The best boxsets to binge on All 4

This November, Channel 4 will be 40 years old. For 25 of those years, I worked for the broadcaster, and it retains a special place in my heart. It has consistently championed new talent, and taken risks that other broadcasters would baulk at. It doesn’t always pay off (Mini Pops was a low, and Naked Attraction is just bizarre) but for 40 years it has given us genuinely ground-breaking programming, as well as importing the best America has to offer. The government’s proposal to privatise Channel 4 is, to me, an act of cultural vandalism, and British television will lose a voice that is edgy, occasionally controversial, and above all, different.

On a lighter note, in this age of streaming and digital TV, Channel 4 has made much of its back catalogue available to view on demand. Here, then, are ten box sets to see you through the summer months, traditionally a quiet patch in telly-land.

Frasier (1993-2004)

Spin-offs are often rubbish, but Frasier was a magnificent creation. Taking a relatively bit-part character from the superb Cheers (which is also available on All 4 – yay!) and building a series around him seemed like lunacy. But the sitcom, which followed the life of psychiatrist Dr Frasier Crane as he returned to his native Seattle to host a radio phone-in therapy show, was a triumph, running for 11 glorious seasons. The cast of characters included Frasier’s plain-speaking father Martin, Martin’s eccentric English carer Daphne, and Frasier’s radio producer Roz. But the best moments were those between Frasier (played by Kelsey Grammar) and his neurotic and equally snobbish brother Niles, who was superbly brought to life by David Hyde Pierce. Oh, and the show also featured Eddie, Martin’s pet dog, in one of the all-time great animal performances.

The show’s genius was in creating characters who were flawed, and often objectionable, but fundamentally decent and lovable, so that the audience really cared what happened to them. A reboot of the show is being considered, but surely nothing could ever be this good again…?

It's a Sin (2021)

When you talk about Channel 4 making shows that no other broadcaster would, this is the perfect example. Russell T Davies’ searing drama about the HIV/AIDS crisis, and its effects on the lives of a group of young gay men living in London in the 1980s, was risky, occasionally graphic, and ultimately extraordinarily powerful. An ensemble cast, led by pop star Olly Alexander, and featuring Keeley Hawes, Shaun Dooley and Stephen Fry, told the devastating story of love, life and death with humour, warmth and courage over five increasingly shattering episodes.

Special mention should go to Callum Scott Howells, who played ingenue Colin in the series most devastating storyline. The Guardian called it a “poignant masterpiece” and, with the drama being screened in January 2021, audiences could relate, more than ever, to the fears of a community being stalked by a terrifying virus.

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The West Wing (1999-2006)

In some ways, The West Wing may be the most depressing programme on the list. Not that this riveting drama was depressing in itself – in fact, it was optimistic, hope-filled and entirely lacking cynicism – but because the fictional story of a President and his staff seems so far removed from the considerably less-palatable reality of present day politics. Set in a world where people behaved with decency, integrity and honesty, it tells the story of the administration of Democratic President Josiah Bartlet, a towering performance from Martin Sheen in the role of a lifetime. Frenetically-paced, with whip smart dialogue from writer and creator Aaron Sorkin, the show gave us a world leader we could all believe in, surrounded by a hardworking, dedicated and devoted staff intent on making a difference to people’s lives. The supporting cast included Rob Lowe, Alison Janney, Bradley Whitford and Stockard Channing as the First Lady. The series consistently appears in lists of the greatest TV drama of all time, and won 26 Primetime Emmy awards over its seven seasons. Truth be told, the show dips in form somewhat after Sorkin’s departure at the end of season four, but the early series are among the best TV drama ever made.

Home (2019-2020)

A considerably less-heralded show than most on this list, this sitcom, which ran for only two seasons, is a hidden gem. Written by (and starring) Rufus Jones, it tells the story of a middle class family who return from a French holiday to their comfortable Dorking home, only to discover Sami, a Syrian refugee, has hitched a lift with them in their boot. Bleeding-heart Katy (Rebekah Staton) wants to welcome Sami into their home, but uptight Peter (played by Jones) is less sympathetic to the idea. The show wears its liberal heart proudly on its sleeve, but while the moral point of the show is clear, it's also very, very funny. At the heart of it all is Sami, beautifully played by the majestic Youssef Kerkour, whose gentle kindness and decency wins the day.

Comic Strip Presents… (1982-2011)

When Channel 4 launched, on November 2nd 1982, it placed the burgeoning new world of alternative comedy firmly at the centre of its first night of programming, showing a Famous Five parody Five Go Mad in Dorset. It proved to be the first of a hugely popular series of standalone comedic plays, normally starring some or all of Adrian Edmondson, Dawn French, Rik Mayall, Nigel Planer, Peter Richardson and Jennifer Saunders. The show ran for five series, as well as a number of later specials, most recently in 2011. Among the most celebrated episodes are the Spaghetti Western spoof A fistful of Travellers Cheques, the faux-rockumentary Bad News Tour, and the tale of a hitman, played by Peter Cook, in Mr Jolly Lives Next Door. The show was, for its time, subversive and occasionally controversial. But above all, it was very, very funny.

