C4 Winter 2005: schedule info

A few reports over the last week have revealed Channel 4's plans for it's Winter season.

A new Thursday night documentary strand will be at the heart of the schedule. including the premieres of Spellbound, Farieniet 9/11 and Supersize Me along with original documentaries from C4. Last Thursday documentary film Touching the Void bought 3m viewers to the station.

Celebrity Big Brother returns, running for 15 days with eight celebs. A winter run of The Games is also planned, with ten celebs competing in 18 events over 9 days.

Wife Swap is back for a fifth series, along with episodes of the US version, while the Bardsleys (Lizzy & Mark) get their own series, Bed and the Bardsleys, as they run a B&B in Blackpool.

Brat Camp returns for a second series, while Jamie Oliver returns with Jamie's School Dinners - and The Simple Life returns in March, while The Coach Trip follows a coach-load of Brits travelling Europe.

June Sarpong hosts Playing it Straight, a dating show in which one girl must pick from ten suiters - but some of them are gay playing to win £100,000.

Hollyoaks will have a week of episodes set in Rome, while The OC returns in February.

Desperate Housewives, a drama with a "dark ly comic edge" begins in January, airing weekly on C4 with the next episode on E4. Lost, which follows 48 survivors of a plane crash on a desert island debuts on E4 in January.

Manchester comedy drama Shameless - easily the best thing on TV this year - also returns in early 2005, along with No Angels.

The Friday Night Project is a new hour-long comedy entertainment programme featuring Jimmy Carr and Rob Rouse, guest hosted each week by different stars such as Gordon Ramsey. Jimmy Carr also hosts new quiz "8 out of 10 Cats".

Supernanny and Risking it All both return, along with Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares, renamed Ramsey to the Rescue.

And as a side note, C4 are also looking for someone to sponsor the weather!

Doesn't look too bad BUT....



Who's gonna give me odds on this not lasting a month before it gets A - canned altogether or B - shunted to a post-1am graeyard slot?

They may stick at it, though I suppose it depends on what the show gets ratings wise.

And is it me, or does this just sound like the US' Saturday Night Live, on a friday?

I am very surpised to see both Farenheit 9/11 and Super Size Me on terrestrial TV so soon, they weren't released that long ago! Thought they would be on Sky or at least Film Four first!

Not that I am complaining, I wouldn't mind seeing F9/11 but I can't be arsed buying the DVD.

I think it's good they're seeing Thursday as a documentary slot, but the schedule has a wee bit too much of reality programming, plus I heard they were axing Celebrity Big Brother as the last one they did wasn't much of a success.

Fahrenheit 9/11 was shown on American TV just before the election as Michael Moore pushed it through in a bid to influence people's opinions. I was however surprised as well to see it on so soon here. I wouldn't have got the DVD a couple of weeks ago had I known that!

Documentary films really have to be shown as soon as possible to remain topical.

C4 usually screen it for a week on FilmFour weekly first before screening it on Channel 4. They are doing that with Spellbound this week.

They've also got Campus / Ten Degrees South coming soon haven't they, which is the new show from Seven out of Australia.