The Brink of Apocalypse

What were you doing on 8 November 1983? Read more

“More space for new ideas”

The Channel 4 winter launch. Held – ominously enough – in the former Tycoon Towers on the South Bank. Julian Bellamy, the network’s Head of Programmes did the honours. He began by reflecting on promises to overhaul the schedule, made back in August at the Edinburgh Festival. “This is the moment where you find out if we’ve delivered on those committments, or if they were just empty words”. Read more

Countdown

From early incarnation as embarrassing great uncle to latterday guise as sassy grandmother, the status of Countdown in the Channel 4 family has always been at odds with that of the clan as a whole. Read more

The Jubilee line

Five years ago, Channel 4 was so miserable the only mention of its 20th anniversary came from Richard Whiteley on Countdown. Happily – presumably to cheer themselves up after a rather grim year – they’re making much more effort in celebrating their silver jubilee, with More4 screening archive shows every night in October. For my money, the most intriguing so far was Friday’s repeat of The Tube. Read more

Who will be the next… Dyke-oon?

If OTT ever created a show, it would be this one. Well, this one in principle.  Read more

The IT Crowd

For all that certain commentators might have claimed to feel “betrayed” by the thought of erstwhile hard-hitting satirist Chris Morris appearing in a warm-hearted laugh track-enhanced sitcom, the first series of Graham Linehan’s The IT Crowd was an unexpected if thoroughly deserved hit. Read more

New Deal

Deal or No Deal? is back on C4 from 14 August, and – according to the press release – it’s to have a new look. Can anyone enlighten me what change this will entail? Is the crazy chair to become even crazier? Read more

Wrong Des

During a visit to the Channel 4 website looking for more on the news that they’re launching a +1 digital version of the main channel meaning that the same episode of Deal or No Deal could be shown three times in consecutive hours on different channels (and even clash with itself if the More4+1 on Sky is taken into account). Hoping for a press release which might explain where it’s going to replace the hellishly useful timeshifted version of Film Four given that the station only has limited space on Freeview, I stumbled upon their hopelessly out of date FAQ page. Read more

“It may be on a lousy channel…”

18 months ago, I posted about how Channel 4, despite spending what seemed to be the entire GDP of a small country on The Simpsons, didn’t seem all that fussed about actually, you know, showing any new episodes. Read more

Dealing at 500

It’s been a while since I watched, I’ll admit, but this press release still gave me a warm glow… Read more

Peep Show

Peep Show has come to occupy a curious place in the comedy landscape. Cited by many as being the funniest sitcom of its age, it performs so poorly in the ratings it probably survives only through Channel 4′s lack of other critically acclaimed sitcoms. Read more

Popscene

It’s been a bad few weeks for the Popworld brand – first its spin-off magazine closes down after two issues, and now the series itself is being axed. Read more

Are you feeling Jade-d?

This week has been polarising for those on either side of the long running Big Brother debate. As someone who has written in recent months to support the series, it is intriguing to see how easy it is to deconstruct all of this latest controversy into further proof that Big Brother remains an important and vital element of Channel 4′s public service remit. Indeed, to me, the very fact that there is conflicting opinion on whether or not Jade and her coterie’s actions constitute actual racism or not, is indication that there is a complex issue being explored here, and that there is a healthy discussion to be had on what does and doesn’t constitute racial abuse.  Read more

“What’s a dimella?”

One of the most surprising aspects of what has, up until now, been a largely dull Celebrity Big Brother has been the reinvention of Jade Goody. Read more

“Big cheers for the first blue”

For the very interested, here is a full game report for yesterday’s jackpot episode of Deal or no Deal?: Read more

“I’ve got no brief for this moment”

Someone has finally won £250,000 on Deal or No Deal?. Read more

Guy Lyon Playfair

I think I’m always going to be interested in the Enfield poltergeist. Read more

The Secret Millionaire

It’s a rare production company that chooses to atone for past failings by making another TV series. RDF Media, however, has decided to make up for Wife Swap with The Secret Millionaire, a disconcertingly similar show that somehow manages to be the exact opposite of its flawed predecessor. Read more

A question of haste

It seems to be with undue alacrity that Channel 4 has announced it is to make a drama based on the recent death of ex-KGB spy Alexander Litvinenko. Read more

Sez Des

C4 are circulating a Des O’Connor interview to promote his turn in the Countdown chair. Here’s the relevant bit… Read more

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