"Connections to 4"

29 November 2016

65s

The missionaries.

If you're old enough to remember the launch of Channel 4 in 1982 then you will almost certainly recall the extraordinary sense of inclusiveness projected by the new broadcaster.

It was a time of considerable political turmoil... riots in Brixton, Birmingham, and Liverpool the previous summer had opened old wounds unearthing a divisiveness never far from the surface in British society.

A successful military adventure in the South Atlantic had emboldened Margaret Thatcher and given succour to the far right as the official opposition failed to coalesce behind Michael Foot - a hero of the Left who was ridiculed by the press and unable to gain a toehold of respectability with the broader electorate. Sound familiar?

Channel 4's arrival was like a cool cousin turning up to dissolve the ennui of your dull family life. They appeared to have studied every broadcasting possibility through the prism of differentness and the impact was profound. It brought a sea of change to the whole arena of television with the BBC tentatively following their lead and slowly finding ways of being more diverse, more inclusive.

The sense of mission projected by Channel 4 in those early years was phenomenal. At a time when television was limited to just three broadcasters and with the video market in its infancy, their contribution to the national cultural diet was nothing short of revolutionary.

As others caught up and success blunted the edginess of those early pioneers, it steadily drifted towards the mainstream. Every now and then, the missionaries would create a piece of television which reminded us about Channel 4's half-forgotten remit but it felt as though the station had lost its mojo.

Then came the Paralympics... and Channel 4 came to life again, its sense of mission reinvigorated by a new challenge. Over the course of the last four years, Channel 4 has shone a light on disability in a fashion that has utterly transformed attitudes.

They haven't acted in isolation but they have played a massive part and much of it has been led by the marketing supplied by 4 Creative.

Chris Bovill and John Allison are always the first to point out that they didn't originate this switch in emphasis but they have embraced it with gusto and ensured that its spirit imbues all of the communication they create. The work of their highly-talented team has helped to restore Channel 4's swagger and at a time of political turmoil that's starting to make the early 1980s look like a teddy bears' picnic, we need Channel 4's inclusive spirit more than ever. Keep. It. Up.

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