grand designs

“I want more disabled people on screen across all genres and channels, from Vanity Lair to Hollyoaks, Grand Designs to Shipwrecked. And more disabled talent behind the camera – via new talent strands (3MW, Comedy Lab, Coming Up) and targeted series like New Shoots (2007) which gave 12 disabled directors their first half-hour documentary credit. This year The Shooting Party brought together a group of nine disabled directors to make short films, and follows their progress as they carve out a place in the demanding world of film-making. What’s next year’s challenge?”

Alison Walsh: Editorial Manager, Disability, Channel 4

“I have a series coming up called (w/t) Boys and Girls Alone. Ten boys and ten girls aged between 8 and 11 live in their own separate, adult-free villages. With increasing concerns about Cotton Wool Kids, the series creates a safe environment for them to rediscover their freedom.

Ambition and scale mark the work of this department. If I hear an idea and think, ‘I can’t imagine how we’ll be able to pull that off!’ then I immediately want to know more. I was immensely proud of Jamie’s Fowl Dinners; it was an innovative combination of entertaining event television and hard-hitting journalism.

My most pressing need right now is for another popular 9pm series. I’m interested in building formats around stories that are a marker of the current time. Grand Designs tapped into a genuinely new trend of self-build – where else are the middle classes exploring their dreams?

Over the next year we also want to launch a new generation of on-screen authors. Who are the new faces we should be considering to take on provocative stunts, immerse themselves in a world or tackle subjects with subversive wit? And what are the entertaining journeys they can follow to reveal real content and purpose?”

Dominique Walker: Commissioning Editor, Factual Entertainment, Channel 4