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91-401: The film begins with a scooter chase between Harry Hill and his grandmother simply referred to as Nan; she did not know it was him. Afterwards, Harry is sent to get a chicken for lunch, but the chickens fire a machine gun at him and throw a grenade , which Harry throws back into the chicken shed, blowing them up. Nan tells Harry the story of his twin brother Otto, who was abandoned by Nan in

182-540: A dress shirt with a distinctive oversized collar and cuffs. He won the Perrier Award for Best Newcomer at the 1992 Edinburgh Festival Fringe , and began his career in radio and television comedy with the radio series Harry Hill's Fruit Corner (1993–1997). He has hosted his own television comedy show Harry Hill's TV Burp (2001–2012), and narrated You've Been Framed! from (2004–2022). His other projects include The Harry Hill Movie , released in 2013. Hill

273-445: A "safety net" guaranteed minimum income should the revenue fall too low, funded by large insurance payments made to the ITV companies. Such a subsidy was never required, however, and these premiums were phased out by the government in 1998. After the link with ITV was cut, the cross-promotion which had existed between ITV and Channel 4 also ended. In 2007, owing to severe funding difficulties,

364-526: A book of children's jokes, released in 2006. The book was also made available as an iPhone application. A second book, Harry Hill's Bumper Book of Bloopers , was released for Christmas 2011. The Harry Hill Movie premiered in the United Kingdom on 20 December 2013. The film also stars Matt Lucas , Julie Walters , Johnny Vegas , Sheridan Smith , Simon Bird , Marc Wootton , Jim Broadbent , and band The Magic Numbers . The film sees Hill embark on

455-529: A box to aid Harry in some way. Guests on the show included George Formby Society , Alison Hammond and Les Dennis . The series has received positive reviews, with many pointing out the similarities to TV Burp . The show moved to Saturday evenings between 7.30 pm and 8.00 pm for a second series, aired in 2018, and a third in 2019. In 2020, Harry Hill started presenting Harry Hill's World of TV . Using archive clips, this TV Burp -style show pokes fun at television, with each episode themed around

546-417: A boxing match, set up by Ed disguised as a ringmaster-like referee, where Harry has to fight Kisko to keep Abu, and successfully wins with a free stick of rock. Later on, the car runs out of petrol in the middle of the woods and Harry and Nan leave Abu behind while they search for a petrol station, and was almost kidnapped again by Ed and Kisko only to leave the car in pieces. Meanwhile, Otto teams them up with

637-500: A chicken, followed by a performance of the song "Hey Little Hen". In later series, Hill and Kwouk appeared in sketches as Karl Lagerfeld and Gianni Versace . Hill's screen wife Mai Sung also made several appearances on the show, mainly on the theme of trying to steal his Abbey National bank savings book. Another character that featured on the show was Stouffer the Cat, a glove puppet cat made from blue rubber. Stouffer would normally sit in

728-404: A delay of almost three decades before the second commercial channel became a reality. One benefit of the late arrival of the channel was that its frequency allocations at each transmitter had already been arranged in the early 1960s when the launch of an "ITV2" was anticipated. This led to good coverage across most of the country and few problems of interference with other UK-based transmissions;

819-458: A doll of The Apprentice star Alan Sugar , who would regularly rap before clips of The Apprentice were introduced. The show was piloted in December 2001, before running for fifteen full series between 2002 and 2012, before being cancelled to allow Hill to work on other projects. Hill would occasionally say his catchphrase "Chippy chips!" and the show became known for another catchphrase "You get

910-604: A fourth television service in the United Kingdom. At the time, the only other channels were the licence -funded BBC1 and BBC2 , and a single commercial broadcasting network, ITV . Originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA), the station is now owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation, a public corporation of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport , which

1001-586: A master of disguise fox Renard Depardieu. Harry, Nan and Abu hitch a ride in a limo with Ed and Kisko disguised as Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez , and they arrive in Blackpool to see a show featuring The Dachsund Five, a tribute band to the Jackson 5 . Harry is reunited with Michelle, much to Nan's dismay, and Abu is finally kidnapped and replaced with Renard in a hamster hoodie. While Harry and Nan look for Abu, they follow

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1092-418: A non-acting role for Tom Keating in his series On Painters . Channel 4 co-commissioned Robert Ashley 's television opera Perfect Lives , which it premiered over several episodes in 1984. The channel often did not receive mass audiences for much of this period, as might be expected for a station focusing on minority interests. During this time, Channel 4 also began the funding of independent films, such as

