Channel 4 has unveiled its presenting line-up and biggest-ever broadcast plans for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games and presenters will include many of our Disability Power 100 community – including previous winners, finalists and supporters.
Actress, producer and activist Rose Ayling-Ellis (2022 DP 100 award winner and entertainment category) will present live for the first time as she hosts alongside Clare Balding from a new position inside the Athletes’ Village.
Also on the presenting team is adventurer and former rugby union player, Ed Jackson (2021 DP 100 finalist digital, media and publishing category).
Also taking part are Paralympic gold-medal swimmer Ellie Robinson MBE, (2019 and 2020 DP 100 finalist in the sport, health and wellbeing category) and George Robinson, actor and star of Netflix’s Sex Education (2023 DP 100 finalist entertainment category).
Meanwhile, expert punditry and analysis across the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games will be provided by multi-Paralympic medallist Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson (2016 DP 100 overall award winner, 2019 finalist in the politics, law and media category and former chair of the DP 100).
She will be joined by former ParalympicsGB wheelchair rugby captain, Steve Brown (2023 DP 100 finalist entertainment category) and wheelchair tennis player, Louise Hunt (2018 DP 100 finalist sport, health and wellbeing category).
A mix of young and emerging talent also on the presenting list include content creator, comedian and DP 100 supporter, Fats Timbo.
When the sporting action of each day concludes, The Last Leg will take over as Alex Brooker (2018 DP 100 winner, former chair and last year’s DP100 award host), joins Adam Hills (2018 DP 100 finalist) and Josh Widdecombe, live in Paris throughout the Games.
More accessible coverage
Throughout the event this year, Channel 4 will bring viewers all the action, medals and must-see moments from every Paralympic venue across Paris, from the opening ceremony taking place on Wednesday 28 August, to the final seconds of the closing ceremony on Sunday 8 September.
In all, there will be over 1,300 hours of live sport airing for free across Channel 4, More4, Channel 4 Streaming and Channel 4 Sport’s YouTube.
For the first time this year, the channel’s back-of-house production team will be based in Cardiff where a new state-of-the-art facility is being built for the Games to house around 200 people working on Channel 4’s Paralympics coverage, including 16 disabled people from the broadcaster’s Paralympics Production Trainee Scheme.
The Paris 2024 Paralympics will be the biggest ever sports production in Wales and it is hoped the new, fully accessible hub will leave a lasting legacy for the nation.
In addition for the first time this year, Channel 4 has committed to subtitling every broadcast of live sporting action from the Games, along with all advertising, as it works to make its coverage of the Games this year the most accessible yet.