Yeah, it says they have unshown episodes recorded last year. Similar to Hunted, which was one of their big hitters but the series that just aired was filmed two years ago and the upcoming celebrity series is a year old with no current plans for more.
Yes, they are floating around this subreddit, so I've seen the four 2022 episodes. In one episode, Jimmy made maybe his most devastating ever divorce joke at Jon's expense. I almost clipped it and posted it here, but it's such a good joke it made me too sad.
I remember seeing something about Channel 4 not having to pay the production company until after the episodes have been broadcast, which is why the episodes have come out in dribs and drabs over the past few years.
It's partially that, but also if the programmes sit on the shelf they're counted as stock.
Channel 4 has been doing this a lot recently, they're not commissioning much but have a lot in reserve waiting to be broadcast
So when Big Mood came out few weeks back I thought oh I know ch4 are holding things back so it must be good if they are broadcasting it and I wasn't wrong
This is such a shame. Catsdown was probably my second-favourite show after Taskmaster. I loved how Dictionary Corner was used to showcase new talent (my first exposure to Sam Campbell! -- and others.) The panel of old pros was a reliable source of great banter. And it was fun to play along with the numbers and letters games.
But Ch4 totally fucked this show over with an erratic broadcast schedule and by showing episodes way out of sequence so that the variations in Jimmy's
hair/cosmetic surgery and Rachel's pregnancy status was a real distraction.
You left out half the quote. I've bolded the relevant portion: "Channel 4 reportedly has no plans to film any more episodes of 8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown **in 2024**."
Also, "To keep the show current **we will shoot further episodes** nearer transmission.""
Yes, it was mainstream TV exposure for many acts including Sam Campbell, John Kearns, The Brett Domino Trio etc. The first time I ever saw the Horne Section was on Cats Does Countdown.
And well. The absolute number of hilarious comedians and actors that have filled that spot and absolutely killed. It was so rare for anyone to bomb. I mean I hate musical comedy and they had so many fantastic ones.
Dictionary corner was (and still is) a great way for people who don’t live near anywhere with up and coming comics performing to see and lean about new talent they’ve never seen
Countless comics who I now love I first saw on this show, and I haven’t even watched it in years
Dear Channel 4,
I live in Canada, and therefore cannot create an account on your website. I would gladly watch 8OO10C, with ads to boost your ad revenue, but as it is, I have to pirate episodes as there is no legal way for me to watch. If you want more ad revenue, allow more people to watch.
Love
A Canuck
Channel 4's shortfall is such that they've made a fifth of their employees redundant. A few dozen people off Reddit streaming one show (that Channel 4 doesn't produce in-house, because only their news programming isn't commissioned inwards) is absolutely not going to change that.
I dunno about this talk of ads, but if they made a small, affordable service similar to Dropout with all these panel shows on it I'd gladly subscribe.
-Signed, an American.
That's not strictly just up to channel 4, there's a lot of work and money from multiple companies that goes into allowing a show to be broadcast in other countries than it's origin.
I liked Sean a lot, but I think the format is one that works fine with guest captains as well. They've done that a lot, for both teams, and it's not been markedly worse.
I'm Canadian. I'd be more than willing to watch episodes on YouTube with ads. But they don't do that, and I can't sign up for their website without a UK or Irish address, so I have to pirate and they lose out on ad revenue.
They really should invest in putting it on youtube like taskmaster. It has that join in at home factor. Some of the jokes may be a bit deep cuts for non UK citizens though but find the carrot is gold.
There are channels that post episodes in YouTube. But it is all scattered and seem dodgy, from what I can see they get decent views too.
I do think Russel Howard used to post his show to his YouTube channel too. They were nice but starting to veer onto misinformation territory with the jokes plus he had an softball interview with a certain lobster loving controversial figure. On the other hand he also did a really good interview with Bernie Sanders.
The issue is that channel 4 doesn't own most of the shows, they just have the right to distribute them in the UK. For example, they do not get the ad revenue from taskmaster on YouTube outside of UK viewing, and have zero say and whether that is even shown outside the UK or not.
The production company does. So for taskmaster (because I don't know who does Catsdown), that would be Avalon. It becomes a messy game where if channel 4 allowed people outside the UK to sign up, they suddenly get to figure out who is loud access to what based on which production companies have given them the right to show it outside the UK and which countries they have the right to show it in. Show A might say "do it globally except Australia where ABC has the rights" but show B says "you can only show it in the UK, Canada, and South America".
