Channel 4 hands the reins to kids – and they school the ad industry

In an industry obsessed with big-name directors and award-winning agencies, Channel 4 has just reminded us where the real magic can happen — inside the minds of teenagers.

To promote the return of Educating Yorkshire, the broadcaster took a gamble on the exuberance (and occasional chaos) of youth, inviting school pupils to conceive, produce and star in the campaign themselves.

The result? A brilliantly raw, single-take TV ad — alongside OOH, social, radio and on-air content — that captures the energy, wit and unfiltered honesty of school life.

Over 400 students from Thornhill Community Academy, Lawnswood School and Dixons Unity Academy took part in a series of 12 workshops.

Guided by the uniquely talented Dougal Wilson (Paddington), 4creative, Blink Productions, OMD UK, 4Studio and 4Schools, the teenagers became copywriters, actors, photographers, voiceover artists, producers — and even media buyers.

The work feels alive, unpredictable and refreshingly free from the polish that often strips away authenticity.

It’s a love letter to teenage creativity — electrifying, messy and impossible to ignore.

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