Channel 4’s Black to Front coverage: The de-brief.

Last November, the Oscar award-winning director Steve McQueen brought Small Axe to the nation’s screens, in primetime on BBC 1. And yet, as far as yours truly was concerned at the time, the viewing figures did not reflect the magnitude of the programming and the man behind it.

There were those who said that the low viewing figures for Small Axe (1.2 million average) should not be a determining factor when it came to asking whether the anthology would ever be recommissioned in the future. 

The averages for Michaela Coel’s I May Destroy You were even lower than Small Axe though that didn’t stop both drama’s from winning a sizeable chunk of TV BAFTA’s earlier this year. Maybe those people had a point. Perhaps more importantly, the programmes should be recommissioned as evidence that the culture of diversity and representation becomes learned behaviour both on screen and off screen?

So do viewing figures matter? 

Well going by yesterday’s hoo ha regarding the 9.2 million who watched an 18 year old immigrant make British sporting history (on Channel 4 incidentally) then yes, viewing figures still matter – especially when the future of the channel is at stake. The 9.2 million is even more impressive when you consider that the Women’s US Open final was not available to stream on any of Channel 4’s digital platforms audiences coupled with the 12 hours notice audiences were given when news of the broadcast scoop was announced at 8am on Saturday. Of the 9.2 million, 48% of people watching at the time were aged 16-34 – the holy grail of demographics most cherished by all broadcasters. 

It remains to be seen whether Channel 4’s 24 hour showcase of Black talent (which was broadcast the day before the tennis) will satisfy the people that it needs to satisfy if there is to be a tangible legacy from Black to Front. 

The last time the UK had anything remotely close to what’s fondly known as ‘our own BET’ was 25 years ago when BBC 2 commissioned and aired The A Force, a late Friday night Black entertainment slot which ran from 1996 – 1997 (23:20 – 01:15). Programmes within the slot included the predecessor to Unapologetic, Blouse and Skirt, hosted by the late Tony Morris with regular panellists Curtis Walker and Gina Yashere, and guest panellists such as Craig Charles, Angie Le Mar and Junior Simpson. The show eventually gained a spin off series in 2000. The soap opera Brothers and Sisters (written by Amma Asante and starring the likes of David Harewood and Sandra Bee) also earned a spin off series. 25 years on, the best that BBC One can come up with is a 25 minute pilot in the form of Dreaming Whilst Black. 

As for last Friday’s viewing figures… well the first overnights revealed that The Big Breakfast (hosted by Mo Gilligan and Aj Odudu) was watched by 45,000 viewers, a 1% audience share between 08:00 and 10:00. In comparison, BBC Breakfast was watched by 1.2 million viewers, a 42% audience share from and GMB was watched by 640,000 viewers, a 22% audience share. To put The Big Breakfast figure into some sort of like-for-like comparison, a recent episode of the self-titled ‘Farage’ programme on GB News was watched by 43,900 on Monday 31 August (19:00 – 20:00). As intimated earlier, there will have to be other reasons outside of viewing figures for Channel 4 to consider bringing back The Big Breakfast which, in 1993 was the highest rated UK breakfast television programme at one point with 2 million viewers. The show’s successor, Rise, ran for 20 months with the broadcaster cancelling the show in December 2003 due to low viewing figures. On one occasion, the show recorded 0 viewers.

Mel B’s Packed Lunch (featuring Chris Kamara and Dane Baptiste) was watched by 125,000 in peak (12:30 – 2.10pm). The slot average is usually 210,000 (just over 3% audience share). At its peak (w/c 8^th February 2021), the show (originally tiled Steph’s Packed Lunch) posted an average of 277,000 and a 3.3% share. At one point (22 September 2020), the 7^th episode recorded 0 viewers whilst on the same day, Loose Women on ITV peaked with 1 million viewers. Like The Big Breakfast, this was not an original commission and so it’s not clear whether there would be an appetite for Channel 4 to create standalone shows with the aforementioned talent though it should be said that Mo Gilligan already has his own show and has been a regular face for the channel in recent years. For the record, The Lateish show with Mo Gilligan, averaged 645,000 in its most recent run.  

Hollyoaks featuring Richard Blackwood, Kelle Bryan and Jamelia and directed by actor Patrick Robinson (18:00 – 19:00) was watched by 290,000 (2.4% audience share). Big Age, the one-off comedy pilot from Bolu Babalola (23:05 – 23:35)was watched by 230,000 (3.8% audience share).