1183-470: A pleasure to be able to say to you, welcome to Channel Four." Following the announcement, the channel played a montage of clips from its programmes set to the station's signature tune, "Fourscore", written by David Dundas , which would form the basis of the station's jingles for its first decade. The first programme to air on the channel was the teatime game show Countdown , produced by Yorkshire Television , at 16:45. The first person to be seen on Channel 4

1274-442: A priest and a nun respectively in another attempt to capture Abu, but it goes wrong when Harry walks in on the two trying to kill Abu and thinks they are having gay sex. With the two gone, Abu reveals that he would like to spend his last week alive visiting Rihanna . Harry, who cannot communicate with hamsters, misinterprets as him wanting to go to Blackpool , and so Harry, Nan and Abu set off in their Rover P6 . Ed and Kisko pursue

1365-777: A public service broadcaster with a specific remit, it is afforded free carriage on the terrestrial platforms, in contrast with other broadcasters such as ITV. Channel 4 is available outside the United Kingdom; it is widely available in the Republic of Ireland , the Netherlands , Belgium and Switzerland . The channel is registered to broadcast within the European Union/EEA through the Luxembourg Broadcasting Regulator (ALIA). Since 2019, it has been offered by British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) to members of

1456-552: A remit of public service obligations which it must fulfil. The remit changes periodically, as dictated by various broadcasting and communications acts, and is regulated by the various authorities Channel 4 has been answerable to; originally the IBA, then the ITC and now Ofcom . The preamble of the remit as per the Communications Act 2003 states that: The public service remit for Channel 4

1547-512: A road trip to Blackpool with his Nan ( Julie Walters ) when he discovers that his hamster has only one week to live. The 88-minute film was directed by Steve Bendelack and made $ 3,647,870 at the box office. It was also released on DVD on 14 April 2014. Hill presented a revived version of the ITV talent show Stars in Their Eyes . The series aired for six episodes from 10 January until 14 February 2015. The revival has proved divisive. Fans of

1638-406: A similar format to Fruit Corner , Hill performed a series of sketches, with celebrity guests making cameo appearances. The series ran for six episodes on BBC2 between October and December 1994. For Christmas that year, a VHS containing a 100-minute compilation of the best material from the series, as well as unseen sketches, was released by BBC Video. Hill was a regular on Saturday Live , which

1729-557: A specific genre. In 2002, Hill published a novel entitled Flight from Deathrow , based around the unlikely fictional antics of real-life celebrities and politicians, as seen through the eyes of a storyteller who drifts in and out of a coma. His second book, Tim the Tiny Horse , was published in October 2006, and featured the tale of a small horse who has to wear glasses because of poor eyesight. Hill's third book, The Further Adventures of

1820-487: A stark contrast to the difficulties associated with Channel 5 's launch almost 15 years later. At the time the fourth service was being considered, a movement in Wales lobbied for the creation of dedicated service that would air Welsh language programmes, then only catered for at off-peak times on BBC Wales and HTV . The campaign was taken so seriously by Gwynfor Evans , former president of Plaid Cymru , that he threatened

1911-570: A throne, supported by a rubber arm in the style of Rod Hull , and was employed to intimidate guests during Hill's standup routines. Some of Stouffer's catchphrases are "he got a big face" and "sorted – respect due". At the end of each episode, an event called "The Badger Parade" was supposed to take place. The parade featured a number of puppet badgers that included " Gareth Southgate badger" and " Tasmin Archer badger", among others – however, every week, there would be some kind of problem, resulting in

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2002-468: A trail of BBQ beef Hula Hoops to Otto's hideout, where Otto reveals his plan to turn Abu into a model figurine for his collection as an act of revenge for being deserted. During a fight between the two, Nan reveals that she got rid of Otto because she kept getting him and Harry mixed up. After being chased away by killer brains, Harry and Nan are saved by the Shell People, including Barney who shoots one of

2093-555: A weekly online comedy series on the ChannelFlip website, entitled Harry Hill's Little Internet Show . Ten episodes of the show were broadcast online. In 2003, The Observer listed Hill as one of the fifty funniest acts in British comedy. In 2005, in a poll to find The Comedian's Comedian , he was voted amongst the Top 50 comedy acts ever by fellow comedians and comedy insiders. In 2007, Hill

2184-641: Is a fan of George Formby and is a member of the George Formby Society . On 8 March 2023, Hill joined math-rock band Black Midi onstage during their residency at the Village Underground in London. He performed a verse of Cardi B 's " I Like It " to applause. Hill is also a fan of former Black Midi front man, Geordie Greep. Hill is a supporter of the Labour Party and canvassed for the party during