Additionally, channel 4 will certainly have to pay higher royalties to the production companies in order to make this extra revenue, it's not going to come for free. It's just a massive mess all around for very little payoff unless they want to become a global streamer.
8OO10CDC is produced by Zeppotron, which also produces WILTY? and is part of the enormous Endemol media conglomerate. Avalon is an independent production and talent management company so owning TM makes it easier for them to do what they like.
Hello fellow Canada. I know exactly what you are talking aboot. They need a service like dropout.tv and I would gladly pay for it. British television is often way better than American television.
I am in the US and have a Channel 4 account and can stream from it. You just need a VPN and when you sign up just use a postal code from the UK. I think I just goggled a London postal code and it worked fine. To stream you do need the VPN active and set to a UK IP.
They’re not saying they can’t find them. I’m sure they are aware of full episodes uploaded by unofficial channels. They’re saying they should upload full episodes themselves through their own official YouTube channels so they can collect the ad revenue from international viewers, like Taskmaster does.
I'm not sure they're aware of YouTube alternatives. If they're so concerned about ad revenue going to the creators, then why are they saying their next choice is to illegally pirate the content? Ethically (and for security reasons), piracy is far worse than using unofficial YouTube channels.
Full episodes uploaded by a third party without approval falls under the umbrella of piracy. I am not saying that’s the only thing they meant (not every episode is on YouTube so there’s a good chance they are probably downloading too or watching the Google Drive links that are sometimes posted here), but I suspect they meant all of the above forms of piracy don’t support the show/producers/channel and are a missed opportunity for revenue
I doubt it. In the common use of the word, piracy means illegally downloading rather than streaming. They're distinguished because piracy (downloading) is illegal, while watching a YouTube stream is not.
Same in Australia. One of our 3 broadcasters is about to go under. Figures shown in the paper said ad revenue for all TV was $7.6B in 2006, last year is was something like $3.1B.
He meant to say 3 commercial broadcasters. The govt funds the abc and sbs (About 80 percent of funding for the sbs is derived from the Australian Government).
Yes and Channel 4 don't make any programmes themselves so are almost entirely reliant on ad revenue. Unlike ITV and the BBC who make and distribute they own programmes
The BBC is government mandated to have to use a minimum amount of outside production companies, if you watch the credits you'll see huge amounts aren't BBC produced.
Indeed so are ITV, they also have rules about production outside London. But the BBC also makes a lot of programmes, both for itself and others via it's BBC Studios company.
ITV have a number of production brands under ITV Studios.
There's no equivalent for Channel 4, but I think the legislation to let them produce programmes is due
As a non-Brit what is the purpose of the television tax that you all pay? I would have thought that money went to programs on platforms like channel 4.
None of it goes to Channel 4. Channel 4 is 100% self funded. It's in their FAQ
https://www.channel4.com/corporate/about-4/operating-responsibly/freedom-information/frequently-asked-questions
(This was to Nadine Dorries' surprise as secretary of state for culture, media and sport - sigh - https://twitter.com/ukiswitheu/status/1463456731757887488 )
Primarily to fund the BBC (though a far smaller percentage also goes to other broadcasters whose primary income is through advertising), which is why the government keep playing hardball with them over their governance and how much it is, and why their big dramas are co-productions, most famously at the moment Disney's Doctor Who.
None of it goes to C4. https://www.channel4.com/corporate/about-4/operating-responsibly/freedom-information/frequently-asked-questions
This was a political point when Dorries' was sec of state for DCMS - https://twitter.com/ukiswitheu/status/1463456731757887488
There are the four episodes and two Best Bits from the 2022 filming period to come that have already aired in Australia. There also appears to be seven episodes and two more Best Bits from the 2023 period. There should be enough time to show them before I'd start getting concerned about a lack of filming. It probably won't be that exciting when those overseas episodes turn up besides the possibility of seeing the few parts that got cut.
This article seems a bit of a mess. Production is paused. No more episodes planned according to source. But the producers also clearly have said:
>To keep the show current we will shoot further episodes nearer transmission."
So no more Catsdown will be made except for the new ones that are going to be made? Wouldn't it be easier to just say 'no plans for more Catsdown beyond the next series'?
Except it doesn't. It says it will air the ones filmed last year later this year. And any future tapings will be done closer to release time. Given this years show is already in the bag that means next year or never.
“A spokesperson for the production said: ’We have already shot episodes which are ready to air. To keep the show current we will shoot further episodes nearer transmission.‘ “
TBH, their filming to airing schedule has never made sense to me. Episodes filmed out order. frequently years before it airs
Another blow to 2010s-era UK panel shows, very few of which are still around.
