James R | On 28, Mar 2020

Channel 4 has commissioned a range of programming to keep the country entertained, informed and mildly panicked during the coronavirus pandemic.

The Steph Show will lead the line-up, with a new daily series broadcast live from the home of Steph McGovern from Monday 30th March. A range of new programming to keep families entertained and active through their isolation will also include Grayson Perry creating art with the whole nation, Kirstie Allsopp sharing craft ideas for all the family and Jamie Oliver helping people cook with store cupboard essentials – and, for good measure, Fred Sirieix will be maître d’ for a very unique wedding

Chief Executive Alex Mahon and Director of Programmes Ian Katz have set out the key pillars of its creative response to the crisis, which will include pulling forward the launch of The Steph Show and increasing the channel’s commitment to award winning Channel 4 News, current affairs and factual output to cover the impact of Covid-19 on Britain and the world, give advice and guidance to viewers to help navigate the crisis, get under the skin of its impact on the NHS and explore the science and technology needed to battle it.

Channel 4 News will now be extended to 90 minutes every Monday, with the programme producing a fortnightly hour-long debate special on the crisis.

Mahon said: “In these extremely uncertain and challenging times, public service broadcasters like Channel 4 play a vitally important role in holding our nation together. We are here to inform the audience with trusted news and current affairs, to help them stay in touch with what’s going on around them and, just as importantly, to lift them up and make them feel connected with the rest of the world when they are isolated at home.”

“Giving people a structure to their day – and helping them to use their time stuck at home constructively – is going to be incredibly important and I’m delighted to be announcing a range of new programming under the banner of Lockdown Academy,” added Katz. “We’ll be broadcasting a wedding celebration live for one couple’s loved ones – and everyone else – to enjoy from the safety of their homes. And, at around 11pm each night we will be hearing from Grime’s favourite octogenarian Margie Keefe, aka Grime Gran, giving her own unique Thought for the Day on the world as she sees it.

Here’s the full slate:

The Steph Show (Daily from Monday 30th March, 12pm)

Presented by Steph McGovern, the daily programme will be broadcast live from Steph’s living room in Yorkshire as she celebrates the everyday heroes who are keeping the nation moving, as well as sharing ideas on how to fill your time while self-isolating. The Steph Show will also feature the latest information and advice to help people through these uncertain times, plus a mix of entertainment, lifestyle and a variety of guests beamed live into the living room via digital platforms.

Grayson’s Art Club (Date TBC)

At this time of crisis Grayson Perry is on a mission to help bring the nation together through art – and unleash the great British public’s creativity. Grayson, with the help of other leading artists, will try to teach us how to sculpt, draw and create. Not only will Grayson be speaking to famous artists, but he will also be speaking to you at home- are you an amateur water colourist? A satirical meme creator? Photographer? Still life drawer? Grayson wants to see what you have been creating in quarantine. To keep the nation’s spirits up, Grayson will encourage viewers are artists alike to use this time in isolation to produce visual representations of the unique time we are living through as a community, at the end of which Grayson will display the art created in an exhibition that will chronicle the changing moods of Britain in isolation.

Kristie’s House of Craft (Date TBC)

In a new daily series, Kirstie will be helping the nation get through lockdown by offering creative ideas and crafty projects for the whole family. In her Lockdown Craft Club Kirstie will encourage us all to craft along with her, get creative and learn new skills. From knitting projects to arts and crafts with the little ones, Kirstie’s tips and tricks will have been designed to use simple materials available around the house. The Lockdown Craft Club format will include archives of classic Kirstie crafty content as well as lots of brand-new makes that will spark innovation and handmade joy.

Jamie: Keep Cooking and Carry On (Mondays, 5.30pm)

Jamie Oliver is set to show the nation some incredible recipes, tips and hacks, specifically tailored for the unique times we’re living in. He wants to teach you how to make the most of your kitchen staples and how to be creative with whatever ingredients you’ve got, whatever your budget.

There is no need to stockpile as Jamie will be demystifying bread making, showing viewers at home just how simple it can be to create a classic dough and how to add their own special twist to their loaves with what they have to hand. No pasta? No problem! Jamie will show viewers how to make pasta from scratch and offer new ideas on what to cook with it using simple ingredients.

