As a publisher-broadcaster, Channel 4 does not
produce its own programmes but commissions them
Channel 4 transmits across the whole of the UK,
except some parts of Wales, which are covered by
the Welsh language S4C. It is available on all digital
platforms (terrestrial, satellite and cable) as well as
through traditional analogue transmission.
Channel 4 also operates a number of other services,
including the free-to-air digital TV channels E4,
More4 and Film4, and an ever-growing range of on-
line activities at channel4.com, including the broad-
band service FourDocs and Channel 4’s bespoke
video-on-demand service 4oD. The Film4 produc-
tion division produces and co-produces feature films
for the UK and global markets.
from more than 300 independent production com-
panies across the UK, a far greater number than any
other broadcaster, including the whole of the BBC.
It works very closely with the independent produc-
tion sector, and invests heavily in training and talent
development throughout the industry.
The Channel 4 service was originally established
under the Broadcasting Act 1981 and was provided
for by the Independent Broadcasting Authority. The
Channel Four Television Corporation was subse-
quently established under the Broadcasting Act
1990 and the Channel’s functions were transferred
over to the new Corporation in 1993. The Corpora-
tion’s board is appointed by OFCOM in agreement
with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and
Sport.
 25
YRS
AT
THE

TOP
W
e here at channel four want to say a big thank you,
to you. Our beautiful viewers, a big thank you to
every one of you. From the youngest child who to
the oldest person out their. We thank you.
We know from our demographic that most of you tune
into channel four for one reason, and that is to hear the mi-
nority, to see what most organizations wouldn’t let your eyes
rest upon, and more so to be told the truth through that most
amazing of media’s the television. Also our demographic tells
us that you love your technology and make the most of our
4OD service which tops around 4 million episode downloads
a week.
More4’s Channel 4 25th birthday season will run throughout
October and include some of the highlights - and lowlights -
of the network’s sometimes controversial history.
Programmes thought to be in the frame to feature in the More4
season include 80s music show The Tube and the drama Walter,
which was broadcast on Channel 4’s opening night on November
2, 1982.
Directed by Stephen Frears, Walter told the story of a mentally
retarded boy who lost his parents and starred Sir Ian McKellen
in one of his first big TV roles.
Other likely candidates are the 1985 film My Beautfiul Laun-
derette, the first big success for the broadcaster’s movie pro-
duction arm FilmFour, which was also directed by Mr Frears,
and Jonathan Ross’s 80s chatshow The Last Resort.
Archive clips understood to be considered by Channel 4
among the lowlights include the famous “Oliver Reed mo-
ment”, when the actor hijacked an episode of late-night chat-
show After Dark when he was drunk and proceeded to insult
feminist writer Kate Millet by trying to kiss her and calling her
“big tits”.
Channel 4 stopped the show and hastily replaced it with a
grainy documentary about coal mining, but not before Reed
was seen falling over a sofa on his way to the toilet.
“The retropective will go right back to 1982 and we will be
taking a lot of stuff out of the cupboard,” said the
More4 controller, Peter Dale.
“The details of the programming lineup are be-
ing finalised because a number of rights issues
have still yet to be cleared up.
“But what we want to do is give a sense of how
good and how bad Channel 4 has been over the
years, how in the best possible way it has pushed
the boundaries but also fallen flat on its face. Be-
cause that is what Channel 4 is about.”
It is understood Channel 4 had initially planned to
air a less deferential 25th anniversary tribute sea-
son.
But there is said to have been a change of tack af-
ter a difficult past few months in which Ofcom
officially carpeted Channel 4 over the Celebrity
Big Brother racism row and it was caught up in
the phone vote scandal with Richard & Judy’s You
Say We Pay competition.
“Initially Channel 4 didn’t want to have a schmaltzy
celeberation - that was how it perceived ITV1’s
50th anniversary programming last year,” said a
source familiar with the 25th birthday plans.
“It also never celebrated its 20th birthday. But
now Channel 4 wants to make this much more
celebratory and, given its problems this year, it is
not hard to realise why it needs to do this.”
C4.COM