Timeline of Channel 4

This is a timeline of the history of Channel 4.

1970s
  • 1978
    • No events.
  • 1979
    • With the approach of the 1979 general election both the Conservatives and Labour include plans for a fourth channel in their election manifestos. Labour favours an Open Broadcasting Authority community service aimed at minority groups, while the Conservatives plan is for the channel to be given to ITV.[2] Both main parties also pledge to launch a separate Welsh language television service for Wales.[3]

1980s
  • 1981
    • 1 January – The Channel Four Television Company is established to provide the fourth channel service for England, Scotland and Northern Ireland – Wales' fourth channel will be a Welsh language service called S4C although it will broadcast some Channel 4 programmes during off-peak hours.
  • 1982
    • August – Test broadcasts commence. These mainly consist of showing the IBA's testcard ETP-1.
    • 2 November – Channel 4 launches across most of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland – Wales' fourth channel, S4C, had launched the previous evening. However some areas are unable to receive the fourth channel at launch because the required engineering at many relay transmitters had not been carried out and it wasn't until later in the decade that all transmitters were carrying the fourth channel.
      • 4:40 pm: Continuity announcer Paul Coia launches the channel with the words "Good afternoon. It's a pleasure to be able to say to you: Welcome to Channel Four".[4]
      • 4:45 pm: The first programme starts. It is the gameshow Countdown and presenter Richard Whiteley starts by saying "as the countdown to a brand new channel ends, a brand new countdown begins."[5]
      • 7 pm: The first edition of Channel 4 News – the UK's first hour-long news programme.
      • 8 pm: The first edition of Channel 4's soap opera Brookside is broadcast.
    • 5 November – The first edition of music programme The Tube is broadcast.
    • 7 November – Coverage of American football is shown for the first time on Channel 4, beginning the channel's long association with the sport.[6]
    • 8 November – Channel 4 shows live sport for the first time when it broadcasts coverage of a match from Division One of the National Basketball League. It shows highlights of the first half of the game and live coverage of the second half [6] Coverage of both sports is part of Channel 4's remit to showcase so-called minority sports which do not get coverage on the BBC or ITV.
    • 14 November – The viewer complaints programme Right to Reply launches.[7] It is the only programme that Channel 4 produces in-house.
    • 26 December – Premiere of The Snowman on Channel 4.[8]
    • 27 December – Channel 4 airs its first theme night, Fifties to the Fore. The evening includes episodes of ABC and ATV shows such as Armchair Theatre and Oh Boy!.[8]
  • 1983
    • 18 March – Channel 4 broadcasts in-vision teletext pages for the first time. Two magazines are shown – 4-Tel on View and Oracle on View – and in fifteen minute bursts which are repeated several times each day prior to the start of each day's transmissions. Teletext pages are only shown on weekdays.
    • 24 May – Channel 4 (and S4C in Wales) become the new home of Engineering Announcements.[9] They had previously been broadcast on ITV.[10]
  • 1984
    • 22 March – Horse racing coverage is broadcast on Channel 4 for the first time, resulting in the launch Channel 4 Racing.
    • 15 October – Weekday afternoon broadcasting starts at 2:30 pm instead of 5 pm[11] and weekend programming begins an hour earlier, at 1 pm.
  • 1985
    • 2–4 January – Channel 4 screens A Woman of Substance and secures an audience of 13.8 million, its largest to date.
    • 5 October – The first weekend horse racing is shown on Channel 4 when ITV transfers coverage of horse racing to Channel 4 ahead of the end of World of Sport.
  • 1986
    • The Peacock Report recommends that the channel should be given the option to sell its own airtime.
    • Viewers' campaigner Mary Whitehouse lobbies advertisers to boycott the channel over its content, with some success.
    • February – For the first (and only) time, animated graphics are seen during teletext transmissions. This is made possible by transmitting 4-Tel on View from a disc rather than live.
    • 19 September – Starting today, Channel 4 shows a red triangle at the start of, and during, films with adult themes. After lobbying from newspapers and pressure groups this method of identifying such material was phased out within a year.
    • 18 October – Channel 4 starts weekend morning broadcasting with weekend transmissions now beginning at around 9:30 am.
  • 1987
    • Sir Richard Attenborough replaces Edmund Dell as Chairman of Channel 4.
    • 24 April – The Tube is shown for the final time.
    • 3 May – The first of two series of groundbreaking youth television show Network 7 starts. The programme is shown live at Sunday lunchtime.
    • 14 September – ITV Schools programmes transfer to Channel 4 resulting in an expansion of the channel's weekday broadcasting hours. The programmes are broadcast in the same 9.30 am to midday slot. Lunchtime programmes are also introduced, and they include a one-hour block of programmes from the newly formed Open College.
    • 21 September – As part of the new lunchtime schedule, the first edition of a weekday business and financial news programme Business Daily is broadcast.
    • 30 October – The first edition of Channel 4's flagship current affairs documentary series Dispatches is shown.
    • 2 November — Channel 4 celebrates its fifth anniversary.[12]
    • Channel 4 starts broadcasting into the early hours on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, closing down as late as 3am.
  • 1988
    • 11 January – The first episode of long running quiz show Fifteen to One is broadcast.
    • February – Channel 4 starts broadcasting into the early hours every night, closing down between 2 am and 3 am. Previously Channel 4 had closed down between midnight and 1 am.
    • 17 September–2 October – Channel 4's only broadcast of the Olympic Games takes place when Channel 4 shows the overnight and breakfast coverage of the 1988 Olympic Games. ITV shows the daytime coverage.
  • 1989
    • February – Channel 4 begins broadcasting in Nicam digital stereo, initially from the Crystal Palace transmitter, prior to a national transmitter-by-transmitter roll-out during 1990.
    • 31 March – The last Oracle on View transmission takes place.
    • 3 April – Channel 4 launches its breakfast television service The Channel Four Daily. From this date, 4-Tel on View is shown in a single 40-minute block rather than in 15 minute bursts. It is also shown at the weekend for the first time.

