Channel Five in pictures

March 1997: The Spice Girls launch Channel Five with a performance of Manfred Mann's 5-4-3-2-1 Photograph: Kieran Doherty/Reuters

1997: Kirsty Young was the face of Channel Five News from its launch until she left for ITV in 1999, returning from 2002 to 2007. She helped pioneer a more informal style of presenting Photograph: Channel Five

1999: Five introduces late-night soft porn adult programming such as UK Raw and The Red Shoe Diaries to boost its share. Director of programmes Dawn Airey gives a speech summarising her strategy as the 'three Fs': 'football, films and fucking' Photograph: Nikki English/Channel 5

1997: The soap Family Affairs featured on Five's launch night and ran until 2005, featuring many dramatic storylines Photograph: Channel Five

2000: Five launches daytime talkshow The Wright Stuff, hosted by former Daily Mirror journalist Matthew Wright Photograph: Paul Rider/Channel Five

2000: Five airs one-off gameshow Naked Jungle, which is based on an assault course – except all the contestants are nudists, including presenter Keith Chegwin. The scenes of full-frontal nudity spark a press furore, with the Daily Mail printing several spreads of pictures from the show for the benefit of its outraged readers Photograph: Adam Lawrence/Channel Five

2000: Reality show Jailbreak launches offering a £100,000 cash prize to the contestant who escaped first from a mock prison. It fails to attract a big audience, and is not recommissioned Photograph: Chris Ridley/Channel Five

2001: Five secures rights to Austrailian Soap Home and Away Photograph: Channel Five

2001: Five picks up US drama CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, which proves a massive hit and is often the network's highest-rating show in its various franchises. Other successful US acquistions include House, Law & Order, The Mentalist and Prison Break – some of which were later poached by the likes of Sky Photograph: Monty Brinton/Channel Five

2001: Five buys the UK rights to reality show format The Mole. Despite attracting cult success, it only lasted two series Photograph: Peter Aitchison/Channel Five

2002: Five launches quizshow BrainTeaser, hosted by Alex Lovell, which features phone-in puzzles alongside the show. It is cancelled in 2007 after it emerges production staff had faked winners on the premium-rate phone contest Photograph: Neil Mackenzie Matthews/Channel Five

2002: Five buys the UK rights to acclaimed US cop series The Shield Photograph: Channel Five

2003: Five hires Terry Wogan and Gaby Roslin host morning chatshow The Terry and Gaby Show. However, it only lasts 10 month as it can't compete with ITV's This Morning Photograph: Paul Rider/Five

2004: Five snatches Trisha Goddard from ITV1 to host a chatshow. It ran until 2009, when it was dropped for financial reasons Photograph: Nicky Johnston/Channel Five

2004: The channel drew controversy for reality series The Farm, which featured celebrities Stan Collymore, Jeff Brazier, Ritchie Neville, Margi Clarke, Rebecca Loos, Debbie McGee, Lady Victoria Hervey, Paul Daniels and Vanilla Ice. The show made headlines when Loos masturbated a pig in order to collect its semen Photograph: Rex Features

2005: US medical drama Grey's Anatomy is a ratings success – but first-run rights were later bought by Living Photograph: Channel Five

2006: Channel Five launches female-oriented digital channel Five Life, which features lifestyle programming such as The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Love My Way, Trisha Goddard, a Home and Away omnibus and repeats of Dawson's Creek. It relaunches in 2008 as Fiver with new shows including Rehab, Dirt and Sex and the City. Channel Five also launched Five US in 2006; it was rebranded in 2009 as Five USA Photograph: Public Domain

2001: Five airs week-long reality show Touch A Truck, in which 20 contestants have to hang on to a vehicle for the longest time possible without nodding off Photograph: Sean Dempsey/PA

2007: Natasha Kaplinsky joins Five News in a £1m deal Photograph: Jason Joyce/Channel Five

2008: Five scores a coup by poaching Neighbours from the BBC, but cancels Family Affairs Photograph: Kieran Doherty/Channel Five