Channel 4 commissions first vertical drama series
October 13, 2026

By Nik Roseveare



Channel 4 has commissioned The Guest List in partnership with global beauty brand, Sol de Janeiro. A five-part micro drama series produced by curly media, the vertical drama will delve into the lives of a friendship group of four women in their twenties and their aspirational stories.

The four characters, Amaka, Aisha, Bella and Mika, are all hard-working women navigating life as young people in London. Across the five vertical shorts, viewers will see a story of career dilemmas and new crushes, to getting ready for a night out. Each character draws inspiration from a different scent in Sol de Janeiro’s new Intense Mist fragrance range.


The Guest List was commissioned for Channel 4 by Ameenah Taher, Digital Commissioning Executive. curly media’s Emma Walker is executive producer, and Jade Greene is series producer. Zenith UK brokered the partnership, working closely with Channel 4 and Sol de Janeiro to transform the brand’s fragrance portfolio into entertainment.

The series will premiere on Channel 4’s Meta, TikTok and YouTube social platforms on October 24th.

Channel 4’s Head of Advertiser Strategy, Sam Hicks, commented: “We love finding new and creative ways to bring brands and audiences together, and The Guest List is a brilliant example of what that can look like. By pairing Sol de Janeiro with an emerging format, we’ve created a partnership that puts the brand at the heart of the idea and gives audiences something genuinely entertaining.”

Sol de Janeiro’s Director, Marketing & Consumer Engagement of UK & Ireland, Rebecca Pollard, said: “Sol de Janeiro is all about rewriting the rules of beauty and celebrating confidence, connection and sparking joy, The Guest List is our chance to challenge what beauty content can be. We wanted to be a part of creating something unexpected, culturally relevant and made for the world our community actually lives in.”

Curly media’s Emma Walker, added: “curly media is passionate about making entertainment for social audiences and so we’re thrilled to be asked to produce The Guest List. It feels both right and exciting that Channel 4 is behind a first of its kind micro-drama, in collaboration with a great brand like Sol de Janeiro.”