Bread is a British television sitcom, written and created by Carla Lane, about a close-knit, working-class family in Liverpool, England. It was produced by the BBC and screened on BBC1 from 1 May 1986 to 3 November 1991. In 1988, the ratings for the series peaked at 21 million viewers.
T4 was a scheduling slot on Channel 4 and E4. It also aired on weekdays in the school holidays. The slot had a separate station identification on screen graphic from Channel 4 and E4. Channel 4 originally produced the strand in-house until 2002, when production was passed onto independent companies. The slot was targeted at the 16–24 age group.
Hollyoaks is a British soap opera which originally began airing on Channel 4 on 23 October 1995. It was created by Phil Redmond, who had previously conceived the soap opera Brookside. From 2005 to 2023, episodes have aired on sister channel E4 a day prior to their broadcast on Channel 4. In 2023, Hollyoaks was removed from Channel 4's early evening schedule, but remains on E4 and Channel 4's on demand service with episodes now uploaded to YouTube. At its inception, the soap was targeted towards an adolescent and young adult audience but it has since broadened its appeal to all age groups. Hollyoaks has covered various taboo subjects rarely seen on British television, for which it has received numerous awards. It has won the award for Best British Soap twice, in 2014 and 2019; its first win broke the 15-year tie between rival soap operas EastEnders and Coronation Street. Beginning with a cast of 15 characters, it now has 37 regular cast members. The longest-serving actor is Nick Pickard, who has portrayed Tony Hutchinson since the first episode.
Lime Pictures, formerly known as Mersey Television, is a British television production company, founded by producer and writer Phil Redmond in the early 1980s. It produces drama and entertainment shows for the international market, including Hollyoaks, The Only Way is Essex, Geordie Shore and Free Rein.
Box Hits was a British commercial television channel owned by Channel Four Television Corporation. The channel broadcast general pop music in shows such as Chartbusters, which was recent music and Pop Domination, which showcased new and old music. It also shows other programmes such as themed countdowns and charts such as Top 50 Boy Bands. The channel also had hours dedicated to a particular artist or band such as Pussycat Dolls: Ultimate 10. It was originally based on the former Smash Hits magazine, which was owned by EMAP. The channel shut down on 29 June 2022 at 6am and was replaced with a new version of 4Music.
E4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. The "E" stands for entertainment and the channel is primarily aimed at the 16–34 age group.
Zak Ramsey is a fictional character from the British soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Kent Riley. The character debuted on-screen during the episode broadcast on 6 September 2004. The character was originally credited as "Zak Barnes". After only four months, Riley was written out of the show. Producer Bryan Kirkwood reintroduced him in 2006 and was then credited with the surname Ramsey. Zak was introduced into the series as one of three new student characters, who arrive to study at the Hollyoaks Community College. Joining Zak were Bella Manning and Stuart Harding. When the character was reintroduced, a new set of students were created for Zak to share stories with. Zak is portrayed as a Scouser / Liverpudlian character, with a "fun-loving" persona and enjoys partying rather than concentrating on his studies.
Andrew Schofield is an English actor best known for starring as the Narrator in Willy Russell’s original production of the musical Blood Brothers in 1983, and playing Johnny Rotten in Alex Cox's 1986 film Sid and Nancy.
4Music was a British music television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. Launched on 15 August 2008, the original incarnation, replacing The Hits television channel, showed a mix of music and entertainment programming.
Petra Mary Taylor is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Brookside, played by Alexandra Pigg. One of the show's original characters, Petra debuted on-screen during the episode broadcast on 23 November 1982. Brookside is set in Liverpool and Pigg is a Liverpudlian from Knotty Ash. Her casting was announced on 5 October 1982 and she spoke optimistically about joining the show. Petra is characterised as a moody typist working at an insurance office. Petra is introduced into the series alongside her husband Gavin Taylor. The Taylor's problematic marriage causes Petra's moodiness and writers scripted her transformation into a tragic character.
The Only Way Is Essex is a British reality television series based in Brentwood, Essex, England. It shows "real people in modified situations, saying unscripted lines but in a structured way." Broadcast on ITV2 from 2010, the series was moved to ITVBe in October 2014. The first series consisted of 10 episodes and ran for 30 minutes, with a Christmas special following later in the year. Due to popularity, the runtime was extended to 45-minute episodes and renewed for a year's airing. On 22 May 2011, the series won the Audience Award at the 2011 BAFTA Awards.
Amy Andrea Childs is an English model and television personality. In 2010, she appeared in the first two series of the ITV2 reality series The Only Way Is Essex, and subsequently starred in her own reality series It's All About Amy from 2011 to 2012. Childs came in fourth place in the Channel 5 series Celebrity Big Brother 8 in 2011 and, in 2014, she participated in the Channel 4 series The Jump. Childs returned to The Only Way Is Essex in 2020.
Made in Chelsea is a British structured-reality television series broadcast by E4. Made in Chelsea chronicles the lives of affluent young people in the West London and South West areas of Belgravia, King's Road, Chelsea, Fulham and Knightsbridge, as well as their travels to other locations around the world.
Layla Flaherty is an Irish model and actress who appeared in the ‘scripted-reality’ TV show Desperate Scousewives, which was broadcast on E4 in 2011. More recently, she appeared on an episode of Real Housewives of Cheshire.
Joey Donald Essex is an English television personality. He came to prominence for his appearances on the ITV reality series The Only Way Is Essex (2011–2013). He went on to appear on various reality television shows, including Splash! (2013), I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! (2013), The Jump (2015), Celebs Go Dating, Celebrity Ex on the Beach (2020), Dancing on Ice (2023), and Love Island (2024).
Cilla is a British drama serial about the early career of Cilla Black. It was broadcast in three parts on ITV, and began on 15 September 2014 with Sheridan Smith playing the starring role. Smith was highly praised for her performance.
Global Scouse Day is an annual celebration of the city of Liverpool which is held every year on 28 February. It is primarily based around scouse, the meat stew synonymous with the city. It sees bars, cafes and restaurants in Liverpool and around the world put scouse on the menu for the day. Scouse is also served in Liverpool schools, hospitals, and on Virgin trains nationwide.
