Channel 5 is launching a single drama strand to give a voice to writers, producers and directors from low-income backgrounds.
The broadcaster has initially commissioned a batch of six one-hour dramas from Vertigo Films and LA Productions, with the first three due to air this autumn.
The move marks Vertigo's first time working with Channel 5; LA Productions has previously made Compulsion [main picture] and Clink for the broadcaster.
It then plans to open the strand to a wider pool of production companies.
The single dramas will feature household names and tackle contemporary social issues, will air in primetime.
They will complement C5's established roster of serialised, often stripped, dramas such as Coma and Cuckoo and returners like All Creatures Great and Small.
The move, which follows C5’s launch of a diverse directors initiative with Clapperboard Films, aims to plug gaps left by the PSBs’ scaling back of continuing drama, a traditional training ground for scripted production talent.
C5 deputy chief content officer and head of drama Sebastian Cardwell said the strand sought to address “an increasingly worrying and wider economic situation impacting our industry”.
He added: “We’ve specifically selected to work with Allan Niblo and Nathalie Peter-Contesse (Vertigo Films) and Colin McKeown (LA Productions) as they have a track record in supporting and nurturing this incredibly talented pool of people who need to be given the opportunity to step up.”
C5 chief content officer Ben Frow said: “As a public service broadcaster, reflecting the lives of our audience is a huge priority for us.
“This new strand, in the vein of ‘Play for Today,’ will help bring some of the important issues that affect our viewers to life, whilst also giving talented individuals from low-income backgrounds the chance to shine as part of the productions.”
