Learning on ScreenChannel 4 and Educational Programming
Ever since Channel 4 began broadcasting on 2 November 1982, it has courted controversy and innovation in equal measure. Maggie Brown considers its contribution to education.
About the Author: Maggie Brown was one of the founder journalists of The Independent, is a frequent contributor to The Guardian and other periodicals and is the author of A Licence to be Different: The Story of Channel 4 (2007).
Right from the start Channel 4 was expected to provide a fresh approach to educational programmes for all age groups. The new station also reflected its founder Jeremy Isaacs’ love of the arts, from poetry to opera and ideas, which contributed to its often high minded early tone. He insisted on a weekly books programme, and regular seasons of operas, presented ‘as live’. This was reinforced by the austere personalities shaping Channel 4’s original remit at the Independent Broadcasting Authority, who came from the world of education. Accordingly the channel, at launch, was asked to dedicate a minimum of 15 per cent of its output to education in its broadest sense, a big public service commitment. But then it was being subsidised by ITV.
The task of conjuring up so many hours – 400 a year – fell to Naomi Sargant, herself a founder of the Open University. She did this by pioneering a wide range, from consumer advice (For What It’s Worth) to gardening (Gardeners’ World and Plants For Free) and The Wine Programme, the first of its kind. Almost by accident, in her choices, she championed the kind of ‘soft learning’ and lifestyle programmes which later became commonplace. Some, when placed in prime evening hours, achieved unexpectedly high ratings for the channel’s early days, when it was roundly criticised for programmes of variable quality – some were downright unwatchable.
The role in education was greatly expanded and made more specific in 1993, when Channel 4 was also required to take over ITV’s responsibility to commission schools programmes, spending about ten million pounds a year at the time. This was accepted as part of a deal which saved it from privatisation, but in retrospect was never warmly embraced. The channel, however, tried to complement the BBC (while also dedicating the morning hours after The Big Breakfast ended at 9.30 am until midday) with educational TV aimed at teenagers. This was refined later in 1998 under a new licence which strengthened its role in training, specifically to helping teenagers outside of the class room with programmes about life skills and the world of work. It also for a time ran Homework High, for teenagers taking GCSEs.
