Vertical dramas – that is, short-form content made specifically for phones – are big business in 2026. They are particularly popular in countries such as China and India, and the global market is expected to be worth $26bn by 2030. It makes sense: much has been made of the double-screening epidemic, and of people scrolling so much that Netflix has to remind them what is going on on their TV screens every few seconds.
Why not just cut out the middleman and ditch the telly bit altogether? Enter Channel 4, which has released its first vertical drama on social media in the UK. It’s described as “a bold, character-led series” that explores “the friendship, ambition and lives of a diverse group of intelligent young women”.
The Guest List is made in partnership with the skincare brand Sol de Janeiro, and episodes are around 90 seconds to two minutes in length. The microdramas that have gripped Asia are camp and cliffhanger-heavy – one producer described them as “soap operas on cocaine”. The Guest List is less cocaine, more Coke Zero: sweet, syrupy, probably not bad for you but not especially good either.
Sort of like watching the adverts before a YouTube video, instead of pressing the skip button at your earliest convenience. Part of the issue might be that many of these bite-size dramas release all their episodes at once, and viewers could watch 100 instalments in a day (if that sounds a lot, consider that a TikTok or Instagram user could devour many hundreds of shortform reels in 24 hours). Channel 4, however, is airing just one episode per week.
If the idea is to get viewers addicted, surely 90 seconds every seven days will not cut it. Besides, I’m three episodes in and I barely know who is who. Will it be a month before I find out?
There are also a mere five episodes in total; while this is the broadcaster’s first foray into the format, it does feel rather slight. That is not to say it isn’t fun. Episode one follows Amaka (Jadesola Odunjo) who – according to the publicity bumf – is “a PR guru who is bold, energetic and impossible to ignore – just like [the Sol de Janeiro perfume] Intense Mist Cheirosa 62”.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
