Insight & strategy Collao explains that this was because the researchers recognised interesting things happen at the fringes of culture and some of it may influence what happens in future and some might not; it might just be total outliers. Working with a broad brief was lovely, adds Collao: Doing these broad pieces is really stimulating intellectually but it is a challenge to try to fit it all in. Craft had the challenge of balancing the need to be exploratory and the need to be more focused with the qualitative research, so it split its budget of time, questions and activities into two chunks. One was open and exploratory, asking participants to film a day in their work or school life, or a typical day with family and friends, for example. There were also thematic tasks, where researchers asked more purposive questions around specific issues. A vast dataset also presented another significant technical and analytical challenge the self-shot video ethnography generated 43 hours of footage that the researchers had to not only deal with on a practical level, but also make sense of. While offering a treasure trove of insight, a dataset of that size required some thought to ensure individuals working on it werent overwhelmed, and The research highlighted that young people dont see themselves as separate from society to work out how to go about understanding endless reams of footage. Nobody can sit there and watch 43 hours of video and make sense of it, says Collao. The team devised processes to share the workload, including sticking to a structured analytical framework. It was good that we had time to do this there was a lot of data and it was so vast, topically, that it required a lot of cognitive effort and time to breathe, to be able to start to boil it down, Collao explains. With the research touching on topics such as mental health and body image, there was also an emotional element to the management of the vast amount of footage gathered. Over time, you form bonds with these participants, and they form bonds with you, says Collao. Those bonds allowed us to respectfully, with their permission and collaboration, show these young people in all their depth. At the end of 2022, Channel 4 launched a current affairs strand, Untold, aimed at 16 to 34-year-olds. Launched primarily with a digital-first approach for All4, but also with linear slots, the strand focuses on producing Dispatches-style documentaries aimed at younger viewers. Its programming has included an exploration of the secret lives of incels (young men describing themselves as involuntarily celibate), an investigation of UK gang violence, and a film about what happens to Love Island contestants after the show ends. Telling relevant stories The Beyond Z research has helped to shape the development of Untold and inform its ongoing strategy. Channel 4s Hamilton says: Weve always wanted to make sure that our independent broadcasting, in general, is doing everything it can to allow young people the right kind of access to the content that matters to them and matters to the society they are part of. The research highlighted that young people dont see themselves as separate from society; they very much see themselves as part of society. With that in mind, Hamilton says: This research is shaping that continuous strategy to make sure that we remain a Channel 4s digital-first youth-focused channel, 4.0, includes the cooking series Secret Sauce, fronted by YouTuber Chunkz 30 Impact ISSUE 42 2023_pp28-31 Channel4 NEW.indd 30 16/06/2023 17:06