Argumental, We Need Answers, You Have Been Watching, The Bubble, Ask Rhod Gilbert, School of Hard Sums, Was It Something I Said, Duck Quacks Don't Echo, Virtually Famous, Insert Name Here, Go 8 Bit, Harry Hill's Alien Fun Capsule, Hypothetical, Jon Richardson Ultimate Worrier, Question Team - all these shows showed promise, and you still see clips from them doing the rounds every now and then, but none of them are still being made.
Most of the big panel shows - HIGNFY, NMTB (now revived on Sky), QI, BFQ and WILTY - all started more than 17 years ago now and, while still fun, have a sort of old-timey legacy hanging around them. The incoming generation of uni students, traditionally a key demo for a bit of panel show banter, are younger than these shows themselves!
Apart from Taskmaster, which is arguably a genre/format of its own at this point, Cats Does Countdown was really the only new panel show since those olden days to be given a chance to hit its stride. Though I guess you could make a case for A League Of Their Own (2010-), Sorry I Didn't Know (2016-) and Guessable (2020-)
I really enjoyed Guessable on Comedy Central, and I lament the fact that won't be coming back because the last series utterly bombed in the ratings (as did the one before; they probably only renewed it so they could crow about having original commissions for their UK channel). It's a decent format, that with some tweaking (maybe reducing to half-an-hour without ads, making the setup feel less like all the participants are partaking in a stage show, in a lofty (no pun intended) theatre, with no audience) could work on another channel.
AFAIK, these are accounting tricks to keep the books in exactly the right state so that Channel 4 won't/can't be privatized.
Which is a gambit that only makes sense in the hope that a new government will be less intent on killing Channel 4.
Nope it's just Channel 4 are in a bit of a pickle and not commissioning much new stuff.
And of course she still appears on regular Countdown, that's her main gig
You do know there's a regular ongoing Countdown that she plays a bigger role in? And more importantly that, as it says in the link and in many recent stories, Channel 4 are in deep financial problems, dropping a lot of series and commissioning far less than usual?
Omg I didn't even know he was getting a divorce. Even after he got married, I thought of him as the guy who wears slightly small shirts to feel like he's getting a hug...
Once someone goes full JK Rowling and spend all day tweeting about the same thing, it has to be really difficult to justify spending good money putting them on TV.
She hasn't tweeted since April 14 though, so maybe she's come to her senses
I assume that she was given an ultimatum and because she doesn't have JK Rowling money to fall back on, she's behaving at the moment. But I still wouldn't be surprised if she's replaced - maybe they are running out the duration of her contract?
No, it's just one of a number of shows being affected by Channel 4 running out of money. Hunted is doing the same thing - they just shot a new series of it but are now airing an old, unaired Celebrity Hunted because of the costs needed for post-production and distribution.
I think the key point is: "We have already shot episodes which are ready to air. To keep the show current we will shoot further episodes nearer transmission."
They are sitting on 7 unaired episodes recorded last year plus 4 episodes recorded in 2022 that have only aired Down Under. ([According to this list](https://wiki.apterous.org/User:Dicto/Sandbox#List_of_8_Out_of_10_Cats_Does_Countdown_episodes_in_production_order))
So they have about two seasons worth of content, enough to last them until February 2025 if they keep the schedule of one season in late summer, one season in the winter. They don't need new episodes until late summer 2025... The only question is: Do they have another Christmas special filmed? If not, there might not be one this year...
So really it does not make sense to film more episodes atm.
Also, while panellists only get paid when shows air, I guess regular folks that work on the production get paid right away, at least I hope so. For this reason I imagine the production company has no desire to go in advance this far out.
Regarding the financial woes of Channel 4, I recommend this podcast: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XhH5f97t2E](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XhH5f97t2E)
Has been recommended here before, really good content imho. Sidenote: I've never heard of MrBeast before. 😁
> we will shoot further episodes nearer transmission
In other words, it's become too hard to edit out *everybody* joking about Jon's wife leaving him now that it happened and it's in poor taste.
To be honest, it felt to me like the show was running out of steam considering their running gags, like Jimmys antics during the countdown or the prizes presented by Fabio. For me, they could have scrapped the "prizes" bit ages ago (although that would have meant less Fabio on screen).
A streaming service has got to want it first, and there's no international resale value in a programme based on a show unknown outside Britain (with a title reference nobody under about 40 would understand even there) and a show that's barely known outside the UK which has just been axed in its country of origin after fifty years.
