying, harassment, commissioner conduct and training opportunities with detailed sections on each.
Born from the pan-industry working group Coalition for Change,...
- 8/25/2021
- by Diana Lodderhose
- Deadline Film + TV
Channel 4’s Chief Content Officer Ian Katz has used his spotlight session at this year’s Edinburgh TV Festival to warn that privatization would “destroy” the channel.
Katz made no bones about the potential changes to Channel 4 both on and off air: “It would be a very different beast to the Channel 4 we know now. Much that is so special and treasured would very likely be lost. Some people say that’s not true because you can just write licence requirements that would protect everything about the channel that we value, but that misses the fundamental change you get when you move from a channel that is purpose driven to one that is profit-driven….I think what is special about the channel would be destroyed.”
It is an intense time for Channel 4. As well as the imminent move of its headquarters to Leeds, the Dcms consultation into the privatization...
Katz made no bones about the potential changes to Channel 4 both on and off air: “It would be a very different beast to the Channel 4 we know now. Much that is so special and treasured would very likely be lost. Some people say that’s not true because you can just write licence requirements that would protect everything about the channel that we value, but that misses the fundamental change you get when you move from a channel that is purpose driven to one that is profit-driven….I think what is special about the channel would be destroyed.”
It is an intense time for Channel 4. As well as the imminent move of its headquarters to Leeds, the Dcms consultation into the privatization...
- 8/24/2021
- by Caroline Frost
- Deadline Film + TV
Channel 4 chief content officer Ian Katz believes that the impending privatization of the organization will destroy the essence of the U.K. broadcaster.
In a conversation with Variety international editor Manori Ravindran at the ongoing Edinburgh TV Festival on Tuesday, Katz talked up the successful programming strategy of Channel 4, including “It’s A Sin” and the upcoming disability themed “Help” and said that a purely profit driven channel would be a very “different beast” to the “special” channel that people know now.
A possible solution to retain the channel’s public service remit would be to write license requirements that would keep everything that is valued about it.
“I think what that approach misses is the fundamental change that you get in an organization, when you move from an organization that is purpose driven to an organization that is essentially profit driven, something profound and fundamental happens when you make that shift,...
In a conversation with Variety international editor Manori Ravindran at the ongoing Edinburgh TV Festival on Tuesday, Katz talked up the successful programming strategy of Channel 4, including “It’s A Sin” and the upcoming disability themed “Help” and said that a purely profit driven channel would be a very “different beast” to the “special” channel that people know now.
A possible solution to retain the channel’s public service remit would be to write license requirements that would keep everything that is valued about it.
“I think what that approach misses is the fundamental change that you get in an organization, when you move from an organization that is purpose driven to an organization that is essentially profit driven, something profound and fundamental happens when you make that shift,...
- 8/24/2021
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Channel 4 has spelled out what could be at risk if the UK government pushes ahead with proposals to sell the iconic broadcaster behind hits including The Great British Bake Off and It’s A Sin.
The noise around privatization has grown significantly louder in recent weeks, with ministers expected to launch a consultation on the matter, alerting potential buyers to a prized piece of UK broadcasting real estate.
Speaking as Channel 4 published its annual report on Tuesday, CEO Alex Mahon told journalists that a sale “could possibly damage some of those things that we do for the sector and that we do for the UK.”
Specifically, she pointed to Channel 4’s unique remit as a not-for-profit publisher broadcaster and the role it has played in building the UK’s world-leading independent production sector since its launch in 1982.
Producers retain rights to shows Channel 4 commissions and then exploit them around the world,...
The noise around privatization has grown significantly louder in recent weeks, with ministers expected to launch a consultation on the matter, alerting potential buyers to a prized piece of UK broadcasting real estate.
Speaking as Channel 4 published its annual report on Tuesday, CEO Alex Mahon told journalists that a sale “could possibly damage some of those things that we do for the sector and that we do for the UK.”
Specifically, she pointed to Channel 4’s unique remit as a not-for-profit publisher broadcaster and the role it has played in building the UK’s world-leading independent production sector since its launch in 1982.
Producers retain rights to shows Channel 4 commissions and then exploit them around the world,...
- 6/22/2021
- by Jake Kanter
- Deadline Film + TV
The International Icon Interview with Oscar, Emmy, Tony and Grammy winner Whoopi Goldberg will be one of the highlights of the 2021 Edinburgh TV Festival.
Goldberg, a recent Variety cover star, is expected to talk candidly about her life on and off screen and her experiences as a multi-award winning artist, producer, author, entrepreneur and humanitarian, and the future of the entertainment industry.
Led by 2021 advisory chair, Amazon Studios director of European originals, Georgia Brown, this year’s festival theme is “Accelerating Change.”
