Channel 4 taps Grayson Perry as it launches new creative plan
Artist and broadcaster Grayson Perry will host a new show teaching housebound Brits how to make art as part of a slate of new creative programming on Channel 4.
Grayson’s Art Club will feature the iconic crossdresser and famous guest artists, who will teach people how to sculpt, draw and create while in quarantine.
It comes amid a wider push by the public service broadcaster to keep the country entertained during the coronavirus crisis.
The scheme, dubbed Lockdown Academy, will feature a craft show hosted by property guru Kirstie Allsopp and cooking programmes with Jamie Oliver.
It will also see the launch of Wedding in Lockdown, where couples whose ceremonies have been cancelled due to the virus can have their celebrations broadcast online.
Journalist Steph McGovern, who moved to Channel 4 from BBC Breakfast last year, will broadcast her daily talk show live from her living room in Yorkshire.
“In these extremely uncertain and challenging times, public service broadcasters like Channel 4 play a vitally important role in holding our nation together,” said chief executive Alex Mahon.
“We are here to inform the audience with trusted news and current affairs, to help them stay in touch with what’s going on around them and, just as importantly, to lift them up and make them feel connected with the rest of the world when they are isolated at home.”
Channel 4 has also ramped up its news, current affairs and factual output since the coronavirus outbreak as it looks to keep up with rising demand.
Channel 4 News, which last week attracted its largest audience in more than a decade, has extended its Monday night programme to 90 minutes, with the programme producing a fortnightly hour-long debate special on the crisis.
The broadcaster has also launched a new digital on-screen graphic telling viewers to stay at home during the public health crisis.