1990s
  • 1990
    • The Broadcasting Act 1990 maintains Channel 4's status as a publicly owned entity, but allows it to sell its own airtime from 1993. It also sets out the remit of its funding formula with ITV from 1993, with ITV agreeing to fund Channel 4 if it falls below 14% of total TV advertising revenue.
    • 19 February – The first edition of Channel 4's documentary series Cutting Edge is shown.
    • 31 July – The final edition of Engineering Announcements is shown at 5:45 am.[13]
  • 1992
    • Sir Michael Bishop succeeds Sir Richard Attenborough as Chairman of Channel 4.
    • 25 June – The final edition of Business Daily is broadcast although the early morning business news bulletins continue to be aired for another three months, until the end of The Channel Four Daily.
    • 6 September – The first edition of Football Italia is broadcast as part of Channel 4's deal to show Serie A, with live coverage of Sampdoria v Lazio. The channel continues to show Italian football for the next ten years.
    • 25 September – The final edition of The Channel Four Daily is broadcast.
    • 28 September – The first edition of The Big Breakfast is broadcast.
    • 2 November – The FourScore theme used in the idents is replaced.
    • 31 December – Channel 4's testcard ETP-1 is shown for the final time.
  • 1993
    • 1 January – Channel 4 becomes an independent statutory corporation.
    • Instead of fully closing down, 4-Tel on View is shown throughout the channel's overnight downtime.
    • The channel makes a payment of £38m to ITV under terms of its funding formula.
    • 28 June – The final ITV Schools programmes are shown.
    • September – Schools programmes continue to be shown on Channel 4 under the branding of Channel 4 Schools.
    • 25 December – Channel 4 airs its first "Alternative Christmas message". The broadcast features a contemporary, often controversial celebrity, delivering a message in the manner of The Queen. The first alternative message is delivered by Quentin Crisp.
  • 1995
    • 23 October – The first edition of soap opera Hollyoaks is broadcast.
  • 1996
    • The Broadcasting Act 1996 maintains Channel 4's public status.
    • 11 October – After nearly fourteen years, Channel 4 unveils a new presentation package. Gone were the multi-coloured blocks, instead the familiar logo would be placed in one of four circles.[17] This look would last for just three years.
  • 1997
    • Michael Jackson is appointed Chief Executive of Channel 4.
    • Chris Smith, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, announces that Channel 4's funding formula with ITV will be abolished from 1998.
    • January – Channel 4 starts 24-hour broadcasting, resulting in the end of 4-Tel on View.
    • 29 October and 15 November – Channel 4 shows the first and second legs of the 1998 FIFA World Cup Playoff between Italy and Russia.
  • 1998
    • Vanni Treves succeeds Sir Michael Bishop as Chairman of Channel 4.
    • 28 February – The 1998 Africa Cup of Nations Final between South Africa and Egypt is shown live. This is the first time that the tournament has been shown in the UK.
    • 25 October – The T4 strand is broadcast for the first time.
    • 1 November –
      • S4C Digidol launches in Wales.
      • FilmFour launches as a subscription channel.
    • 24 December — Premiere of The Bear on Channel 4.
  • 1999
    • 2 April – Channel 4 launches a new presentation package. Gone were the circles, instead the logo was placed inside a square. This look would last for five years.[18]
    • 1 July – Channel 4 starts broadcasting cricket following the channel sensationally obtaining the rights from the BBC the previous year.[19]
    • 15 September — S4C Dau launches in Wales.

