May 2011 Highlights

13 April 2011

Ah, May.  The days are getting longer, the nights are balmier, and there is more than a hint of summer in the air. On the other hand, there's a greater risk of sunburn, those balmy nights could herald thunderstorms, and summer means wasps.  Far better to hole up, lock the door, draw the blinds against that infernal sunshine and settle down to enjoy the cornucopia of delights on offer on Channel 4 this month.  Here is just a taste of what's to come.

Diagnosis: Live from the Clinic
This six-part series will enable viewers with medical concerns to seek advice and be ‘seen' by the doctors from the comfort of their own homes during the prime time show. The series will use video calling to offer the public appointments with Dr Christian Jessen and Dr Dawn Harper along with guest specialists during live broadcast.

 

Born To Be Different
For the last decade, Channel 4 has been following the lives of six children, each born with a disability.  Now in its fifth series, Born to Be Different returns with three films, documenting the children's lives over the last two years, as they turn nine and 10. 

 

Cutting Edge
Channel 4's flagship documentary strand will return this spring. 2010 saw Cutting Edge go from strength to strength - attracting audiences, plaudits and awards for films such as My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding, Living With Brucie and Katie: My Beautiful Face. Topics covered in the new series include lottery winners, a female paedophile ring, the amazing work of Scotland Yard's Extradition Unit, and the pet detectives on the train of animal thieves.

 

Help: My House is Falling Down
Sarah Beeny returns for a second series of this show that aims to help people rescue their homes from the brink of disaster.   Armed with a team of specialists she diagnoses and deals with a host of potentially terminal property problems - from serious subsidence to terrifying cracking through severe water damage and even a home that might fall down a mine!    

 

King of...
A fresh and feisty Channel 4 comedy talk show hosted by Claudia Winkleman. From musicals to newsreaders, from supermodels to household pets, from artists to takeaways, King of... will take a witty, informative and passionate look at our favourite things, and Claudia will be shining a unique light on the passions and peculiarities of her celebrity guests, as they seek to find the definitive, the top, the crème de la crème - in short, the king of just about everything.

 

My New Home
A unique, three-part documentary that follows the progress of three immigrant children over a period of five years, from age 11 to their 16th birthdays. The series follows Imran, Altynay and Marshal as they start a new life in the UK. Daisy Asquith filmed regularly with these children from the moment they stepped off the plane, and over the subsequent five years, charting their lives from children to adulthood.

 

Made In Chelsea
E4's hot new reality drama follows the lives and loves of London's young socially elite in an affluent pocket of South West London and Europe's premier destinations. They're immaculately dressed, fiercely ambitious and party hard - but beyond the posh accents, fast cars and polo parties, life isn't all champagne and canapés. Every love-in, fall out and bitch fest will be captured on camera and played out post watershed over eight one-hour episodes.

 

True Stories: Catfish
In late 2007, filmmakers Ariel Schulman and Henry Joost sensed a story unfolding as they began to film the life of Ariel's brother, Nev. They had no idea that their project would lead to the most exhilarating and unsettling months of their lives. A reality thriller that is a shocking product of our times, Catfish is a riveting story of love, deception and grace within a labyrinth of online intrigue, showing on More4 this May.

 

Four Rooms
In a brand new eight-part series, Four Rooms lifts the lid on the world of buying and selling collectibles, from shrunken heads to Dinky cars, stunning archaeological treasures and quirky vintage memorabilia.

 

Finally, did you know that no other month of the year begins on the same day of the week as May?  If you did, you really want to get out more - or stay in and watch more brilliant Channel 4 programmes.

 

May is also National Smile month in the UK, and National Hamburger month in the US (just don't tell Jamie).