With ingenious ideas on what to do with those panicked pantry purchases and forgotten frozen food Jamie will be on hand to show us all how to make frugal food taste delicious.

Grime Gran: How Not to Be a Dick in a Pandemic (Monday to Friday, 11pm)

E4’s very own Grime Gran, AKA Margie Keefe, addresses the nation from self-isolation in her East London flat. The octogenarian will advise the country, in her own straight-talking style, on how not to be a d*ck in a range of scenarios that are facing us all…

Wedding in Lockdown (Date TBC)

For hundreds of couples across Britain, isolation and social distancing have meant putting their plans for a dream wedding on ice. In a historic first for Channel 4, one bride and groom will be given a wedding celebration like no other – live online with the support of some famous faces – for their loved ones (and the whole of the UK ) to watch and enjoy from their homes.

Coronavirus: Can you Avoid It? (Friday 27th March, 8pm)

This one-hour special presented by Dr Helen Lawal looks at the current outbreak of coronavirus in the UK by exploring the reasons behind the lockdown and the extraordinary measures we are all being asked to take. The film will show how easy a virus can be spread at home, on the commute and in the workplace. A series of visual tests reveals the hotspots where viruses can be transmitted, how many times you touch your face through to looking at how respiratory droplets are spread when someone coughs or sneezes. The film features interviews with experts in virology, microbiology and epidimology giving the pubic best strategies for staying healthy.

Coronavirus: Can Our NHS Cope? (Monday 30th March, 8.30pm)

A&E doctor Saleyha Ahsan looks at the pressing questions many of us are now asking. Will the NHS run out of beds? Will it have enough vital equipment, such as ventilators? Are there enough nurses and what is being done to protect NHS workers? Dr Ahsan also examines the impact on the many thousands across the country, who now face delays in receiving regular treatment and operations.

Coronavirus: How Britain Is Changing (Monday 6th April)

As Coronavirus takes hold of Britain, Dispatches investigates the long-term effects of the outbreak and asks how the deadly Covid-19 is changing Britain in the long term. As the death toll rises, we look at everything from seismic changes in economic policy to shifts in the way we view and treat other people, and from a drop in pollution to the widening of the gaps between rich and poor, young and old and the North and South , this film asks what a post-Covid 19 Britain, torn apart by the disease, might look like. As news outlets inevitably cover the day-to-day, Dispatches will take a step back and look at a virus which has the potential not just to change the way we live in the short term but forever.

Coronavirus: A Day in the Life (Monday 6th April)

Life in a Day will be shot across the UK on Friday 3rd April. Using a combination of footage our team will shoot with footage we are asking the general public to provide us with, we will be capturing life in that 24 hour period – life in lockdown; homeschooling; how to care for people who are ill or self-isolating; working from home!; police; nurses; doctors; binmen; supermarket shelf stackers… we want to capture life for people at home and at work.. what creativity and acts of kindness are going on? The film will be a mixture of funny, inspirational, poignant and downright heartbreaking.. as we understand what the impact of CV19 is on people across the UK. The film will be shot on April 3rd and transmitted on April 6th

Coronavirus: Living with IT (Monday 20th April)

Investigating the question everyone is asking - what’s it actually like to catch coronavirus? – we’re  giving cameras to people all over Britain to document their experiences living with the disease. Using experts to explain the science, the film examines how different people respond in different ways, with symptoms ranging from mild to life threatening. The film also looks at the way the virus impacts on people’s mental and economic health.

Coronavirus: How Clean Is Your House? (Thursday 9th April, 8pm)

Coronavirus is spreading around Britain, fast. But not as fast as the daily papers, 24-hour news and social media are spreading a tsunami of information about how to avoid getting infected when we go out. But what about staying safe in our own homes? Should we all be deep cleaning? Behind our front doors, do we need to change our behaviour to try to protect those closest to us?  

Two families will have their houses forensically swept for fingerprints to find evidence of what they may be unwittingly spreading around their homes. We show how the virus works, how it uses our behaviour to get from outdoors to indoors and – out of all the products we use to clean our homes – which ones could stop it in its tracks, and which ones we shouldn’t bother with. Interspersed with the actuality there will be VTs packed with consumer science content and best practise take-out. Presented by Dr Javid Abdelmoneim and Dr Lisa Cross.

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