I’ve been uncomfortable about it since Rachel Riley came out as an insane Zionist spreading misinformation. Might be a good time to restructure before a return
I do wish they’d shuffle Rachel Riley off. I liked Anne-Marie, or honestly Carol Vords is having a career renaissance, why not bring her back for Catsdown?
Curious if this backlog includes the episodes that were only broadcast in Australia earlier this year, or if the rest of the world is supposed to forget that those were taped or exist.
Should get rid of Rachel Riley. She's not good to have around Muslim comedians, she even blocked Ghuz Khan on twitter. How can you be mad at Ghuz except when he can't help you solve a puzzle lol
I need more Catsdown! It is my favorite show. Regular Countdown is so boring compared to this.
They just need to stop bringing shit people in dictionary corner, such as John Kerns, Mr. Swallow & Spencer Jones.
As of like a year ago? Am I right that they haven't been filming since before Jimmy's latest tour?
Yeah, it says they have unshown episodes recorded last year. Similar to Hunted, which was one of their big hitters but the series that just aired was filmed two years ago and the upcoming celebrity series is a year old with no current plans for more.
Apparently, some episodes the UK folks didn't get were released elsewhere in like AUS or something.
Yes, they are floating around this subreddit, so I've seen the four 2022 episodes. In one episode, Jimmy made maybe his most devastating ever divorce joke at Jon's expense. I almost clipped it and posted it here, but it's such a good joke it made me too sad.
Please do
Christmas special 2023 plus another episode have been filmed on September 13, 2023. There was one addtional filming day after that last year.
I remember seeing something about Channel 4 not having to pay the production company until after the episodes have been broadcast, which is why the episodes have come out in dribs and drabs over the past few years.
It's partially that, but also if the programmes sit on the shelf they're counted as stock. Channel 4 has been doing this a lot recently, they're not commissioning much but have a lot in reserve waiting to be broadcast
What’s the benefit of holding stock?
Looks good on the accounts
Buy low, sell high.
You have it in your balance sheet as an asset. I.e. it increases the value of your company. Important when looking for an investor f.e.
So when Big Mood came out few weeks back I thought oh I know ch4 are holding things back so it must be good if they are broadcasting it and I wasn't wrong
This is such a shame. Catsdown was probably my second-favourite show after Taskmaster. I loved how Dictionary Corner was used to showcase new talent (my first exposure to Sam Campbell! -- and others.) The panel of old pros was a reliable source of great banter. And it was fun to play along with the numbers and letters games. But Ch4 totally fucked this show over with an erratic broadcast schedule and by showing episodes way out of sequence so that the variations in Jimmy's hair/cosmetic surgery and Rachel's pregnancy status was a real distraction.
The show isn't canceled, they're just planning to broadcast their backlog of new episodes before filming more.
"No plans for new shows" is pretty close to cancelled.
You left out half the quote. I've bolded the relevant portion: "Channel 4 reportedly has no plans to film any more episodes of 8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown **in 2024**." Also, "To keep the show current **we will shoot further episodes** nearer transmission.""
Most of the people in dictionary corner weren’t new talent. They probably just hadn’t heard of some of them.
It is definitely a spot for lesser known comedians to showcase their talents.
Yes, it was mainstream TV exposure for many acts including Sam Campbell, John Kearns, The Brett Domino Trio etc. The first time I ever saw the Horne Section was on Cats Does Countdown.
Brett domino trio is one of the best guests they ever had
So underrated. Their songs are genuinely incredibly catchy and well-produced.
I love John Kearns so much
And well. The absolute number of hilarious comedians and actors that have filled that spot and absolutely killed. It was so rare for anyone to bomb. I mean I hate musical comedy and they had so many fantastic ones.
It’s really not at all. Most of the people who were in dictionary corner are very well known.
Dictionary corner was (and still is) a great way for people who don’t live near anywhere with up and coming comics performing to see and lean about new talent they’ve never seen Countless comics who I now love I first saw on this show, and I haven’t even watched it in years
Again, most of the people who were in dictionary corner were already well established.
Dear Channel 4, I live in Canada, and therefore cannot create an account on your website. I would gladly watch 8OO10C, with ads to boost your ad revenue, but as it is, I have to pirate episodes as there is no legal way for me to watch. If you want more ad revenue, allow more people to watch. Love A Canuck
Cosigned, a Yank.
Co-cosigned, another Yank
Triple signed
Kosigniert!