2000s
  • 2000
    • In conjunction with other partners, Channel 4 launches horse racing channel At the Races.
    • 18 July – Big Brother is launched. The show remains on the channel for ten years before moving to Channel 5.
  • 2001
    • 18 January – E4 launches as a pay channel.
    • 7 April – FilmFour launches sibling channels FilmFour World and FilmFour Extreme. The two stations are available to FilmFour subscribers at no additional cost, and share a single broadcast frequency: World (1600–2200) broadcasts International cinema and Extreme (2200-0400) carries controversial and cutting-edge films. A +1 hour timeshift channel of the main FilmFour is launched at the same time.[20] The new channels are carried on satellite and cable; ONdigital/ITV Digital subscribers continued to receive only the core FilmFour.
    • 20 April – Channel 4 scraps Right to Reply. The programme had been on air since the launch of the channel and was the only programme that Channel 4 produced in-house.[21]
    • 24 September – Countdown introduces its new 15-round format and 45 minute runtime.
  • 2002
    • 1 January – An updated set of idents are launched.
    • March – Mark Thompson succeeds Michael Jackson as Chief Executive of Channel 4.
    • 29 March – The final edition of The Big Breakfast is broadcast.
    • 29 April – The first edition of Channel 4's third breakfast television programme RI:SE is broadcast.
    • 1 May – ITV Digital stops broadcasting which means that E4 and FilmFour are no longer available on digital terrestrial television.
  • 2003
    • At the Races closes down due to financial problems. The channel relaunches the following year but without Channel 4 as a partner.
    • 21 April – Channel 4 airs the 1000th episode of Hollyoaks.[22]
    • 5 May – FilmFour spin-off channels FilmFour Extreme and FilmFour World stop broadcasting. They are replaced by FilmFour Weekly.
    • 4 November – After 2,915 episodes, the final edition of Brookside is broadcast.
    • 16 December – Channel 4's Teletext service was renamed from FourText to Teletext on 4
    • 19 December –
      • The final edition of short-lived breakfast programme RI:SE is broadcast.
      • The original run of Fifteen to One ends after 2,265 episodes.
  • 2004
    • 27 February – Reports emerge of discussions between Channel 4 and Five aimed at a merger between the two channels.[23]
    • 1 July – Andy Duncan succeeds Mark Thompson as Chief Executive of Channel 4.[24]
    • 5 November – Channel 4 begins airing the American animated comedy series The Simpsons, after gaining the terrestrial broadcast rights to the show from BBC Two.
    • 17 November – It is reported that merger talks between Channel 4 and Five have been called off after complexities arose between the public broadcaster Channel 4 and its commercial counterpart.[25]
    • 31 December – Channel 4's idents and presentation are revamped, five years after the last major change.[26]
  • 2005
    • 7 March – The first episode of Coach Trip is broadcast.
    • 27 May – E4 becomes a free-to-air channel and joins the Freeview platform although it had been available on digital terrestrial TV for the past year as part of the pay service Top Up TV.
    • 26 June – Countdown's original presenter Richard Whiteley dies aged 61, Channel 4 postpones the broadcast of the programme the day after his death as a mark of respect with his final episode shown on 1 July. The programme is then placed on hiatus until the end of October.
    • September – Cricket is shown on Channel 4 for the final time until 2019.
    • 10 October – More4 launches.
    • 31 October – The first episode of Deal Or No Deal is broadcast.
  • 2006
    • 19 July – FilmFour Weekly closes down.
    • 23 July – FilmFour is relaunched as Film4. The renamed channel becomes a free-to-air channel and starts broadcasting on Freeview.
    • 16 November – Channel 4 launches its on demand service 4oD.
    • 10 December – Channel 4 launches an HD service.
    • December – 4 Digital Group is awarded the licence to operate the second national DAB multiplex.
  • 2007
    • July – Channel 4 buys 50% of Box Television Ltd from Emap plc.[27]
    • November — Channel 4 celebrates its 25th anniversary with a number of special programmes.[28]
    • 10 December – Channel 4 launches a high definition television simulcast of Channel 4 on Sky's digital satellite platform, after Sky agreed to contribute toward the channel's satellite distribution costs.
  • 2009
    • 14 December – E4 HD launches.

