Representation of disabled people on and off screen has risen in recent years, but it is still woefully short of reflecting the reality of Britain today.
A lively panel of disabled talent will debate why this is, how good or not portrayal is and what more can be done.
Click here to read the event report or watch the highlights below.
Has anyone managed to catch any Olympics and Paralympics TV coverage? Lol, I’m joking - you’d need to have spent six weeks on Mars to miss it.
TV has always had the power to influence society, going beyond merely reflecting it. This includes the power to influence our attitudes to disability and inclusion. For a couple of glorious weeks every four years, our screens are full of disabled people. There are the Paralympians themselves, the disabled presenters and reporters, and the disabled talent behind the screens.
Presenter Davina McCall and comedians Rhod Gilbert, Adam Hills, Joe Lycett and Munya Chawawa will be taking the lead on the live 90-minute fundraising extravaganza.
Among the special guests are Strictly legend Oti Mabuse, The Good Wife star Cush Jumbo, and Ghosts’ Kiell Smith-Bynoe and Charlotte Ritchie.
After the pandemic delayed the Tokyo Paralympic Games for a year, Adam Hills, Alex Brooker and Josh Widdicombe will present The Last Leg of Tokyo live every day at 10pm on Channel 4.
The trio will report from the BT Studios in the heart of the London Olympic Village in Stratford, discussing the biggest news and sporting stories of the day.
Comedian Rosie Jones, who originally started her TV career as a researcher for The Last Leg during the 2016 Paralympic Games, will act as a roving reporter.
Adam Hills: Take His Legs will follow The Last Leg host as he undertakes a personal and physical challenge to realise his boyhood dream of playing competitive rugby league.
The documentary will chart the remarkable inception of Physical Disability Rugby League (PDLR) in the UK and the underdog success of the Warrington Wolves PDLR team, who rose from open trials to World Champions in just six months.
As a huge rugby league fan, Hills put his passion into practice and became a driving force behind the establishment of the first PDLR team in the UK.
The Last Leg’s Adam Hills, Alex Brooker and Josh Widdicombe star alongside Tony Blair in the comedy sketch that pokes fun at the three hosts.
‘The Lift Reconciliation’ shows the three comedians bickering over their ‘host’ titles in a lift with a man reading a file of documents.
The trio are soon interrupted by the man, who is revealed to be the former prime minister, who instructs the men to put aside their differences and unite for the celebratory show.
Broadcaster and journalist Ade Adepitan chaired a panel of disabled talent to ask what can be done to help television reflect the reality of Britain today.
“TFI Friday for the Brexit era” chimes in his co-star Alex Brooker.
“I think we’re a version of [Jon Stewart and Trevor Noah’s] The Daily Show for a country that has a pub culture” suggests Adam Hills, the host of the Channel 4 show.
The Last Leg launched during the 2012 Paralympic Games as a comedy breakdown of the day’s sporting highlights.
An outbreak of laryngitis in the church choir, a missing donkey and a kidnapped baby are all threatening to spoil Kembleford's Christmas festivities this year.
Miracles do happen at Christmas, so expect the unexpected! There will be more episodes in the New Year when Father Brown returns to our screens.
2016 is Channel 4’s Year of Disability, marking its commitment to increasing on and off-screen representation of disabled people across the schedule.
Almost two-thirds of all on-screen talent during the Paralympics coverage are disabled.
The channel’s runaway hit from the 2012 Paralympic Games, The Last Leg, will be placed at the heart of the coverage, and will come live from Rio every evening at 8pm.
