Major features of Channel 5's early scheduling structure included daily soap opera Family Affairs at 6.30pm, a nightly news broadcast at 8.30pm, presented by Kirsty Young.
Weekend programming included Night Fever, a panel show presented by Suggs and the fantasy series Xena: Warrior Princess and Hercules: The Legendary Journeys.
[22] The latter show, produced by Zeppotron[23] was a comedy quiz presented by Liza Tarbuck, and featuring contestants Trisha Goddard, Johnny Vegas, Ben Miller and Frankie Boyle,[24] which took its name from the fact that the Spice Girls had been the first act to be seen launching the service in 1997.
The programme followed drivers responsible for delivering diverse orders such as the new pitch at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium, and the lights to be installed at London's famous Piccadilly Circus.
Currently, Channel 5's daytime schedule consists of the flagship programme Jeremy Vine with the soaps Neighbours and Home & Away its main ratings successes.
The 8pm slot is often filled with male-oriented programmes such as Ice Road Truckers, Police Interceptors, Emergency Bikers, Revealed (mystery and archaeology), Monster Moves, Nature Shock and the Demolition series.
Another crime series titled Murder Files was also broadcast in 2012, which focused on several notorious criminal cases such as The Schoolboy Assassin, looking back at how police eventually caught their killer.
Additionally, the four-part documentary series, Essex Jungle aired in Spring 2011 focusing on the world of exotic, often dangerous reptiles living in people's homes.
[88] The series, set around Benidorm and Malaga,[89] features drag queen showbars, animal rescue centres[88] and the residents of various caravan parks,[90] in addition to ex-pats making a living on Spain's markets.
Brits in France series, which follows the lives of various ex-pats in the country, such as Andy and Richard, the owners of a restaurant called Les Roches on the banks of the River Sioule in Auvergne.
[133][1] Other travel shows found on the channel include The Cotswolds with Pam Ayres,[134] Iceland With Alexander Armstrong[135][136] and the Bill Nighy narrated World's Most Scenic Railway Journeys[137][138] which has featured British[139][140] and international train routes over its five series.
[197][198][199][200] As VIS UK was closing, Viacom Head of Factual & Features executive Oliver Wright[201][202] moved over to the Objective Media Group[203] to set up the production company Coming Up Roses,[204][205] where he would continue to produce Nick Knowles travel documentaries[206] and royal palace programmes[207] alongside new commissions like Malta: The Jewel of the Med,[208] The 1970s Dinner Party[209] and Kensington & Chelsea: The Royal Borough[210] In addition, travel shows featuring Susan Calman[211] and Jane McDonald were picked up by Entertainment One's Daisybeck Studios,[212][213] the company already responsible for Channel 5 programmes like The Yorkshire Vet,[214] ...On the Farm and The Highland Vet, with the company also adding Isle of Wight: Jewel of the South to its production slate for Channel 5.
[230] In 2021, Channel 5's version of All Creatures Great And Small was bringing in more than 4 million viewers to its Thursday night slot,[231][232][233] a programme joining Sally Lindsay's comedy-drama The Madame Blanc Mysteries[234] and P.D.
The four-part thriller, branded as a 'Channel 5 Original Drama' in the UK, starred EastEnders' Charlie Brooks alongside former Neighbours actors Caroline Gillmer, Nadine Garner and Brett Tucker.
[258] As part of the relaunch of February 2011, Channel 5 commissioned a range of new entertainment programming including Impossible with mind-reader Philip Escoffey hosting a gameshow with a jackpot of £40,000.
[265] The programme would go on to win the RTS North West Award for Best Light Entertainment show and would feature McDonald singing a range of songs with her band and with special guests such as Spandau Ballet's Tony Hadley.
The show was presented by Jeremy Vine's brother Tim,[275] a comedian who also has the distinction of being the first man to appear on Channel 5 when he co-hosted the launch programme on 30 March 1997, alongside Julia Bradbury and musical guests The Spice Girls.
[284] In June 2012, chef Marco Pierre White launched his own cookery competition show, comprising seven 60-minute episodes, to find a couple who creates Britain's Best Dining Experience.
The premise of the show from Channel 5 is: Marco Pierre White uses his exceptional culinary eye to find the UK's best restaurant partnerships balancing fabulous food with seamless service.
[305] In January 2022, Viacom/Channel 5's Greatest Hits of the 80s was reformatted without the chart countdown as 80s Greatest Pop Videos, keeping the regular talking head comments (from 'experts' such as Paul Gambaccini, Nina Myskow, Katie Puckrik, as well as pop stars from the period such as Carol Decker, Nick Heyward, Andy Summers, Midge Ure and Clare Grogan) and adding tracks that were not already covered by the Official Charts Company's Top 30 of the year.
[327][328] A more recent format to air on the channel is Cast Away, in which a well known celebrity is stranded on the uninhabited island of Ankerea, off the coast of Madagascar, for ten days without a film crew and must document the experience themselves.
Series 1 of Celebrity Big Brother on Channel 5 kicked off with the entry of housemates including reality show regulars Kerry Katona, Amy Childs and Jedward.
The celebrities, such as actor Helen Flanagan and chef Rustie Lee, would be taught to pamper, preen and pluck by Herbert Howe, a man with fifty years experience in the hair and beauty industry.
However, in February 2022, Channel 5 confirmed that Neighbours would not be part of their schedule from August 2022, though ViacomCBS' Australian company Network Ten are still free to find new backers to keep the show in production if they wanted to.
Commentary comes from Dave Farrar and Richie Woodhall and have shown fights featuring Josh Taylor, George Groves, Carl Frampton and Tyson Fury.
Until 2012 Channel 5 showed a mix of European and international club football, notably weekly matches or highlights from the Dutch Eredivisie, Portugal's SuperLiga, Primera División Argentina and Copa Libertadores from South America.
In the past, the channel has shown other MLS matches on tape delay or as highlights, generally in the same manner as its coverage of European domestic leagues (excluding Serie A).
Channel 5 studios are used for UEFA Champions League and Serie A coverage that Paramount Global holds rights in the United States through CBS Sports / Network and Paramount+.
[362] From round three live studio coverage was added with the former ITV team of Andy Jayed and ex-former F1 / Formula E driver Jaime Alguersuari, while commentary comes from the world feed from BBC F1's Jack Nicholls and Dario Franchitti, with Nicki Shields as the pit lane reporter.
It generally followed the model of the channel's NHL coverage, a single midweek game either live or on short-delay, plus a review of the previous week's action.