Celebrity Gogglebox (featuring Charlene White, Rudolph Walker, Munya Chawawa, Judi Love and Maya Jama) was watched by 2.6 million viewers between 21:00 and 22:00 (a 17% audience share). Co-incidentally, Judi was a guest presenter on the Big Breakfast live broadcast and Dane was a guest panellist on Unapologetic, co-hosted by Yinka Bokinni and Zeze Millz (23:35 – 00:35). Speaking of Unaplologetic, the late night talk show, which also featured Gary Younge and Mercy Muroki (of GB News fame), was watched by 170,000 (3.8% audience share).  

Just as well Channel 4 had something to shout about regarding Saturday’s live tennis otherwise the mainstream press would’ve had an absolute field day regarding Friday’s unedifying numbers after everything that the broadcaster threw into this landmark initiative. Of all the programmes which aired on 10 September, only Highlife will remain on-air, in the same time slot until 1^st October (which just happens to be Nigerian Independence day and the start of Black History Month). The 1^st episode of 4 (10:00 – 11:00) was watched by 370,000 (3.7% audience share). The slot average is usually 1.3 million (just short of 10% of people watching television at the time). 

When the final consolidated figures arrive later in the week, it is more than likely that Celebrity Gogglebox (another re-imagined show) will rank as the most watched programme on the day.

Speaking of programming, whilst there was much to admire (particularly the Channel 4 news broadcast, watched by 450,000 and broadly in line with the bulletin’s average), the choice of Black film (Moonlight) left a lot to be desired considering the options Channel 4 had at its disposal. On Wednesday 8 September, Film4 broadcast a repeat of the Black British film Babymother (financed by Channel 4 no less). They could’ve waited 2 days one would assume (Incidentally, Babymother aired at 00:40 and Moonlight aired at 00:35).

If not Babymother then what about all the other Black British films that Channel 4 have financed over the years? Second Coming for one would’ve been a timely nod for director Debbie Tucker Green’s whose next feature Ear for Eye is due to premiere at The London Film Festival and on BBC 2 next month. What about a film from the late Menelik Shabazz (full disclosure my mentor) for whom it’s been 40 years this year since he made Burning an Illusion? If Black to Front was about winning hearts and minds – Menelik Shabazz would’ve been a great place to start.

Given the success rate that BUFF has had in showcasing Black talent courtesy of the British Urban Film Festival, which I founded in 2005, in the last 12 months alone, the likes of actress Ruby Barker (Bridgerton) and writers such as Jesse Quinones and Isis Davis have become breakout stars. 9 years ago, BUFF was given its own primetime schedule on The Community Channel. At one point, Aml Ameen (soon to be seen in Boxing Day) could be seen on 2 TV channels at the same time. BBC3 (when it was a linear channel) chose to air a repeat of Kidulthood at the same time BUFF was premiering Aml’s short film Drink, Drugs, KFC. Make of that what you will. BUFF has had several ‘Black to Front’ programming blocks on various channels over the last decade including London Live and Channel 4. For the record, BUFF was approached back in June 2020 to contribute programming to Channel 4 – long before Black to Front became public knowledge. To date we have never received feedback from our proposals.

So where do we go from here? Will September the 10th be a moment in time or the new normal? 

Will it result in other broadcasters falling over themselves to outdo Channel 4 – a Black weekender perhaps?

We’ve yet to find out what televisual treats lie in store ahead of Black History Month. Can you imagine the disappointment of not having something resemble Black to Front every day in October? Unfortunately that’s the feeling that most people will have if the expectations of Black to Front or it’s BBC/ITV/Sky/Netflix/Channel5  equivalent are not met – which they won’t (spoiler alert). 

It’s been 25 years since Black talent in the UK has had it this good in terms of national, network exposure. It had to take a level of empathy, education and exposure (the death of George Floyd which actually started online) to get us to this particular tipping point. What will be the next tipping point in the long attritional history of Black British representation on screen and off screen. 

For some, the question has been asked – and should be asked – why do we have to demand representation anyway? 

I have always believed that waiting should never be an option hence why BUFF was founded 16 years ago. 

Neither did the executives at Pivot TV (based in the Midlands) wait before launching a new Black British SVOD channel in January earlier this year. You cannot NOT know that these platforms (in the name of Black British entertainment) exist. Find them online today (and many others elsewhere) and continue getting your fix.

I’m reminded of the Christmas song by Wizard where the line goes “oh I wish it could be Christmas, every day”. And that’s what it felt like on September the 10th. How much of our Black British talent would’ve felt the need to go to the United States to get the love if it was Christmas every day?

All food for thought as we continue to redefine business as usual.

Written by Film Producer and Founder of the British Urban Film Festival, Emmanuel Anyiam-Osigwe MBE