In this satirical digital comedy series, Channel 4 have revealed they’re urgently looking to change the public perception of some of their biggest stars, by giving them a ‘rebrand’ and are putting all their faith in one woman to accomplish the task - comedian, creator and star of Chicken Shop Date, Amelia Dimoldenberg.
Launching on Channel 4's YouTube from the 16th December, Channel 4 enlists Amelia, a ‘Celebrity Brand Visionary’, to ‘help’ some of their talent refresh their brand and connect with a wider audience. Once signed up to the process, the celebrity guests are put through their paces in a sequence of unexpected brand exercises. But much to the dismay of the celebrities, they invariably backfire.
Read a press pack chat with Amelia below. Some questions are answered in character.
- Firstly tell me a little bit about Celebrity Rebrand
Celebrity Rebrand is an exciting new series that will be going on Channel 4’s YouTube channel, where I, as ‘Celebrity Brand Visionary’, ask Channel 4 talent to step into my stunning office and give them a rebrand. So, I take their brand and catapult it to the next level. I exaggerate their persona and change their identity to fit a new and improved version of themselves.
- You’re most famously known and loved for Chicken Shop Date and also had some incredible guests, are you proud of what you’ve achieved so far with it?
Definitely. I have been doing Chicken Shop Date for eight years now. It has been going for a long time. I absolutely love making the show. We’ve carved out a real niche and a special interview format, I’m so happy that it is now in a place where a lot of people are seeing it. It has been a gradual growth and now I feel that everyone is on this journey with me to try and find my one true love. I’ve also had some amazing guests on the show including AJ Tracy, Mo Gilligan, Ed Sheeran, Jack Harlow and loads of international artists too. I think that it is booming at the moment and I’m so happy about that.
- Why did you want to do this project? Do you have a passion for rebranding?
I have so many interests and I feel like I’ve got so much to give in terms of my capabilities as a comedy performer. I really love the idea of having a new show that also lives on YouTube where my audience is, that can show a different side to my personality and I can become a different character to the one I play on Chicken Shop Date. It was just so fun to be out of the chicken shop and into the office. For example, the talent is very different to those I would usually speak to on Chicken Shop Date. It is a different show, but still feels like it’s part of my comedy world, so that is why I wanted to do it. And I would say yes, I do have a passion for rebranding. Whenever I see someone, I always have ideas in my head of how someone could be doing things differently. I think I have always had a passion for it.
- Tell me about the celebrities, who are you rebranding and why?
Answered in character
So we have Jimmy Carr, Clare Balding, Anna Richardson, Romesh Ranganathan, Jamie Laing and Rosie Jones - these are all star Channel 4 Talent. Channel 4 specifically came to me because they wanted me to freshen up their talent roster. They want to keep the same talent of course, but want them to be completely completely rebranded. So I’ve come to save the day. For example, Jimmy Carr is known for being a meanie and not being that nice as a person in terms of his comedy as he likes to roast people. He does it very well, but he’s got a cruel heart. So I’ve rebranded him to be a nice guy and to be lovely, warm, sparkly and cute guy. It didn’t go to plan, that’s all I can say. He was a difficult one to work with in terms of the rebrand as it didn’t stick. But that was my only failure I would say. The other ones went very well.
- How do you go about rebranding someone? What is your creative process?
Answered in character
The creative process for rebranding someone is based around a PowerPoint presentation. For me, PowerPoint presentations are THE most essential thing in any business. It has lots of animation. You can’t have a PowerPoint without things flying in and out constantly. It also throws the person off who is viewing it in a way that is good. The PowerPoint is how I get all my creative juices out in terms of my vision. I also just sit in a dark room for a long period of time, at least for a few hours. That’s how my ideas come to me. In terms of when they come into my office, I just talk at them and show them the presentation. They don’t talk that much. They then leave a different person to how they arrived.
- Who out of all the celebrities that came to the office do you think took on board your characters advice the most?
Clare Balding. She’s loved by everyone. She is an icon in herself. But I feel like she is the other side to Jimmy, she’s too nice. However, in her heart, she’s a rebel. So with Clare, I brought that rebellious side out of her. If you look at her work in the future, you’ll be able to see that there is an inner fire within her!
I would also say Romesh too. He has ambitions to be a TikTok star. As a TikTok star myself, I thought this is perfect, as I knew so much about it. I think TikTok better watch out for Romesh, as he has a few fantastic videos coming to the platform soon. - And who took on board your advice the least?
Jimmy took it onboard the least, as he’s still not very nice. He’s still making people cry. Do you know what, people love him for that. Good for him.
- Is there a Channel 4 celebrity or celebrity in general you would love to rebrand? If yes, why?
Answered in character
The thing with my business and my practice is that all clients are confidential until the rebrand has taken place, so I couldn’t actually disclose that information to you. However, if you do see Beyonce anytime soon and she’s in an ice rink doing some ice skating…I’m not saying it’s because of me, but that’s all I’m going to say.
- I notice you’ve won the award of ‘Employee of the month’ a fair few times, what makes a good employee at your agency?
Answered in character
It’s true. I’ve actually won employee of the month consistently since the business started. I think it a world record broken right there. A great employee has the drive, ambition and tenacity to carry a whole business on their shoulders. That is what I do. I am currently the only employee because no one has come up to my standard as of yet in terms of anyone who could work with me / maybe no one wants to work with me? But I think it’s because we haven’t found the right person. Also, a good fashion sense.
- Finally, what can viewers expect from the series?
This show is made to make people laugh and to see some of your favourite Channel 4 faces in a different light. I also think that people should take away that it is fun to just have a laugh at yourself sometimes. In life, there are a lot of things that are serious, but this show isn’t. I just want to make the viewers smile.