4 channels Watson's iconic 'Family'

Channel 4 is to bring Paul Watson's landmark documentary The Family into the 21st Century by taking a fresh look at the observational format using modern camera technology.

The channel is planning to air a new series with the same title that will marry up the observational documentary techniques pioneered by Watson with Big Brother-style camera coverage installed throughout a family home.

"The family is the institution that tells us more about the way we live today than any other," said Simon Dickson, Channel 4's deputy head of documentaries. "This minutely observed and honest film will offer an insight into how a large British family responds to the different challenges and pressures that life throws at them."

The series of six hour-long films will be directed by Jonathan Smith. He said that the family may surprise viewers by being "pretty unremarkable."

"They will be an antidote to some of the larger-than-life characters we see on television today," he explained. "Their selling point will be their normality. They will be charismatic and interesting but they won't be particularly unusual. Our aim is to present an honest portrait of British family life in the 21st Century."