More 4 celebrates Britain with roster of new and returning series

An impressive roster of new and returning series have been commissioned by the Features team for More4 .  New commissions include  Disappearing Britain – a celebration of all that is British fronted by Larry Lamb and Maureen Lipman.  Additionally, Phil Spencer will be offering a grand tour of the country’s most extravagant  country houses in Stately Homemaking.  Plus Paul Merton will explore the weird and wonderful world of Britain’s request railway stations. More 4 will also  welcome the return of Penelope’s Keith’s Hidden Villages and the acclaimed Prunella Scales and Timothy West in Great Canal Journeys.


Disappearing Britain
Disappearing Britain will be the ultimate celebration of Britain’s outdoors, history, culture and tradition. Maureen Lipman and Larry Lamb will be getting to the heart of what makes British heritage great and exploring what possible threats there are to it. Throughout the series, they’ll be joined by Michael Buerk plus a host of familiar faces who will indulge their own personal heritage passions and help build a picture of the ultimate ‘Britishness’. From how we live, travel and work, to the way we speak and what makes us laugh, Disappearing Britain will reveal how much of our daily life is steeped in our incredible history.

Paul Merton’s Secret Stations
Paul will be exploring the weird and wonderful world of request stop railway stations across Britain. Travelling around the country by train to hop on and hop off visiting a variety of different request stops to tell the story of why they’re there and who uses them.  Paul will be exploring their recent history and speaking to local people and relevant experts/enthusiasts. The series will be packed full of living-memory history, pub quiz-type facts, and fabulous locals brimming with anecdotes and remembrances.


Penelope Keith’s Hidden Villages
Penelope Keith returns for more travels through Britain's loveliest villages armed with her beloved 'Batsford' guide books. She will journey from one bucolic bolthole to the next, using the guide book to discover why we love our villages so much, and investigating what's disappeared or changed and what, if anything, has stayed the same?  Once again she’ll be returning to areas of Britain where she has a personal connection and a fascination with the local traditions and landscape – Sussex & Kent, Devon & Cornwall, Cumbria & The Lake District and Royal Deeside in Scotland.

Great Canal Journeys
Great Canal Journey’s returns for a third series, the previous two proving a phenomenal success for both Channel 4 and More 4.    Once again it will follow Britain’s national treasures Prunella Scales and Timothy West as they navigate their way through some of them most beautiful and challenging canal routes in Britain and  Europe.  For nearly four decades, canals have  provided Tim and Pru with an escape route from their busy and demanding acting  careers. In these very personal films we’ll see how canal journeys give Tim and  Pru the chance to see the world and reflect on their own lives.   It will be packed with historic and literary references as well as intimate and heartfelt  moments.


Stately Homemaking with Phil Spencer
Phil Spencer will be taking a grand tour of our country’s most extravagant country houses, retelling their history and using his surveying skills to explore why and how they were built. Uncovering the historical context in which they were built as well as revealing the sheer logistical and technical challenges required to construct them, Phil will be  calculating the monumental quantities of materials, labour and costs required to build the homes. Taking a step inside the shoes of some of the most ambitious  home-makers in Britain’s history, the series will be revealing the hidden history of our priceless heritage from a new perspective.  

For further information:
Steve Rosier, srosier@channel4.co.uk

Production information:

Disappearing Britain
Commissioning Editor, Features: Lizi Wootton
Exec Producer: Chris Kelly
Production company: Reef Television
Series: 12 x 60

Paul Merton’s Secret Stations
Commissioning Editor:  Alex Menzies
Production company: Brown Bob Productions
Exec Producer: Jacqueline Hewer
Series: 3 x 60

Penelope Keith’s Hidden Villages
Commissioning Editor:  Lizi Wootton
Exec Producer: Chris Kelly
Production company:  Reef Television
Series: 4 x 60

Great Canal Journeys
Commissioning Editor:  Gill Wilson
Production company:  Spun Gold TV
Exec Producer: Dani Neumann
Series: 6 x 60

Stately Homemaking with Phil Spencer
Commissioning Editor: Alex Menzies
Production company: Mayfly Television
Exec Producer:  Marcus  Stephenson
Series: 6x60