Channel 5 at 25

[Roger Darthwell]

Given that today is the day, I want to wish Channel 5 a happy 25th birthday
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wr0YCPmQaXc
Here is how BBC News reported the launch
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkkQiwsVFys

[Tom]

A couple of good articles celebrating 25 years of Football on Channel 5: https://markomearamedia.com/2022/03/30/2...ve-part-1/ and https://markomearamedia.com/2022/03/30/2...ve-part-2/ Some great memories in this article, I mean could who could forget John Barnes presenting for a while and Roy Hodgson co-commentating on a Blackburn UEFA Cup game. On the other hand, I enjoyed Football on 5 with their UEFA Cup/Europa League coverage and their style of presentation was refreshing compared to other channels.

[Fanoftv]

Happy 25th Birthday Channel 5!

For me it was incredibly exciting living in a household with no satellite or cable TV, it was the first new channel that I saw launch (albeit in a grainy way through a portable aerial). The launch schedule and presentation felt very different to what others were offering at the time as did their services such as news live from the newsroom with quick paced reports and standing presentation, the weather coming live from the roof where you could actually see the current conditions and sport with fantastic football on 5 coverage and American sports through the night. They offered tea time quiz shows before they became a big deal, had nightly entertainment news and a chat show plus fixed an evening schedule around films at 9 (which didn’t help the chat show). I feel the introduction of soft porn films didn’t help their image (though I probably thought differently at the time ).

The station felt brave and a little rebellious, it’s just a shame that it has flipped between various incarnations, the 2002 relaunch pushing it too far into the niche category for me with a few old staples remaining. It’s currently in a good shape in terms of both programmes and presentation but it just doesn’t grab my attention as much as the channel did in its early years.

Ben Frow has done very well with limited budgets, especially now. He seems very adaptable working under a number of owners all looking at different positions for their channel, and he is one of the longest serving director of programmes across all networks rocking up 10 years this year.

I look forward to seeing where the channel will turn next, they’re trying to find the right balance currently and hopefully that will continue to cement it’s position for broadcast for years to come.

[Roger Darthwell]

The Guardian has published an article celebrating Channel 5's 25th birthday!
https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio...-channel-5

[Brekkie]

I take it they didn't mention it on Jeremy Vine or 5 News. Did check out the headlines on 5News but their main entertainment story was the BAFTA nominations for It's a Sin, which kind of highlighted why C4 mark their anniversaries (they've bought a former director back to co-ordinate their 40th) and C5 don't.

[TVNerd]

Continuity Announcement into The Gadget Show mentioned Channel 5’s 25th anniversary and even referenced retuning VCR’s!

[all new Phil]

I think what I miss from the early days is the pace and the energy, and the youthfulness. It felt different and creative. That’s what I think they’ve lost along the way. I loved the first few years and watched all the time, as soon as it moved away from the initial branding and onto the white look, they never recaptured it.

[Roger Darthwell]

Surprised nobody has mentioned this yet

[Fanoftv]

Continuity Announcement into The Gadget Show mentioned Channel 5’s 25th anniversary and even referenced retuning VCR’s!

JoyJo on YouTube has uploaded the ident:
https://youtu.be/aBcUQ3Uhemg

[Roger Darthwell]

Continuity Announcement into The Gadget Show mentioned Channel 5’s 25th anniversary and even referenced retuning VCR’s!

JoyJo on YouTube has uploaded the ident:
https://youtu.be/aBcUQ3Uhemg

I really love it when announcers do something like this, it's a very nice touch

[Johnr]

I can't believe nobody has mentioned The Mole yet...and that no broadcaster has decided to give it another go in the UK as it certainly still does the numbers in the Netherlands and Belgium to this day! (in fact ratings are going UP!)

The problem at the time I think was the show was probably a bit too demanding for the average Channel 5 viewer (no offence intended of course but you had to stick with it and pick up on the many hidden clues) and they shoved it out at 8pm on Friday I seem to recall which probably wasn't a great timeslot either

Also featuring Glenn Hugill of Corrie fame who then went on to be the Banker on Deal Or No Deal, and now you may recognize him in name form at least as he runs the Possessed TV production company...Moneyball, Sitting On A Fortune, Unbeatable, Catchpoint, 5 Gold Rings!

I just remembered he did the voiceover on The Whole 19 Yards too

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6J93_pRs9II

[Brekkie]

There is a revival of sorts happening later this year I think but under a different name IIRC.

5's Company was a guilty pleasure of mine in the early years though perhaps replacing it quite quickly with Open House with Gloria Hunniford was an early sign of the audience the channel would ultimately prefer to cater for.

I think to be fair to Ben Frow whilst most commissioners focus on the audience they want rather than the audience they have they've clearly stopped chasing the people not watching in favour of catering to the people they know actually are.

[gottago]

In this month's Broadcast magazine:

There is a revival of sorts happening later this year I think but under a different name IIRC.

I think you're referring to The Traitors but that's a separate format to The Mole, though with similar themes.

[Steddenm]

Looks like Cash In The Attic is coming to Channel 5 as a revival.

[XIII]

I know Channel 5 prides itself on working with smaller indies but I wonder if the original reason for that was because the bigger indies previously didn't or couldn't work with them due to their tariffs? I know Ben Frow spoke at Edinburgh a few years ago about he asked a person at a bigger indie why they hadn't approached him or Channel 5 since he took over and the person replied they'd been busy and Frow bluntly replied that if he was their boss, he'd had fired them!