Grime station Channel U will return to UK TV with the premiere of film Against All Odds
Channel U, which helped grime artists like Skepta, Dizzee Rascal and Giggs break through to the UK mainstream, stopped broadcasting in June 2018 after 15 years on the air. In the years before its final broadcast, the channel rebranded to Channel AKA following a series of sales after station founder Darren Platt’s death in 2016.
Now, Channel U is coming back with on November 13th to premiere the new grime film Against All Odds, BBC reports, which is a “visual celebration of the scene that the grime forefathers created” directed by Femi Oyeniran and Nicky “Slimting” Walker. It stars the likes of Jammer, Ghetts and D Double E, all playing themselves.
In an interview with BBC Radio 1 Newsbeat, D Double E said, “The video we shot was probably one of the best videos I’ve done, it’s going to be good for the people to see.” He added, “Channel U returning is big for the scene, we [grime artists] haven’t really got much TV support, so it will be good for us.”
The rest of the new era of Channel U’s programming will include old school grime videos and classic shows, according to the BBC.
For more on Channel U’s impact, read Yomi Adegoke’s retrospective in the Guardian from 2018.
D Double E recently released a collaborative single with Kano called “Tell Me A Ting,” and his second solo album, D.O.N., is due out on October 23rd.
Watch the trailer for Against All Odds.
