Channel 4 Chief Content material Officer Ian Katz has mentioned “there’s something miserable” in regards to the variety of UK TV reboots at the moment in manufacturing.
The subject of reboots has been raised numerous instances on the Edinburgh TV Pageant already this 12 months and Katz used his session to again up former Channel 4 CEO David Abraham’s feedback yesterday that the state of affairs with reboots is “profoundly miserable.”
Katz was responding to a query on Massive Brother returning to ITV, Banijay’s format’s third UK community in 20 years, and he acknowledged Channel 4 has additionally rebooted reveals similar to Altering Rooms.
“I do assume there’s something miserable about this microwave subject in TV, with so many aged dishes being reheated,” he mentioned. “If Channel 4 is about something it’s in search of the brand new dish and that’s what we have to maintain specializing in.”
Katz flagged new actuality codecs Alone, a model of the U.S. Historical past hit, and Studio Lambert’s Rise and Fall.
Responsibility of care steadiness
Questioned on responsibility of care relating to the current sequence of ITV2’s Love Island, Katz mentioned the problem must “transfer out to the entire of the business” fairly than simply specializing in actuality reveals, as he known as for “widespread psychological well being points” throughout the TV business to be solved.
He backed ITV TV boss Kevin Lygo’s name for nuance on the problem, nonetheless, stating that “we are able to’t get to a degree the place we’re screening out 50% of the individuals who need to go on TV as a result of they’ve had some threat flagged.”
“We’ve to steadiness actually meticulous responsibility of care points with preserving a level of entry and openness in TV,” he added. “. As an business we’ve woken as much as responsibility of care points in reveals the place you may have contributors in fairly excessive positions.”
Lygo mentioned yesterday: “I don’t assume we should always cease permitting the general public on TV” when pushed on Love Island responsibility of care.”
Channel 4 aired a tell-all documentary on ITV’s now-axed Jeremy Kyle Present earlier this 12 months however Katz didn’t touch upon whether or not the broadcaster is behind an identical doc being labored up on The X Issue. “Whether it is, then it hasn’t crossed my desk but.”
“Idiot’s sport”
With a brand new UK Prime Minister set to be introduced subsequent week and sure winner Liz Truss already saying she is going to push on with privatization plans, Katz mentioned it’s a “idiot’s sport to foretell what’s going to occur subsequent.”
He mentioned the talk, whereas chastening, has allowed Channel 4 to “return to fundamentals, clarify what we’re specializing in and what we’re for.”
Katz and his group had been talking on the Edinburgh TV Pageant, which is going down from August 24 to 26 and that includes talks from all main British broadcaster and streamer execs.
Earlier immediately, C4 unveiled a youth-skewing drama, The Gathering, from Line of Responsibility producer World Productions.