The 2020 edition took place online and the 2021 event will be hybrid, with several of the digital elements being refreshed, organizers said.
The festival’s controller sessions are evolving to a series of spotlights where a galaxy of U.K. TV and streaming industry heavyweights will speak. Confirmed speakers include Brown and Dan Grabiner, head of unscripted at Amazon. From the BBC, speakers include Charlotte Moore, chief content officer; Kate Phillips,...
Goldberg, a recent Variety cover star, is expected to talk candidly about her life on and off screen and her experiences as a multi-award winning artist, producer, author, entrepreneur and humanitarian, and the future of the entertainment industry.
Led by 2021 advisory chair, Amazon Studios director of European originals, Georgia Brown, this year’s festival theme is “Accelerating Change.”
The 2020 edition took place online and the 2021 event will be hybrid, with several of the digital elements being refreshed, organizers said.
The festival’s controller sessions are evolving to a series of spotlights where a galaxy of U.K. TV and streaming industry heavyweights will speak. Confirmed speakers include Brown and Dan Grabiner, head of unscripted at Amazon. From the BBC, speakers include Charlotte Moore, chief content officer; Kate Phillips,...
- 5/27/2021
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Ben Frow continues to grow his ViacomCBS UK empire after taking on editorial responsibility for streamer My5 for the first time, while his job title has changed from director of programs to chief content officer to reflect his beefed-up duties.
Frow is tasked with supercharging the Channel 5 streaming service’s content offering, working alongside chief operating and commercial officer Sarah Rose, who oversees My5’s growth, partnerships, and product areas. Rose joined ViacomCBS UK from Channel 4 last December.
The change coincides with the departure of Oli Thomas, the vice president and digital lead at ViacomCBS Networks International, who previously had oversight of My5. Thomas is leaving the company this week after more than seven years.
Frow told Deadline that he has a “new toy box to play with” as ViacomCBS increasingly pivots to streaming. “My new obsession is My5 and what it’s going to look like,...
Frow is tasked with supercharging the Channel 5 streaming service’s content offering, working alongside chief operating and commercial officer Sarah Rose, who oversees My5’s growth, partnerships, and product areas. Rose joined ViacomCBS UK from Channel 4 last December.
The change coincides with the departure of Oli Thomas, the vice president and digital lead at ViacomCBS Networks International, who previously had oversight of My5. Thomas is leaving the company this week after more than seven years.
Frow told Deadline that he has a “new toy box to play with” as ViacomCBS increasingly pivots to streaming. “My new obsession is My5 and what it’s going to look like,...
- 4/1/2021
- by Jake Kanter
- Deadline Film + TV
This time last year, Ben Frow didn’t know how to use a laptop, had never worked from home for a single day of his career, and was terrified that his local supermarket was going to run out of food. “I was more worried about the shelves being empty than the Channel 5 shelf being empty,” says the mischievous and sometimes off-message ViacomCBS UK chief content officer. Flash forward 12 months, Frow is conversing over Microsoft Teams on his laptop, he’s speaking to me from a tastefully appointed front room, his fridge is (presumably) well-stocked, and he has steered Channel 5 through the biggest peacetime crisis in the history of British television.
Frow was one of five of the UK’s most powerful television executives who joined me to reflect on a truly wild year for our industry. Together, we traced the events of the past 12 months, from the shock of...
Frow was one of five of the UK’s most powerful television executives who joined me to reflect on a truly wild year for our industry. Together, we traced the events of the past 12 months, from the shock of...
- 4/1/2021
- by Jake Kanter
- Deadline Film + TV
New Delhi, Feb 4 (Ians) Channel 4 has signed a deal with Star Sports to show free-to-air live television coverage of England's four-match Test series against India which begins Friday at the Ma Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
This will be the first time live Test cricket will be shown free-to-air television in the UK since Channel 4 showed England's Ashes win in 2005.
"This is fantastic news for all cricket fans in the UK. It's been a long 16-year wait for the return of live Test cricket to free to air television but it couldn't have come at a better time. What better antidote to the lockdown blues than an England Test series in sunny India," said Channel 4's Chief Content Officer Ian Katz in a statement.
Channel 4's Head of Sport Pete Andrews and Penny Mills, Head of Sports Rights, led the broadcaster's negotiations to secure the deal.
"We're delighted to be...
This will be the first time live Test cricket will be shown free-to-air television in the UK since Channel 4 showed England's Ashes win in 2005.
"This is fantastic news for all cricket fans in the UK. It's been a long 16-year wait for the return of live Test cricket to free to air television but it couldn't have come at a better time. What better antidote to the lockdown blues than an England Test series in sunny India," said Channel 4's Chief Content Officer Ian Katz in a statement.
