Introduction - Media,
murder and mellow music on ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ FOUR this winter
Media is in the spotlight on ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ FOUR this season. In a year that
has seen debate about excellence, quality and dumbing down, ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ FOUR
cuts through the white noise to ask if there ever was a Golden Age of
British TV?
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Introducing the new season, Janice Hadlow, Controller of ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ FOUR,
says: "ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ FOUR has had a great year - we've just had our best ever
week in terms of audiences, we've had a year of critical acclaim, and
in August were announced as the Media Guardian Edinburgh International
TV Festival Non-Terrestrial Channel of the Year.
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"In 2005 we will build on this success with a season which shows
the channel at its very best and promises a wealth of surprises: compelling
drama, biting satire, thought-provoking documentary, heart-stirring
music, and - as part of a week long interactive event - reveal British
TV's greatest decade.
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"In TV On Trial, ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ FOUR pits some of broadcasting's 'grumpy old
men' against the 'new kids on the TV block' to answer - once and for
all - has TV dumbed-down? And were I, Claudius, Civilisation and Brideshead
Revisited really as good as we remember?"
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Over the course of an entire week, ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ FOUR invites prominent figures
from the world of broadcasting into its 'living-room' to experience
TV as it really was over the last six decades.
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Each evening, TV On Trial features an entire evening's programming
from one of the decades and two commentators - a champion and a critic
- sit down to watch.
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By pressing the red button, ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ FOUR viewers can share the groans,
snores and applause as the duo views the TV of yesteryear.
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ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ FOUR also offers media fans a regular weekly fix with the launch
of The Desk - the only media programme
on television.
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Presented by Tyler Brûlé, The Desk promises an exciting
take on the media world going beyond a purely domestic agenda to cast
its eye across the global media landscape.
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An all time media giant, Kenneth Tynan, the first man to say f**k on
television and to bring nudity to the London stage, is the subject of
a new drama for ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ FOUR this winter.
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Written and directed by Chris Durlacher, this feature length drama
features Rob Brydon as Tynan with Catherine
McCormack as his wife Kathleen, and Julian Sands
as Sir Laurence Olivier.
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Death On The Staircase is an astonishingly
revealing eight part documentary series which documents the story of
a murder investigation.
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On 9 December 2001 Michael Peterson from North Carolina dialled 911
to tell the police that his wife had fallen down the stairs and was
unconscious.
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When the ambulance arrived five minutes later she was dead and lying
in a pool of blood.
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Granted extraordinary access to the investigation - and the defence
- Death On The Staircase shows a murder investigation laid out in compelling
detail.
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Jazz Britannia is a season of music,
film and documentary exploring British jazz.
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The centrepiece of the season is a fascinating new three part series
exploring the evolution of the British Jazz scene with contributions
from some of the greatest names in the field.
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ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ FOUR joins forces with London's Barbican to stage a weekend of
concerts echoing themes from the season.
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Other winter highlights include:
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Don't Watch That, Watch This. In a world where virtually everything
and everyone is constantly caught on camera, Don't Watch That, Watch
This unleashes its own take on reality.
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The writers behind Bremner, Bird And Fortune bring this topical, news-based
satire to ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ FOUR.
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Baghdad Or Bust. In January 2003, with the Iraq War looming, former
US marine Ken O'Keefe led 60 volunteers, in three double-decker buses,
on a 3,000 mile journey from London to Baghdad.
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Featuring footage shot by the volunteers themselves during their journey,
Baghdad Or Bust tells their story.
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Churchill's Forgotten Years documents the years after 1945 when Churchill,
stinging from electoral defeat and suffering ill health, struggled back
to the Prime Ministership and reinvented himself as a man of peace.
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Darkness Into Light - The Music Of James MacMillan. ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ FOUR broadcasts
from the 2005 ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Symphony Orchestra's composer weekend which this year
features the work of the highly acclaimed Scottish composer James MacMillan.
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ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ FOUR viewers can continue to enjoy the channel's mix of news,
debate and international cinema, along with returning strands such as
Storyville and Time Shift.
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Notes to Editors
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ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ FOUR awards success:
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ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ FOUR won ten awards in 2004 including success at Bafta, RTS, Prix
Italia, Grierson Awards and the Monte Carlo TV Festival.
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ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ FOUR viewing figures:
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For the autumn season (since the beginning of September) the average
weekly reach (three-minute) has been 9.3% of all digital viewers.
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In terms of numbers of people reached, the average is 3.1 million people
per week - this is up 41% on the same weeks in 2003.
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Last week (BARB week 49) ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ FOUR achieved its highest figures ever
and was watched by nearly four million people across the week.
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