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C4 says goodbye to Friends, fact ent head UK network Channel 4 (C4) is bidding farewell to long-running sitcom Friends and separately to its head of factual entertainment, who is leaving to join indie Twofour Broadcast. The broadcaster has agreed with Warner Bros International Television Distribution to end its 15-year run of Friends in autumn 2011, freeing up slots on both the main channel and on diginet E4. The series is being picked up from October 2011 by cable network Comedy Central, which has signed an exclusive four-year linear rights deal. The show is the latest long-established series set to be axed by C4, joining Big Brother, Wife Swap and How Clean Is Your House. The broadcaster said it aimed to free up funds to develop new UK content. "After 15 years, 10 hit series and 236 terrific episodes, it's time to say goodbye to old Friends and welcome new ones, in the form of more comedy, drama and entertainment from the US and UK," said Gill Hay, C4's head of acquisitions. "We are incredibly proud to have been the home of Friends for so long, but at a point when the channel is undergoing a period of creative renewal it felt like the right time to part company." In related news, C4's head of factual entertainment Andrew Mackenzie is joining UK indie Twofour as group creative director, leaving a role he has held since May 2007. In a statement, Twofour Broadcast MD Melanie Leach said: "Andrew is joining us at the most exciting moment in Twofour's development. He has an enviable reputation as both a commissioner and a programme maker, and an unrivalled track record in conceiving and delivering thought-provoking, intelligent factual and entertainment formats. "His breadth of experience across such a wide range of genres will be an enormous asset to Twofour as we endeavour to continue growing our factual, features and entertainment output." Adam Benzine 10 Feb 2010 © C21 Media 2010 
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