Channel 4 / Friday 1 August 2008 @ 7.30pm

Throughout August Channel 4 will support and encourage a raft of new creative talent via Generation Next - a month of programmes celebrating the work of ambitious and gifted TV newcomers. Over four weeks, Channel 4 will showcase the best new writers, directors and onscreen talent across comedy, drama, documentaries and news. 

Kicking off Generation Next , First Cut , the bold documentary strand which gives up and coming directors the chance to make their breakthrough film, returns to prime time with a light-hearted look at the people who've made Britney's breakdown their business in Saving Britney Spears . In January 2008, the world watched as singer Britney Spears was stretchered out of her Los Angeles home and raced to hospital. It was one of the biggest celebrity meltdowns of the decade, and people were cashing in. 

At its height, the Britney breakdown economy was valued at $120 million. But when blogger Chris Crocker posted his "Leave Britney Alone" video on You Tube, a new industry was born: the Save Britney industry. In Saving Britney Spears , director Bruce Fletcher takes a road trip across America in search of those who've made Britney's breakdown their business. There's a pimp turned preacher who hopes to build a brand out of his mission to save Britney's soul; a working mum who hosts a 'Poor Britney' blog and feels Britney could be her 'new Princess Diana'; and a family friend who writes letters of support in Britney's local paper and foresees that "even Forrest Gump could tell you it will end badly." "Why," asks Bruce, "are there so many people getting mixed up in the misery of a woman they don't really know?" 

Producer and Director: Bruce Fletcher 
Executive Producer: Lucy Willis
Production Company: Raw


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