Channel 5 is reverting to its original name in a major revamp of the public service broadcaster.
The channel, streaming service, and digital platforms will all be renamed 5 to unify the brand in a relaunch slated for April.
On X, viewers questioned the decision with @GrantSRivers commenting: ‘Relaunching is great but will it be for the better? Will be have fresh content as opposed to endless repeats?! #Channel5 #Five.’
@ultimate_os quipped sarcastically: ‘Very inventive name.’
@PGUK78 moaned simply: ‘Urgh.’
@jonathandayman also added: ‘Er… Why? For internal purposes only.’
Channel 5 was first launched in 1997 but became Five in 2002 to ‘refresh the channel’s onscreen identity’.
The name remained for nearly a decade until 2011 when it was renamed Channel 5 because new owner Richard Desmond felt Five was ‘too vague.’
Now, though, Channel 5’s current owners Paramount are deciding to give 5 a whirl again.
It’s a move echoing Channel 4’s decision to rename its streamer, previously known as All4, to Channel 4 for simplicity.
Explaining Channel 5’s rebrand, Ben Frow, chief content officer at Paramount UK, said: ‘We know from the success that so many of our Channel 5 shows have had on Netflix that there’s a huge appetite for our content in the streaming world.
‘As we relaunch as 5, our streaming service will be a much bigger and broader offer than My5, with a significantly expanded range of content, including new series and boxsets in reality, drama, factual and kids from across the Paramount family.’
Channel 5 is the home of dramas featuring the likes of Sally Lindsay, Jason Watkins, and Ross Kemp, as well as documentaries.
It will also air the late Dr Michael Mosley’s final show, a three-parter titled Michael Mosley: Wonders of The Human Body.
In the show, Mosley will scrutinise his own health as he investigates why people age and break bones.
Speaking about the project in September before his death, Mosley said: ‘This was a fascinating series to make and I learned a lot about the workings of the human body in general, and my own in particular, which I am looking forward to sharing.’
A spokesperson for Channel 5 previously told Metro.co.uk that ‘any decision taken [about airing the show] would be entirely in agreement with [Mosley’s] family.’
The TV doctor died in June on a Greek island after he went for a walk in 40°C temperatures.
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