Channel 4 launches programme promises

Channel 4 today outlined its programme priorities for 2001/2002 and pledged to "engage a younger generation in the values of public service broadcasting" and be the "benchmark" for quality and innovation in British television.

Tim Gardam, Channel 4's Director of Programmes said: "This is a better way to explain to our viewers the values and ambitions that underpin our programmes. Too often regulation has become an arid calculation of the number of different programme categories. Self-regulation ought to set out the standards by which we are judged. In a world awash with television, we will be able to give a clear sense of how Channel 4 can offer imagination and intelligence through its commitment to the programme makers independence of mind."

Highlights from the Statement of Promises

Channel 4's Statement of Promises is characterised by a commitment to landmark programming and increasingly Channel 4 will concentrate on a number of ambitious high cost projects including;

• 'The Navigators' a-feature-length story of rail privatisation made by Ken Loach; and 'Shackleton' with Kenneth Branagh.

In entertainment the channel will champion new talent as well as growing talent from E4 to Channel 4. New entertainment commitments for 2001/02 include:

• Producing two new sitcoms and a launching a new comedy drama made in Scotland.

Channel 4 will continue to make history an integral part of the schedule by producing:

• Feature length historical documentaries on the seventeenth century and The Six Wives of Henry VIII, presented by David Starkey.

In 2002 the channel will concentrate on core science series with:

• An authoritative series on cosmology and physics - this will also include two major projects on the nature of the universe.

Channel 4 will continue to be the place where individual writers, directors, producers and on-screen talent will choose to bring their most original work and thinking. Authored programmes for 2001/2002 include;

• Two landmark-authored series - one based in Britain presented by Darcus Howe and another in America authored by Jon Ronson.

In the arts Channel 4 will be a sponsor and catalyst for bringing to television new thinking and fresh imagination. Highlights include;

• The entire canon of the plays of Samuel Beckett, and a new classical music series by Howard Goodall.
• A performance documentary on Benjamin Britten and a newly filmed performance of Owen Wingrave.
• Matthew Bourne will present a three-part series on Men and Dance to mark the beginning of a season of dance, as well as his radical dance piece, The Car Man.

The channel will also reinforce its focus on architecture and design.

• In addition to its association with RIBA and coverage of the Stirling prize, the Grand Designs strand will be expanded to include domestic architecture and design.

In documentaries the channel is committed to demanding social documentary programmes which command peak time scheduling, including;

• The operation of the criminal justice system in the UK will be a theme running through several series.

Education is at the core of Channel 4's purpose and schedule. Increasingly 4Learning is developing a multi platform approach and will continue to build upon the success of sites such as Homework High. Other education commitments include:

• At least eight hours of programmes each week will be supported by individually tailored programme support in the form of written material, telephone helplines or online support.
• Channel 4 will provide schools with a service of more than 330 hours.
• In 2002, two major school initiatives will be launched - Extra, a 24-part series for 14-19 year olds, teaching French, German and Spanish; and, Double Act, a dramatisation of Jacqueline Wilson's best-selling novel about sibling rivalry.

In sport Channel 4 remains committed to:

• Bringing cricket to new audiences and investing £2 million in grass root cricket initiatives.
• The channel will bring its innovative approach to the World Rally Championships in 2002 to broaden its appeal on screen and on line.
• Channel 4 remains committed to ensuring that terrestrial horse racing coverage is strengthened by the new digital ventures.

In multicultural programming Channel 4 sets out to be the channel that 'most vividly reflects the contemporary culture of our cosmopolitan society.'

• Programmes with a multicultural dimension from a wide range of genres will be produced from commissioning departments across the channel. This will include a documentary format series, examining the relationship between first and third world family life.

Channel 4 is committed to its in depth news bulletin seven days a week in peak time and in the next two years will concentrate on;

• Improving business coverage, reporting on events and stories under represented on other channels and strengthening the news bureaux in Leeds and Glasgow.
• The Slot's powerful news-diary reporting of the foot and mouth crisis will be extended to reflect the diversity of events and voices in the UK and abroad.

Channel 4 has a particular responsibility to reflect the diversity of voices in the UK and will meet its 30 per cent of programme budget spend from outside of London by 2002. New Regional programming strategies include:

Creating a "Key City" strategy, initially concentrating upon: Glasgow, Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham and the Bristol-Cardiff corridor.