2275-504: Is half boy and half speed camera , and Evelynne Hussey, a one-woman band who played a number of different instruments. While the show featured a game-show element, Help the Aged , it was very similar in structure to Harry Hill . In the show, Hill wore a pale yellow, custard-coloured shirt, with a giant collar, instead of his usual white collar. The series was never released on DVD; however, it did spawn Harry Hill's Whopping Great Joke Book ,

2366-460: Is now universally available. After some months of test broadcasts, the new broadcaster began scheduled transmissions on 2 November 1982 from Scala House, the former site of the Scala Theatre . Its initial broadcasts reached 87% of the United Kingdom. The first voice heard on Channel 4's opening day of 2 November 1982 was that of continuity announcer Paul Coia who said: "Good afternoon. It's

2457-440: Is the provision of a broad range of high quality and diverse programming which, in particular: The remit also involves an obligation to provide programming for schools, and a substantial amount of programming produced outside of Greater London . Channel 4 was carried from its beginning on analogue terrestrial, the standard means of television broadcast in the United Kingdom. It continued to be broadcast through these means until

2548-505: Is very hard to keep patience with a story which hinges on the health of a toy hamster". However Graham Young for the Birmingham Mail , on a more positive note said, "Uniquely British and deliriously silly, Harry Hill offers up the laughs". Tom Huddleston from Time Out gave it three stars, saying "this has bigger laughs" and "the set-piece gags are memorable"; however, he added "There’s not enough here to sustain 88 minutes, too many of

2639-458: The 2015 general election . Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation . It is publicly owned but, unlike the BBC , it receives no public funding and is funded entirely by its commercial activities, including advertising . It began its transmission in 1982 and was established to provide

2730-519: The British Armed Forces and their families around the world, BFBS Extra having previously carried a selection of Channel 4 programmes. The Channel 4 website allows people in the United Kingdom to watch Channel 4 live. Previously, some programmes (mostly international imports) were not shown. Channel 4 is also provided by Virgin Mobile 's DAB mobile TV service, which has the same restrictions as

2821-581: The Merchant Ivory docudrama The Courtesans of Bombay . In 1987, Richard Attenborough replaced Edmund Dell as chairman. In 1988, Michael Grade became CEO. In 1992, Channel 4 faced its first libel case which was brought by Jani Allan , a South African journalist, who objected to her representation in Nick Broomfield 's documentary The Leader, His Driver and the Driver's Wife . After control of

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2912-786: The Queen Mum , was published in October 2007, and was a comic take on the life and times of the Queen Mother. His fourth novel, Tim the Tiny Horse at Large , which is a sequel to Tim the Tiny Horse , was published in October 2009. In 2010, Hill released Livin' the Dreem , a fictional account of a year in his life with frequent references to pop culture. The book was reprinted in May 2011, with additional entries for events occurring between January and April of that year. A Complete History of Tim (the Tiny Horse)

3003-527: The Sky Atlantic sitcom This is Jinsy . Between July and October 2003, Hill presented a Sunday morning comedy and music show on Capital Radio called "Funch". In October 2006, Hill presented his own episode of long running ITV series, An Audience With... , in which he revived several characters from Harry Hill . On 4 October 2004, he also appeared in an episode of Room 101 . In November 2010, Hill released his debut comic album, 'Funny Times'. The album

3094-630: The University of London in 1988. Hill worked as a Proctologist at Doncaster Royal Infirmary , before quitting the medical profession because he "didn't feel in control of what was happening"; he is still registered on the General Medical Council 's list of Registered Medical Practitioners . In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom , Hill nearly returned to work at the temporary NHS Nightingale Hospital London , after filling in

3185-465: The "fun capsule" of the title) that Earthlings are good fun and therefore worthy of saving from destruction. Harry alludes to the premise of the show as being rather tenuous in a running joke during each show's introduction, before introducing the two teams of guests, usually a mix of comedians and television stars. In a similar style to Harry Hill's TV Burp , the show includes various clips from television and film, often attributed or related somehow to

3276-451: The 1970s and early 1980s often had a spare tuning button labelled "ITV 2" or "IBA 2". Throughout ITV's history and until Channel 4 finally became a reality, a perennial dialogue existed between the GPO , the government , the ITV companies and other interested parties, concerning the form such an expansion of commercial broadcasting would take. Most likely, politics had the biggest impact leading to

