Channel 5 (British TV channel) programming facts for kids

Channel 5 shows many different types of TV programmes. It's known for bringing popular shows from other countries to the UK. For example, in 2001, Channel 5 got the rights to show Home and Away, which helped lots of people start watching the channel in the evenings. Since 2002, they've worked hard to get rights to many top American dramas like all the CSI and NCIS series. They also got the talk show host Trisha Goddard from ITV and the soap opera Neighbours from the BBC.

Public Service Shows

Channel 5 is a "public service broadcaster" in the UK. This means they have to show a wide range of programmes. Unlike Channel 4, which aims for more unique and diverse shows, Channel 5's goal is more like ITV's. The rules for what they must show are in a law called the Communications Act 2003. It says Channel 5 needs to provide "high quality and diverse programming."

Because of these rules, Channel 5 has to show a certain amount of news and educational programmes. For example, documentaries like Hidden Lives and Extraordinary People help them meet this requirement. They also showed the yearly Royal Institution Christmas Lectures starting in 2005.

Early Programmes

When Channel 5 first started, its shows followed a clear timetable so viewers knew what to expect. Key shows included the daily soap opera Family Affairs at 6:30 pm, a news broadcast at 8:30 pm, and a film at 9 pm every night. Daytime shows featured American soap opera Sunset Beach and the chat show Leeza. Weekend programmes included Night Fever and fantasy series like Xena: Warrior Princess.

Shows for Kids and Teens

Channel 5 has a special block of shows for younger children called Milkshake!. It airs every day from 6:00 am to 9:00 am. This block has its own presenters and features popular pre-school shows like Fifi and the Flowertots, Peppa Pig, and Hi-5.

Before October 2007, there was also a block called Shake! on weekends for older kids. This block was removed for a while but came back on Sundays in 2009. It showed programmes like Hannah Montana, Wizards of Waverly Place, and The Tribe.

Current Kids' Programmes

Former Kids' Programmes

Comedy Shows

Most of Channel 5's comedy shows come from other countries, especially America. Popular ones included the Friends spin-off Joey, and early series of Two and a Half Men and Everybody Hates Chris.

Comedy Series List

• Angelo's
• Borderline
• Bring Me The Head of Light Entertainment
• The Golden Girls
• Hospital!
• Hotel!
• Impractical Jokers UK
• Suburban Shootout
• Respectable
• Swinging
• That's So Last Week
• The Jim Tavare Show
• The What in The World? Quiz
• Top Buzzer
• We Know Where You Live
• Will and Grace
• Friends

Past Comedy Shows

• 8 Simple Rules
• Joey
• Two and a Half Men
• Everybody Hates Chris

Channel 5 plans to bring more comedy back, including Impractical Jokers UK, and possibly new sketch shows and sitcoms.

Daytime Programmes

Channel 5 has always tried to attract viewers during the day. In the early days, they showed American soap operas like The Bold and the Beautiful. From 1998 to 2003, Gloria Hunniford hosted Open House with Gloria Hunniford, a show with interviews, cooking, and advice.

Later, Terry Wogan and Gaby Roslin hosted The Terry and Gaby Show, but it didn't last long. Trisha Goddard then joined Channel 5 in 2005 with her own talk show, focusing on relationships and families. However, her contract wasn't renewed in 2009.

In 2008, Channel 5 started showing the Australian soap Neighbours, which they got from BBC One. They also moved Home and Away to follow it. Today, Channel 5's daytime schedule includes the show Jeremy Vine and the popular soaps Neighbours and Home & Away. They also often show American TV movies and repeats of documentaries and crime series.

The Wright Stuff and Jeremy Vine

In 2000, Channel 5 launched The Wright Stuff, a popular daytime show hosted by Matthew Wright. On the show, celebrity guests discussed news stories. In 2018, after 18 years, the show ended and was replaced by Jeremy Vine. It has a similar format but with a new host, Jeremy Vine.

Documentary Shows

Channel 5 has shown many documentaries about people's lives. The Hotel Inspector, hosted by Alex Polizzi, is one of their most popular. Animal and nature shows are also very common, like Michaela's Zoo Babies and Animal Rescue Squad.

Educational documentaries, often first shown on the Discovery Channel, are also a big part of Channel 5's schedule. Shows like Highland Emergency and How Do They Do It? are often shown in the evenings. Other popular shows include Ice Road Truckers and Police Interceptors.

From 2002, Channel 5 started showing more serious documentaries about art, architecture, and religion. While these are not made as often now, they are still repeated. Crime documentaries, like True CSI, are also a regular feature.

8 O'Clock Heroes

In 2011, Channel 5 started calling its 8:00 pm weekday documentary slot "8 O'Clock Heroes." These shows focused on action-packed stories about police, emergency services, and other heroic acts. Examples include Police Interceptors and Emergency Bikers.