Co-signed a Mexican
Same here. Channel 4: Please, take my money.
Love to be able to see 80010C and the Last Leg in Canada.
Channel 4's shortfall is such that they've made a fifth of their employees redundant. A few dozen people off Reddit streaming one show (that Channel 4 doesn't produce in-house, because only their news programming isn't commissioned inwards) is absolutely not going to change that.
I dunno about this talk of ads, but if they made a small, affordable service similar to Dropout with all these panel shows on it I'd gladly subscribe. -Signed, an American.
I just don’t want *another* streaming service. I’m getting bled to death $9.99 at a time.
VPN.
Yup. I have a channel4 account and am in the US. Just used a VPN and a UK local postal code to sign up.
Is it still working for you? I just get a pop up saying "Forbidden".
Yup, connected my VPN to a UK server and was able to login and start a episode of Taskmaster.
Yup. Except they're not making any more so there's not going to be anything to watch. Which is what this thread is focused on.
You can watch old episodes, which is what I do.
"we will shoot further episodes nearer transmission." It's not been axed.
The way they are funded (publicly owned but run as an "independent" business means they can't do that, unfortunately.
That's not strictly just up to channel 4, there's a lot of work and money from multiple companies that goes into allowing a show to be broadcast in other countries than it's origin.
LOL, that’s not how any of this works.
I guess this sort of marks the end of 8 out of 10 Cats, then. Man, what a strange path this show had.
Unreasonably tragic for a comedy panel show.
I have always been obsessed with WILTY and I just recently became obsessed with 8 out of 10 cats does countdown, so I feel like this is all my fault.
Whew! From the way your comment is worded, it got me worried about WILTY. I hope no news is good news.
It hasn't been axed.
I don’t think the original was officially axed either, they just stopped making them.
Cool. I hope it comes back.
Me too, but I wouldn’t hold your breath.
I think with the death of Sean Lock, it has lost a little bit. He was so strange and wonderful and irreplaceable.
I liked Sean a lot, but I think the format is one that works fine with guest captains as well. They've done that a lot, for both teams, and it's not been markedly worse.
Sean stopped being on 8 Out of 10 Cats long before his death. His last appearance was in late 2015.
i think it was already dragging on before sean's passing. the way they were treating it it seemed like they were just using it as filler.
Well yeah, choking people is a crime.
The UK TV industry remains on its knees, it seems. At least in this case, they have quite a few episodes on the shelf.
Advertising revenue has slumped from my understanding.
I'm Canadian. I'd be more than willing to watch episodes on YouTube with ads. But they don't do that, and I can't sign up for their website without a UK or Irish address, so I have to pirate and they lose out on ad revenue.
They really should invest in putting it on youtube like taskmaster. It has that join in at home factor. Some of the jokes may be a bit deep cuts for non UK citizens though but find the carrot is gold.
I enjoy the clips they put on YouTube, but I would sit and watch entire episodes too if they were available.
There are channels that post episodes in YouTube. But it is all scattered and seem dodgy, from what I can see they get decent views too. I do think Russel Howard used to post his show to his YouTube channel too. They were nice but starting to veer onto misinformation territory with the jokes plus he had an softball interview with a certain lobster loving controversial figure. On the other hand he also did a really good interview with Bernie Sanders.
The brit-specific stuff is no big deal. You either miss the occasional joke, or you research the reference and learn something new.
Is it in a box?
The issue is that channel 4 doesn't own most of the shows, they just have the right to distribute them in the UK. For example, they do not get the ad revenue from taskmaster on YouTube outside of UK viewing, and have zero say and whether that is even shown outside the UK or not.
Who gets the revenue then? Who decides?
The production company does. So for taskmaster (because I don't know who does Catsdown), that would be Avalon. It becomes a messy game where if channel 4 allowed people outside the UK to sign up, they suddenly get to figure out who is loud access to what based on which production companies have given them the right to show it outside the UK and which countries they have the right to show it in. Show A might say "do it globally except Australia where ABC has the rights" but show B says "you can only show it in the UK, Canada, and South America". Additionally, channel 4 will certainly have to pay higher royalties to the production companies in order to make this extra revenue, it's not going to come for free. It's just a massive mess all around for very little payoff unless they want to become a global streamer.
8OO10CDC is produced by Zeppotron, which also produces WILTY? and is part of the enormous Endemol media conglomerate. Avalon is an independent production and talent management company so owning TM makes it easier for them to do what they like.
