Channel 4 commissions short form shows as part of digital strategy

26 January 2021

Channel 4 is growing its slate of original short-form entertainment commissioning with more new online shows in a move that reflects Channel 4’s wider digital strategy.

Following the commission of Sharp Jack and Initial’s Darling, What Have You Done to Your Hair?  Phil Harris, Channel 4’s Head of Entertainment and Navi Lamba, E4’s Digital Executive have green-lit further digital shorts series for E4’s social platforms.

The new commissions overseen by Steve Handley, commissioning editor for Entertainment, and Navi Lamba will be a vehicle to showcase new on and off-screen talent. They are What If…? with Munya Chawawa (w/t), Blind Love on First Date Island (w/t) and One Night Stand (w/t), which join the previously announced Darling, What Have You Done to Your Hair? (formerly Keep Your Hair On).

Phil Harris, Head of Entertainment and Events at Channel 4 comments: “These shorts are part of our drive to grow new titles and talent outside of traditional linear slots, where we can test original ideas and reach younger audiences wherever they are.”

“Navi, Steve and I will be continuing to invite pitches for distinctive and original ideas develop and commission from a new fund for short-form for 2021 and beyond. We especially want to hear from new and growing suppliers who we haven’t worked with who have ideas and talent in comedy ents that can be incubated through short-form and grown into commissions for E4 and Channel 4.”

The short-form programming will boost E4’s offering of bold, funny and shareable shorts online as part of the channel’s wider remit to reach young audiences across platforms. The shows will premiere on E4’s social platforms in the coming months. They are:

What If…? with Munya Chawawa (w/t)
The Connected Set, (3x5’)

Comedian, presenter and social media sensation Munya Chawawa brings his unique perspective to predict what life could be like after the next unexpected world event. In each episode Munya answers one big “What if” question with facts to explain how the seemingly improbable could one day become possible.

Blind Love on First Date Island (w/t)
Blink Industries, (3x5’)

Innovative animated dating series using the audio of genuine telephone first dates between two people who have never met. Each episode, set on a surreal island where anything is possible, features one date comically visualised by different up-and-coming artists.

One Night Stand (w/t)
Hello Mary, (3x5’)

In each show, a pair of singletons who have previously had a one-night stand will meet for a second-chance date that will determine whether their romance can be rekindled or if the spark is well and truly dead. Could their former lover be the one that got away?

Darling, What Have You Done to Your Hair?
Sharp Jack TV and Initial, (5x5’)

Tom Read Wilson (Celebs Go Dating) hosts a brand-new game show which will see contestants put the fate of their next haircut at stake. If they win the game, they’ll walk away with £500 and the hairstyle of their dreams, but if they lose, they’ll leave with nothing but a haircut from hell.

ENDS