Dale wants less drama on More4

More4 head Peter Dale has suggested that he will commission fewer original dramas as a result of budget cuts affecting the channel.

Although Dale said that More4 had suffered a "relatively minor budget cut" - thought to be in the region of £5 million - he questioned how much the channel could afford to invest in big drama

"Investment should shift away from More4 to Channel 4," he argued, reasoning that each piece should reach the largest possible audience. "It's about getting audiences to find things across a range of Channel 4-branded channels."

As for the impact of the recently-launched Channel 4+1, which pits Channel 4 News against More4 News, Dale admitted that the scheduling move was "annoying" and that he had "thought about" moving his bulletin to a new timeslot.

Elsewhere, More4 is planning a season of programmes on China for this autumn, including documentaries on Shanghai and preparation for the Olympic games.