Channel 4's Head of Sport Pete Andrews and Penny Mills, Head of Sports Rights, led the broadcaster's negotiations to secure the deal.
"We're delighted to be...
- 2/4/2021
- by IANS
- GlamSham
U.K. free-to-air terrestrial broadcaster Channel 4 has won the rights to the upcoming England vs. India Test cricket series in a deal with Disney’s Star Sports.
This will be the first time live Test cricket has been on free-to-air television in the U.K. since Channel 4 showed England winning against Australia in 2005. Since then, test cricket, and indeed all international cricket broadcast in the U.K. has been the preserve of Comcast’s pay TV operator Sky. There was an exception in 2019 when England reached the finals of the World Cup, played in England, and Sky shared broadcast rights with Channel 4.
Earlier, the BBC covered all England home games for 60 years until 1999 when they lost the rights to Channel 4.
The series consists of four Test matches, to be played in Chennai and Ahmedabad from Feb. 5. All four matches will be shown live, ball-by-ball, on Channel 4 and streamer All4,...
This will be the first time live Test cricket has been on free-to-air television in the U.K. since Channel 4 showed England winning against Australia in 2005. Since then, test cricket, and indeed all international cricket broadcast in the U.K. has been the preserve of Comcast’s pay TV operator Sky. There was an exception in 2019 when England reached the finals of the World Cup, played in England, and Sky shared broadcast rights with Channel 4.
Earlier, the BBC covered all England home games for 60 years until 1999 when they lost the rights to Channel 4.
The series consists of four Test matches, to be played in Chennai and Ahmedabad from Feb. 5. All four matches will be shown live, ball-by-ball, on Channel 4 and streamer All4,...
- 2/3/2021
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
U.K. public broadcaster Channel 4 has rung in management structure changes as the organization prepares for its Future4 strategy that was revealed in November.
In commissioning, all of Channel 4’s creative and editorial decision making across linear, streaming and social will be brought together under director of programs Ian Katz, who is now chief content officer.
The org’s features commissioning responsibilities will be moved to the U.K. nations and regions, boosting the content spend and commissioning power outside London. With this move, head of features and format, Sarah Lazenby, who commissioned hit show “The Great British Bake Off,” is leaving Channel 4 after nearly six years. The existing formats and features slate will be distributed across other departments, including factual entertainment, entertainment and features and daytime — including responsibility for More4 commissioning — which will be led by Jo Street.
The vacant role of head of specialist factual will not be filled,...
In commissioning, all of Channel 4’s creative and editorial decision making across linear, streaming and social will be brought together under director of programs Ian Katz, who is now chief content officer.
The org’s features commissioning responsibilities will be moved to the U.K. nations and regions, boosting the content spend and commissioning power outside London. With this move, head of features and format, Sarah Lazenby, who commissioned hit show “The Great British Bake Off,” is leaving Channel 4 after nearly six years. The existing formats and features slate will be distributed across other departments, including factual entertainment, entertainment and features and daytime — including responsibility for More4 commissioning — which will be led by Jo Street.
The vacant role of head of specialist factual will not be filled,...
- 1/27/2021
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Channel 4 has promoted its programming boss Ian Katz to chief content officer in a sweeping reorganization aimed at helping the UK broadcaster secure 40% of its £985 million ($1.3 billion) revenue from sources other than traditional TV advertising by 2025.
Katz will have total authority over editorial decision making across linear, streaming, and social, with seven genre commissioning chiefs reporting directly to him. He will also formally oversee acquisitions, beefing up his responsibility for buying shows, like Hulu’s The Handmaids Tale, where previously he just had creative sign-off.
As part of the changes, Katz’s deputy will Kelly Webb-Lamb will not be replaced after announcing her departure this month. Sarah Lazenby, Channel 4’s head of features and formats, is also leaving after nearly six years, with her duties — including overseeing The Great British Bake Off — being handed to other genre teams. It means that Katz’s report lines will be:
Karl Warner,...
Katz will have total authority over editorial decision making across linear, streaming, and social, with seven genre commissioning chiefs reporting directly to him. He will also formally oversee acquisitions, beefing up his responsibility for buying shows, like Hulu’s The Handmaids Tale, where previously he just had creative sign-off.
As part of the changes, Katz’s deputy will Kelly Webb-Lamb will not be replaced after announcing her departure this month. Sarah Lazenby, Channel 4’s head of features and formats, is also leaving after nearly six years, with her duties — including overseeing The Great British Bake Off — being handed to other genre teams. It means that Katz’s report lines will be:
Karl Warner,...
