Channel 4 commissioner defends Bonnie Blue documentary and Virgin Island – argues against "boring and safe" TV environment
Channel 4's chief commissioning officer Ian Katz spoke about the response to the two controversial series.
Channel 4's chief commissioning officer Ian Katz has defended two controversial programmes aired earlier this year.
The documentary 1000 Men and Me: The Bonnie Blue Story aired in July and followed OnlyFans content creator Bonnie Blue, while Virgin Island, which aired back in May, followed 12 adult virgins and saw the group go through a course in intimacy.
Virgin Island has also been confirmed to return for a second season, having become a ratings hit and broken records among 16-to-34-year-olds for the channel.
Speaking at the Edinburgh TV Festival 2025 on Wednesday (20th August), Katz was asked about the decision to air the two programmes amid criticism from some quarters over their content.
Katz said that both were "extremely successful shows" and went on to comment: "Channel 4 is not in the business of being shocking for shocking’s sake. That's just attention-seeking behaviour."
He argued that the channel's remit was to create "meaningful discussion" and prompt people to think about "aspects of British life" that other broadcasters don't engage with.
Regarding those two programmes, Katz said: "I think they are two sides of the same coin. Bonnie Blue is, if you like, ground zero of the porn culture, and Virgin Island is about what the porn culture does to young people. It's been creating a generation of young people which has been struggling with intimacy."
He went on to add: "Both of those subjects are absolutely the kind of territory Channel 4 should be exploring."
Katz said it was "perfectly sensible" to question the format of the Bonnie Blue documentary, but insisted that the shows' subject matters brought about a "good discussion" and were both "huge hits with viewers", also noting that 60 per cent of viewers of the Bonnie Blue documentary were women.
He argued that both shows were "emblematic of the broader point" and that he thinks the TV environment has become "quite boring and safe", with many broadcasters and streamers – and even Channel 4 itself sometimes – "reverting to known formats" and relying on established talent over new talent.
It seems the channel's reputation for risk-taking shows no signs of dying down.
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1000 Men and Me: The Bonnie Blue Story and Virgin Island are available on Channel 4.
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Lewis is the News and Trends Editor at Radio Times and leads our approach to news, reactive content, and serving audience demands and interests. An obsessive fan of television and film, Lewis is a Nicole Kidman fanatic with a side of passion for science-fiction, art-house cinema and the latest HBO drama. Lewis has a degree in Psychology and a Masters in Film Studies. After working in advertising, Lewis worked at The Mirror for three years in community management and SEO, showbiz, film and television reporting.
