If Channel 4 could choose a single word to sum up its ethos, that word would be different; different from other channels in its funding, structure and values and, most importantly, in its programme choices. Viewers of Channel 4 have always been exposed to voices and viewpoints that are different to those they find elsewhere on television, an alternative perspective offered not just for the sake of it but to promote greater understanding. This championing of difference, so deeply ingrained within Channel 4’s commissioning culture, runs contrary to the prevailing tides in television. Digital technology has led to an explosion of choice, and yet most viewers are super-served with easy entertainment choices and seek out the safe and the same again and again. Hundreds of niche channels celebrate the tastes and interests that unite their audience, making a virtue of presenting a narrow menu of familiar choices and ensuring that those viewers are not challenged to sample something different. Channel 4 is the antidote to that trend, giving a mainstream platform to those who remain outside the mainstream, whether their point of difference is one of belief, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation or campaigning obsession.
In This Chapter
- Introduction
- Are We There Yet? by Lara Masters
- The Spastic King by Jack Thorne
- Walter by David Cook
- The ‘Mad’ Psychologist by Rufus May
- The Sun Has Come Out at Last by Ann McFerran
- Gallery
Chapter Gallery