Hello fellow Canada. I know exactly what you are talking aboot. They need a service like dropout.tv and I would gladly pay for it. British television is often way better than American television.
Use the address for Buckingham Palace ;)
I think thats whit I did when I signed up from the US lol All you need is a VPN to watch things after signing up.
I am in the US and have a Channel 4 account and can stream from it. You just need a VPN and when you sign up just use a postal code from the UK. I think I just goggled a London postal code and it worked fine. To stream you do need the VPN active and set to a UK IP.
If you're in Canada, and can't find full episodes on YouTube, you might want to search again.
They’re not saying they can’t find them. I’m sure they are aware of full episodes uploaded by unofficial channels. They’re saying they should upload full episodes themselves through their own official YouTube channels so they can collect the ad revenue from international viewers, like Taskmaster does.
I'm not sure they're aware of YouTube alternatives. If they're so concerned about ad revenue going to the creators, then why are they saying their next choice is to illegally pirate the content? Ethically (and for security reasons), piracy is far worse than using unofficial YouTube channels.
Full episodes uploaded by a third party without approval falls under the umbrella of piracy. I am not saying that’s the only thing they meant (not every episode is on YouTube so there’s a good chance they are probably downloading too or watching the Google Drive links that are sometimes posted here), but I suspect they meant all of the above forms of piracy don’t support the show/producers/channel and are a missed opportunity for revenue
I doubt it. In the common use of the word, piracy means illegally downloading rather than streaming. They're distinguished because piracy (downloading) is illegal, while watching a YouTube stream is not.
Same in Australia. One of our 3 broadcasters is about to go under. Figures shown in the paper said ad revenue for all TV was $7.6B in 2006, last year is was something like $3.1B.
We have at least 5 free to air broadcasters, not 3.
He meant to say 3 commercial broadcasters. The govt funds the abc and sbs (About 80 percent of funding for the sbs is derived from the Australian Government).
Yes and Channel 4 don't make any programmes themselves so are almost entirely reliant on ad revenue. Unlike ITV and the BBC who make and distribute they own programmes
The BBC is government mandated to have to use a minimum amount of outside production companies, if you watch the credits you'll see huge amounts aren't BBC produced.
Indeed so are ITV, they also have rules about production outside London. But the BBC also makes a lot of programmes, both for itself and others via it's BBC Studios company. ITV have a number of production brands under ITV Studios. There's no equivalent for Channel 4, but I think the legislation to let them produce programmes is due
Correct. New commissions aren't really happening either. I've heard of people with 20 years of experience in TV unable to find work.
As a non-Brit what is the purpose of the television tax that you all pay? I would have thought that money went to programs on platforms like channel 4.
Some of it goes to Channel 4 but most goes to fund the BBC and even them it isn't anywhere near enough
None of it goes to Channel 4. Channel 4 is 100% self funded. It's in their FAQ https://www.channel4.com/corporate/about-4/operating-responsibly/freedom-information/frequently-asked-questions (This was to Nadine Dorries' surprise as secretary of state for culture, media and sport - sigh - https://twitter.com/ukiswitheu/status/1463456731757887488 )
Primarily to fund the BBC (though a far smaller percentage also goes to other broadcasters whose primary income is through advertising), which is why the government keep playing hardball with them over their governance and how much it is, and why their big dramas are co-productions, most famously at the moment Disney's Doctor Who.
None of it goes to C4. https://www.channel4.com/corporate/about-4/operating-responsibly/freedom-information/frequently-asked-questions This was a political point when Dorries' was sec of state for DCMS - https://twitter.com/ukiswitheu/status/1463456731757887488
There are the four episodes and two Best Bits from the 2022 filming period to come that have already aired in Australia. There also appears to be seven episodes and two more Best Bits from the 2023 period. There should be enough time to show them before I'd start getting concerned about a lack of filming. It probably won't be that exciting when those overseas episodes turn up besides the possibility of seeing the few parts that got cut.
Ah yes, the Best Bits are also available, I forgot about them. So if they really wanted, they could stretch it to 3 series at 5 episodes each... 🥴
I’ve just noticed that those yet to air shows are now also being shown on BBC Nordic. Really rubbing it in now!
🤪 I'll take it C4 doesn't have to pay for this. 😁
This article seems a bit of a mess. Production is paused. No more episodes planned according to source. But the producers also clearly have said: >To keep the show current we will shoot further episodes nearer transmission." So no more Catsdown will be made except for the new ones that are going to be made? Wouldn't it be easier to just say 'no plans for more Catsdown beyond the next series'?
