Channel 4

Why true crime television pays

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The country is in the grip of an escalating crime wave, yet the public can’t get enough of it. Viewers used to get their vicarious thrills from fictional detective drama – now we are becoming fixated on real-life serial killers and violent psychopaths. 

This autumn, True Crime on Channel 4 is set to join the Channel 4 family – and go up against two existing bespoke true-crime channels, A+E Networks UK’s Crime + Investigation and Sky Crime. 

Our Friend in the North: Sinéad Rocks

The Majestic in Leeds city centre has quite the history. Its story begins 100 years ago, when it was built as a cinema. The 1920s were a boom time for the movie business and the archives show that the Majestic truly lived up to its name.

The Yorkshire Evening News described “decorations and appointments… of a most sumptuous character”. Over the years, thousands bathed in the light of its silver screen.

Channel 4: Stay public – or go private?

Few broadcasting controversies generate as much heat as the vexed topic of selling off Channel 4 – and so it proved at an engaging RTS debate held late last month, “Levelling up: How much could privatisation change Channel 4’s remit?”.

The remit has evolved over time. Since the 2003 Communications Act, the broadcaster’s remit has been largely voluntary. David Elstein, the former Thames, Sky and Channel 5 executive, provocatively claimed that the remit is nowadays “mostly mythical."

Channel 4 announces new sitcom from the creator of Friday Night Dinner

I Hate You sees two twenty-somethings, Charlie (Sex Education’s Tanya Reynolds) and Becca (Melissa Saint), navigate their complicated friendship in today’s complicated world.

The pair have the definition of a love-hate relationship, one minute revelling in their in-jokes, the next bickering deep into the night.

Perhaps because the two are opposites. Charlie’s an anxious misanthrope whose room is ‘shittery’, while Becca is a little too confident and impulsive, but whose room is spotless.

Candice Carty-Williams’ Queenie to be adapted for Channel 4

Candice Carty-Williams (credit: Channel 4)

The eight-part series will follow 25-year-old Queenie Jenkins, a Jamaican British straddler of both cultures, a South London stalwart, journalist, loyal friend, not so loyal daughter, occasional mess and an undervalued success.

Working at a national newspaper, where she’s frequently forced to compare herself to her white, middle-class peers, and having recently gone through a tough breakup with her long-term white boyfriend Tom, Queenie begins looking for comfort in all the wrong places, with all the wrong people.

Channel 4 announces cast for Steve Coogan and Sarah Solemani’s new dramedy Chivalry

Written by and starring Steve Coogan and Sarah Solemani, Chivalry will explore the hot topic of gender politics in the #MeToo era in the film and television industries.

Wanda Sykes (Blackish) stars as astute studio executive Jean Shrill, who arranges for indie filmmaker Bobby Sohrabi (Solemani) to take over as director of “A Little Death”, a problematic movie produced by Cameron O’Neill (Coogan).

Cameron is striving to keep his name in lights but the threat of cancel culture looms large.

Claudia Winkleman to host new gameshow One Question

Credit: Channel 4

The six-part series will see contestants try to win a prize of £100,000 by answering only one question.

There will be twenty possible answers but only one correct answer. The contestants must eliminate the incorrect answers to show them the path to victory, but if they eliminate one correct answer it will be game over. 

Claudia Winkleman commented: “I am ridiculously excited about One Question. There’s no time limit, no buzzers, no complicated rules. A sofa, a chat, just one question that could win our players £100,000. Not only that, we give them the answer.