Black to Front: forging a legacy

In blazing sunlight, in the grounds of the Lock Keepers’ Cottage in east London, the Big Breakfast crew clatter around creating the set. It’s finally happening.

A year ago the two of us, both commissioning editors at Channel 4, spent hours on the phone with each other, our minds whirring in the intensity of the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd, conversations around Black Lives Matter and the flurry of announcements about diversity initiatives. We had seen it and heard it all before. C4 has always championed underrepresented voices but we knew we had to do something to move the conversation on. We needed to supercharge real and lasting change.

After more talking, to people inside and outside the channel, we pitched a project to Kelly Webb Lamb, departing deputy director of programmes, which involved a day of programming where everyone on C4 would be black. The framing of the day would give us a fixed point to focus our efforts to accelerate change in how black people are represented on and off screen across all genres, and a year to deliver it. We would present a challenge to ourselves and our audience – how do we see our content? How do we make it? Who makes it? Why are so many spaces on our screens still so white, what happens if we imagine things differently?

We worked with the Sir Lenny Henry Centre for Media Diversity to help shape a plan to deliver real, long term and sustainable progress in black representation off screen too. Our aim became an ambitious one of trying to reach 100% black staff on our new commissions, knowing that we might not get there but by trying we would learn where improvements can be made. Training and support is useful but to really diversify our industry what really matters is real jobs, real credits and real progression. To that end, as well as the targets set by the Sir Lenny Henry Centre for Media Diversity we’ve also introduced progression placements on all our existing shows to step black talent up to more senior roles for more than one job - a commitment to sustained progression that came from us and the indies involved.

So on today, have a look at C4. It is still Channel 4 but there is no denying it will look different, and that is the point. We want viewers to have a real conversation about black representation on screen – maybe to see things differently, challenge perceptions and think in a new way. 

Cross department

But the Black to Front project hasn’t just been about commissioning – every department in C4 has been involved. From the team at All 4, to channel management, marketing and sales, who have pulled off the most extraordinary transformation so that our ads, 70 campaigns from over 60 different brands across 55 linear ad breaks and countless All 4 breaks, will also feature a black lead, kickstarting a much bigger conversation with our partners in advertising.

It’s a journey we’ve also been on with the brilliant independent production companies we’ve been working with. And we are looking at how the efforts to hire in a new way and achieve higher numbers of black staff on the new shows have gone. This will show us where the gaps are and where work is needed to be done. Already we can see that in many of the technical areas, like graphics, cameras, rigging and sound, it’s been really difficult to find enough black talent. We are going to be collating all that we’ve learned to write a manifesto for change that will actually help us do more to change things going forward.

We know this project divides opinion. We know it won’t fix the issues our industry has with representation overnight nor was it designed to. Some have heavily criticised our efforts whilst others have welcomed our attempt to accelerate change. The truth is we were tired of taking small steps. We wanted to take some big ones, and even if those big steps are hard, and uncomfortable, if they get us to a better place, we think it’s been worth it.

• Vivienne Molokwu and Shaminder Nahal are commissioning editors responsible for C4’s Black to Front

• 8am

THE BIG BREAKFAST - Lifted Entertainment

Almost 30 years since The Big Breakfast first aired comedian Mo Gilligan is joined by co-host AJ Odudu and original newsreader Phil Gayle for a reboot of the 90s live breakfast show, exec produced by Luke McFarlane with series producer Rina Dayalji.  

• Noon

LIAM BAKES

• 12.30pm

MEL’S PACKED LUNCH - Expectation & Can Can

Former Spice Girl Melanie Brown replaces Steph McGovern and is joined by footballer Chris Kamara and resident chef Freddy Forster.

• 2.10pm

COUNTDOWN - Lifted Entertainment

Sir Trevor McDonald takes over from Anne Robinson, joined by poet and playwright Lemn Sissay and maths prodigy Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon.

• 3pm

A PLACE IN THE SUN -Freeform Productions

Presenter Jean Johansson will front the holiday property format for an episode directed by Karen Chambers.

• 4pm

THE GREAT HOUSE GIVEAWAY - Chwarel

Property expert Tayo Oguntonade replaces Simon O’Brien.

• 5pm

COME DINE WITH ME - MultiStory Media

Six black contestants will battle it out over the next week.

• 6pm

HOLLYOAKS - Lime Pictures

An hour-long episode of the C4 soap, directed by Patrick Robinson and written by Thabo Mhlatshwa, focuses on the Deveraux family.

• 7pm

CHANNEL 4 NEWS - ITN

Ayshah Tull and Keme Nzerem will put modern Britain under a forensic lens before a live audience. The bulletin is being led by editor-in-chief Symeon Brown and head of output Toby Bakare.

• 8pm

LOVE IT OR LIST IT - Raise the Roof

A Place in The Sun TV presenter Scarlette Douglas and her brother Stuart Douglas step into Kirstie & Phil’s shoes.

• 9pm

GOGGLEBOX - Studio Lambert

Stephen Yemoh is exec producing an episode featuring Mo Gilligan & Babatundé Aléshé, the Plummer brothers, Marcus & Mica and Amira & Amani.

• 10pm

HIGHLIFE - Optomen and Cr8tive Row

Daps and Luti Media’s Luti Fagbenle, alongside Optomen’s Tina Flintoff and Nick Hornby, will exec the four-part format following a group of young British West Africans.

• 11pm

BIG AGE - Tiger Aspect

Comedy pilot written by writer Bolu Babalola following a group of four young black British friends. Nosa Eke is directing.

• 11.30pm

UNAPOLOGETIC

SBTV & Cardiff Productions

Late-night topical discussion programme hosted by Yinka Bokinni and Zeze Millz. SBTV’s Isaac Densu & Duncan Eaton and Cardiff’s Maxine Watson & Pat Younge are exec producing.