5 To Launch 5Drama

Public service broadcaster 5 will debut 5Drama on 21 October, a dedicated destination for 5’s hit UK drama alongside a selection of US and Australian series. 5Drama will take the place of 5Select in the channel line-up and will move up the EPG.

The channel will showcase 5's award-winning originals, including All Creatures Great and Small, The Madame Blanc Mysteries and The Hardacres, as well as detective dramas such as Ellis and Dalgliesh. Box sets drawn from 5Streaming will also feature, including Gilmore Girls, A Million Little Things and Waterloo Road.

Soon after launch, 5 will mark its long-standing association with Australian soap Home and Away by airing the earliest series from the very first episode on 5Drama. Fans can revisit Summer Bay in 1988 with classic characters like Alf Stewart and Sally Fletcher, following the storylines that have kept UK viewers engaged ever since.

Weekday afternoons will feature nostalgic US drama, building into more recent box-set hits ahead of peak. Peak time opens with 5 family favourites at 7pm and 8pm, followed by classic UK drama at 9pm and a second chance to catch some of 5’s biggest titles at 10pm, such as The Cuckoo, The Catch, Cold Call, The House Across the Street, The Au Pair, Number One Fan, The Rumour and The Fortune. Each day will close with a double bill of Australian drama. Weekends bring the channel’s "super sleuths" on Saturdays, from Jessica Fletcher to Inspector Dalgliesh, with Sundays dedicated to UK drama marathons.

5Drama joins 5's on-air portfolio alongside 5, 5Action, 5Star and 5USA. The broadcaster also offers an expanding range of FAST channels on 5Streaming and other platforms including Freely, among them 5Cops, 5Police Interceptors, 5Crime, 5A&E, 5Trucking Hell, 5Bargain Loving Brits, 5Medical, 5Yorkshire Vet, 5History, 5Movies, 5Christmas in Summer, and Milkshake!

On YouTube, 5 is broadening its line-up with new channel 5Docs, a home for the broadcaster’s celebrated factual talent, bringing together travel with Michael Palin, history with Dan Snow and nature with Steve Backshall, with new episodes added weekly. 5Docs sits alongside the recently launched 5Sport, live NFL games on the main 5 YouTube channel, as well as 5 News, Jeremy Vine & Daytime on 5, and Milkshake!