E4 celebrates 10 years

January 19, 2011

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2-3 minutes

E4 celebrates 10 years

Channel 4's digital TV stablemate E4 celebrates its 10th anniversary this week in its most successful year to date.

E4: Channel 4's sister channel celebrates its 10th anniversary

From modest beginnings, E4 is now available on Sky, Virgin Media, ntl, Telewest and Freeview. In 2010 it commanded an audience share of 1.8% and 4.4% of 16- to 34-year-olds, handing the channel it's most successful year so far.

Hit shows from 2010 include 'Glee', which attracted 2.6 million viewers, and the third series of 'The Inbetweeners', which peaked with 4.1 million viewers, E4's biggest audience to date.

The entertainment channel is primarily aimed at 15- to 34-year-olds and carries a mix of trend-setting British programming such 'Skins', 'The Inbetweeners' and 'Misfits', alongside US imports including 'Friends', 'The Sopranos' and 'One Tree Hill'.

The beginning

E4 launched on Sky Digital and Cable (NTL & Telewest) on 18 January 2001, as the new digital channel from Channel 4, dedicated to entertainment with a 2pm to 4am daily schedule.

Ali G, at its launch in a specially recorded introduction, said: "As we all know, news, documentaries and nature programmes ruin normal telly. That is why Channel 4 is invented a new station called E4, which they say is gonna have none of that crap on – and be even better than Channel Five".

The channel joined the Top Up TV line-up in March 2004 and became free-to-air in May 2005 when it launched on Freeview

E4 pioneers the spin-off show

Long before ITV's 'Xtra Factor' and the BBC's 'The Apprentice: You're Fired', E4 paved the way for the spin-off show, producing associated stand-alone shows to accompany and add value to hit terrestrial reality formats.

Programmes such as 'Shipwrecked Extra', 'Big Brother's Little Brother' and 'Big Brother's Big Mouth' pioneered a new TV format.

Here's a look back at some of its most memorable shows and idents.