3367-544: The 1970s, claiming it was because she could not look after them both, and was raised by Alsatians , though Harry explains to Nan that she has told this story many times before. Suddenly, Harry and Nan then discover that their beloved pet hamster Abu is ill, so they take him to the vet. Ed the vet and his assistant, Kisko claim that Abu has just a week to live and he is almost put down until Harry takes him back home. Ed and Kisko are then revealed to be working for Otto, who wants Abu dead. Ed and Kisko then disguise themselves as

3458-517: The IBA from the ITV regional companies, in return for which each company had the right to sell advertisements on the fourth channel in its own region and keep the proceeds. This meant that ITV and Channel 4 were not in competition with each other, and often promoted each other's programmes. A change in funding came about under the Broadcasting Act 1990 when the new corporation was afforded the ability to fund itself. Originally this arrangement left

3549-514: The ITV version included the Hamilton Challenge, featuring Neil and Christine Hamilton , and a butterfly in blue jeans. The Channel 4 series was revisited in August 2012, for a retrospective documentary entitled Whatever Happened to Harry Hill? . In October 2001, Hill moved to ITV in a lucrative deal, in which he created an all-new show, Harry Hill's TV Burp , where he would take a look at

3640-555: The Internet live stream. Channel 4 is also carried by the Internet TV service TVCatchup and was previously carried by Zattoo until the operator removed the channel from its platform. Channel 4 also makes some of its programming available "on demand" via cable and the internet through the Channel 4 VoD service. During its first decade, Channel 4 was funded by subscriptions collected by

3731-476: The Races , E4 and More4 . Partially in reaction to its new "populist" direction, the Communications Act 2003 directed the channel to demonstrate innovation, experimentation, and creativity, appeal to the tastes and interests of a culturally diverse society, and include programmes of an educational nature which exhibit a distinctive character. On 31 December 2004, Channel 4 launched a new visual identity in which

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3822-522: The Shell People's cave by singing " You Got the Love ". In February 2012, before the end of Harry Hill's TV Burp , Digital Spy reported Hill was to sign a £2 million movie deal with Channel 4 , which would later become The Harry Hill Movie . Set in Blackpool and London , the Blackpool scenes in the film were shot in the town itself. Greatstone-on-Sea , Kent doubled as "Blackpole". The fuel station scene

3913-488: The Street , Without A Trace , Home Improvement , Frasier , Lost , Nip/Tuck , Ally McBeal , Dawson's Creek , Oz , Sex and The City , The Sopranos , Scrubs , King of The Hill , Babylon 5 , Stargate SG-1 , Star Trek: Enterprise , Andromeda , Family Guy , South Park and Futurama . In the early 2000s, Channel 4 began broadcasting reality formats such as Big Brother and obtained

4004-610: The Welsh variant; this practice continued until the closure of S4C's analogue transmissions in 2010, at which time S4C became a fully Welsh channel. With this conversion of the Wenvoe transmitter group in Wales to digital terrestrial broadcasting on 31 March 2010, Channel 4 became a nationwide television channel for the first time. Since then, carriage on digital cable , satellite and digital terrestrial has introduced Channel 4 to Welsh homes where it

4095-419: The ability to subsidise the main network through any profits made on the corporation's other endeavours, which have in the past included subscription fees from stations such as E4 and Film4 (now no longer subscription services) and its "video-on-demand" sales. In practice, however, these other activities are loss-making, and are subsidised by the main network. According to Channel 4's published accounts, for 2005

4186-534: The badgers being unable to perform. In place of the badger parade, Hill would usually sing a song, with a guest that he had invited onto the show. A tie-in book relating to the series was released in October 1998, entitled Harry Hill's Fun Book . The series was cancelled in April 2000 but was revived by ITV in March 2003, as The All-New Harry Hill Show . It was broadcast along with episodes of TV Burp . Regular features on

4277-610: The brains with a bazooka , to which Nan accepts his and Michelle's love. Harry pursues Otto to the top of the Blackpool Tower . Nan rescues him and Abu in a helicopter, Otto is defeated, and Ed and Kisko reform. Abu coughs up a green felt tip pen which turns out to be the cause of his illness, meaning that he was not dying after all. Ed explains that hamsters like sucking on pens, and he gave it to Abu so he would be sick and start this whole plan, even though Harry points out that he could have just kidnapped Abu then. Everyone celebrates in

4368-550: The changeover to digital terrestrial television in the United Kingdom was complete. Since 1998, it has been universally available on digital terrestrial, and the Sky platform (initially encrypted, though encryption was dropped on 14 April 2008 and is now free of charge and available on the Freesat platform) as well as having been available from various times in various areas, on analogue and digital cable networks. Due to its special status as