Clip and Retrospective Shows

Recently, Channel 5 has focused on shows that look back at past events or TV moments. These often feature celebrities and critics talking about different topics, from TV bloopers to chocolate bars. Examples include 20 Moments That Rocked... and The Best of Bad TV.

Drama Shows

Channel 5 has sometimes made its own drama series. In 2004, they created Murder Prevention. They also showed Perfect Day in 2005, which was so successful it led to two more parts. In 2009, a new version of Minder was broadcast.

In 2013, Channel 5 started a new police drama called Suspects. This show was very successful and praised by critics. It stars Damien Molony, Fay Ripley, and Clare-Hope Ashitey. The actors often improvise their lines to make the show feel more real.

British Drama Series

• 15 Days
• A Mind to Kill
• Agatha and the Truth of Murder
• Beyond Fear
• Clink
• Cold Call (2019)
• Dark Knight
• Deadly Summer
• Doomwatch
• Hear the Silence
• Inquisition
• Menace
• Minder
• Murder Prevention
• Perfect Day
• Push
• Suspects
• The Alchemists
• Tripping Over
• Urban Gothic
• Wing and a Prayer

Australian and Irish Drama

Channel 5 has also bought rights to show dramas from Australia and Ireland. In 2013, they started showing Wentworth Prison, a new version of the classic show Prisoner: Cell Block H. They also aired the Australian crime drama Mr & Mrs Murder and Secrets & Lies. From Ireland, Channel 5 broadcast the crime drama Jack Taylor and the popular series Love/Hate.

American Shows

Channel 5 shows many American series.

Current American Shows

• NCIS (2005–present)
• Person of Interest (2012–present)
• NCIS: New Orleans (2015–present)
• Impractical Jokers (2016–present)
• The X-Files (2016-present)
• Penn & Teller: Fool Us in Vegas (2016–present)

Former American Shows

Entertainment Shows

Channel 5 has shown many entertainment programmes. They broadcast the game show Fort Boyard from 1998 to 2001. They also had the rights to Miss World for three years and brought back the classic game show It's a Knockout.

In 2001, Channel 5 showed two seasons of the popular game show The Mole. Later, in 2003, they acquired the show Robot Wars.

Blind Date returned to Channel 5 in 2017, hosted by Paul O'Grady. They also aired In Solitary: The Anti-Social Experiment, where people spent five days in solitary confinement. Gino's Win Your Wish List is another game show where families answer questions to win prizes.

Lifestyle and Cookery Shows

In its early days, Channel 5 often showed lifestyle and makeover programmes. These included property shows like House Doctor and Build a New Life in the Country. While these types of shows are less common now, older series are often repeated. In 2011, new shows like Garden ER and the cooking show Real Food Family Cook Off were launched.

In 2012, Channel 5 introduced property shows like Half Built House and Best House In The Street. In 2013, Great Northern Cookbook aired, a cooking series exploring recipes from the North of England.

Marco Pierre White's Kitchen Wars

In June 2012, famous chef Marco Pierre White launched his own cooking competition show called Marco Pierre White's Kitchen Wars. The show aimed to find the best restaurant partnership in Britain, focusing on both great food and excellent service.

News Programmes

Channel 5's news service was relaunched as 5 News on 14 February 2011.

Participation TV

Channel 5 used to broadcast Quiz Call, a phone-in quiz show where viewers could win cash prizes. This show ended when the channel started airing Live Roulette programming, which was the first time a channel had shown a roulette-related show in British TV history. This later became SuperCasino and ended in 2019. A new roulette show, 21.co.uk, began broadcasting in May 2019.

Reality Television

Channel 5 has a history of showing reality TV. They broadcast a UK version of The Mole, which was very popular. Other shows included Touch the Truck and Jailbreak.

In 2004, they had Back to Reality, which featured contestants from different reality shows living together. They also had Make Me a Supermodel, a show where contestants competed for a modelling contract.

10,000 BC

The survival show 10,000 BC started in February 2015. It was made by Channel 5 and MTV. The show followed 20 people who tried to survive for two months in the wilderness, living like people from the Stone Age.

Celebrity Super Spa

In 2013, Channel 5 announced a new reality show called Celebrity Super Spa. It featured six celebrities working in a spa in Liverpool, learning how to do beauty treatments.

The Bachelor

In 2011, Channel 5 started airing the British version of The Bachelor, a popular American reality series. The show had previously been on BBC Three. Rugby star Gavin Henson and reality TV star Spencer Matthews were among the bachelors.

Big Brother and Celebrity Big Brother

In 2011, Channel 5 signed a big contract to show the reality series Big Brother, which used to be on Channel 4. Celebrity Big Brother 8 started on 18 August 2011. Brian Dowling was the main presenter at first, and Emma Willis hosted the spin-off show Big Brother's Bit on the Side. Emma Willis later became the main presenter for Big Brother from 2013.

