T4 was a scheduling slot on Channel 4 (T4 Saturday usually 9 am until 2 pm) and E4 (T4 Sunday usually 9 am until 5 pm). It also aired on weekdays in the school holidays. The slot had a separate station identification on screen graphic from Channel 4 and E4. Channel 4 originally produced the strand in-house until 2002, when production was passed onto independent companies. The slot was targeted at the 16–24 age group.

T4
Also known asT4 Saturday
T4 Sunday
Presented byJameela Jamil
Nick Grimshaw
Will Best
Matt Edmondson
Georgie Okell
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Production
Production locationsChannel 4 Headquarters (1998–2006)
Riverside Studios (2006–09)
Princess Productions Studios (2009–12)
Running time350 minutes (T4 Saturday)
480 minutes (T4 Sunday)
Production companiesChannel Four Television Corporation
At It Productions
Princess Productions
Original release
NetworkChannel 4
E4 (2001, 2012)
Release25 October 1998 (1998-10-25) –
29 December 2012 (2012-12-29)

Until 25 March 2012, T4 aired on Channel 4 both Saturday and Sunday. To make way for the introduction of Sunday Brunch in March 2012, T4 Sunday was later moved to run on E4. T4 Saturday remained on Channel 4 and some programmes that previously appeared within the T4 block, such as The Simpsons, remained on Channel 4 on Sunday afternoons.[1][2]

On 12 October 2012, Channel 4 announced that it would be axing T4 at the end of December 2012.[3] The show ended on 29 December 2012.

Early history

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Early on in T4's run, programmes aimed at children often aired in addition to the content aimed at older viewers, with shows such as CatDog and 2 Stupid Dogs appearing in the early schedule of the strand. Around 2001, this was dropped and the strand refocused entirely towards the teen/youth market. For the first few months of T4's life, its idents consisted of an animated spaceman like character. In 1999, this character instead appeared on the idents during the early morning pre-school shows, in addition to the weekend children's programmes that fell outside the T4 strand. These idents continued in use until 2004.

T4 on E4, 2001

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After E4's launch in 2001, T4 initially also had a slot on the channel, however this was short lived. It also had an equally short lived Friday evening slot on Channel 4. Following the sale of Quiz Call by Channel 4, it was rumoured that a T4 channel was one of the proposals to fill the vacant slot on Freeview (and subsequently on satellite and cable). However, the plan is also thought to have been rejected by director of television Kevin Lygo, as the slot was filled by Film4 +1 (now replaced, in turn, by Channel 4 +1).

Later years

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Initially broadcast only on Sundays, the success of T4 saw the strand subsequently extended to include a Saturday block.

In more recent years, T4 had provided Channel 4 a broadcast window of programmes that are also broadcast in primetime slots on E4, such as The Big Bang Theory. In addition, following Channel 4's acquisition of terrestrial broadcast rights to The Simpsons, the series began to feature regularly within T4. Friends featured regularly within T4 until Channel 4 relinquished the rights to the sitcom in 2011.

Vernon Kay, Dermot O'Leary, Miquita Oliver and Alexa Chung returned for the last show on 29 December 2012 alongside current presenters Matt Edmondson, Nick Grimshaw, Jameela Jamil, Georgie Okell and Will Best.

T4 on the Beach

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T4 also staged an annual summer concert, T4 on the Beach, in the resort of Weston-super-Mare (for its first two years in 2003 and 2004, it was held in Great Yarmouth under the name Pop Beach), and previous musical acts that have appeared include McFly, Calvin Harris, Little Boots, and The Zutons. The concert in July 2010 was the sixth year running that the event had taken place in Weston-super-Mare which featured Dizzee Rascal and Florence and the Machine, among others. After the strand's cancellation, there was going to be a replacement titled Summer Sets on the Beach which would air live on ITV2 on 31 August 2013, but it was axed due to a lack of ticket sales.[4]

T4 Stars Of...

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Normally bookended at the tail end of the year, the T4 Stars Of... concert was broadcast live from Earls Court. The event was first held in 2009 and since then had become an annual fixture in the T4 events calendar. The Stars Of... title usually preceded the year in which it was being held e.g. Stars of 2010, as it was widely regarded as the replacement show for the now defunct Smash Hits Poll Winners Party that T4 broadcast from 2001 to 2005.

Presenters

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Presenter 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
Dermot O'Leary (1998–2001)[5]
Omar Gurnah (1998–1999)
Fran Lee (1998–1999)[6]
Margherita Taylor (1999–2001)[7]
Ben Shephard (1999–2000) [8]
June Sarpong (2000–2007)[9]
Vernon Kay (2000–2005)[9]
Steve Jones (2003–2010)[9][10]
Simon Amstell (2003–2006)[9]
MC Harvey (2003–2004)[11]
Anthony Crank (2004–2005)[12]
Miquita Oliver (2006–2010)[10]
Dave Berry (2006–2007)[13]
Mark Boardman (2006–2007)[citation needed]
Rick Edwards (2007–2011)[10]
Alex Zane (2007–2008)[9]
Alexa Chung (2008–2009)[9]
Jameela Jamil (2009–2012)[14]
Nick Grimshaw (2010–2012)[9][10]
Georgie Okell (2010–2012)[10]
Will Best (2011–2012)[15]
Matt Edmondson (2011–2012)[16]

Programming

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Executive staff

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T4's executives were Henrietta Conrad (executive producer) and Sebastian Grant (series producer) for Princess Productions, and Cath Lovesey (series editor) and Sangeeta Bhaskar (Channel 4 executive) for Channel 4.

References

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  1. ^ T4 Sundays set to move to E4 Balihar Khalsa, Broadcast Now, 17 February 2012
  2. ^ T4 to move to E4 to make room for Sunday Brunch Anna Howell, iMedia Monkey, 17 February 2012
  3. ^ Channel 4 axes T4 brand Digital Spy, 12 October 2012
  4. ^ "Weston's Summer Sets on the Beach is cancelled". BBC News. 31 May 2013. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  5. ^ When One Door Closes a New Time Slot Opens- C4 Axes T4 In Search Of Something New Contact Music, 13 October 2012
  6. ^ Passion for fashion CWB Online, July 2012
  7. ^ Margherita Taylor James Grant
  8. ^ Ben Shephard Prime Performers
  9. ^ a b c d e f g Channel 4 to replace T4 with a new music show NME, 12 October 2012
  10. ^ a b c d e "All 4 - The on-demand channel from 4". www.channel4.com.
  11. ^ MC Harvey Spoonfed
  12. ^ Table Talk: Anthony Crank Dianne Bourne, Manchester Evening News, 12 June 2008
  13. ^ 95.8 Capital FM announces Dave Berry as new breakfast show host Radio Centre, 1 December 2011
  14. ^ "TV Gallery: T4's new presenter, Jameela Jamil" TV Scoop Retrieved on 28 March 2009
  15. ^ Exclusive Interview With Will Best Female First, 4 July 2012
  16. ^ Love, Ryan (4 April 2011). "Matt Edmondson named T4 presenter". Digital Spy.
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