UKTV has announced more details about its previously reported channel rebrands, which follow the successful relaunch of what was UKTV Gold 2 as the panel-show-heavy lad-telly-channel Dave.
UKTV Gold will be relaunched as 'Gold' and will become a channel dedicated to just classic British comedy, while UKTV Gold +1 will become a separate entertainment channel called Watch, which will include a number of brand new programmes - including that previously reported new show from Richard & Judy - plus repeats of newish BBC dramas like 'Torchwood', 'Mistresses' and 'Lark Rise To Candleford'. UKTV Drama, meanwhile, will rebrand as Albi and become a channel dedicated to detective dramas.
Confirming the rebrands, UKTV's Director Of Entertainment Christian Drobnyk told reporters: "With its innovative marketing and strong schedule, Dave became, almost overnight, a top ten channel in multi channel homes; a success that cannot be attributed solely to Freeview as Dave grew by 56% in Pay TV. This success can be replicated across the network with Watch, Gold and Alibi and enables us to exploit the potential of our real estate".
UKTV, of course, is a joint venture between Virgin Media and the commercial division of the BBC, hence its access to a whole assortment of BBC archive shows.