Fern Britton lands Channel 4 chat show

Fern Britton lands Channel 4 chat show
Fern Britton lands Channel 4 chat show (Image credit: PA Archive/Press Association Ima)

Channel 4 has announced that Fern Britton is to make a regular return to TV screens in a new teatime show, in which real people are the stars. The television show, entitled Fern, will be an hour-long daily programme with a mixture of real people's true stories, celebrity profiles and entertainment segments. Each week, members of the live studio audience will share their life-changing experiences while Fern will offer expert advice, a shoulder to cry on, a treat or some tough love. The series will also feature a range of celebrity guests who will be encouraged to interact with the audience while being interviewed at the same time. Head of Channel 4 Daytime, Helen Warner, said: "I have long been a fan of Fern and am thrilled that she is joining us at Channel 4. "Whether she's interviewing ordinary people, Hollywood stars or Prime Ministers, there is no-one better than Fern. For me, she is the British answer to Oprah." Speaking about her new show, Fern said: "I am very excited about being in on the start of a brand new show. I'm working with a great team and together we shall rise to the challenge."

Patrick McLennan

Patrick McLennan is a London-based journalist and documentary maker who has worked as a writer, sub-editor, digital editor and TV producer in the UK and New Zealand. His CV includes spells as a news producer at the BBC and TVNZ, as well as web editor for Time Inc UK. He has produced TV news and entertainment features on personalities as diverse as Nick Cave, Tom Hardy, Clive James, Jodie Marsh and Kevin Bacon and he co-produced and directed The Ponds, which has screened in UK cinemas, BBC Four and is currently available on Netflix. 


An entertainment writer with a diverse taste in TV and film, he lists Seinfeld, The Sopranos, The Chase, The Thick of It and Detectorists among his favourite shows, but steers well clear of most sci-fi.