Shackleton (2002)

The chances are, you probably know the story of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s epic, ill-fated but strangely triumphant Antarctic venture in 1914. If you don’t, you’d be forgiven for thinking the whole thing is a rather implausibly far-fetched drama, but it’s all absolutely true. The whole, heroic story is told in over two feature-length episodes that were filmed in Iceland and Greenland, and you can almost feel the cold seeping into your bones. Kenneth Branagh plays Shackleton, who is leading a venture planning to become the first people to cross Antarctica, using dog teams. But when their ship, Endurance, becomes stuck and ultimately crushed by pack ice, it appears that the team are stranded, and most likely facing a long and rather chilly death. What happened next was one of the most extraordinary feats of courage, skill and pluck in the history of human exploration.

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ER (1994-2009)

If the most popular genre of TV drama is your standard police procedural, the next one on the list has to be the medical drama. From St Elsewhere to Casualty, Grey’s Anatomy to Holby City, we do love a bit of chest-cracking, rib-splitting action. But the daddy of all the medical dramas has to be ER, a thrilling tour de force set in the Emergency Room of Chicago’s County General Hospital, run by Anthony Edwards’ decent, kind Dr Mark Greene.

The show was written by Michael Crichton, a former doctor himself, and was hailed as the most realistic medical drama ever made. Among the show’s bountiful gifts was a cast of strong, believable, complicated characters, chief among whom was Dr Doug Ross, the paediatrician, a role that made a star out of George Clooney. The show also boasted an episode directed by Quentin Tarantino, as well as a live episode – no small achievement considering the complexity of shooting scenes in a busy ER. Over the years, there were also roles for Alan Alda, Stanley Tucci, Rosemary Clooney (George’s aunt), Thandiwe Newton, Kirsten Dunst, Ewan McGregor, Sally Field, Susan Sarandon, Forest Whitaker, and the late, lamented Ray Liotta. Everyone wanted to be in ER, because it was simply that good.

24 Hours in A&E (2011-present)

If ER is first among equals for medical dramas, then this outstanding fly-on-the-wall documentary series fulfils the same role for medical documentaries. Using 70 fixed-rig cameras filming the constant comings and goings of an Accident and Emergency ward in a busy London hospital, this is a warts-and-all look at the reality of life on the medical frontline. Covering everything from minor injuries and ailments to those of a distinctly more life-threatening variety, the series intercuts footage filmed on the hospital floor with interviews with the staff, patients and relatives involved in each case.

Watching this series will leave you with two indelible impressions: First, the casual, everyday heroism of the remarkable NHS workers whose daily grind involves saving lives. And secondly, the love that we human beings have for one another. This is documentary film making at its most moving, filmed at some of the most profound moments in people’s lives.

Taskmaster (2015 to present)

From the profound to the ridiculous. Taskmaster, the brainchild of co-presenter Alex Horne, is utterly frivolous, absurd and entirely pointless – and compulsively, hilariously watchable. The format involves Horne setting a series of ever-more-bizarre challenges for five comedians to complete, before their efforts are assessed and scored (and generally ridiculed) by the Taskmaster, comedian Greg Davies. At the end of the series, the winning comedian takes home a trophy of Davies’ head. Initially a word-of-mouth hit on digital channel Dave, the show was bought by Channel 4 in 2019, and the entire back catalogue, and new series, are available on All 4.

The tasks themselves are invariably brilliantly daft – everything from having to make a cocktail without making a sound over 60 decibels to eating as much watermelon as possible in four minutes – and the whole thing appears to be as much fun for those taking part as those watching at home. In a world where events can leave one with a sense of unease about life, this is a gloriously irreverent antidote to real life.

Derry Girls (2018-2022)

Based on Lisa McGee’s experiences growing up as a teenager in 1990s Derry towards the end of the Troubles, this utter delight of a sitcom follows five teens as they navigate school, romance, booze, families, nuns, exams and sectarianism. The ensemble cast is uniformly brilliant, with particular credit going to Siobhan McSweeney’s gloriously cynical headmistress Sister George Michael.

Warm, tender, nostalgic and very funny, the show also boasts a rip-roaring soundtrack of banging 90s hits. But the real secret to Derry Girls’ charm was its ability, every now and again, to be deeply, powerfully emotionally affecting, particularly at the end of each series. The sitcom recently concluded its third and final series, and the denouement, centred around the peace initiative referendum, was among the TV highlights of this or any other year.

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