Channel 4 continues its creative overhaul

Building on the theme of creative renewal at Channel 4, Julian Bellamy has announced the decision not to re-commission Wife Swap and How Clean Is Your House?

Speaking at the network winter 2010 season launch Julian Bellamy, Head of Channel 4, said: “The de-commission of Big Brother earlier this year has been the catalyst for a process of creative renewal right across Channel 4. As a result I have now made the decision not to re-commission Wife Swap and How Clean Is Your House?. Both these shows have been huge hits for the channel, but our focus must now shift to finding the next generation of ground-breaking shows.”

Channel 4’s programme head said the commissioning decisions made in recent months represented the start of the most significant creative transformation of its schedule in the channel’s history. He added that the channel had a unique opportunity to reconnect with its key cultural role of intelligent provocation, freeing up money and slots from older, more established brands to invest in new, creatively risky ideas.

Bellamy continued: “When Wife Swap launched it was a truly ground-breaking programme which heralded an era of new factual formats right across television. It was challenging, impactful and connected with a large, mainstream audience. I am now looking to find new ways to challenge the mainstream through entertaining and provocative programmes.”

Bellamy has already committed an extra £20m to drama from 2011, and called to the independent production community for ideas that are “unambiguously entertaining” but also have “social purpose at their heart”.

Channel 4 has already broadcast the final series of both Wife Swap and How Clean Is Your House?. Commissioning into the slots freed up by these shows and Big Brother, will start from early 2010.