4459-633: The channel broadcast the direct-to-TV documentary film Beyond Citizen Kane , in which it displayed the dominant position of the Rede Globo (now TV Globo ) television network, and discussed its influence, power, and political connections in Brazil. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, Channel 4 gave many popular and influential American comedy and drama series their first exposure on British television, such as Friends , Cheers , Will & Grace , NYPD Blue , ER , Desperate Housewives , Homicide: Life on

4550-522: The channel sought government help and was granted a payment of £14 million over a six-year period. The money was to have come from the television licence fee, and would have been the first time that money from the licence fee had been given to any broadcaster other than the BBC. However, the plan was scrapped by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport , Andy Burnham , ahead of "broader decisions about

4641-600: The corporation but the sale was blocked by the Liberal Democrat Business Secretary Vince Cable . In 2016, the future of the channel was again being looked into by the government, with analysts suggesting several options for its future. In June 2021, the government of Boris Johnson was considering selling the channel. In April 2022, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport acknowledged that ministerial discussions were taking place regarding

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4732-449: The current guests. The guests also partake in sketches and songs based on or directly spoofing the funny or bizarre items featured. There is a regular slot entitled "Local News Round Up", accompanied by its own theme tune, which involves each of the guests taking turns to read out bizarre headlines from local newspapers. Alan the Alien also appears as a green extra-terrestrial's arm, emerging from

4823-410: The day. In November 2009, Channel 4 launched a week of 3D television , broadcasting selected programmes each night using stereoscopic ColorCode 3D technology. The accompanying 3D glasses were distributed through Sainsbury's supermarkets. On 29 September 2015, Channel 4 revamped its presentation for a fifth time; the new branding downplayed the "4" logo from most on-air usage, in favour of using

4914-657: The existing channels, an agenda in part set out by its remit which required the provision of programming to minority groups. In step with its remit, the channel became well received both by minority groups and the arts and cultural worlds during this period under Isaacs, during which the channel gained a reputation for programmes on the contemporary arts. Two programmes captured awards from the Broadcasting Press Guild in March 1983: best comedy for The Comic Strip Presents …Five Go Mad in Dorset, and best on-screen performance in

5005-542: The film was released in the United Kingdom , it opened on #7. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes , The Harry Hill Movie has an approval rating of 33% based on reviews from 6 critics, with an average rating of 4.4/10. Ryan Gilbey of The Guardian gave it 2 out of 5 and wrote "What's missing is any persuasive comic force or vision to justify the film's place in cinemas rather than in petrol station bargain bins". The Independent were also critical saying its screenplay wasn't "so much offbeat as utterly feeble" and "it

5096-577: The form after "A few drinks". He was asked if he could start immediately due to his last medical specialism being in "Respiratory Emergencies". However, he turned down the role due to travel issues. Hill achieved his breakthrough in 1992, when he won the Perrier Award for Best Newcomer at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Shortly after, a radio show starring Hill was commissioned by BBC Radio 4 entitled Harry Hill's Fruit Corner . Hill hosted

5187-700: The future framework of public service broadcasting". The broadcasting regulator Ofcom released its review in January 2009 in which it suggested that Channel 4 would preferably be funded by "partnerships, joint ventures or mergers". As of 2022 , it breaks even in much the same way as most privately run commercial stations through the sale of on-air advertising, programme sponsorship, and the sale of any programme content and merchandising rights it owns, such as overseas broadcasting rights and domestic video sales. For example, as of 2012 its total revenues were £925 million with 91% derived from sale of advertising. It also has

5278-583: The government with a hunger strike were it not to honour the plans. The result was that Channel 4 as seen by the rest of the United Kingdom would be replaced in Wales by S4C (Sianel Pedwar Cymru, meaning "Channel Four Wales" in Welsh). Operated by a specially created authority , S4C would air programmes in Welsh made by HTV, the BBC and independent companies. Initially, limited frequency space meant that Channel 4 could not be broadcast alongside S4C, though some Channel 4 programmes would be aired at less popular times on

5369-399: The group on the road driving a giant mobile traffic cone, though they end up in "Blackpole" by mistake, so they stay for the night in a B&B owned by The Magic Numbers . The next day, Harry and Nan take Abu on a personal guided tour around a nuclear power plant by Bill the cleaner in drag . Ed and Kisko attempt to capture Abu again, this time by disguising themselves as cleaners, only for

