The Stage

One-off TV plays will comprise core of C4’s drama product

Published Tuesday 8 November 2005 at 12:50 by Liz Thomas

Topical single television plays will form a central part of Channel 4’s drama output next year, with director of programmes Kevin Lygo revealing three new hard-hitting dramas lined up for broadcast in 2006.

The Mark of Cain is based around the pictures and allegations of prisoner abuse by British and American soldiers serving in Iraq. Written by Tony Marchant, who also penned BBC dramas Crime and Punishment, The Knight’s Tale and Holding On, it is still in the early stages of development but is expected to be ready for broadcast later next year. Karim’s Story examines the 2001 Bradford riots from the perspective of a group of young Asian men and will air in January.

The channel has also secured Ray Winstone and Roy Marsden to star in a drama about corruption in football. All in the Game has been created by the writer of When I’m 64, Tony Grounds. He said: “The corruption in football and the corruption of young footballers is the sort of thing you can tackle far better in a drama. It might be fiction but it is based on research and in a way is a far more truthful way of looking at things because in a documentary you just would not be able to show the reality of what goes on.”

The commissions follow on from the broadcaster’s success with single “event” productions such as The Deal, Sex Traffic and most recently A Very Social Secretary, which debuted on its sister channel More4.

Earlier this year it announced an extra £13.5 million in programming, using money freed up by the loss of cricket coverage rights to Sky. This means spending on the genre will rise from the current figure of around £8.5 million to £22 million next year.

At the time, head of film and drama Tessa Ross said: “Critics have bemoaned the death of the televised single play for years but Channel 4 has steadily been building up a fantastic body of work in single and serial drama. We’re aiming to provide a regular showcase for the best of British writing, performing and production talent to tell stories that might not get told elsewhere on television.”