Channel 4 and Waitrose join forces for new Saturday morning TV show

17 April 2014

Channel 4, in partnership with Waitrose, has commissioned a brand new live Saturday morning lifestyle and cookery programme Weekend Kitchen with Waitrose, presented by Lisa Snowdon and Steve Jones – marking his return to weekends on 4.

The 12x60 series launching on Saturday 26th April at 9am is produced by Spun Gold TV and reflects the style of the quality British supermarket’s free weekly newspaper Waitrose Weekend, with content including entertainment, lifestyle, culture and most importantly food.  

Commissioned by Channel 4’s Head of Daytime David Sayer, the show will feature some of the world’s most famous chefs including Heston Blumenthal, already a Channel 4 luminary, Raymond Blanc, Michel Roux Jnr and Angela Hartnett.

Each week one of them will be cooking up seasonal recipes using selected Waitrose ingredients live on set in a family-style kitchen while Lisa and Steve chat with celebrity guests.

The innovative, branded content TV format will encourage viewers to interact with the show online via channel4.com/weekend kitchen and across social media channels including Twitter and Facebook.

The programme will also be supported by Waitrose in-store promotion, direct marketing to myWaitrose customers as well as editorial support from Waitrose publications Waitrose Weekend and magazine Waitrose Kitchen.

Weekend Kitchen with Waitrose was jointly developed by Waitrose and Spun Gold TV. 

Rupert Ellwood, Head of Marketing Communications, Waitrose, says: “This is a first for Waitrose and we are very excited to be working with Channel 4 to broadcast a weekend show that will offer viewers something new on a Saturday morning. Like our weekly magazine, Waitrose Weekend, we hope the show gives the best advice, ideas and inspiration for making the most of your family time.”

David Sayer, Head of Daytime, Channel 4 said: “Steve and Lisa are the perfect pairing to present the show’s unique combination of celebrity chat, seasonal cooking and tips on how to entertain. It’s a great fit for 4’s schedule and will help our viewers make the most of their weekends.”

Jonathan Lewis, Head of Digital & Partnership Innovation, Channel 4 said: “This significant and exciting new long form AFP with Waitrose builds upon Channel 4’s strong track record in bringing relevant and entertaining brand funded content to our schedule. This partnership with Waitrose is our first major Advertiser funded partnership to be spearheaded by Simon Wells. Simon and his team will continue to work closely with our advertising partners to grow further innovative partnerships through the development of bespoke, high quality and engaging content.”

Nick Bullen, Managing Director, Spun Gold, said: “Spun Gold is excited to embark on this new project with Waitrose, extending our relationship with the brand to produce their first ever television programme.  We have been working with Waitrose for some time and, together with Channel 4, we have created a show which takes the Waitrose brand into a whole new arena. We are confident that Weekend Kitchen with Waitrose will prove to be an innovative and engaging multiplatform production for the viewer and an innovative production partnership for Spun Gold, Waitrose and Channel 4."

Notes to Editors:

About Spun Gold:

Since its launch in 2004, Spun Gold TV has established itself as a world-leading producer of high-quality, popular factual and factual entertainment programming with international appeal.
 
Led by former Carlton Television Controller, Nick Bullen and his team including Daniela Neumann Matt Young, Chris Kelly, Lucy Golding, Rosie Bray, Jane Treays, Simon Gray and Tim Hammond, Spun Gold TV has been hailed by the industry as one of the UK’s most exciting and innovative production companies. It has built a reputation for producing attention-grabbing programmes that cover the breadth of the factual genre; from returning daytime series and celebrity access films to factual entertainment series and natural history documentaries. Recent productions include ratings hits such as Prince William’s Passion:  New Father, New Hope (CNN and ITV1), Great Canal Jouneys (More4), Paul Hollywood Pies and Puds (BBC), Love Your Garden (ITV), The Alan Titchmarsh Show (ITV), and Stitch Me ,Lift Me, Tuck, Me (SkyLiving).
In addition to its successful TV production arm, Spun Gold works across the  broader media sector, launching creative ventures to extend the reach of its established TV brands as well as  identifying and investing in a range of new commercially driven media and entertainment opportunities.