Channel 4 to broadcast 100 hours of coverage from PyeongChang Paralympic Winter Games
Clare Balding will lead the Channel 4 team as Whisper Films produces its coverage of the PyeongChang 2018 Paralympic Games from a purpose-built broadcast centre at The Snow Centre in Hemel Hempstead.
Balding will be joined throughout the Games by double Paralympic gold-winning superstar Jonnie Peacock who will be on hand to give his assessment on events in Korea and they will be joined by reporter Lee McKenzie. Ade Adepitan, Sophie Morgan and Arthur Williams will present all the action direct from PyeongChang.
Channel 4’s UK presentation team at The Snow Centre Hemel Hempstead will be using the centre’s ski slope to demonstrate the classifications and the skill and athleticism required by Britain’s Paralympians to compete at the highest level.
Adam Hills, Alex Brooker and Josh Widdecombe return with three editions of The Last Leg during the Games. The first launches on the day of the Opening Ceremony, 9 March. And they will be providing unique insights into the Games in The Last Leg Winter Paralympics Special on Sunday, 11 March, as well as broadcasting a show on Friday, 16 March, to round off their take on the Games.
Ed Havard, Channel 4’s Head of Entertainment, Events and Live, said: “Channel 4’s coverage of the Rio Paralympics in 2016 broke new ground and we’re delighted to be bringing that award-winning team back together for the 2018 Winter Paralympics.
“With Clare Balding leading the sports coverage alongside Jonnie Peacock, Ade Adepitan, Sophie Morgan, Arthur Williams and Lee Mckenzie – it promises to be an epic showcase of our Paralympic champions in South Korea. And with The Last Leg back at the heart of the Games, we’ll be celebrating the Paralympians extraordinary achievements as only Adam, Josh and Alex can.”
In all there will be about 100 hours of Paralympics Winter Games programming across Channel 4 and 4Seven including live coverage of the Opening Ceremony, highlights programmes, live through the night coverage of the action, three episodes of The Last Leg, audio described versions of highlights and coverage from the Closing Ceremony.
Clare, Jonnie and Lee will present Channel 4’s prime time evening highlights show, Winter Paralympics Today from its UK-based production base at The Snow Centre Hemel Hempstead
Clare and the team will also guide viewers through the late night show, Winter Paralympics Highlights, at 11pm on weekdays which leads straight into Channel 4’s through the night live coverage of the Games – Winter Paralympics Live.
Paralympic ski guide gold medallist Charlotte Evans and Jade Etherington, winner of Sochi Paralympic silver and bronze medals in visually impaired skiing events, will be offering viewers unique insights into the challenges faced by the competitors in South Korea.
Charlotte Evans, who guided Kelly Gallagher to Super-G Gold in Sochi, and Jade Etherington, winner of three Silvers and a Bronze four years ago, will offer viewers unique insight into the challenges faced by visually impaired skiers in South Korea.
Channel 4 will also be joined by Team GB Winter Olympians and a range of Paralympic superstars such as Richard Whitehead and Kadeena Cox throughout the event.
Every morning Ade Adepitan, Sophie Morgan and Arthur Williams will bring all the best of the overnight action in the hour-long Winter Paralympics Breakfast direct from PyeongChang.
Skiing commentary will come from Rob Walker and former Winter Paralympian Sean Rose in PyeongChang, whilst Ed Leigh will commentate on the Snowboarding events and John Rawling & Michael McCreadie will lead viewers through the Wheelchair Curling. Rob Walker and Sean Rose will also provide commentary for the Winter Paralympics Opening Ceremony which begins live on Channel 4 at 10.55am on Friday, 9 March.
Continuing its drive to see more disabled on-screen talent, more than 60 per cent of Channel 4’s presentation team will be disabled.
Whisper Films is producing coverage of the Games Channel 4. Whisper’s Andy Stevenson is overseeing editorial content from PyeongChang, the most senior position held by a disabled person working on a Channel 4 Paralympics production team. Joining Andy will be Alastair Meachan and Ella Beaumont who both came through Channel 4’s Rio Production Training Scheme in 2016.