The goal, the challenge

The first series of Made In Chelsea (early 2011) was a huge success for E4 and Monkey Kingdom. It’s a structured reality format, following the lives of a group of young friends who live in Chelsea, London. A second series was commissioned to run through October, November and December 2011 - and Channel 4 decided to step up a gear with a 3-eposide web TV spin-off series.

How it worked

‘Live In Chelsea’ was a broadcasting first in the UK - a truly innovative web only spin-off TV show. As with all structured reality formats, the cast had built up a substantial fan base desperate to know more about them. When each Made In Chelsea episode was broadcast on Channel 4, the cast gathered for a screening - providing the perfect opportunity to participate in Live In Chelsea straight afterwards from the same venue.

Live In Chelsea was a 30 minute show broadcast from a bar - with friends of the cast in the audience creating a party atmosphere. The audience at home felt part of the show - and loved the opportunity to quiz the cast (some polite, some not so polite!).  Different cast members were used for each eposide - ensuring that all got a chance to be involved over the series.

An iPad was used by the cast to see the questions as they came through - once they had been moderated by the compliance and editorial teams. The broadcast ran over an internet connection from the bar. The Social Media Factory produced the online show - working closely with Monkey Kingdom to ensure creative coherence with the main TV show. A three camera set-up was used to provide a professional production - and enable viewers at home to  feel like they were in the bar with their favourite cast members.

A variety of promotional tools drove viewers to the web show, including a public announcement on E4, E4’s website, Twitter and Facebook. The cast also engaged their personal Twitter fan bases - Tweeting to fans that they had the opportunity to see them live and ask questions, which proved a hit.

The number of viewers exceeded all expectations - particularly as this was the first web TV of its kind in the UK. This success provides an exciting platform for future structured reality formats - a TV genre exploding in popularity.