The Mediators: Channel 4 to tackle the sensitive world of mediation

From April 2014 a significant change in UK law means that all couples applying for a divorce through the courts, where there is a dispute over money or children must now consider mediation as a way of working through their problems.

The Mediators (w/t) is an extraordinary new film made for Channel Four by Minnow, who have secured unprecedented access inside the very private walls of the mediation room as the mediators help former couples navigate the journey through the challenging and emotional decisions they need to make to move forward after the end of their relationships.

Minnow Films will use the fixed-rig set-up to follow the sessions between the mediators and the couples to show an alternative and intimate side to the experience of divorce. Production will take place over a year and will capture the process from the very first meeting through to its conclusion as the mediators help the couple resolve questions of custody, property and the complex reasons behind the breakdown of the relationship itself.

As divorce rates rise and mediation becomes a process that more and more couples will have to go through, The Mediators (w/t) will give an honest and emotional insight into the inner lives of these couples at the most challenging point in their lives.

Commissioned for Channel 4 by Emma Cooper, Commissioning Editor, Documentaries. The Exec Producers for Minnow Films are Morgan Matthews and Colin Barr.