Peter Dale & Janice Hadlow session

No offence to Peter Dale and Janice Hadlow (heads of More4 and BBC Four respectively), but their joint interview session yesterday was probably the most boring I have ever attended. The numbers in attendance seemed to reflect that although in fairness, most were probably off watching Luke Johnson outline his vision for Channel 4 (we did cover that too, by the way).

Highlights of the session:

• Dale on putting together the More4 lineup: "Principally it was the clarity of the schedule that I wanted to get right. I thought there was a gap in the market for sharp contemporary and political factual programming."
• Hadlow on what shows she would take from More4: "I'd just have The Sopranos on a loop!"
• Never Mind The Full Stops has been renewed for another series, despite a hostile reception from critics.
• Dale admitted that he was "quite mistrustful" of ratings figures for digital channels. "Sometimes 10,000 people watch a programme then the next night, 150,000 watch it."
• Hadlow admitted that it was a "bitter moment" to see Crub Your Enthusiasm poached from BBC Four by More4.
• Dale described the More4 News as a "fundamentally important part" of the channel. "Combined with The Daily Show, it's a frisky hour."