E4 Controller, Karl Warner has announced the channel’s slate of new linear and digital commissions, developments and returning shows, as well as E4’s first nationwide hunt for the next generation of stars.
Karl Warner said: “I can’t wait to watch the new shows we’re announcing today as well as all the returning shows we love at E4. We’ve been focused on working with a richer range of Talent associated with the Channel; from established names like Rob Beckett and Emma Willis, to up-and-coming stars like Samson Kayo, The Wall of Comedy and our newest (but oldest) face, Grime Gran. We want E4 to be the home of funny, diverse, outrageous, loveable Talent.”
E4’s nationwide talent search, New Faces of E4, is to be led by production company Fully Focused, which has been charged to find the next generation of stars, be it presenters, actors or comedians. The search will uncover talent from a range of different backgrounds and from across the country.
The new faces will come without any substantial mainstream or terrestrial broadcast experience and will be given training to help with their development, and a selected group will then be given exposure on E4, which could see them involved across digital content, social media, in-vision continuity or starring in new shows.
The new shows include Rob Beckett’s Savage Socials W/T a new 10-part series (8×45’ and 2×60’) produced by Thames, that will see comedian Rob Beckett exploring social media’s most “topical, hilarious and outrageous content, all while offering the most savage commentary on TV.”
An initial eight weekly episodes will be followed by two one-hour end of year specials.
Fulwell 73’s Pants on Fire hosted by Emma Willis, will see teams of new and emerging faces from the world of comedy go head-to-head in an extreme bluffing show to try to impress a celebrity jury. 
E4 has also agreed a first-look development deal with the producers behind hit YouTube channel, Wall of Comedy and co-producers and stars of viral sensation, Shiro’s Story, a three-part drama told mainly via rap in addition to spoken dialogue that has amassed 17 million combined views and a huge dedicated following.
The deal will see multiple developments across entertainment and drama, working closely with Wall of Comedy founders, Percelle Ascott and Joivan Wade – who write, produce and star in their work – and managing director and executive producer, Tafara Makopa.
E4’s relationship with Ascott and Wade goes back to 2013 when they starred in E4 series, Youngers, after the success of their YouTube series, Mandem on the Wall.
Wade and Ascott launched the online platform Wall of Comedy in 2015. Spanning YouTube, Facebook and Instagram, it has produced numerous original and viral comedy formats including; Group Chat, Questions with Yung Filly, Who’s the Daddy, Who’s Got Game, as well as short-form features with some of the UK’s biggest social media content creators. Since then, the platform has achieved over 3.5 billion views, reaching over 120,000,000 people per week.
Outside of linear, E4 has commissioned a series of digital episodes for E4’s YouTube and Facebook pages from Margie “Grime Gran” Keefe who interviews the major players in the UK grime scene at her east London house. Production company is Lemonade Money.
Meanwhile, BAFTA-nominated rising star Samson Kayo (Famalam, Timewasters, Sliced) is bringing his fictional African Dictator to the E4 family, initially piloting, The Colonel Banjoko Show.
Colonel Banjoko is the military dictator of the small African nation of Tanzangola. After a devastating civil war, entirely of his own making, the Colonel was persuaded to take an ‘extended Sabbatical’ by his devoted subjects. He fled to London in the dead of night, taking only what he could carry… and the remainder of the country’s health budget, and is now living out his dream of presenting his own late-night entertainment show complete with celebrity guests, music, games and summary executions. The show is produced by BBC Studios.
Warner also announced the return of a range of commissioned shows and acquisitions.
In scripted, Dead Pixels, the show that takes a look at the world of online gaming is back for a second series. Series one was E4’s best performing UK scripted comedy since The Inbetweeners. The production company is Various Artists Ltd.
Canadian comedian Mae Martin’s Feel Good (previously announced under its working title of Mae and George) is a new, semi-autobiographical, six-part comedy series. The show follows recovering addict and comedian Mae, who is trying to control the addictive behaviours and intense romanticism that permeate every facet of her life. Life is further complicated by her new and all-consuming relationship with new girlfriend George (Ritchie) and strained relationship with her mum (Lisa Kudrow). Starring Mae Martin, Feel Good is co-written by Mae and Joe Hampson. Objective Fiction is the production company.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine is also returning to E4 for its seventh series along with the third series of Young Sheldon.
In the non-scripted space, The family Matthews are back with Spencer, Vogue and Wedding Two (W/T) (4×60’). The new series will feature regular appearances from Vogue’s family including her mum Sandra, ‘Made in Chelsea’ alumni Hugo Taylor and Millie Mackintosh. The production company is Rumpus.
Celebs Go Dating (Lime Pictures), The Sex Clinic (Firecracker), Celebrity Coach Trip (12 Yard Productions) and Made in Chelsea (NBCUniversal International Studios’ Monkey Kingdom) are also returners.
Staff Reporter
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