Channel 4

Channel 4 has commissioned two new series of The Piano, this time with seven episodes instead of five. Like series one, each episode will feature one public piano in the UK and some of Britain’s best undiscovered virtuosos.

Series one’s stand-out performer was the 13-year-old blind and neurodivergent Lucy. Since captivating the nation, she has gone on to play at the coronation concert in front of royalty.

Kicking off the online event, Edi Smockum, MD of recruitment specialist ThinkBigger!, whose clients include Channel 4, said the aim of a CV was to “get a clear and positive account of what you have to offer”.

She said a CV can run to up two pages, “but never be embarrassed if you’re a new entrant – one page is absolutely fine”. It should, she said: “stress achievements and skills”; “get your key messages across quickly and strongly at the very beginning”; and “keep the presentation simple”.

Uncovering remarkable stories, surfacing subcultures and recovering forgotten voices are what British documentaries excel at. It’s a crowded market at the top tier, where the likes of Louis Theroux and Stacey Dooley front mainstream documentary series.

In the more niche parts of the business, however, you have to keep your ear close to the ground to discover timely, youth-skewing subjects.

The downturn in UK TV advertising revenue is beyond dispute, with marked declines in the first half of 2023. But what is the full picture and when might we see a recovery?

Channel 4, reliant on ad revenue to fund its content, has paused most commissioning, dropped productions and reduced episode counts for shows in the pipeline. With characteristic sensationalism, The Mail on Sunday reported on 10 June that Channel 4 staff had branded the situation a “bloodbath”.

The deal has been ongoing since 2019 and has now been extended until 2026.

Sky will continue to broadcast live coverage across the practice, qualifying and sprint races, with racing fans being able to head over to Channel 4 to catch the highlights. Both Channel 4 and Sky will air the Grand Prix races live, meaning the biggest events in the racing calendar will continue to be available for free for viewers across Britain.

Oliver will travel all over the Med, from bustling cities to beachy coasts, and learn simple yet fresh and flavourful recipes from the people he encounters.

Using their teachings as a starting point, he will create new recipes for his audience inspired by each cuisine; from Greece comes a Smokey aubergine flatbread, from France a courgette, goat’s cheese and tapenade tart, from Tunisia crispy prawn parcels with harissa, and from Spain pork chops with chargrilled peppers.

The debut series, which aired in 2022, won widespread critical acclaim, with the likes of The Guardian saying "this riotously fun sitcom is an utter delight."

David rarely slays Goliath in the tech world but, as the new Channel 4 drama Mobile 101 reminds us, sometimes the little guy can triumph, at least for a time.

The six-part Finnish series tells how Nokia – at the time almost unknown outside its native Finland and largely known there for making rubber boots – took on the US giant Motorola, built an iconic phone and became the world’s largest mobile phone manufacturer.

For 16 series, Taskmaster Greg Davies has been setting five comedians absurd and surrealist tasks from the comfort of his big red throne, joined by his assistant ‘little’ Alex Horne.

Contestants must earn points by completing tasks such as “be photographed in the most unusual situation wearing this fez” or “conceal this pineapple”, and the one with the most points at the end of the series goes home with a trophy in the shape of Greg Davies’ head.