Techno Nerds Astronauts And Girlies Fill C4’s Winter Schedule

Revealing Channel 4’s winter schedule today John Willis, director of programmes, made a scathing attack on ITV and the Channel 4 funding formulas. He suggested that Marcus Plantin is fast becoming the Jacques Chirac of British television with his unpopular programme policies. Willis then criticised the formulas used to calculate the amount Channel 4 has to pay to ITV, he estimates that Channel 4’s bill next year will be £70m.

Channel 4’s winter schedule is billed as Ted’s Season. Ted Danson is to star in a production of Gulliver’s Travels, along with Peter O’Toole, Omar Sharif, Robert Hardy and Richard Wilson. Annie’s Bar, the first drama commission from Prince Edward’s company Ardent, is a political soap set in one of the bars in the Palace of Westminster. To complete the Ted Season there will be a second series of the comedy Father Ted.

Factual programmes include Astronauts, a documentary following the training and preparation for next January’s shuttle mission, and The Decision which follows life and death moral dilemmas. Triumph of the Nerds follows the bratpack of multi-millionaires in the world’s computer industry and Wired World is a multi-media show for the next century. Island of Dreams examines real life Shirley Valentines on a Greek island and Seasiders follows the Havenmates at Scarborough’s Primrose Valley Holiday centre.

The Girlie Show is billed as Channel 4’s answer to Men Behaving Badly and replaces Eurotrash in the late night Friday night slot. Brand returns with another series of Jo Brand Through the Cakehole, which includes an all female version of Reservoir Dogs. Other programmes making a return include The White Room, Travelog, Devil’s Advocate, Roseanne, Without Walls and Cutting Edge.