As part of the generic research into documentaries, I wanted to understand different genres of documentaries, the days in which they are aired and what channels feature them. This will help me interpret the types of audiences that are expected to watch them in order to show my documentary on a particular channel which would appeal to the target demographic.

Saturday

Firstly, I looked at TV listings and focused on a Saturday, it became evident to me that there are more series, films and stand-up comedy shows shown in the evening, such as 'Casualty' on BBC 1 and 'The X Factor' on ITV 1.

However, I did find one series in the form of a documentary of someone's life, 'Culture Show Special: Hilary Mantel' on BBC 2 at 8pm.This would appeal to regular viewers of the Culture Show, particularly as it is a "special" edition, it could also appeal to a wider audience if they are interested in Hilary Mantel. From looking at the programmes and films shown on BBC 2, it suggests that this channel has an older target demographic, showing films such as "The Other Boleyn Girl" and series such as "Dad's Army". These types of shows would appeal to an audience who can relate to storylines and characters, such as World War 2.

Each day of the week there is a five minute short film/documentary called 4thought.tv, which I shall research this.

Monday

Next, I started looking at weekdays to see if this trend changed. It seems on a Monday evening there are more documentaries shown. On BBC 1, 'Drinking Our Rivers Dry? - Panorama' at 8.30pm, although this is a series, the topic of documentary changes each week depending on the current affairs. I often watch Panorama myself, and I have seen episodes such as, the Phone hacking (insight into Rupert Murdoch's empire) and another based around the London riots.

Here is an example of the 'PANORAMA: TABLOID HACKS EXPOSED (Phone Hacking Special)' 

Another documentary series shown on a Monday evening is Dispatches on Channel 4 at 8pm, this time suggests it is suitable for both adults and youths as it is not past the 9pm watershed. 

In addition, Channel 5's 'Soho Blues' is a hard-hitting documentary series providing an insight into a night's patrol with a London ambulance crew dealing exclusively with alcohol-related incidents.

Thursday

A new series of a documentary is starting called 'Educating Essex' on Channel 4, following pupils and staff at a local school as they battle through their GCSEs. This is shown at 9pm as it would appeal to both parents and students in Year 11 as it affects the journey that they will embark on. It could also appeal to students a bit younger in Year 10 as it will give them an insight into the journey they will face in the fourthcoming year. It will also interest the residents of Essex as they may recognise locations, people, etc. As this documentary is shown past the 9pm watershed, it implies that it may not be suitable for young children.

Also, on Channel 5, at 7:30pm 'How do they do it?' is shown which demonsrates how electricity is generated. In addition, at 8pm 'Nature Shock: When Killer Whales Attack', appealling to nature lovers. As these documentaries are shown at early times, it suggests they are suitable for younger children viewing with their parents.

Evidently, these findings show that documentaries are suited to evenings in the week, on channels such as BBC1, Channel 4 and 5. This is purely due to the viewers, as they are likely to find these types of topics interesting when choosing a programme to watch. When deciding which type of target demographic is suitable for my documentary, it is necessary that I take both the channel and time of day into account.