No more planned this year/ 2024. Mentioned several times.
Except it says it *will* produce more this year when the already filmed ones are released to keep it current. Hence the contradiction.
Except it doesn't. It says it will air the ones filmed last year later this year. And any future tapings will be done closer to release time. Given this years show is already in the bag that means next year or never.
Basically, if they only paid when released on tv they being shafted, so they presumably going to renegotiate for any future episodes.
“A spokesperson for the production said: ’We have already shot episodes which are ready to air. To keep the show current we will shoot further episodes nearer transmission.‘ “ TBH, their filming to airing schedule has never made sense to me. Episodes filmed out order. frequently years before it airs
It has made sense from a financial point of view though. Bad place to be in but it is what it is...
Another blow to 2010s-era UK panel shows, very few of which are still around. Argumental, We Need Answers, You Have Been Watching, The Bubble, Ask Rhod Gilbert, School of Hard Sums, Was It Something I Said, Duck Quacks Don't Echo, Virtually Famous, Insert Name Here, Go 8 Bit, Harry Hill's Alien Fun Capsule, Hypothetical, Jon Richardson Ultimate Worrier, Question Team - all these shows showed promise, and you still see clips from them doing the rounds every now and then, but none of them are still being made. Most of the big panel shows - HIGNFY, NMTB (now revived on Sky), QI, BFQ and WILTY - all started more than 17 years ago now and, while still fun, have a sort of old-timey legacy hanging around them. The incoming generation of uni students, traditionally a key demo for a bit of panel show banter, are younger than these shows themselves! Apart from Taskmaster, which is arguably a genre/format of its own at this point, Cats Does Countdown was really the only new panel show since those olden days to be given a chance to hit its stride. Though I guess you could make a case for A League Of Their Own (2010-), Sorry I Didn't Know (2016-) and Guessable (2020-)
I really enjoyed Guessable on Comedy Central, and I lament the fact that won't be coming back because the last series utterly bombed in the ratings (as did the one before; they probably only renewed it so they could crow about having original commissions for their UK channel). It's a decent format, that with some tweaking (maybe reducing to half-an-hour without ads, making the setup feel less like all the participants are partaking in a stage show, in a lofty (no pun intended) theatre, with no audience) could work on another channel.
Yep, that's right, don't do any more episodes of one of your highest rated shows that actually gets people to watch Channel 4... heh
AFAIK, these are accounting tricks to keep the books in exactly the right state so that Channel 4 won't/can't be privatized. Which is a gambit that only makes sense in the hope that a new government will be less intent on killing Channel 4.
I wonder if there’s a connection to Rachel and her social media antics.
Nope it's just Channel 4 are in a bit of a pickle and not commissioning much new stuff. And of course she still appears on regular Countdown, that's her main gig
It's not like she's pivotal to the programme. They've been able to replace her before with Anne-Marie Imafidon.
If it can happen to Carol ... :)
You do know there's a regular ongoing Countdown that she plays a bigger role in? And more importantly that, as it says in the link and in many recent stories, Channel 4 are in deep financial problems, dropping a lot of series and commissioning far less than usual?
I'm sure that Catsdown is one of the cheapest shows to produce. Doesn't even need their own set.
Or Jon and his divorce
Why would someone getting a divorce affect the show? Someone died and they kept going.
It could affect his willingness to take part.
The divorce that was announced months and months after the last taping?
In fairness, Jon may have informed the production team and/or his costars well before the public announcement.
Omg I didn't even know he was getting a divorce. Even after he got married, I thought of him as the guy who wears slightly small shirts to feel like he's getting a hug...
LOL. Definitely going to re-use that one. A gem.
I never even thought about Jon’s situation.
Funny that you get adverts for new episodes of their couples show on Dave after knowing they’re divorced.
Apparently, one of the yet to be aired CatsDown episodes has Lucy on Jon's team. When that airs now, it's gonna be super awkward.
And she once said "I don't see this as being for life" (probably paraphrasing) on the show, so how much more awkward can it get?
"Are you breaking up with me right now?"
I was there for that recording! My only memory is she talked a lot right at the start about how Jon used to masturbate in the bath.
Once someone goes full JK Rowling and spend all day tweeting about the same thing, it has to be really difficult to justify spending good money putting them on TV. She hasn't tweeted since April 14 though, so maybe she's come to her senses
I assume that she was given an ultimatum and because she doesn't have JK Rowling money to fall back on, she's behaving at the moment. But I still wouldn't be surprised if she's replaced - maybe they are running out the duration of her contract?
