Channel 4 orders Christmas-themed ‘Buy It Now’

Rylan Clark-Neal

UK broadcaster Channel 4 has commissioned a Christmas-themed series of Buy It Now from Studio Lambert North. 

Hosted by Rylan Clark-Neal, the studio entertainment show returns to give sellers and inventors the chance to sell innovations to an audience of real shoppers. C4 has handed the format a new peak-time slot for a four-part series.

In each episode, sellers are given 90 seconds to demonstrate their product to an audience of 100 potential customers who each hold a voting handset. If they manage to impress at least one of the 100 shoppers, they can then pitch to a panel of big-name retailers who can make a bulk order.

The first series of the format aired last spring and saw one seller pitching a solution for tired feet that went on to secure a retail order worth £225,175.

Buy It Now for Christmas was commissioned by Tim Hancock, commissioner for features and formats at C4. Studio Lambert exec producers include Tim Harcourt and Darrell Olsen.

Hancock said: “We loved seeing ordinary people with a passion for their innovations succeed in the daytime series of Buy It Now. The new, supercharged, peak-time series with Rylan promises festive fun and Christmas contraptions that are sure to surprise and delight.”

Studio Lambert North’s head of unscripted Darrell Olsen added: “This is an incredible opportunity for anyone out there with a product, no matter how big or small to showcase this to real customers, and potentially have the opportunity to supersize their sales with life-changing orders from our high street and online retailers.”

Studio Lambert’s creative director Tim Harcourt said: “This fun series shines a light on two great British characteristics; our high regard for creative, commercial endeavour and our guilty love of the impulsive purchase.”