Channel 4 Signs Comedy And Drama For Winter Months
Channel 4 has unveiled its programme line up for the winter 2006 season, boosting its comedy and entertainment output with several high-profile additions to its schedule.
Headlining the broadcaster’s winter comedy schedule is the return of offbeat hospital sitcom, Green Wing, beginning its second series under the same writing team and cast which won widespread critical acclaim with its peak-time slot last year (see Channel 4 Secures Mini For New Drama Sponsorship).
Brand new comedy series The I.T. Crowd also looks set to draw large audiences for Channel 4, written by Graham Linehan, creator of Father Ted and Black Books, and produced by Ash Atalla the man behind Ricky Gervais’ The Office. The new comedy is set in the “eccentric netherworld of the office IT Department.”
The new schedule also sees the return of The Comic Strip, the series which launched Channel 4 in 1982. Original contributors Rik Mayall, Nigel Planer and Peter Richardson will unite for the programme, joined by a high-calibre line-up of comic talent to “delve into the dark underbelly of middle-class suburbia.”
American imports such as My Name is Earl and Desperate Housewives‘ second series will also make an appearance in the winter line-up, while formats such as Jimmy Carr’s Eight Out of Ten Cats and Gene Simmons’ Rock School will make a return to the small screen. The Friday Night Project also returns, showcasing rising entertainment talents and a new presenter line-up.
New drama in the shape of Karim’s Story will provide a more serious and thought provoking aspect to the broadcaster’s winter schedules, examining the infamous Bradford riots of 2001 from the perspective of a group of young Asian men. The channel has also picked up hit new US drama Invasion, about a family that unwittingly finds itself at the centre of a conspiracy to mask an alien takeover, while the multi-award winning Shameless kicks off its third series with a feature-length special.
Headline-grabbing mockumentary, Tony Blair Rock Star, sees Channel 4 exercise its comedic licence in a “light-hearted romp” though the Prime Minister’s youth as a wannabe rock phenomenon, created by look-alike photographer Alison Jackson.
Elsewhere, Married to the Prime Minister adopts a more serious tone as Channel 4 follows Cherie Booth on her daily round of duties and as she meets all her living predecessors and tells her story as the often invisible witness to some of the most remarkable moments in history.
New documentaries on the tricky family topics of divorce, care for the elderly and mental illness also underline Channel 4’s public service remit. Of particular poignancy is the broadcaster’s What to Do with Mum and Dad season, which aims to put the issue of an ageing population on the national agenda. Featuring three programmes including Me and My Mum, a personal and moving film by Tony Robinson, whose own 89 year old mum Phyllis suffers from dementia and lives in a care home; the programme strand promises many must-see documentary moments.
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