Film On Four

Channel 4

Channel Four was launched in 1982, the same year that Chariots of Fire cleaned up at the Oscars and Colin Welland optimistically warned Hollywood that ‘the British are coming’. Jeremy Isaacs, the first chief executive of Channel Four proposed four principles to define the new channel; 1. it should be different in its structure and the way it sources its programmes than the other channels (i.e. it had no intention of making in-house productions like the BBC and ITV), 2. it will utilise experimental formats and new modes of television expression, 3. programmes should address ‘the issues which fall between the cracks on other channels’ and 4. it should address special interest groups with specifically targeted programs.

Channel Four’s attitude to film differed from its UK competitors, it committed itself to showing films that would not normally get a showing on British TV, particularly championing Arthouse and World cinema. With help from Richard Attenborough, Channel Four’s deputy chairman, Isaacs secured £6million from the board of directors to finance the first year of Film on Four, Channel Four’s commitment to financing British cinema. Attributing what amounted to one twelfth of the total programming funds to approximately one percent of total airtime was quite an extravagance for the fledgling channel. The ideology of the four principles extended to Film on Four’s aims. As with its other programming, Channel Four, having no production facilities of its own, intended to function as a ‘publishing house’ to commission independent producers. Although what counted as ‘independent’ was something of a grey area, offshoots of multinational companies were counted equally with small one-man production houses.