2010s
  • 2010
    • 31 March – For the first time Channel 4 is available to all viewers in Wales when the country completes digital switchover. Consequently, S4C stops broadcasting programming in English, thereby becoming a full-time Welsh language service.
    • 20 July – Film4 HD launches, but only on Virgin Media. It does not appear on Sky Digital until September 2013.
    • 20 October – The Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, announces that part of the responsibility for funding S4C is to be transferred to the BBC.[30]
    • 1 November – Film4oD launches.
  • 2011
    • 26 August – Channel 4's repeats of US sitcom Friends are shown for the final time, bringing the shows 14-year run on the channel to an end, with E4 ceasing their repeats the following Sunday. The broadcast rights to the series subsequently moved to Comedy Central.[31]
  • 2012
    • 18 April – The ETP-1 test card makes one final appearance on Channel 4 to announce the loss of analogue television services in the London region. The card is shown from the Crystal Palace transmitter only, and is the last thing broadcast by analogue Channel 4 before the signal is switched off.[32]
    • 4 July – 4seven launches.
    • 29 August-9 September – Channel 4 broadcasts live coverage of the 2012 Summer Paralympics.
    • 29 December – After more than 14 years, the T4 programming strand is shown for the final time.
  • 2014
    • 7–16 March – Channel 4 broadcasts live coverage of the 2014 Winter Paralympics. This is the first time that the Winter Paralympic Games has ever been seen on British television.
    • 5 April – After a successful one-off broadcast the previous year, Fifteen to One returns on a permanent basis, albeit with a few changes to the format.
    • 7 September – After more than 20 years on air and after 280 episodes, the final edition of Time Team is broadcast.
  • 2015
    • 30 March – Channel 4's on demand service is renamed All 4.
    • 29 September – Channel 4 launches a new set of idents and presentation package, over 10 years since the last change.[33]
  • 2016
    • 18 March – Channel 4 shows Formula One motor racing for the first time. This comes about following the BBC's decision to end its deal with Formula One three years early.[34]
    • 7 June – S4C resumes high definition broadcasting.[35]
    • 7–18 September – Channel 4 broadcasts live coverage of the 2016 Summer Paralympics.
    • 27 December – Channel 4 Racing comes to an end after more than 32 years. From 1 January 2017, coverage of the sport transfers back to ITV.[36]
  • 2017
    • 7 January – Channel 4 broadcasts darts for the first time when it shows live coverage of the 2017 BDO World Darts Championship.[37] Channel 4 also shows the 2018 event.
    • 16 July — Channel 4 and More 4, as well as Channel 4's website, screen live coverage of UEFA Women's Euro 2017, including all of England's matches and the final.
    • 31 October – Channel 4 launches a new set of idents after rebranding its presentation in June of the same year.
  • 2018
    • 16 April – Channel 4 configures 4Music into an entertainment-led channel.
    • 2 June – Channel 4 shows live rugby union for the first time when it broadcasts live coverage of Wales' summer tour.[38] Later in the year Channel 4 begins showing one match from each round from the Heineken Cup.[39]
    • 31 October – Channel 4 announces that its headquarters will be relocated to the city of Leeds from 2019.[40]
  • 2019
    • 8 January – Channel 4 takes full control of The Box Plus Network. It had previously operated Box Plus Network in a 50/50 joint venture with Bauer Media.[41]
    • 4 May – Channel 4 expands its coverage of motorsport when it begins broadcasting the W Series for the first time, showing the first race of the competition from the Hockenheimring.
    • 14 July – Channel 4 shows live coverage of the 2019 Cricket World Cup Final. This is the first time since 2005 that live cricket has been shown on terrestrial television. Channel 4 had the rights to show highlights of the tournament[42]. Sky Sports had the live rights to the tournament but had agreed to make the final available on free-to-air television if England made the final.[43]

2020s
  • 2020
    • 9 January – Box Upfront, one of the three music channels that Channel 4 took full control of when it became the sole owners of Box Plus Network, is closed.
    • 25 March – Channel 4 puts the "Stay at Home" digital on-screen graphic on the 4, E4, More4 and 4seven TV channels to tell viewers to stay at home during the coronavirus pandemic.
    • 13 May – Channel 4 replaces the "Stay at Home" digital on-screen graphic with "Stay Safe" on all it's channels, reminding viewers to stay safe following some easings of the lockdown.
    • 7 June – Channel 4 broadcasts the entire 1966 FIFA World Cup Final between England and West Germany. Aired as Final Replay '66, special permission is given by FIFA for the match to be shown in aide of the National Emergencies Trust's Coronavirus Appeal. The programme is presented by Gabby Logan, with commentary from Geoff Hurst and Glenn Hoddle. The match is also livestreamed via All 4.[44][45]

