Channel 4

Nida Manzoor’s RTS award-winning comedy We Are Lady Parts renewed for second series

(credit: Channel 4)

Created, written, and directed by Nida Manzoor, the first series explored the trials and tribulations of the female punk rock band Lady Parts through the eyes of the geeky microbiology PhD student Amina Hussain (Anjana Vasan). Desperately seeking a husband, Amina is recruited to become the band’s unlikely lead guitarist by their enigmatic frontwoman Saira (Sarah Kameela Impey), who uses her hunt for love as leverage. As she quickly becomes swept up in the joyful anarchic energy and punk spirit of her bandmates, Amina finds herself torn between two worlds.

Exploring the relationship between Television and the Arts

Credit: Paul Hampartsoumian

Sky Arts went free-to-air while Channel 4 scored a zeitgeist hit with Grayson Perry’s Art Club and the BBC gave us Culture in Quarantine. 

But are we living through a Golden Age of Arts on TV? That was the question posed by an enthralling RTS discussion chaired by Tim Marlow, CEO and director of the Design Museum, and featuring arts commissioners from the BBC, Channel 4 and Sky Arts, and the co-founder and CEO of Marquee TV, the performance arts streaming service.  

Channel 4 commissions hard-hitting documentary What Killed the Whale?

Credit: Channel 4

Produced by STV Studios, the special will involve a critical investigation into why more and more whales are being washed up and dying along the UK’s shores. 

Since 1990, 12,000 stranded cetaceans have been recorded in the UK and explorer and biologist Al-Shamahi, is on a mission to find out why that is happening and who or what is to blame. 

How much of an impact do pollution, fishing, ship strikes and other human activity have on the dire crisis?

Channel 4 announces LIVE Joe Lycett: Mummy’s Big Christmas Do

Creditit: Channel 4

Back in his hometown Lycett will host a one-off big queer Christmas party, which will celebrate the return of Christmas in Lycett’s own unique way.

There will be plenty of Lycett’s trademark wit, tinsel and Christmas spirit. 

The special will include famous guests, musical performances, stand-up comedy and will celebrate all things queer. 

However, the main focus will be on the guests who will be comprised of LGBTQ+ icons, allies and local heroes.

Viewers will also get to see another side of Birmingham, filled with fun games, twists and turns. 

Find out who's taking part in the new series of Celebs Go Dating

Credit: Channel 4

The celebrities are on a mission to find the love of their life and to change their unlucky in love status with the help of dating experts Anna Williamson and Paul C Brunson and celebrity confidante Tom Read Wilson.

The London-based agency has had a fresh new makeover and this series is set to be the most dramatic one yet. 

The series will include new challenges, dating excursions and multiple chances to find the ultimate connection. 

After weeks of dating, the celebrities will choose a final date to take away on a romantic couples’ getaway. 

Channel 4 makes subtitles available on Freeview, Sky, Virgin Media and Digital Platforms

The broadcaster will gradually increase the number of shows with subtitles, with The Great British Bake Off, The Last Leg and Gogglebox, as well as live television including Channel 4 News and F1 racing, being some of the first.

The announcement comes after the channels and on-demand services were affected on Saturday 25 September 2021, when the fire suppression system was triggered at Red Bee Media, the company that broadcasts them.