5 to launch brand new channel showing beloved dramas and classic Home and Away episodes

Channel 5 will be launching a brand new channel that will be dedicated to showing beloved dramas and classic Home and Away episodes.

Channel 5, acquired by Paramount UK in 2014 and now known simply as 5 since last year, is introducing 5drama which will air the likes of All Creatures Great and Small, American favourites like Gilmore Girls and even the BBC's Waterloo Road.

The new channel will air British dramas during peak times in the evenings while American classics will air in the afternoons, along with Home and Away, which will start all the way back from episode one, which originally aired in 1988.

5Drama has gained the rights to the first 10 seasons of British coming-of-age drama Waterloo Road which aired between 2006 and 2014. The BBC show was rebooted was in 2023 and has since made seven further seasons which 5Drama will not be able to air.

The new channel will replace 5Select and join Paramount UK's roster of channels including the main 5 channel, 5Action, 5Star and 5USA.

5 boss Reemah Sakaan said: "Award winning drama is increasingly at the heart of what 5 offers viewers, so it’s the right time to give it a dedicated home.

"This, and the expansion of our portfolio across multiple platforms, is about sharpening our channels and giving viewers a clear offer wherever they’re watching – on linear, 5Streaming, Freely or YouTube."

5 is also joining the likes of other networks such as the BBC and expanding to YouTube, launching a channel for documentaries, joining its already existing sports, news and kids channels on the platform.

The news of the launch comes in the week that Paramount Skydance Corporation, headed by David Ellison, is buying Warner Bros Discovery in a deal valued at about $110 billion. As part of the deal, Ellison is looking to sell off some American linear networks such as BET, VH1 and Comedy Central.

With the concern this placed on the diversity of media ownership in British broadcasting, Ellison pledged to put an additional £80m into UK programming over a three-year period, with the new channel a part of that pledge.

5Drama will launch on Wednesday 21 October.

Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what's on tonight. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.

Authors

Phoebe Kowhai Barnes is a Freelance Writer who covers pop culture and entertainment programmes for the Radio Times. She previously worked as the Senior Assistant Editor at The Tab where she managed its local department. She obtained a BA (Hons) in English Literature from University of Nottingham.