CHANNEL 5 TO LAUNCH DEDICATED DRAMA TV CHANNEL
5 will launch a new channel 5Drama on October 21st which will become a dedicated home to the very best of 5’s hit UK drama, as well as a range of US and Australian series. 5Drama will replace 5Select in the line-up of channels available on all major digital platforms – and will move up the EPG.
The new channel will be packed with 5's award-winning original drama, including All Creatures Great and Small, The Madame Blanc Mysteries and The Hardacres, and detective dramas, including Ellis and Dalgliesh. 5Drama will also showcase a range of boxsets from 5Streaming, including Gilmore Girls, A Million Little Things and Waterloo Road.
Soon after launch, 5 will celebrate its long-standing association with Australian soap Home and Away by airing the earliest series from the very first episode on 5Drama. Fans will be able to relive the show from the beginning, catching up with classic characters like Alf Stewart and Sally Fletcher in Summer Bay back in 1988, and following the storylines that have kept UK viewers hooked ever since.
The schedule will run nostalgic US drama through weekday afternoons, building into more recent boxset hits ahead of peak. Peak time will open with 5 family favourites at 7pm and 8pm, followed by classic UK drama at 9pm and a second chance to catch some of 5’s biggest titles at 10pm, such as The Cuckoo, The Catch, Cold Call, The House Across the Street, The Au Pair, Number One Fan, The Rumour and The Fortune.
Each day will close with a double bill of Australian drama. Weekends bring the channel's "super sleuths” on Saturdays, from Jessica Fletcher to Inspector Dalgliesh, with Sundays dedicated to UK drama marathons.
5Drama joins the roster of on-air channels at 5, sitting alongside 5, 5Action, 5Star and 5USA. 5 also has an expanding range of FAST channels available on 5Streaming and on other platforms including Freely; including 5Cops, 5Police Interceptors, 5Crime, 5A&E, 5Trucking Hell, 5Bargain Loving Brits, 5Medical, 5Yorkshire Vet, 5History, 5Movies, 5Christmas in Summer, and Milkshake!
5 is also expanding the range of channels it offers on YouTube, with new channel 5Docs the latest addition to its growing portfolio on the platform. 5Docs is a new home for 5's celebrated factual talent, bringing together travel with Michael Palin, history with Dan Snow and nature with Steve Backshall, with new episodes added every week. 5Docs joins the recently launched 5Sport, live NFL games on the main 5 YouTube channel, as well as 5 News, Jeremy Vine & Daytime on 5, and Milkshake!
Reemah Sakaan, President of 5, said: "Award winning drama is increasingly at the heart of what 5 offers viewers, so it's the right time to give it a dedicated home. This, and the expansion of our portfolio across multiple platforms, is about sharpening our channels and giving viewers a clear offer wherever they're watching – on linear, 5Streaming, Freely or YouTube.”
More details will be announced in due course.
