It was created by Channel 4 in-house agency, 4creative and captures the reactions of people as they watch Paralympic sport

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Channel 4 has unveiled a hard-hitting Paris 2024 Paralympic Games campaign film that challenges people to view Paralympians as elite, world-class athletes, not as competitors overcoming their disabilities.

The campaign, Considering What?, was created by Channel 4 in-house agency, 4creative.

The film captures the reactions of people as they watch Paralympic sport. The reactions reveal an attitude that’s well intentioned, but misguided and one that doesn’t appreciate the fact that Paralympians are world class athletes. Its first public broadcast on Channel 4 will be at 9pm tomorrow (12 July).

The campaign comes after research, commissioned by Channel 4, showed that 59% of people said they watch the Paralympic Games to “see athletes overcoming their disabilities” whereas just 37% say they watch the Paralympics for “exciting sporting competition”.

The film depicts Paralympians taking on and overcoming forces such as gravity, friction and time that make no exception for any athlete, regardless of someone’s disability.

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The film shows a montage of sports including wheelchair rugby, weightlifting, judo, and paracanoeing before the image breaks to a living room where a family is watching wheelchair tennis as Alfie Hewett pulls off an amazing shot and the woman on the sofa says to her family: “He’s incredible for someone like that.”

This is immediately followed by three men sat in a stadium and one says to his friends: “They’re so brave.”

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It then cuts to two friends sitting at a bus stop, watching the Paralympics on a mobile. One says: “She’s doing so well, considering.” And her friend looks at her and asks: “Considering what?”

The full film is 2 minute 20 seconds and there will cut down versions of 60, 40 and 20 seconds, as well as some six second version for social media.

The film includes ParalympicsGB athletes Aaron Phipps, Dame Sarah Storey, Emmanuel Oyinbo-Coker, Joseph Lane, Emma Wiggs, Olivia Broome and Alfie Hewett.

The campaign is the first since Channel 4 won the UK broadcast rights to the Paralympics to not feature the term ‘Superhumans’. The film is supported by a nationwide campaign, where well-meaning but patronising phrases are corrected by the physicality of the Paralympic sports themselves.

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Channel 4 chief marketing officer Katie Jackson said: “Since 2012, Channel 4 has played a key role in raising the profile of the Paralympic Games and challenging attitudes around disability. The Paralympics is one of the greatest sporting events in the world, drawing many millions of viewers. And that’s just it. This is sport, where athletic prowess takes centre stage and excellence wins above all else.

“As we show Paralympians battling against the very real forces of our world, forces that don’t distinguish between any of us, we wanted to highlight the pure power and energy of world-class athleticism. Because at the end of the day, sport doesn’t care about disability. Paris, we’re coming for you.”

Lynsey Atkin, executive creative director of 4creative, adds: “Gravity, friction, time. The unchangeable forces of our world dictate what it means to be the best on the pitch, in the pool, on the court, on the track. They offer no head starts, no free passes, no patronising pat on the head and another go around. Excellence is excellent, no caveats. How strange that as audiences we watch one of the world’s most elite sporting events with our heads tilted and our amazement seemingly tempered.

“As we moved on from Superhumans, we wanted to turn the lens on the audience, done with a film stuffed full of Channel 4 irreverence and spirit. We owe a huge debt to Paralympians and our partners throughout the disabled community who have worked with us to bring this project to life. My personal thanks to them for backing a sports film that features a fat man with a pint and a lad with a mullet doing donuts in Brent Cross. Bring it on, Paris.”