Evie Buckley’s role at Channel 4 puts her at the sharp edge of digital commissioning. As Digital Commissioning Editor and Channel 4.0 lead, she’s shaping one of the UK’s most exciting youth content brands – one that fuses bold ideas, creator talent, and data-first strategy with a focus on authenticity.
Speaking on TellyCast podcast, Buckley gave an exclusive look at her commissioning strategy, what she’s learned since 4.0 launched, and revealed two new commissions that underline the channel’s confidence in its digital-first model.
Knowing What Clicks
“Channel 4.0 has only been going for two and a half years. And we’ve learned so much in that sort of amount of time,” Buckley said. “We started off commissioning quite broadly, I guess, to a 13 to 24-year-old audience, but have really over the course of, I guess like about 40 plus series, refined exactly what is resonating for our audience particularly.”
That refinement is more than just age targeting. “We’ve honed in on that 18-year-old sensibility. We know that younger people like to watch up and, and that tonality and tone of voice is really important for us to achieve and see within the content.”
One of the biggest changes? Thinking like YouTubers. “We’re really focused on thumbnails and titling. I’m sure you’ve heard this a lot on that, on this podcast in particular. But it is so important to get that right. Like when you are opening YouTube, you’re flooded with sea of different types of content that you could click on. Why does our content cut through?”
Commissioning Through Data
While her team still relies on creative instinct, Buckley emphasised the importance of interpreting the data Channel 4 collects and sharing it with producers.
“We are not expecting our production companies to know all of that ‘cause they can’t see under the hood in the way that we can,” she said. “But we do try from like maybe the second meeting after greenlight to get everyone in a room and be like – this is gonna resonate with this part of our audience.”
That insight recently led to a key change on Harry’s Worst in Class. “We had a quite traditional telly one minute pre-title intro over explaining the format and showing lots of clips to try and make sure people were watching. And… we were like, right, how can we make this more addictive, more instantly? And the solution was to cut down that intro dramatically and feed in the rules as you go.”
Even stronger was the discovery that a segment at the end – featuring kids – was consistently the most popular clip. “That… resulted as in briefing the production company who made it… We made our biggest hit show, which was Minor Issues… And the formula worked and it became a massive hit, like, like hundreds of millions of views across, across platform.”
Two New Commissions
Buckley used the interview to announce two new shows for Channel 4.0.
The first is a returner: “Hear Me Out series two… is made by After Party Studios, a creator-led company. And I think you’ve had the MD on the podcast before. We love After Party. They’ve made some amazing stuff for us.”
She described the format as “a sort of debate format where creators argue their hot takes to a panel of a quite, I guess, a counterintuitive group of people… It is designed to be, I guess, like. A little bit risky, fun again, never punch down, but also it has that YouTube spirit of ‘what if I did this?’”
The second, The Snake, is made by Strong Watch Studios. “The Snake essentially sees six creators playing a quiz to win money. Two of those creators know all the answers, and the aim is for them to sabotage the other creators to choose the wrong answers… All the while they’re being watched by two experts in lying.”
The format, she said, “draws on lots of familiar… format beats and, and ideas that we’ve seen and, and have loved for generations, but it brings it into this very sort of YouTube, tone of voice… that’s perfect for our platform.”
What She’s Looking For
So what does she want from production companies? For starters: effort.
“I get pitched a lot of ideas that kind of, I guess, have dusted off from the hard drive and put a 4.0 logo in and maybe change the talent, but they don’t fundamentally feel like the channel,” Buckley explained.
And she values producers who’ve done their research: “Watch the channel, right? Watch the channel!”
For anyone thinking about pitching, her advice is clear: “Just making sure that it feels, I guess, mischievous authentic and never punch down is the type of format that I really love.”
That also means understanding the talent pool. “We’ve worked with over 150 creators in the last two years since launching 4.0. And it’s really important to me, like both personally and professionally, that we’re continuing to work with new onscreen talent.”
It’s Not About Influencers
Buckley is also passionate about changing the language used around digital talent. “I’m telling the industry that we should stop referring to creators as influencers, or at least differentiating between them.”
“For me, it’s a real bug bear. When people refer to, I guess, the Sidemen, or Max Fosh, or Nella Rose as just an influencer because that’s not what they’re doing.”
As for what sets a standout creator apart? Buckley pointed to a rising star: “She’s called Little Mehr. She’s on TikTok and I think she’s 14… And I’m just like, this is amazing… That is raw talent.”
Still Channel 4 at Heart
Even with all the data, thumbnails, and retention rates, Buckley says the spirit of Channel 4 lives on in 4.0.
“Our content, I would say is really funny and risky, but still is safe and has a real duty of care responsibility to the people that are in it.”
In a crowded landscape, her biggest lesson remains simple: “Be proudly one thing… and everyone else will catch up ’cause they’ll wanna be part of it.”
