Channel Four Unveils Autumn Programming
With the (occasionally) sunny days of August nearly over, the nights will soon be drawing in and the cold winds of autumn will take over from the equally nippy ones of summer. Having given us a reason to be indoors over the last few months with the morally questionable, ratings winning and highly addictive Big Brother (see Nasty Nick’s Nightmare Notches Up Record Ratings For Big Brother), surely we can rely on Channel 4 to cheer us up as the days grow cold?
How about a few horror stories of medical disasters, care of the provisionally titled Doctor’s Season? Or take your pick from one of four programmes about British murderers, including Tony Martin, the farmer who shot burglar dead last year. Those of you with aspirations to feature in the next series might want to take a look at another four-parter, Poisoned, which explains how more people are killed by poisoning each year than die on the road.
Or perhaps you’re intent on driving yourself to an early grave, in which case the Stop Go Home season will demonstrate how stress at work is doing the job for you. Or maybe you’re unlucky in love, in which case Breaking Up details the progress of couples going through divorce.
Joking apart, Channel 4’s autumn season contains enough weighty factual programming to counter any critics who cried “downmarket” at Big Brother. Kate Blewett and Brian Woods, who brought us films including The Dying Rooms return with a global investigation into slavery, which apparently still exists despite being banned in every country of the world.
More thought-provoking programming is likely to come from Born To Be Different. Taking its lead from the 7-Up format, the programme aims to document the early years of life for children born with disabilities. The results will doubtless raise issues of equality, as will The Difference, which looks at the controversial practice of studying the scientific differences between races, and the provisionally titled Your Voice Your Vote which aims to expose how the political process, from registration form upwards, prevents many people with learning difficulties from using their right to vote.
Factual series returning this season also include Equinox, Can You Live Without… and True Stories.
More returning series feature in the entertainment side of Channel 4’s autumn line-up. Small Potatoes and She’s Gotta Have It are back, as is So Graham Norton, the star of which is in danger of becoming the Carol Vorderman of stand up.
Friday night staple TFI Friday is due for the axe at Christmas, and hot-tipped to take over its pre- and post-pub slot is The Priory, returning for another series hosted by CBBC refugees Zoe Ball and Jamie Theakston.
Channel 4 soaps are celebrating birthdays during the upcoming season. Hollyoaks will celebrate its fifth birthday in October with a five day special. In November Brookside is likely to celebrate 18 years of plagues, murders, explosions and religious cults by killing off some more of its cast.
Channel 4 has enjoyed success in the past by buying in quality US imports such as Friends and Frasier. It was obviously hoped that The Sopranos would continue the trend. So far the critics have loved it but the viewers don’t seem to have got excited about the mob’s own sitcom. Nevertheless it returns for another series, along with Buffy The Vampire Slayer spin off Angel and Stargate SG-1.
Among several home-growns for the season is North Square. Written by ex-barrister Peter Moffat it tells the tale of how “A team of ambitious young barristers compete with each other for the attention of their ruthless head clerk. Under the wigs, robes and starched collars, these lawyers are unorthodox, unconventional and always out to win.” But are they called Anna, Egg, Miles and Milly? Of course not – This Life was set in London and this is set in Leeds…If it is similar to the cult BBC2 drama, then so be it. This Life attracted just the sort of young aspirational audience that bigger fish like ITV are desperate to win over from Channel 4.
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