The Making of Channel 4

by Catterall, Peter

• ISBN13: 9780714644851
• ISBN10: 0714644854
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1999-01-01
• Publisher: Frank Cass

Summary

Channel 4 had been a matter of controversy for years even before it came on the air in November 1982. There were lengthy debates about what its role would be and the part to be played by the ITV companies and the growing number of independent television producers. There was also political controversy over the profile of the new channel, some wishing to see it as "their" channel in response to the apparent political hegemony of Margaret Thatcher. The result was sharp conflicts, not only over programming but, as the channel became established, over its relationships with the ITV companies and its regulatory body, the IBA. These controversies in the making of Channel 4 are revisited in this volume. The opening article by Edmund Dell, the channel's first chairman, describes and explains his sometimes stormy relationship with Jeremy Isaacs, the chief executive, while the witness seminar and the other articles offer the views of Channel 4 commissioning editors and representatives from the IBA, the ITV companies,the independent producers, the Home Office and the BBC.

Author Biography

Peter Catterall is the Director of the Institute of Contemporary British History and Lecturer in History at Queen Mary and Westfield College, London.

Table of Contents

Abbreviations	vii
Chronology	ix
Foreword	xi
Anthony Smith
Introduction	xv
Peter Catterall
Controversies in the Early History of Channel 4	1	(52)
Edmund Dell
Channel 4: A View from Within	53	(7)
John Ranelagh
Establishing the Regulatory Framework of Channel 4	60	(15)
Shirley Littler
A Defence of the Independent Broadcasting Authority	75	(4)
Lord Thomson
WITNESS SEMINAR
The Origins of Channel 4	79	(37)
Peter Catterall
Channel 4: News and Current Affairs 1981--87	116	(18)
Liz Forgan
Channel 4: The Educational Output 1981--89	134	(28)
Naomi Sargant
Notes on Contributors	162	(3)
Index	165