On 14 September 2018, Channel 5 announced that both Big Brother and Celebrity Big Brother would no longer be shown. The final series ended in November 2018. In total, Channel 5 aired 23 series of Big Brother and Celebrity Big Brother between 2011 and 2018.

The Farm

The Farm was Channel 5's version of an international TV show where celebrities lived on a farm. It ran for two series until 2005.

Soap Operas

When Channel 5 first launched in 1997, its main soap opera was Family Affairs. This show continued until it was cancelled in 2005 because of low ratings.

Acquired Soap Operas

Channel 5 has shown many soap operas from other countries. They aired every episode of the Australian soap Prisoner Cell Block H and another classic Aussie soap, Sons and Daughters.

They also showed two popular American soap operas, Sunset Beach and The Bold and the Beautiful. After Sunset Beach ended, Channel 5 replaced it with Days of Our Lives, but both American soaps were removed from the morning schedule in 2002 due to low ratings.

The New Zealand teen drama The Tribe was shown from 1999 to 2003.

Neighbours

On 18 May 2007, Channel 5 got the rights to the Australian soap opera Neighbours, which used to be on BBC One. Neighbours is one of Channel 5's most popular shows, and it's even more popular in the UK than in Australia!

Home and Away

Channel 5 regularly shows Home and Away along with Neighbours.

Sports Coverage

Channel 5 has shown many different sports over the years, especially American sports.

American Sports

Until 2010, Channel 5 often showed live or slightly delayed coverage of major North American sports. This included Major League Baseball (MLB) games, which were the longest-running continuous programme on the channel. However, they stopped showing MLB in 2009.

They also covered the National Hockey League (NHL) until 2004, and then brought it back briefly in 2006. Channel 5 also showed American football (NFL) and basketball (NBA) after Channel 4 stopped showing them. They broadcast Monday Night Football and NBC Sunday Night Football live. However, Channel 5 stopped showing NFL and NBA in 2010.

In 2020, Channel 5 reacquired the rights to Monday Night Football as part of a deal with ViacomCBS. They also run a Sunday morning pregame show called NFL End Zone.

Football

Channel 5 used to show a mix of European and international club football, including matches from the Dutch Eredivisie and Portugal's SuperLiga. They also had exclusive live rights to Italian Serie A for a season. For many years, Channel 5 showed live matches from the UEFA Europa League.

From 2012 to 2015, Channel 5 didn't show any football. But then they got the rights to show highlights from the Football League (EFL Championship, League One & League Two) on Saturday nights from 2015 to 2018. They also showed highlights from the EFL Cup and EFL Trophy. Channel 5 lost the EFL highlights rights in 2018.

Cricket

In 2006, Channel 5 started showing highlights of all of England's home Test and limited overs matches. This show, called Cricket on 5, was broadcast daily at 7:00 pm. It featured expert analysis from commentators like Mark Nicholas and Geoffrey Boycott. Cricket on 5 ended in September 2019 after 13 years, with the BBC taking over the free-to-air cricket highlights.

Boxing

Channel 5 occasionally broadcasts boxing matches through a deal with Hennessy Sports. They have shown fights featuring boxers like Tyson Fury.

Motor Sport

The channel has covered motor sports, including MotoGP from 2000 to 2002, and then again as highlights from 2017. They also showed highlights from the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and the IndyCar Series. In 2016, Channel 5 acquired the UK broadcasting rights for Formula E (electric car racing) live. However, they lost the rights to Formula E and MotoGP highlights in 2019.

Wrestling

For a short time, Channel 5 showed professional wrestling with the WCW Worldwide show from 1999 to 2001. In 2018, they returned to wrestling by showing Impact Wrestling. From February 2020, Channel 5 started airing 1-hour highlights of WWE Raw and WWE Smackdown on Saturdays and Sundays.

Rugby Union

In 2017, Channel 5 announced they would broadcast up to five live Premiership Rugby games each season, along with a weekly highlights show. This was the first time these games were shown on free-to-air TV.

Other Sports

Channel 5 also shows weekly highlights from the PGA Tour (golf). They broadcast live coverage of the Great South Run and other marathons. In 2009, Channel 5 started showing highlights of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and later BAMMA events. They have also screened World's Strongest Man since 2011.

Current Sports Rights

• American Football
  • Monday night game and weekly highlights
• Athletics
  • Great Birmingham Run: Live
  • Great South Run: Live
  • Great Birmingham 10k: Live
• Boxing
  • Cyclone Promotions & Hennessy Sports
• Mixed Martial Arts
  • Bellator
  • BAMMA
• Motorsport
  • MotoGP Highlights
  • World Rally Championship Highlights
  • Wales Rally GB Live
  • Formula E Live
• Rugby Union
  • Premiership Rugby (5 Live Matches per season and weekly highlights)
  • Premiership Rugby 7s Highlights