Rory Peck Awards on Channel 4: Time, Finalists, Episode Guide and How to Watch
Image: Channel 4 The Rory Peck Awards films start on Wednesday 18 November 2026 at 7.55pm on Channel 4. The second film follows on Thursday 19 November 2026 at 7.55pm.
Channel 4 is marking this year’s Rory Peck Awards with a run of short films, each about one of the shortlisted entries. They sit in the five minutes before the 8pm programme, so they are easy to miss. The first features Janay Boulos and Abd Alkader Habak, and the second follows Ghazal Abbassi.
Updated Wednesday 11 November 2026.
What time is the Rory Peck Awards on Channel 4?
The first film starts at 7.55pm on Wednesday 18 November 2026 and finishes at 8pm. The next one airs at the same time on Thursday 19 November 2026. Both are listed for five minutes, and the first is a new film for 2026.
Listings only reach about a week ahead, so more films may be added for later in the week. We have not seen a total number published, and we do not guess one. When another date appears in the listings we add it to the episode guide below and to our Channel 4 TV guide.
What are the Rory Peck Awards?
The Rory Peck Awards honour freelancers: the camera operators, reporters and film-makers who cover news and current affairs without a staff job behind them. Channel 4 describes its films as a celebration of the independent film-makers whose work brings stories from around the world to British screens.
Each short film is a profile of one entry on this year’s shortlist: the people who made it and the story they followed.
Rory Peck Awards episode guide
| Episode | Date | Time | Finalist |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wednesday 18 November 2026 | 7.55pm | Janay Boulos and Abd Alkader Habak |
| 2 | Thursday 19 November 2026 | 7.55pm | Ghazal Abbassi |
| 3 | Not listed yet |
Both listed films are five minutes, from 7.55pm to 8pm on Channel 4.
Episode 1: Janay Boulos and Abd Alkader Habak
The opening film is about two people who made their journalism together without being in the same place. Janay Boulos is a Lebanese journalist and Abd Alkader Habak is a Syrian director. He filmed on the ground in Syria while she worked from far away, and the two built their partnership through messages and recordings sent across that distance.
War reached both their home countries over those years. Instead of driving them apart, the work drew them closer, and the professional bond turned into a personal one.
Episode 2: Ghazal Abbassi in Pakistan
The second film, on Thursday 19 November 2026, is about Ghazal Abbassi, another of this year’s finalists. Her investigation, Stolen Lives, set out to find why children in a rural part of Pakistan were testing positive for HIV, and who was responsible.
Who are the finalists?
The two films listed so far feature three finalists:
- Janay Boulos, a journalist from Lebanon
- Abd Alkader Habak, a director from Syria, who shares the shortlisting with Boulos
- Ghazal Abbassi, whose film looks into an HIV outbreak among children in Pakistan
If Channel 4 lists more films this week, we add the people in them here.
How to watch
| Platform | Channel 4 | Channel 4 +1 |
|---|---|---|
| Freeview | 4 (HD on 104; in Wales 7, HD 110, because S4C takes 4) | 15 |
| Sky Q | 104 | 204 |
| Virgin Media | 104 | 304 |
| Freesat | 104 | 121 |
The films run straight into the 8pm programme, so tune in a few minutes early. The rest of the evening on the channel is in our Channel 4 TV guide, and for every channel, see what’s on TV tonight.
Frequently asked questions
What time is the Rory Peck Awards on Channel 4 tonight?
The first film is on Channel 4 at 7.55pm on Wednesday 18 November 2026 and runs until 8pm. The second is in the same 7.55pm slot on Thursday 19 November 2026.
What are the Rory Peck Awards?
They are annual awards for freelance camera operators and film-makers who work in news and current affairs. Channel 4’s short films profile the people shortlisted in this year’s awards.
How many episodes of the Rory Peck Awards are there?
Two are in the listings so far, on Wednesday 18 and Thursday 19 November 2026. We have not seen a total announced, and we add any further films here when they are listed.
How long is each Rory Peck Awards film?
Each one is listed for five minutes, from 7.55pm to 8pm, just before the start of Channel 4’s 8pm programme.
Who is in the first Rory Peck Awards film?
Janay Boulos, a journalist from Lebanon, and Abd Alkader Habak, a director from Syria, who worked together from different countries while war hit both their homes. The film is on Channel 4 on Wednesday 18 November 2026 at 7.55pm.
What is the second Rory Peck Awards film about?
It follows Ghazal Abbassi, a 2026 finalist, and her investigation into how children in rural Pakistan were infected with HIV. It is on Channel 4 on Thursday 19 November 2026 at 7.55pm.
What channel number is Channel 4?
Channel 4 is 4 on Freeview (HD on 104; in Wales 7, HD 110, because S4C takes 4) and 104 on Sky Q, Virgin Media and Freesat. Channel 4 +1 is 15 on Freeview, 204 on Sky Q, 304 on Virgin Media and 121 on Freesat.
Related: Channel 4 TV guide | What’s on TV tonight
