Channel 4 Briefing Day 2

Day 2 was all about Drama, Entertainment and Comedy. Julian Bellamy and Kevin Lygo once again opened the proceedings and welcomed the attendees. Stuart Cosgrove, who chaired the event, said that Channel 4 cannot grow and develop without innovation.

Bellamy once again mentioned that the channel is looking to increase its spend in drama and that 2010 is going to be a curious year as they get the channel ready post Big Brother. He said that there will be a new set of commissioning priorities emerging from Channel 4 as well as a new set of commissions.

After a quick Q&A with Bellamy and Lygo, Head of Entertainment and Comedy Andrew Newman came up. He wants something edgy, innovative and experimental. He applauded Derren Brown’s: The Events (lottery prediction show), because of how innovative and groundbreaking it was.

He said there is still room for one or two new things for 2010 but limitless for 2011. He would ‘relish’ more studio entertainment shows as well as comedy reality shows plus good authored clip shows like Harry Hill’s TV Burp and Ponderland. He said that it would be good to have a funny regional female talent.

Comedy-wise, commissioning editor Shane Allen spoke very highly of The IT Crowd, Britain’s Got the Pop Factor…, Star Stories, Comedy Lab and Comedy Showcase. He said that comedy is expensive and risky but can be channel-defining. He does not want something that they have already. The team are looking for a new season for the end of February 2010. He suggests that they need more than just a treatment – teaser tapes are a good idea. He wants something that is diverse and can be a series.

For drama, the team are looking for 2-3 drama events. It can be contemporary or historical but it has to be relevant. Looking to do 3 single films a year in which issue is at its heart (e.g. Boy A or The Unloved). They are also looking for a comedy drama series for 10pm and a comedy drama series on E4 for the 16-24s. They do not want to be prescriptive because they do not want to miss out on great ideas. Robert Wulff-Cochrane is the head of drama development.