COMMISSIONERS


Adrian Padmore Commissioning Editor Factual & Factual Entertainment


Daniel Pearl Commissioning Editor Unscripted


Emma Westcott Commissioning Editor Factual & Factual Entertainment


Susan Calman’s Grand Days Out, CHANNEL 5


Channel 5 has increased its investment in true crime and travelogue and continues its strategy to strip programming – especially history – across the week. It’s also now commissioning factual for streaming channel Paramount+.


In true crime, the channel is after a focus on the people right at the heart of the story, someone that’s close to the narrative, giving a fresh perspective, ideally speaking for the first time. 2021 documentaries Body in the Snow: Joanna Yeates and Lost Boy: The Killing of James Bulger from ITN Productions are good examples.


Two-parter The Body in the Snow explores the police investigation and the events that surrounded the Yeates murder in detail, including testimony from key witnesses, detectives and those at the heart of the case. Lost Boy used archive footage and interviews with police officers, the killers’ solicitors, journalists and members of the Bulger family, hearing from his brothers for the first time. ITN Productions also delivered two- parter The Disappearance of Shannon Matthews to the channel earlier in 2021.


12 See the Televisual Factual Films at televisual.com TRAVEL ON THE CHANNEL


In travelogue, there’s a foundation of success with talent going on a journey, most recently Alexander Armstrong travelling across Iceland in a three- parter from Burning Bright Productions. Susan Calman has been a hit for the channel. After pulling in audiences of two million as she travelled around Britain in her camper van in IWC series Grand Day Out, she’s signed up for a second series, plus five-parter Big Seaside Holiday, also from IWC.


Channel 5 has significantly invested in programming for stripped event scheduling. Calman’s Big Seaside Holiday will be stripped across a week and she’s getting the same scheduling treatment with another new series, True North five-parter Susan Calman’s Antiques Adventure.


STRIPPING ACROSS THE WEEK


In 2021, several history series were commissioned as box-sets to strip across the week. These included three-parter Tsunami from Voltage, which delved into unexplored details of the 2004 natural disaster; two-parter


Costa Concordia, from ITN Productions, about the maritime disaster; and World War II documentaries - three-parter Countdown to War (also from Voltage) and three-parter The Great Escape, produced by Viacom International Studios (VIS).


In history, after the success of subjects including Inside Chernobyl with Ben Fogle, the channel is also looking for different narratives, such as the contemporary history behind its new series Streets Where I Lived, with Jay Blades.


Blades, the presenter of the BBC’s The Repair Shop, will recall what it was like to grow up in 1970s Hackney. With audiences seeing Blades shine a light on other people’s memories, this series will turn the tables and give viewers an insight into his life, unearthing new discoveries about him and the community he grew up in. It’s been described as a mash-up of Who Do You Think You Are? and A House Through Time. It’s the first commission for Blades’ indie Hungry Jay Media.


During lockdown, Channel 5 also found a rich vein in farming and animals, with


Greg Barnett Commissioning Editor Factual Entertainment


Lucy Willis Commissioning Editor Factual


Yorkshire Vet and Our Yorkshire Farm performing strongly. Royalty is a staple, with Princess Anne in particular being a viewing favourite. The audience will naturally gravitate to shows anchored by favourite faces. For daytime, the channel is bringing back feel-good show Watercolour Challenge with Fern Britton. Twofour West is making an initial 20 parts.


Going forward, it’s looking for new territories and new ways into areas that they know work.


Plenty of areas in the schedule are already well-served. There’s a lot of emergency service shows, including Police: Hour of Duty and Ambulance: Code Red.


Shiny entertainment shows are not of interest and while Netflix and other streamers might be going big on dating and reality, these genres aren’t on the Channel 5 horizon. But, never say never is the Channel 5 attitude. It’s looking for what it hasn’t got.


Having recently got rid of tariffs, the channel’s approach to budgets is more flexible. It’s open to co-production.


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