- 1/27/2021
- by Jake Kanter
- Deadline Film + TV
Kelly Webb-Lamb, U.K. broadcaster Channel 4’s deputy director of programs and head of popular factual, will leave the channel later this year.
Webb-Lamb joined in 2016 and worked closely with Channel 4 director of programs Ian Katz in realizing the channel’s creative strategy. She oversaw the popular factual commissioning departments responsible for over 1,000 hours of programming every year — from the launch, and continued success, of “The Great British Bake Off,” “Gogglebox,” “Hunted” and several other creative successes including “The Circle,” which will return soon for a third season. Webb-Lamb was also instrumental in the channel’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
She leaves the broadcaster in good heath, with record growth in young viewing and All 4 streaming during 2020. The main channel ended the year with linear share up 3%, share among 16-34s up 8% and All 4 viewing up 31%. Webb-Lamb exits at a time when the channel is looking to the...
Webb-Lamb joined in 2016 and worked closely with Channel 4 director of programs Ian Katz in realizing the channel’s creative strategy. She oversaw the popular factual commissioning departments responsible for over 1,000 hours of programming every year — from the launch, and continued success, of “The Great British Bake Off,” “Gogglebox,” “Hunted” and several other creative successes including “The Circle,” which will return soon for a third season. Webb-Lamb was also instrumental in the channel’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
She leaves the broadcaster in good heath, with record growth in young viewing and All 4 streaming during 2020. The main channel ended the year with linear share up 3%, share among 16-34s up 8% and All 4 viewing up 31%. Webb-Lamb exits at a time when the channel is looking to the...
- 1/13/2021
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Kelly Webb-Lamb, Channel 4’s deputy director of programs and head of popular factual, is leaving the British broadcaster after five years.
A senior figure in the UK industry, Webb-Lamb said it was time for “new adventures” after working hand-in-glove with Channel 4’s content chief Ian Katz for the past three years of her tenure, overseeing shows including The Great British Bake Off, Gogglebox, and The Circle.
Channel 4 said she leaves this summer with the broadcaster in good health, having helped the main network increase its share of viewing 3% last year. Streaming on All 4 also grew 31% in 2020, as people watched more online during the pandemic.
Her departure comes at a time of structural change at Channel 4, however. The company is going to significantly increase the emphasis on All 4 over the coming years, reshaping its commissioning strategy to prioritize the streaming service over linear channels. The hope is that this will...
A senior figure in the UK industry, Webb-Lamb said it was time for “new adventures” after working hand-in-glove with Channel 4’s content chief Ian Katz for the past three years of her tenure, overseeing shows including The Great British Bake Off, Gogglebox, and The Circle.
Channel 4 said she leaves this summer with the broadcaster in good health, having helped the main network increase its share of viewing 3% last year. Streaming on All 4 also grew 31% in 2020, as people watched more online during the pandemic.
Her departure comes at a time of structural change at Channel 4, however. The company is going to significantly increase the emphasis on All 4 over the coming years, reshaping its commissioning strategy to prioritize the streaming service over linear channels. The hope is that this will...
- 1/13/2021
- by Jake Kanter
- Deadline Film + TV
U.K. broadcaster Channel 4 has announced a Global Format Fund that will invest in new British-created and produced formats with global potential that will initially be worth £30 million ($40 million) over two years.
Channel 4 will guarantee minimum runs and recommissioning triggers up front for projects greenlit under this approach. The Fund will focus on genres with the greatest potential for global format success, including daytime, factual entertainment, features and entertainment.
The Fund is part of Channel 4’s new Future4 strategy that was outlined on Thursday. The strategy has a clear remit of doubling viewing to the broadcaster’s All 4 catch-up service over the next five years.
There will also be an increased focus on investing more in content that performs strongly on All 4, like youth-skewing factual entertainment, “box-settable” and noisy documentaries, reality, comedy entertainment, scripted comedy and youth-skewing “bingeable” drama.
In addition, Channel 4 will scale up 4Studio, the new digital content studio based in Leeds,...
Channel 4 will guarantee minimum runs and recommissioning triggers up front for projects greenlit under this approach. The Fund will focus on genres with the greatest potential for global format success, including daytime, factual entertainment, features and entertainment.
The Fund is part of Channel 4’s new Future4 strategy that was outlined on Thursday. The strategy has a clear remit of doubling viewing to the broadcaster’s All 4 catch-up service over the next five years.
There will also be an increased focus on investing more in content that performs strongly on All 4, like youth-skewing factual entertainment, “box-settable” and noisy documentaries, reality, comedy entertainment, scripted comedy and youth-skewing “bingeable” drama.
In addition, Channel 4 will scale up 4Studio, the new digital content studio based in Leeds,...
- 11/26/2020
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.