From a prime minister violating a pig to a pre-watershed lesbian kiss, Catastrophe to, er, Countdown, Channel 4 has been at the forefront of cutting-edge programming. As the station turns 40, we rate its best shows
On 2 November 1982 at 4.44pm (see what they did there?), announcer Paul Coia said: “Good afternoon. It’s a pleasure to be able to say to you: welcome to Channel 4.” That multicoloured 4 logo had just appeared on our screens for the first time, soundtracked by a four-note musical ident, titled Fourscore. That’s a lot of fours.
In the ensuing four decades, the terrestrial broadcaster has aired pioneering drama, nurtured comedy talent, supported cutting-edge journalism and created no end of nifty factual formats. Reality! Dating! Food! Property! Post-pub filth! More dating, this time with gratuitous nudity!
