The One With Jennifer Aniston, Sarah Jessica Parker and One Question Lady... (E4)

Name: stoffy

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Product:	E4
Date:	17/04/03 (341 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: some very good shows, lots of first viewings...

Disadvantages: some of the entertainment shows are a bit dodgy..., 24-hour Big Brother isn't everyone's cup of darjeeling...

Digital TV is a peculiar place. Whether it’s that omnipresent perma-tanned nasal American flogging exercise pads or Michaela Strachan dodging jerky flying graphics whilst simultaneously trying to flog us a CD containing sub-Fleetwood Mac drive-time drivel, you can’t help but feel slightly uncomfortable when watching the majority of the output on the small screen beyond channel 106.

However, one jewel in the digital crown is E4, the Digital offshoot of the independent public-service company Channel 4 Television. Aimed at 16-30 year olds (the ‘cool’ demographic allegedly), it features a whole range of programming, with a surprisingly healthy mix of British and International shows and a large proportion of first-time showings of top-rated programmes.

The first notable thing about the channel is its presentation. Fresh and fun, random purple words appear at the end and beginning of each ad break. Maybe not that ingenious after the hundredth time, but it’s still a refreshing change from the yawny voiceovers of similar ‘yoof’ channels.

The general programming content is quite strong. ‘Sex And The City’ is a regular feature in the schedules, with new series shown on E4 before any other station, and some months in advance of their airing on Channel 4. ‘Friends’, ‘ER’ and ‘Dawson’s Creek’ also bulk up the station’s output, even if the latter is, in my humble opinion, akin to having teeth pulled out with its tiring teenage philosophising.

As far as British progs go, my favourite is Banzai, the truly unique game-show which apes the insanity of Japanese television and adds a quirky twist of British humour by featuring some Z-list celebrities inadvertently making fools of themselves. ‘As If’ is also one of the flagship programmes of the station and is arguably one of the most watchable and non-irritating teen-centred progra
mmes in recent history, even if it does perhaps try a little bit too hard at times to be cutting-edge.

Admittedly, some of the programming is repeated from its sister station Channel 4, with Graham Norton and Ali G usually getting a second showing within hours of their premier over on terrestrial TV. However, reruns of comedies like ‘Phoenix Nights’, ‘Jam’, ‘Smack The Pony’ and ‘Brass Eye’ are surely preferable the BBC laughter-drought zones of ‘Two Pints Of Lager...' and ‘My Family’.

Some of the Entertainment programmes are a bit dicy. June Sarpong tries her best to pout her way through the conceptual bore of ‘You Face Or Mine?’ whilst Vernon Kay fronted ‘Boys and Girls’ really does take the ginger nut for being the worst thing on telly ever.

One brave move by E4 was the introduction of 24-hour Interactive ‘Big Brother’, which allowed BB addicts to sit on the sofa and, er, watch people sitting on sofas. Whilst this may appear to the sane as exciting as observing Dulux solidify, it proved to be such a ratings smash that the current daytime schedules are filled with another reality TV show, ‘The Salon’.

Whilst the target audience for the station is quite narrow, the quality of the shows is generally much higher than Sky One, whose dramas such as ‘Mile High’ and ‘Dream Team’ are jaw-droppingly embarrassing.

The main criticism would be that arguably a more inventive schedule could be created for daytime viewers – when there is no reality TV show in progress, there is nothing but previews before 5pm.

E4 is certainly a good bonus to any Digital TV package, although it sadly isn’t available on Freeview. Perhaps not holding as much variety as Channel 4, it is probably the best entertainment channel across the Digital network. Apart from Ms Strachan and her 80&#
8217;s compilations that is...

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