There was a moment in November whenChannel 4s senior executives breathed a sigh of relief.
They were raising a glass to a British success story in a rare public display of unity.
Coffey turned to Mahon and asked if she could raise a glass to Channel 4.
A protester outside Channel 4 in a Margaret Thatcher mask
Channel 4 executives were amazed by the singalong.
It has spent 40 years funneling its TV ad revenue into disruptive programming from the UKs independent production sector.
But Channel 4s longevity has not stopped successive Conservatives from attempting to unpick Thatchers legacy.
Channel 4 eventually won the argument, but only after agreeing to move hundreds of employees out of London.
If there was a sense of unfinished business among Conservative ranks, then the pandemic provided an opportunity.
The Covid crisis bludgeoned Channel 4s advertising revenue, forcing it to slash its content budget by 150M.
New ownership would be better for the broadcaster, and better for the country, he proclaimed.
The governments public case for privatization has always been about sustainability.
Ministers said Channel 4 was overwhelmingly reliant on traditional advertising, a decaying source of revenue.
Whitingdale tells Deadline that he wanted to pull Channel 4 out of a potential death spiral.
The trouble for ministers was that those steeped in the business of British television overwhelmingly disagreed with the governmentsanalysis.
Ricky Gervais and Steve Coogan were among the celebrities who voiced opposition.
There was even dissent among a rump of Conservative MPs.
Some of Boris Johnsons colleagues viewed his motivations as political, saying he pursued privatization with enthusiasm.
Boris was very committed to it, says Whittingdale, his Media Minister for nearly two years.
Others were more explicit in linking ideological motives to the disposal of Channel 4.
Cummings has not responded to a request for comment.
Channel 4 did not help themselves.
But there was one Johnson acolyte who would eventually become the face of the sale.
A diehard Johnson ally, she embraced Downing Streets mission with vigor and energized the privatization effort.
Her whole pitch was: Im only interested in data and evidence.
It made her an incredibly credible advocate and witness.
The government has confessed to spending at least 2M on its own case for privatization.
He couldnt understand why we werent being more aggressive or forthright, says someone who worked closely with both.
In contrast, Katz sometimes elected to use more incendiary rhetoric, a source says.
The UKs film, television, and advertising sectors were full-throated in their rejection of privatization.
The handful of names included Lord Michael Grade, the former ITV Chief Executive who now chairs Ofcom.
Some 96% of the 55,737 responses disagreed with the idea that public ownership could eventually kill Channel 4.
Only 2% advocated for a sale.
It did not deter Dorries, who in April 2022 decided to press on with the disposal.
It shocked Channel 4 executives and was a low point of the entire debate for Mahon and her team.
It was not normal process, an insider reflects.
Then you think, what do we do next?
How do we deal with this?
ITV, Sky, and Warner Bros. ITV, Sky, Warner Bros.
Discovery, and News Corp declined to comment.
No Tea, No Coffee Meetings
Dorries could be combative in talks with Channel 4.
A third source close to Mahon prefers to describe the encounter as good-natured.
Others joke that it was not unusual for the DCMS to forget to offer refreshments.
They didnt return emails, they didnt return calls, and they didnt even return texts from Alex.
That would really begin to freak people out.
The 244-page document makes repeated assurances about Channel 4s financial performance and future.
The standoff delayed publication of the annual report and officials ultimately backed down.
But Mahon was in no mood to move on.
She said it was the first intervention of its kind in Channel 4s 40-year history.
The DCMS was incandescent that Mahon had gone public with the spat, according to two people.
Brennan denies the allegation, saying he would never warn witnesses about his line of questioning.
Channel 4 insiders argue that the annual report was always part of the agenda for the committee hearing.
The turmoil did not end there.
Liz Truss replaced Johnson, crashed the economy, and resigned within seven weeks.
The government ran out of reasons to do it.
It became more of a political move to privatize the broadcaster, a well-placed source says.
It interrupted me making my cranberry sauce, jokes one person close to the process.
The deal was eventually announced in the first week of January.
Channel 4 contributes to the creation of brilliant programs.
How is it right that Channel 4 gets virtually nothing from that?
DCMS and Channel 4 insiders say this change is little more than housekeeping to protect the broadcaster.
Channel 4 insiders strenuously deny it failed to submit information when requested.
Others are not so certain, particularly if Channel 4 runs into financial difficulty.
Neil, the former BBC presenter, thinks the Tory obsession with privatization is dead in the water.
He explains: There is nothing this government will now do to the broadcasters, nothing.
It doesnt have the political capital or the bandwidth.
It has no idea what to do anyway.
Game set and match to the broadcasters.
As Channel 4 executives breathe a sigh of relief, they are beginning to refocus.
Privatization sucked the oxygen out of the room, reflects an insider.
The clouds will not clear immediately and new challenges will emerge.
For many, it will be a reason to raise a toast when Channel 4s 41st birthday rolls around.