5460-412: The idea with that" and Hill's actual sideways look at a topic. The show won a number of BAFTA awards, and spawned five Best of TV Burp DVD compilations, and a book based on the series, which was released for Christmas 2009. From 2004 to 2022, Hill narrated 15 series of the comical clip show You've Been Framed! , often shortened to YBF! , replacing Jonathan Wilkes on the show. In February 2023, it

5551-570: The jokes fall flat... There will be those who find The Harry Hill Movie about as amusing as a trip to the dentist. They’re wrong." Harry Hill Matthew Keith Hall (born 1 October 1964), known professionally as Harry Hill , is an English comedian, presenter and writer. He pursued a career in stand-up following years working as a medical doctor, developing an offbeat, energetic performance style that fused elements of surrealism , observational comedy , slapstick , satire and music . When performing, he usually wears browline glasses and

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5642-513: The last time, after 32 years as a main presenter on the programme, making Snow one of the UK's longest-serving presenters on a national news programme. Channel 4's parent company, Channel Four Television Corporation , was considered for privatisation by the governments of Margaret Thatcher , John Major and Tony Blair . In 2014, the Cameron-Clegg coalition government drew up proposals to privatise

5733-449: The last to launch in 1964. The Broadcasting Act 1980 began the process of adding a fourth; Channel 4 was formally created, along with its Welsh counterpart , by an act of Parliament in 1982. The notion of a second commercial broadcaster in the United Kingdom had been around since the inception of ITV in 1954 and its subsequent launch in 1955; the idea of an "ITV2" was long expected and pushed for. Indeed, television sets sold throughout

5824-458: The launch of Channel 4 HD, but the fourth HD slot was given to Channel 5 instead. On 2 November 2007, the station celebrated its 25th birthday. It showed the first episode of Countdown , an anniversary Countdown special, as well as a special edition of The Big Fat Quiz . It use the original multicoloured 1982–1996 blocks logo on presentation, and idents using the Fourscore jingle throughout

5915-636: The logo is disguised as different objects and the "4" can be seen from an angle. Under the leadership of Freeview founder Andy Duncan , 2005 saw a change of direction for Channel 4's digital channels. The company made E4 free-to-air on digital terrestrial television , and launched a new free-to-air digital channel called More4 . By October, Channel 4 had joined the Freeview consortium. By July 2006, Film4 had likewise become free-to-air and restarted broadcasting on digital terrestrial. Venturing into radio broadcasting, 2005 saw Channel 4 purchase 51% of shares in

6006-594: The new yogurt, Danio by Danone . He also sang in 2001 " This Charming Man " by The Smiths as Morrissey in Stars in their Eyes . In February 2001, and again in April, Hill appeared on Lily Savage's Blankety Blank . Hill has also appeared as a guest on the BBC Radio 4 series I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue , in the ChuckleVision episode "Mind Your Manors", the first episode of the twentieth series, and as Joon Boolay in

6097-512: The now defunct Oneword radio station, with UBC Media holding on to the remaining shares. New programmes such as the weekly, half-hour The Morning Report news programme were among some of the new content Channel 4 provided for the station, with the name 4Radio being used. As of early 2009, however, Channel 4's future involvement in radio remained uncertain. Before the digital switchover , Channel 4 raised concerns over how it might finance its public service obligations afterward. In April 2006, it

6188-419: The original format were extremely critical of it, saying that Hill had made the show about himself rather than the contestants. In April 2015, it was announced that the show had been axed by ITV, due to extremely poor ratings. Tea Time saw Hill welcome guests to a spoof comedy kitchen and ask them to cook bizarre things. A new entertainment series for Sky 1 , the first series debuted on 16 October 2016, and

6279-554: The radiation to temporarily transform him into a kaiju -esque giant monster. Later, Harry, Nan and Abu encounter Barney Cull, a member of the Shell People, who asks Harry and the others to save his people's children from a gift shop . The heist is a success and they are invited back to the Shell People's cave where Harry falls for the Shell King Conch’s daughter, Michelle, but leaves after being unable to cope living under water. The three continue their road trip only to end up in

6370-455: The rights to broadcast mass appeal sporting events like cricket and horse racing . This new direction increased ratings and revenues. The popularity of Big Brother led to the launches of other, shorter-lived new reality shows to chase the populist audience, such as The Salon , Shattered and Space Cadets . In addition, the corporation launched several new television channels through its new 4Ventures offshoot, including Film4 , At

