Enter
the danger zone of politics with Ö÷²¥´óÐã FOUR this Winter
Ö÷²¥´óÐã
FOUR's winter season focuses on power: the politicians who crave
it, the leaders who wield it and the ordinary people who live with
its consequences.
Ö÷²¥´óÐã
FOUR Controller Roly Keating says: "The authentic drama of
politics comes alive in Ö÷²¥´óÐã FOUR's new season, with two revelatory
adaptations.
 "The
Alan Clark Diaries is a fascinating x-ray view of the Tories
from the apex of their power in the 1980s to their later defeats,
while Justifying War – Scenes from the Hutton Inquiry
lays bare the workings of today's powerbrokers in government and
the media.
"Further
afield, we've gained astonishing access to one of the last –
and certainly the most closed – communist regimes on the planet,
in North Korea: A State of Mind.
"And
the latest instalment of Holidays in the Danger Zone
is the most hazardous yet, as the team experience the near-anarchy
of the 'violent coast' of Africa."
In
autumn 2003, The Tricycle Theatre in London staged an edited version
of the Hutton Inquiry transcripts, providing a public forum to debate
the issues raised by the Inquiry.
 Now
Ö÷²¥´óÐã FOUR brings Justifying War – Scenes from the Hutton
Inquiry to viewers across the UK, as the date for the results
of the Inquiry draw near.
Edited
by Richard Norton-Taylor and directed by Nicolas Kent and Charlotte
Westenra, the cast include David Michaels as Alastair Campbell,
David Fleeshman as Gavyn Davies, William Chubb as Andrew Gilligan
and James Woolley as Lord Hutton.
Richard
Norton-Taylor and Nicolas Kent were also the team behind the Tricycle's
staging of Half the Picture – The Scott Arms to Iraq Inquiry
and The Colour of Justice – The Stephen Lawrence Inquiry.
John
Hurt returns to television to take on the role of Alan Clark, the
flamboyant, outspoken and controversial Conservative MP, in a new,
six-part drama adaptation of The Alan Clark Diaries
for Ö÷²¥´óÐã FOUR.
The
series focuses on the infamous diaries during Clark's political
career from 1983 to his death in 1999.
With
his irreverent wit, aristocratic good looks and rakish charm, Alan
Clark was one of the most colourful figures in modern politics.
Love
him – or love to hate him – his vibrant, unconventional
style sent a blast of fresh air through the stuffy corridors of
power, adding a dazzling touch of humour and unpredictability to
politics.
Forever
manoeuvring his way to the top, he never fulfilled his ambition
to be in the Cabinet. Yet he was an influential figure on the political
landscape and a man who, more often to the Government's despair
than to its delight, was never long out of the public eye.
A strong
supporting cast includes Jenny Agutter (Spooks) as Clark's wife
Jane,Victoria Smurfit (Trial And Retribution, About A Boy) as Clark's
secret mistress, 'X', and Julia Davis (Human Remains) as Jenny Easterbrook,
Clark's frosty secretary.
Other
season highlights include:
•
North Korea – A State of Mind. The secretive
world of North Korea is opened up in spectacular style in this new
film from the team who produced the award-winning The Game of Their
Lives.
The
documentary follows two young female gymnasts as they prepare to
take part in the annual, wildly lavish Mass Games.
•
Holidays in the Danger Zone – The Violent Coast.
Following the award-winning Holidays in the Axis of Evil and the
recent Holidays in the Danger Zone – The Stans, intrepid Ben
Anderson now travels to one of the most violent regions in the world
– Liberia, Sierra Leone, the Ivory Coast and Nigeria.
 •
Soul Weekender. Kick starting a typically diverse
music season, Ö÷²¥´óÐã FOUR looks at Soul music and its massive global
influence, with a weekend of new documentaries and performances
including an exclusive new concert by the legendary James Brown.
•
Elmina's Kitchen. Ö÷²¥´óÐã FOUR's commitment to bringing
the best UK theatre to television continues with the National Theatre's
acclaimed stage play by writer and Casualty star Kwame Kwei-Armah,
in a production made especially for television.
•
Historians of Genius – In Their Own Words.
Long before Schama and Starkey, great historians such as Gibbon,
Macaulay and Carlyle were the master storytellers.
Actors
Simon Russell Beale, Sam West and Bill Paterson bring their words
to life in the style of contemporary TV history.
Notes
to Editors
Awards
•
Since launch in March 2002, Ö÷²¥´óÐã FOUR has won over 30 awards including
four recent wins at the Grierson Awards and Travel Story of the
Year at the Foreign Press Association Awards for Holidays in the
Axis of Evil (co-commissioned with Ö÷²¥´óÐã TWO).
Viewing
Figures
•
Reach and share for the past 13 weeks (since start of Autumn season)
are 8% reach (2.2 million people per week) and 0.4% share.
• This is an increase of +86% for reach compared with the
same 13 week period last year and is an increase of +105% in terms
of share. Average volume has increased further (since the growth
in digital penetration boosts figures over and above share), up
148% on last year.
•
On average 2.2 million viewers have been sampling Ö÷²¥´óÐã FOUR each
week in Autumn 2003 so far – with a peak of 3.0 million people
in weeks commencing 10 and 17 November, when the channel achieved
its best ever weekly reach of 11% and share of 0.6%.
•
There are currently around 160 multichannels available through digital
TV, and among these, Ö÷²¥´óÐã FOUR is in 18th place when ranked by weekly
% reach, or in 24th place if ranked by share/volume.
The
channels with a greater reach than Ö÷²¥´óÐã FOUR are all mainstream and
predominantly entertainment/drama focused. (Data run in Ö÷²¥´óÐã FOUR's
transmission hours of 1900-2600.)
The
Ö÷²¥´óÐã FOUR winter season 2004 press pack is available
below in , as a complete pack or in sections.
You
may require Adobe Acrobat Software to read PDF files which can be
obtained .
Tip
for users: when in the PDF files use the "Zoom In"
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Full
Ö÷²¥´óÐã FOUR winter season 2004 press pack (553 KB)
Politics
and Power (85 KB)
From
Russia with Love (85 KB)
Other
Worlds (110 KB)
Reluctant
Gangsters (95 KB)
In
the Line of Fire (77 KB)
Classics
Revisited (105 KB)
Music
in the Soul (108 KB)
Troubled
Minds (74 KB)
Related
releases
Ö÷²¥´óÐã
ONE gets under the skin of the nation (03.12.03)
Current
affairs dominate the heart of the schedule this winter on Ö÷²¥´óÐã TWO
(04.12.03)
Ö÷²¥´óÐã
THREE goes to Africa (10.12.03)
Beckham,
Beaker and Bamzooki - only on CÖ÷²¥´óÐã this Winter (11.12.03)
All the
Ö÷²¥´óÐã's digital services are now available on ,
the new free-to-view digital terrestrial television service, as well
as on satellite and cable.
Freeview
offers the Ö÷²¥´óÐã's eight television channels, interactive services
from Ö÷²¥´óÐãi, as well as 11 national Ö÷²¥´óÐã radio networks.
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