Televisual recently published its Entertainment TV Genre Report taking the temperature of the UK market. Here we publish interviews with the entertainment commissioners at ITV, Channel 4 and Sky on what has worked well for them and what they need for the future from producers.
For the full report, head to Televisual+
Katie Rawcliffe, director of Entertainment, Reality and Daytime, ITV
We launched the year with a new show and brand extension to Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, pulling in overnight audiences of 2.6m at 7.30pm, the best performing title in the 7.30 slot.
On the weekend, new launch The Floor, from South Shore, made an impact, averaging 2.3 million across the series, with 43% of the audience under the age of 55.
Coming up, The Box with Gary Lineker, produced by Twofour, places a cast of celebrities at the mercy of a format that can take them anywhere, to do anything.
When Bright Entertainment pitched Name That Tune, the appeal was the classic play along but with the refreshed look and feel. By collaborating with Fox Entertainment, Bright Studios was able to offer it at a competitive price.
Quiz and gameshows continue to do well for us. Golden Elevators is a new commission from Studio Lambert and Talpa, a high-stakes new quiz show hosted by Richard Osman…. We don’t commission tons of new here.
We are always on the look-out for more live entertainment and reality. In reality, worlds are important. No Islands please…. Is there a cast we haven’t seen before?
The audience trusts us with live and fast-turn-around formats. It can give a reason to watch in the moment, like the live final of I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! South Africa.
In Entertainment, we are always on the hunt for the next shiny floor show, multigenerational with broad appeal.
Steven Handley, head of Reality and Entertainment, Channel 4
We want to do heartland Channel 4 shows that feel like they speak to something going on in society right now. Worlds Apart, made by South Shore, asks a question about young people that are lost in society, pairing up with older people who have been sidelined… And they’re on an adventure.
We are going to go back to what makes people talk about shows, having some kind of emotional jeopardy and cultural reference. Handcuffed, from 72 Films, did a good job of that recently, and Virgin Island, from Double Act.
Coming up, Derren Brown: Incognito [Vaudeville] feeds into this. It’s a show about identity, a guessing game that ends in a heart-warming way.
We’ve got to go bold now and stand out, I call it the WTF factor.
We’re now concentrating on what we do in the broader entertainment sense. What we don’t have is a 1% Club or The Wheel on Channel Four. So, we’re actively looking for a Friday night tentpole, probably a comedy-led entertainment show – a quiz or game. Lean back, but at the same time lean forward, in terms of playing the game.
Phil Edgar-Jones,Executive Director, Unscripted, Sky
It’s been a brilliant year for Entertainment at Sky. We’ve really pushed ourselves to take bigger creative swings, and you can feel the momentum.
The Dyers’ Caravan Park was a real standout — it became our biggest entertainment launch in five years, with over a million viewers for every episode… exactly the kind of personality‑led, returnable format we want to build on. And of course, Saturday Night Live UK has been a huge moment for us. People weren’t sure if it would translate, but the team nailed a uniquely British sense of humour, and the reaction has been phenomenal.
Ahead, there’s more from the Dyers, a new series with Gemma Collins, Dynamo returning with a Houdini‑themed show and Rob & Romesh Vs will be back. Then there’s 100 Day Split, which is a big, bold relationship format.
Entertainment is a huge priority for us. We’ve strengthened the team with Shirley Jones stepping into the new Head of Entertainment Commissioning role, and she’s hiring two new positions to expand our development pipeline.
We’re focused on returnable, scalable formats with talent at the heart – shows that can grow and become evergreen. We’re not looking for panel shows, and we’re not looking for a version of The Traitors – that space is well served.
