Channel 4 chief orders return to 'core values'

The head of Channel 4 has told his executives to return to the founding principles of the station in an attempt to recapture the verve and excitement of its early years.

Mark Thompson will tell department heads later this month to restore Channel 4 to its "core values" and look beyond ratings successes such as Big Brother, echoing a mission statement by Greg Dyke to BBC staff earlier this year.

The guiding principles for the revamped Channel 4 will include "independence", "love of the now", "modernity", "a fascination with difference and diversity", "inspiring change" and being "troublesome and competitive". But Mr Thompson, who was appointed chief executive a year ago, will avoid using Mr Dyke's "tablets of stone" approach in which he drew up a list of pledges and had them posted on corporation notice boards. "That's not our style," said a Channel 4 source.

The exercise is an attempt to address an identity crisis at Channel 4, which is under pressure from new digital channels and the growth of Channel 5.

A Channel 4 spokesman said: "What Mark is trying to do is move that debate on and say Channel 4 has a distinctive role." Channel 4 was in a position to take risks that other broadcasters could not, he said.

The attempt to return the channel to its original path marks the next stage in Mr Thompson's revival plan. Channel 4 will shortly announce an annual profit after making redundancies last year because of heavy losses in 2001.

The "core values" message resembles Mr Dyke's six-point pledge to BBC executives in January, when he spelt out a new "culture of positivity". The pledge was issued to all BBC employees. It said: "The BBC will be honest and staff maintain each other's trust. The BBC will put audiences first and at the heart of what it does. The BBC will always strive for the highest quality and encourage fresh thinking. Creativity is the lifeblood of the organisation. BBC staff should respect their colleagues and reach out and celebrate our diversity while recruiting from the widest range of people. The BBC will be a more collaborative organisation working to create One BBC."

Mr Thompson has run an internal "aims and values" review and is determined that the channel should strengthen its reputation for "investing in creative talent".

The station is concerned by Channel 5's attempts to brand itself as a champion of the arts, previously one of Channel 4's strong suits. It is also anxious that Big Brother does not dominate its programming. "We would like it to be a fixture in the schedule but with slightly less hysteria so that there is not this circus around the programme," the source said.

Although Mr Thompson has told his senior staff that ratings are not his sole concern, the channel's executives will be disappointed by the poor initial response to Boys and Girls, the Saturday night show produced by Chris Evans. It costs £500,000 an episode but has attracted only 1.3 million viewers. The station's breakfast programme Ri:se has been a ratings failure but the imminent arrival of The Simpsons is expected to boost the channel's audience share substantially and free resources for more radical programming.