6461-434: The sale of Channel Four Television Corporation. The channel's chief executive, Alex Mahon, expressed disappointment at this, saying that its vision for the future was "rooted in continued public ownership". In January 2023, Michelle Donelan confirmed that the plans to sell Channel 4 were scrapped and that it would remain in public ownership for the foreseeable future. Channel 4 was established with, and continues to hold,

6552-530: The shapes from the logo in various forms. Four new idents were filmed by Jonathan Glazer , which featured the shapes in various real-world scenes depicting the "discovery" and "origins" of the shapes. The full logo was still occasionally used, but primarily for off-air marketing. Channel 4 also commissioned two new corporate typefaces, "Chadwick", and "Horseferry" (a variation of Chadwick with the aforementioned shapes incorporated into its letter forms), for use across promotional material and on-air. In June 2017, it

6643-573: The show as himself, and each week he was joined by various guest performers, as well as regular character actors including Al Murray and Burt Kwouk . The show featured a variety of other celebrity guests during its run including Rolf Harris and Ronnie Corbett . Each episode is interspersed with Hill's stand-up routines. Fruit Corner ran for four series on BBC Radio 4 . Hill made his television breakthrough in 1994, when he starred in BBC2 black-and-white silent comedy series Harry Hill's Fruit Fancies . In

6734-562: The station passed from the Channel Four Television Company to the Channel Four Television Corporation in 1993, a shift in broadcasting style took place. Instead of aiming for minority tastes, it began to focus on the edges of the mainstream, and the centre of the mass market itself. It began to show many American programmes in peak viewing time, far more than it had previously done. In September 1993,

6825-547: The week's television, showing clips from various British television programmes, and framing them with funny commentary or intercutting additional footage. The series would feature a regular stable of all new characters, including the Knitted Character, a small knitted rabbit, Wagbo, a demon love child whose parents are reportedly Wagner Carillho and Mary Byrne of X Factor fame, and an interpretation of Heather Trott from EastEnders , played by Steve Bernham, as well as

6916-740: Was Richard Whiteley , with Ted Moult being the second. The first woman on the channel, contrary to popular belief, was not Whiteley's Countdown co-host Carol Vorderman , but a lexicographer only ever identified as Mary. Whiteley opened the show with the words: "As the countdown to a brand new channel ends, a brand new countdown begins." On its first day, Channel 4 also broadcast the soap opera Brookside , which often ran storylines thought to be controversial; this ran until 2003. After three days, ITV chiefs called for founding chief executive Jeremy Isaacs to resign due to poor ratings. Critics called it "Channel Bore" and "Channel Snore". At its launch, Channel 4 committed itself to providing an alternative to

7007-493: Was a victim of identity theft ; a sum of £280,000 was stolen from his bank account. In Autumn 2008, Hill launched Harry's Nuts , a brand of Fairtrade peanuts. On 17 July 2014, Hill was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Arts by the University of Kent , in recognition of his contribution to television and the arts. On 25 August 2016, Hill became a patron of Action Duchenne which funds research for Duchenne muscular dystrophy , and fights for improved standards of care. Hill

7098-657: Was announced that Alex Mahon would be the next chief executive, and would take over from David Abraham , who left in November 2017. On 31 October 2017, Channel 4 introduced a new series of idents continuing the theme, this time depicting the logo shapes as having formed into an anthropomorphic "giant" character. On 25 September 2021, Channel 4 and several of its sub-channels went off air after an incident at Red Bee Media's playout centre in west London. Channel 4, More4 , Film4 , E4 , 4Music , The Box , Box Hits , Kiss , Magic and Kerrang! stopped transmitting, but 4seven

7189-466: Was announced that Channel 4's digital switch-over costs would be paid for by licence fee revenues. In July 2007, Channel 4 paid £28   million for a 50% stake in the TV business of British media company EMAP , which had seven music video channels. On 15 August 2008, 4Music was launched across the UK. Channel 4 announced interest in launching a high-definition version of Film4 on Freeview, to coincide with

7280-554: Was born in Woking , Surrey on 1 October 1964 and grew up in Staplehurst , Kent, where he attended the local primary school. At the age of 14, Hill moved with his family to Hong Kong for two years and attended Island School there. He was later educated at Angley School and then Cranbrook School in Kent and St George's Hospital Medical School . He received his MBBS medical degree from

7371-418: Was broadcast in 1996 on ITV for eight episodes. Harry Hill got his own television series on Channel 4 in 1997. Among the regular characters were Harry Hill's big brother, Alan, played by Al Murray, and his adopted son, Alan Jr., played by Matt Bradstock. Burt Kwouk also appeared in many episodes as Harry's "Chicken Catcher" – and each week, he would come up with an excuse as to why he has not yet captured

