In a crowded world of multimedia choice, individual programmes on important subjects can struggle to get the attention they deserve. To put little-aired public issues centre-stage, Channel 4 has over the years mounted high-profile peak-time ‘seasons' that aim to inform, entertain and effect change. In 2000 for example, Adoption on Trial showed how thousands of children in care were waiting to be found permanent families because of failures in the adoption system. At a low point for UK adoption rates, this three-week season boosted public awareness of the many children waiting for families and hastened the introduction of a much-needed national register of available adopters.

In autumn 2007, Lost for Words aimed to expose poor child literacy rates in Britain and do something about it. A major on-screen and billboard campaign promoted the season, which launched with a Dispatches special revealing the shocking scale of functional illiteracy among under-11s and its human and social cost later in life. Last Chance Kids followed young readers at Monteagle Primary School in Dagenham for a year to see if using Synthetic Phonics could improve standards.

The results were hard-won but inspirational: the school doubled the number of children meeting required reading standards, turning resentful non-readers into enthusiastic library users. A special edition of Richard and Judy's Book Club featured children's books; a website packed with ideas and information encouraged parents to get involved; and a web forum hosted lively exchanges on how to foster happy readers. About 90,000 people accessed the Lost for Words site in the following weeks and in December Anthony Horowitz, Andrew Motion, Ian Rankin, Joanna Trollope and over 500 other prominent British writers presented letters to Prime Minister Gordon Brown calling for urgent policy action on child literacy. Channel 4 seasons help sow the seeds of change.