Congratulations to my long-time Guardian colleague, Maggie Brown, who is to write the next chapter in the history of Channel 4.
She has agreed a deal to write a follow-up to her acclaimed book, published in 2007, A Licence to Be Different – The Story of Channel 4. The new one will cover the years from 2008 until now.
Although she will benefit from supervised access to the broadcaster’s archives, hers will be an independent study rather than an authorised corporate history.
The key year will surely be 2009, when Channel 4 dropped Big Brother (then picked up by Channel 5) and the challenges that the decision presented. Later that year saw the resignation of chief executive Andy Duncan and, a couple of months later, chairman Luke Johnson.
David Abraham became the channel’s sixth chief executive in 2010 and remains in post as the public service broadcaster faces the possibility of privatisation.
That will be dealt with in the final chapter of Maggie’s book. In earlier sections, she will assess Abraham’s creative renewal, which resulted in hits such as Educating Essex and Gogglebox along with ventures into factual programming; Channel 4’s relations with independent producers; and the introduction of its catch-up service 4oD.
The book is due to be on the shelves in 2017 and the publisher will be announced at a later date.