7462-635: Was criticised by the National Deaf Children's Society, which complained to the broadcasting watchdog. A new subtitling, signing and audio description system had to be built from scratch. The service eventually began to return at the end of October. In June 2022 after a six-month long investigation, Ofcom found that Channel 4 had breached its broadcast licence conditions on two grounds: Missing its subtitles quota on Freesat for 2021 and failure to effectively communicate with affected audiences. On 23 December 2021, Jon Snow presented Channel 4 News for

7553-552: Was established in 1990 and came into operation in 1993. Until 2010, Channel 4 did not broadcast in Wales , but many of its programmes were re-broadcast there by the Welsh fourth channel S4C . In 2010, Channel 4 extended service into Wales and became a nationwide television channel. The network's headquarters are in London and Leeds , with creative hubs in Glasgow and Bristol . Before Channel 4 and S4C, Britain had three terrestrial television services: BBC1 , BBC2 , and ITV , with BBC2

7644-517: Was not impacted. The incident still affected a number of the channels by 30 September. The London Fire Brigade confirmed that a gas fire prevention system at the site had been activated, but firefighters found no sign of fire. Activation of the fire suppression system caused catastrophic damage to some systems, such as Channel 4's subtitles, signing, and audio description system. An emergency backup subtitling system also failed, leaving Channel 4 unable to provide access services to viewers. This situation

7735-565: Was preceded by the singles 'I Wanna Baby', 'SuBo', and 'Ken!', which features William Roache , as his Coronation Street character, Ken Barlow , is the feature of the song. Since October 2010, Hill has had his own comic strip in The Dandy , entitled Harry Hill's Real Life Adventures in TV Land , drawn by Nigel Parkinson . Hill was directly involved in its creation and is co-credited with Parkinson. Between October and December 2010, Hill starred in

7826-593: Was published in November 2012 which contains the first two Tim the Tiny Horse novels, with four new stories. Hill has recorded voice-overs on television commercials. Advertisements that Hill has provided a voice over for include the holiday adverts for Boots in 2004, the "Bring on the Branston!" adverts for the Branston Pickle brand during 2006 to 2007, adverts for the Green Flag car breakdown service, and adverts for

7917-536: Was reported that the show had been axed by ITV. In October 2005, Hill wrote and starred in Harry Hill's Shark Infested Custard , a thirteen-part show broadcast in the CITV children's television slot, on ITV . While many of his well-known characters, such as Stouffer and Garry Hill, his fictional layabout son from his first marriage, remained, it also showcased several new characters, including Speed Camera Boy, an outsider who

8008-420: Was shot at Millbrook Proving Ground , Milton Keynes . In real life, Blackpole is an inland suburb of Worcester , which, like the fictional town in the movie, is frequently confused for Blackpool by satellite navigation users. The film was theatrically released on 20 December 2013 by Entertainment Film Distributors , and was released on DVD and Blu-ray on 14 April 2014 by Entertainment Film Distributors. When

8099-649: Was unable to be there and sent Wagbo to collect it on his behalf. He was also nominated for 3 other awards, including the People's Choice Award, which was won by Miranda Hart. Hill married artist Magda Archer in 1996, in Wandsworth , London. They have three daughters: Kitty Clover, Winifred Millicent and Frederica Aster, all born in Kensington and Chelsea . Hill and his family live in Whitstable , Kent . In February 2006, Hill

8190-683: Was viewed by 400,000 viewers. Ratings slipped the following week, when only 180,000 watched. Guests for the first series included Paul Hollywood , Joey Essex , Gok Wan , Martin Kemp and Jason Donovan . Harry Hill's Tea Time was commissioned for a second series which began airing in January 2018. In March 2017, Hill began presenting six thirty-minute episode of Harry Hill's Alien Fun Capsule , which aired on ITV on Thursday nights, 8.30 to 9 pm. The panel show sees Harry welcoming two teams of two celebrity guests as they are tasked with saving planet Earth from alien invasion by sending evidence (via

8281-408: Was voted #5 on Channel 4's hundred greatest stand ups. On 13 December 2006, Hill won two Highland Spring British Comedy Awards , over the favourites Ant and Dec , which Hill made light of in his acceptance speeches. In 2008, he won two BAFTAs, and another in 2009 for Best Entertainment Performance. In 2009, he won two British Comedy Awards , making it his sixth award. He also won again in 2011, but

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