A couple of years ago, C4 looked like it was on its last legs. So bad was its financial plight (allegedly) that it was expected to merge into rival broadcaster Five. It all looks different now. With ad revenues bouncing back and new commissioning cash released by axing Big Brother, C4 has renewed key parts of the schedule. One happy outcome has been My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding, a bona fide primetime hit.

In the recent past we’;ve noted how film is benefiting from C4′;s improved financial profile. But another area to benefit is documentary, with C4 ploughing an extra £6.7m into the genre this year. That’;s around 40% up on last year’;s spend.

The fruit of that investment is now appearing. Examples includes Classmates, an ambitious 8 x 60 mins series which will follow the lives of pupils at a secondary school near London. Produced by TwoFour for doco commissioning editor Mark Raphael, it will air just before the autumn term.

Other new titles coming up include The Aristocracy, a four-part exploration of Britain’;s upper classes aristocrats to be produced by Oxford Film and TV and directed by Patrick Forbes. Also noteworthy is Forced Marriage Unit, a 90-minute film documentary about a group trying to rescue British Asian women from forced marriages in Pakistan.

Commenting, C4 head of documentaries Hamish Mykura said: “I want C4 to be the home of original storytelling that provides an insight into the realities, institutions and curiosities of contemporary Britain… In 2011 (there will be) an additional 23 hours on-air which will allow us to produce more standout series as well as high-calibre singles from some of the country’;s foremost documentary-makers.”