Channel 5 has been on air for a quarter of a century. In those 25 years, Channel 5 has gone from cheap, cheesy TV to something a little more upmarket. It’s now gaining new fans from a new era of documentaries and dramas.
In fact Channel 5 has changed its programme format and schedule so many times over 25 years, finding 10 shows to highlight the story of Channel 5 from newcomer to established broadcaster might seem rather daunting. So here’s our attempt…
Family Affairs
The second show to broadcast on Channel 5 when it launched on Sunday 30th March 1997, this was Channel 5’s homegrown contribution to the British Soap industry…
…But unlike Coronation Street, EastEnders and Hollyoaks, this one wasn’t to last. Based in the fictional London suburb of Charnham, the soap underwent several wholesale changes to its cast – all original characters were written out – The Harts got blown up in the clip above.
The soap was cancelled in 2005. With the end of Neighbours this year, this leaves Home and Away as the last remaining soap on the channel.
Family Affairs is a reminder that virtually every show from the launch year ended up being axed in one way or another.
100%
If you want cheap daytime TV filler, this is it: No on-screen presenter, but three contestants answering 100 questions. The winner being the one who scored closest to 100%.
The makers of the quiz probably never thought Channel 5 would ever be owned by the same company that operates MTV, though. The answer really is (c), despite a notable lack of it on the channel these days…
The Farm
In the early 2000s, reality TV was all the rage. ITV launched I’m a Celebrity, Channel 4 had Big Brother. Channel 5 got.. The Farm, the show where the contestants must do typical farmer work involving agriculture and animal rearing. At various points during the series, a telephone poll determined the next to be evicted from the farm. The show hit the headlines in 2004 following an incident involving model Rebecca Loos and a pig…
The show was revived on 5STAR in 2018.
Peppa Pig
On the subject of pigs, this famous one, first debuted on Channel 5 in May 2004, leading to whole new generation of exasperated parents. Oink.
Part of milkshake! – the long running strand for younger children, which included the likes of Dappledown Farm and Havakzoo. milkshake! was originally presented by Lucy Alexander (Homes Under The Hammer) and Konnie Huq (Blue Peter).
The Wright Stuff
It’s notoriously difficult to launch new daytime shows. Formats that are successful can stay on air for decades (see also Lorraine, This Morning, Bargain Hunt). The Wright Stuff, presented by Matthew Wright, was one such successful format, becoming a mainstay of Channel 5’s morning schedule with a tabloid-style phone-in. The format was inherited by Jeremy Vine in 2018.
Big Brother
Channel 4 had axed the reality series after it dominated the channel’s summer schedules for a decade. The show switched to Channel 5 in 2011, a seemingly ideal fit for C5 owner Richard Desmond’s tabloid approach to running the channel.
The Hotel Inspector
It’s now one of Channel 5’s longest running series, each episode featuring a failing hotel or B&B, their owners usually completely unable to fathom why no one wants to stay. Ruth Watson was the inspector for the first three years. In 2008, Alex Polizzi took over, showing owners across the UK for the last 15 years how to run a hotel properly.
The Hotel Inspector, along with the next show on the list, is one of very few programmes that have fitted in with the various incarnations of Channel 5 as it moved upmarket, downmarket and then upmarket again.
The Gadget Show
Only a year older than the Hotel Inspector, The Gadget Show is Channel 5’s regular consumer technology show. Of the four current presenters, Jon Bentley (above) is the only original presenter of the show, having been part since 2004.
The Yorkshire Vet, Our Yorkshire Farm, All Creatures Great and Small
In the late 2010s, Channel 5 became the unofficial channel for all things to do with the Yorkshire countryside. And after launching various different documentaries about Yorkshire rural life, a new version of drama series All Creatures Great and Small in 2020, featuring both farms and vets was the logical conclusion.
The shows are credited for attracting new viewers to the channel. Earlier this year, Channel 5 reported a 7% growth in the ‘upmarket’ ABC1 demographic.
Cruising with Jane McDonald
In 2017, McDonald joined the growing list of celebrities that travelled the world on behalf of Channel 5 including Paul Merton, Chris Tarrant and Ben Fogle. But it was Jane McDonald’s down-to-earth travelogues onboard a variety of cruise ships that struck a cord with viewers like no other before it. In 2018, the show secured Channel 5 its first ever BAFTA Award.
Channel 5 – 25 years: Others that didn’t quite make the cut…
And although they don’t make our 10, don’t forget Channel 5’s answer to The Crystal Maze – Fort Boyard. Then there’s car magazine Fifth Gear – made by the people behind the original Top Gear before it relaunched as an entertainment format. House Doctor with Ann Maurice is probably the longest running show still on Channel 5, having first started in 1998. Repeats of the show still appear on Channel 5’s overnight schedule.
Anyone remember the short-lived revival of Going for Gold with John Suchet? Or the dubious phone quiz shows Brain Teaser and Quiz Call (originally owned by Channel 4 before coming to Channel 5)? Both shows were abruptly cancelled in the wake of the call-in scandal, which blighted all major broadcasters.
And of course, let’s not forget Channel 5’s attempt to bring US-style late night TV to the UK – The Jack Docherty Show. Axed after just two years.
5 News
A footnote for 5 News – like the channel itself, it’s been revamped so many times over the years. New titles, theme tunes, sets, presenters and graphics have come along every few years. And with it, frequent changes to its broadcast times.
Launched in 1997 with Kirsty Young perching on a desk or standing up, its presentation was revolutionary compared to desk-bound rivals at the BBC, Sky, ITV and Channel 4.
Share your memories of Channel 5 and 25 years of its shows @rxtv_info #25yearsofChannel5.
From Iain Hatton / Features writer, RXTV
Images: Channel 5 Broadcasting/YouTube