A lot of the specials you see on TV like Gary Barlow's Night at the Museum and the McFly doc on ITV were paid for by the artist/band's record label so even if it doesn't rate, it's no skin off the nose of the broadcaster.
Well, they're basically feature length adverts and the broadcaster gets an hour or so of basically free television. Even better if it's on commercial TV as they get to sell adverts during an advert.
A lot of the specials you see on TV like Gary Barlow's Night at the Museum and the McFly doc on ITV were paid for by the artist/band's record label so even if it doesn't rate, it's no skin off the nose of the broadcaster.
I'm guessing it's the same for a lot of behind the scenes programmes about upcoming movies as well.
Another example I just thought of is Countdown- started as a regional Yorkshire series, then moved to Channel 4.
If that's valid there's dozens of schools programmes that moved from ITV to C4 in that period when C4 was effectively ITV's sister channel.
Plus all the Welsh stuff from HTV Wales and BBC Wales that went to S4C.
Before my time but as you say Channel 4 back then was basically ITV2 and overfill sport went to Channel 4 such as midweek Horse Racing and then Saturday Horse Racing went to Channel 4 after World of Sport ended. Snooker was shown on ITV/Channel 4 with daytime sessions on Channel 4 and when ITV Sport had Athletics the coverage used to start on Channel 4 then transfer to ITV and the last Olympic Games that ITV covered had their overnight & morning coverage on Channel 4 with the rest on ITV. Although Channel 4 did also have their own sport rights in the 1980s such as Basketball, Tour de France and NFL.
I seen various episodes of An Audience With... also premiered on Channel 4 as well but it was an ITV show.
Last edited by ulsterman92 on 24 March 2021 7:44pm
Another example I just thought of is Countdown- started as a regional Yorkshire series, then moved to Channel 4.
If that's valid there's dozens of schools programmes that moved from ITV to C4 in that period when C4 was effectively ITV's sister channel.
With that it was effectively a case of an ITV slot being transferred to Channel 4. However a number of long standing ITV Schools series survived beyond 1993, well into the late 90’s/early 00’s with Channel 4 taking over commissioning and in some cases production companies changing. Programmes like How We Used To Live, The English Programme, Stop Look Listen and Scientific Eye immediately spring to mind.
Someone mentioned Sale of the Century moving from ITV to Challenge. In between, it was on Sky, hosted by Peter Marshall.
There was a fishing programme on BBC1 scotland in the early 90s, Hooked on Scotland. BBC Scotland dropped it, and so STV took it on for one series, Hooked on Scottish.
What the Papers Say has been mentioned as an ITV to Channel 4 transfer (in fact on air on day 3 - and possibly its' first fully networked showing).
A couple more for you - LWT's Credo and Tyne Tees' Face The Press moved from ITV to C4 when it launched.
I'm pretty sure that John Swinfield's Enterprise series of business documentaries moved from regional exposure on Anglia to national on 4 as well, but happy to be corrected.