Drama

The Channel 4 Drama team are deeply committed to our remit to innovate, take risks, back unheard voices, and explore fresh perspectives. As a commercial broadcaster, we also need to make entertaining, high-quality, compelling work that has the potential to attract audiences at scale, across the UK. 

Fulfilling our remit and entertaining sizeable audiences are not mutually exclusive activities – Channel 4 Drama can and should aim to achieve both.

The most defining and memorable shows we’ve made have embodied both principles, whether it’s Shameless, Top Boy, or It’s a Sin.

Fundamentals:

 • Authorship and innovation: The writing should feel singular, distinctive, and original. We are excited by ground-breaking approaches to form and tone, and subversive, fresh points of view. Emotion, humour, and relatability need to be at the heart of our programming.

 • Relevancy to the whole of the UK: We’re looking for shows that reflect the UK in a way that feels insightful and revelatory (though we’ll always aspire for our shows to travel globally). We want shows that can bring the country together and speak to the national conversation – we love to invite debate and inspire social change.

 • Equity and inclusion: These principles run through all our commissioning decisions, and we are dedicated to backing a diverse range of talent from across the UK. 

 • Format: We are focused on shows, characters, and worlds that have the potential to return.  We’ll continue to make the occasional limited series and single drama, but most of our commissions will be for returnable 6 x 60’. Where it suits the story and the show, we are also open to 6 or 8 x 30’.  

 • Tariff: Our tariffs are competitive with other UK broadcasters and depend on the financing structure and what the show needs. We will be commissioning original dramas at a range of tariff levels, including lower cost pieces. However, we will never compromise quality for price.

• We need to love it! Everything we commission will have a champion within the Drama Commissioning team who really loves the project and will advocate for it throughout its lifecycle.

Some of the things we’re looking for:

 • Inventive, audacious, and elevated takes on genre. We’re open to finding the next high-concept satire like upcoming Generation Z, a new grounded sci-fi series like Humans, or the next subversive supernatural drama such as Misfits. We’d also like to find a daring, leftfield take on the spy genre.

 • A returnable family dynasty show, with characters as addictively compelling as Frank Gallagher or Logan Roy. 

 • The next zeitgeisty, youth-skewing hit – be it a subversive comedy like The End of the Fucking World, This Is England, or the more recent Queenie. However, we’re unlikely to go for a show which is going to appeal exclusively to younger adults. It needs to have the potential to break out to wider audiences. 

 • Factually-inspired dramas. We would like these to tackle true stories or compelling tales of injustice in an unexpected way. Examples include anthology series I Am, and political dramas Brexit: The Uncivil War and the upcoming Brian and Margaret.

 • We are interested in crime and true crime, so long as the story is character driven and has an unexpected way in. We are not likely to commission cosy murder mysteries or conventional thrillers/procedurals. The Red Riding Trilogy is one of our most unique titles; other shows include the brilliantly irreverent Truelove, and the upcoming international drama Get Millie Black. 

 • We’re open to precinct and workplace dramas, as long as they explore a setting or culture in a way that feels radical and new, through authentic and grounded characters. Teachers and No Offence are shows that have done that for us in the past.

Drama & Film4:

Channel 4 Drama and Film4 are now working more closely together – two separate teams, but with joint leadership. We are a home where the best talent can make bold work, in whichever form makes sense for the story. Shameless started life as a feature film at Film4 before becoming one of Drama’s greatest hits. We are open to this kind of opportunity.

Like Film4, Channel 4 Drama is also committed to backing new talent, whether through early career schemes such as 4Screenwriting, or 4Stories, or by backing new writers on their first series.

Submissions:

• We take submissions from PACT registered production companies or agents. 

• We accept all forms of material for projects in alignment with our brief: but please always include a cover note or short presentation deck outlining what the show is about, the talent involved, and the intended format. If you would like to send us a PDF book manuscript, please also include a book report.

• You may submit your idea to any commissioner/exec, but please always copy our Development Assistant Lucy Haig.

• Please allow at least 28 business days for us to come back to you with a response.

• If you are developing an international co-production, ideally with significant funding already in place, then please send to Polly Scates, Head of Acquisitions. Please ensure you always cc Felix Jones on submissions.

To make sure we are inclusive and accessible to all, please let us know if you require any adjustments or assistance for meetings and communications with you.

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