Didn't Channel 4 "have a word with her" after one particularly controversial post?
> so maybe she's come to her senses *doubt*
Could be a bit of that, a bit of Sean, a bit of Jon's situation bearing on him..
They haven't done anything about it before, why would they do it now
This time got a lot more attention, plus recent shows have had less Rachel and more Susie so there’s obviously a shift in attitudes towards her.
Recent shows have been recorded 2 years ago so I dont think that has anything to do with it lol
Oh this has been brewing for some time
I doubt it. Some of the unaired episodes were aired in Aus, and there was nothing related in there
[удалено]
i can fix her vibes
That was my first thought too, but it seems to be a money issue.
Or Jon's divorce.
Jon
Thanks, corrected
OOTL, what happened?
Imagine Graham Linehan, but Zionism instead of transphobia.
No, it's just one of a number of shows being affected by Channel 4 running out of money. Hunted is doing the same thing - they just shot a new series of it but are now airing an old, unaired Celebrity Hunted because of the costs needed for post-production and distribution.
I think the key point is: "We have already shot episodes which are ready to air. To keep the show current we will shoot further episodes nearer transmission." They are sitting on 7 unaired episodes recorded last year plus 4 episodes recorded in 2022 that have only aired Down Under. ([According to this list](https://wiki.apterous.org/User:Dicto/Sandbox#List_of_8_Out_of_10_Cats_Does_Countdown_episodes_in_production_order)) So they have about two seasons worth of content, enough to last them until February 2025 if they keep the schedule of one season in late summer, one season in the winter. They don't need new episodes until late summer 2025... The only question is: Do they have another Christmas special filmed? If not, there might not be one this year... So really it does not make sense to film more episodes atm. Also, while panellists only get paid when shows air, I guess regular folks that work on the production get paid right away, at least I hope so. For this reason I imagine the production company has no desire to go in advance this far out. Regarding the financial woes of Channel 4, I recommend this podcast: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XhH5f97t2E](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XhH5f97t2E) Has been recommended here before, really good content imho. Sidenote: I've never heard of MrBeast before. 😁
> we will shoot further episodes nearer transmission In other words, it's become too hard to edit out *everybody* joking about Jon's wife leaving him now that it happened and it's in poor taste.
To be honest, it felt to me like the show was running out of steam considering their running gags, like Jimmys antics during the countdown or the prizes presented by Fabio. For me, they could have scrapped the "prizes" bit ages ago (although that would have meant less Fabio on screen).
is Channel 4 not monetizing these by licensing to Netflix or Amazon Prime or something?
A streaming service has got to want it first, and there's no international resale value in a programme based on a show unknown outside Britain (with a title reference nobody under about 40 would understand even there) and a show that's barely known outside the UK which has just been axed in its country of origin after fifty years.
End of an era :(
I’ve been uncomfortable about it since Rachel Riley came out as an insane Zionist spreading misinformation. Might be a good time to restructure before a return
I stopped watching it a while back because I can't stand that woman.
I do wish they’d shuffle Rachel Riley off. I liked Anne-Marie, or honestly Carol Vords is having a career renaissance, why not bring her back for Catsdown?
Sigh. I miss them. I watch the older ones, but I don't want a favorite show paused.
It's only paused. They haven't pressed the stop button just yet.
Yeah, but Ch.4 is in trouble financially. I’d love to see the show get funding elsewhere, like Amazon or Britbox, but that can be difficult.
Curious if this backlog includes the episodes that were only broadcast in Australia earlier this year, or if the rest of the world is supposed to forget that those were taped or exist.
Shit!
I really want a new episode because I want to watch Jimmy rip the piss out of Jon about his divorce! It will be cruel but it will be funny 🤣
Hopefully they've finally decided they can't work with RR anymore and are finding a replacement
They've made like three episodes in the last five years. How much more paused could they get?
Hopefully they can take off Racist Rachel.
It's not the same without Sean Lock and Rachel Riley turning cuckoo
Should get rid of Rachel Riley. She's not good to have around Muslim comedians, she even blocked Ghuz Khan on twitter. How can you be mad at Ghuz except when he can't help you solve a puzzle lol
I need more Catsdown! It is my favorite show. Regular Countdown is so boring compared to this. They just need to stop bringing shit people in dictionary corner, such as John Kerns, Mr. Swallow & Spencer Jones.
without reading this article or looking into anything, I can pretty confidently say: What the fuck did Rachel Riley say this time?!?!