Channel 4 and Scope partner for Shorts series starring Alex Brooker

21 July 2015

Channel 4, in partnership with Scope, has commissioned a brand new advertiser funded Shorts series What Not To Do starring Alex Brooker, the disability charity’s ambassador and star of Channel 4 show The Last Leg.

 

The 6 x 3 minute short form series launches exclusively on All 4 for Channel 4’s digital Shorts platform and will be available to view in early August. Each episode sees Alex Brooker react to different scenarios via hidden camera set-ups exposing onlookers’ awkwardness around disability.

 

All six episodes exemplify how not to behave in situations including a blind date, a job interview and at the hairdressers and represent real life situations based on research from Scope.

 

The series was commissioned by Channel 4 Shorts Commissioning Editor Isaac Densu and produced by comedy and entertainment production company 2LE Media.

 

The partnership with Scope was negotiated by Channel 4’s Sales’ Adam Denton, Partnership Account Manager and Sarah Honeyball , Content Solutions Partnership Manager together with Andrew Gifford, Broadcast Sponsorship Manager at MediaCom - the Content and Connections agency.

 

The new Shorts are part of Scope’s End the Awkward campaign which launched last year. The campaign aims to tackle attitudes to disability, by shining a light on the awkwardness that many people feel around disabled people.

 

The bespoke content will sit exclusively on All 4 for 30 days before becoming available via Scope’s social channels and website.

 

What Not To Do with Scope is the latest addition to Channel 4’s existing collection of advertiser funded Shorts which include major partnerships with Sony, Rimmel London, British Gas, Alfa Romeo and Foster’s.

 

Rob Ramsey, Partnerships Leader, Channel 4 said: “This exclusive Shorts partnership with Scope provides the charity with an exciting new way to engage  viewers through premium, engaging content on All 4 and across Scope’s own platforms”

 

Mark Atkinson, interim chief executive at disability charity Scope, said: “Scope research shows that two-thirds of people feel awkward around disability. This is because not enough people know or interact with disabled people.

 

“The adverts that launched Scope’s End the Awkward campaign in 2014, fronted by Alex Brooker, showed a series of awkward scenarios viewers may encounter with a disabled person.

 

“For our partnership with Channel 4 this year, we wanted the short films to take awkwardness to the next level.

 

“Our campaign uses humour so that we can raise the issue in a light-hearted way, because it isn’t about pointing fingers.

 

“We hope the shorts will start conversations about disability and get us all thinking about what we can do to include disabled people more in our lives.”   

 

Louise Peacocke Business Director, MediaCom said: “Channel 4 demonstrated enthusiasm and understanding of what our client Scope are trying to do with their End the Awkward campaign. The Shorts platform was a great fit for our target audience enabling us to create bespoke content with scale distribution”

 

Isaac Densu, Shorts Commissioning Editor, Channel 4 said: “These entertaining and fun Shorts fit perfectly with Channel 4’s ongoing mission to change perceptions around disability and will have viewers squirming in their seats along with Alex Brooker.”

 

Michael Livingstone, Managing Director 2LE Media said: “It’s been great working with Scope and some fantastic performers to create comic scenes based on the real experiences of disabled people. We hope that viewers enjoy watching them as much as we enjoyed making them”

 

Ends.