In 1982, Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative government established Channel 4 in order to create an independent television production sector in the UK. Unlike the BBC or ITV, it was not to make any of its own programmes, not even its flagship Channel 4 News. All over the UK, independent companies sprang up to make its content. In the 40 years since, they have made billions of pounds – not just for themselves but also for Britain, selling their wares around the world. And, unlike the BBC, they have spoken with many voices, bringing diverse and radical ideas to the fore which had barely been heard before in mainstream broadcasting.
Yesterday, Boris Johnson’s Conservative government announced it was selling off the channel, claiming that by doing so it would boost independent production companies. This makes no sense. Instead of Channel 4 being a publicly-owned organisation that pumps hundreds of millions of pounds a year into the independent sector, it is being sold off, almost certainly to a giant TV production company, possibly from overseas. It will be in the interests of that company to make as many of its own programmes as it can and retain the rights in them.
