Cross-platform success story 'Embarrassing Bodies' to focus on the elderly

[Nicola More]

One of Channel 4’s most successful online public service initiatives is to return with a new series this autumn.
The Embarrassing Bodies series is a hit show for Channel 4 both online and on-screen – 2.7 million people tune in to watch the programme while the website has so far attracted a further 25 million hits.

Its real success lies in its ability to actually change people’s behaviour – one of Channel 4's core corporate values. Some 400,000 people have used the online STI Risk Checker, and research shows people who watched the show are twice as likely to check themselves for breast or prostate cancer than those who did not.

Emulating the success of the earlier teen spin-off, Embarrassing Bodies will return to our screens this autumn with a special series focusing on the over 60s. The new series will bring to light some of the common health problems associated with ageing, encouraging people to seek advice and also challenging society’s preconceptions about the elderly.

The Government’s Digital Britain report, published this summer, applauded Channel 4’s efforts to enrich its public service offering through online platforms, envisaging a new ‘PSB2’ that leads the way in cross-platform programming.