All4

The W Series is set to return to Channel 4 and All 4

Credit: Channel 4

The W Series is the international single seater motor racing championship for women.

It allows drivers to be selected purely on their ability with the cars all being mechanically identical, so the driver's skill is what matters. 

Launched in October 2018, the series removes the financial barriers that can often stop riders from moving up the ranks in motorsport. 

Channel 4 will show the highlights of all ten W Series races, starting with the first race in Miami on 7 May.

Channel 4 makes subtitles available on Freeview, Sky, Virgin Media and Digital Platforms

The broadcaster will gradually increase the number of shows with subtitles, with The Great British Bake Off, The Last Leg and Gogglebox, as well as live television including Channel 4 News and F1 racing, being some of the first.

The announcement comes after the channels and on-demand services were affected on Saturday 25 September 2021, when the fire suppression system was triggered at Red Bee Media, the company that broadcasts them.

E4 announces new digital commissions

Navi Lamba, Digital Commission Exec for E4, commented: “It’s been so brilliant harnessing all the creativity the lockdown has inspired in our indie partners.

“We’ve commissioned across a number of genres and a mixture of animation and live action, hearing the stories of real people across the country and those of well-known faces in comedy, music and TV and all are tailored to work best for our young audiences.”

 

UK air date announced for Rick and Morty series 4

Rick Sanchez (Justin Roiland) in Rick and Morty (Credit: Adult Swim/Fox/Channel 4)

Created by Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon, the sci-fi cartoon follows scientist and intergalactic felon, Rick Sanchez (Justin Roiland), who drags his grandson, Morty Smith (Roiland), on a series of insane adventures across the galaxy.

Fans of the show predict the new series will see Sanchez and Smith at odds with Smith’s tyrannical counterpart, Evil Morty (Roiland), alongside a deadly reunion between Sanchez and his lifetime friend turned enemy, Phoenixperson (Harmon).

Rick and Morty heads to Channel 4

Rick and Morty (Credit: Adult Swim/Fox/Channel 4)

Kicking off in February, the deal has landed the public broadcaster an array of shows, including an exclusive premiere of the fourth season of the award-winning sci-fi cartoon Rick and Morty on Channel 4.

The premiere will mark the show’s first ever broadcast on free-to-air television in the UK.

Rick and Morty is one of the most anarchic, ingenious and original shows around and the breakthrough animated hit of recent years,” commented Ian Katz, Channel 4 Director of Programmes.

Channel 4 announces trial of new SVoD service

All4 logo (Credit: Channel 4)

All4 has grown in popularity in recent years with an increasing collection of box sets that users are able to watch on-demand, including Chewing Gum, National Treasure and Peep Show

Testing of Channel 4’s new SVoD service, All4+ begins in December with a sample group participating in a beta test using a web-only version of the service.

The beta test will include offering the ad-free service to the sample group for £3.99 per month, the same price as ITV’s Hub+.

The lost generation of TV news watchers

Carol Thompson, 26, spends her day battling to get the attention of a classroom of small children. She gets up at 6:15am, runs to work, starts preparing for meetings and adds her finishing touches to lesson plans. At 9:00pm she relaxes on the sofa. Watching the news is the last thing on her mind.

“I generally watch television that I have recorded, rather than watching anything live or simply watching things because they happen to be on,” explains Thompson, whose viewing choices tend towards All 4, iPlayer, ITV Hub and Sky Go.