See also

References
  1. Annan Committee (1977). Report of the Committee on the Future of Broadcasting. HMSO.
  2. Hastings, David (18 November 2007). "Launch of a Revolution – C4/S4C". Transdiffusion Broadcasting System. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
  3. Hancock, Dafydd. "A channel for Wales". EMC Seefour. Transdiffusion Broadcasting System. Archived from the original on 4 March 2009.
  4. The launch of Channel 4
  5. First ever Countdown episode
  6. "Part One (1982–1992): "Suddenly The Refrigerator Was a Bigger Name Than Gary Lineker" : Off The Telly". Retrieved 23 January 2019.
  7. BFI.org.uk (episode capsule)
  8. "1982 : Off The Telly". Retrieved 23 January 2019.
  9. IBA Engineering Announcements – 24 May 1983 'First show on C4 & S4C'
  10. Transdiffusion Broadcasting System (3 September 2015). "Last IBA Engineering Announcements on ITV – 17 May 1983". Retrieved 5 February 2020 – via YouTube.
  11. TV Ark Channel 4 – Channel 4 in the Afternoon Archived 2009-01-06 at the Wayback Machine
  12. Channel 4's 5th birthday closedown
  13. IBA Engineering Announcements final edition
  14. "Channel 4 timeline". Channel 4. Retrieved 30 April 2009.
  15. "Channel 4 at 25: 1991 compiled by Steve Williams, Ian Jones and Jack Kibble-White". Archived from the original on 10 May 2009. Retrieved 30 April 2009.
  16. Glancey, Jonathan (6 July 1994). "Through a glass, imaginatively: Richard Rogers' headquarters for Channel 4 mirrors its innovative style of programming, says Jonathan Glancey". The Independent. Independent Print Limited. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
  17. Ident Central – Channel 4 1996–1999
  18. Ident Central – Channel 4 1999–2004
  19. "Channel 4 wins rights to home Tests". BBC News. BBC. 16 October 1998.
  20. CampaignLive, 2001-04-05
  21. Transdiffusion.org: Andrew Hesford-Booth – "Before and After" Retrieved 26 March 2007
  22. "Double trouble; Hollyoaks clocks up its 1,000th episode this week, but co-stars Elize du Toit and Laila Rouass reveal that being a soap babe is no guarantee of a happy love life. In fact, they reckon it makes men run a mile". Daily Mirror. 19 April 2003. Retrieved 17 September 2011.
  23. "Channel 4 and Five discuss merger". BBC News. BBC. 27 February 2004. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
  24. Tryhorn, Chris (1 July 2004). "Andy Duncan's in-tray". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
  25. "Merger off for Channel 4 and Five". BBC News. BBC. 17 November 2004. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
  26. Ident Central – Channel 4 2004–2015
  27. Neil Wilkes (23 July 2007). "Channel 4 takes 50% stake in Emap TV". Digital Spy.
  28. https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=channel+4+25th+birthday
  29. The Guardian, News, Media, Radio, Tuesday 14 October 2008 16.52 BST – 4 Digital radio partners in crisis talks
  30. "Spending review 2010:key points at a glance". London: Guardian.co.uk. 20 October 2010. Retrieved 21 October 2010.
  31. https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/the-one-where-channel-4-finally-stops-showing-repeats-of-friends-2344677.html
  32. U.K. Crystal Palace Analogue Switch Off 2012 Forever
  33. Ident Central – Channel 4 2015–
  34. "BBC to end F1 contract". BBC. BBC. Retrieved 21 December 2015.
  35. "S4C will bring back its HD service just in time for Euro 2016". S4C. 20 May 2016.
  36. "ITV announce Horse Racing Deal". ITV Press Centre. ITV. Retrieved 5 December 2016.
  37. "Channel 4 agrees two-year deal to broadcast BDO World Darts Championships". Darts TV. Retrieved 25 October 2016.
  38. Channel 4 to show Wales summer rugby union tour
  39. Channel 4 secures free-to-air European Champions Cup rights
  40. BBC News website
  41. "Channel 4 acquires full ownership of The Box Plus Network". Channel 4. 8 January 2019. Retrieved 8 January 2019.
  42. "ICC Cricket World Cup 2019: TV Guide". sportonthebox.com. 27 May 2019. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
  43. "Thursday 11 July: Sky & Channel 4 to share Cricket World Cup Final". sportonthebox.com. 11 July 2019. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
  44. Potts, Michael (5 June 2020). "When is 1966 World Cup final on Channel 4?". Radio Times. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
  45. "Channel 4 to air 1966 World Cup Final". Advanced Television. 2 June 2020. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
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