Channel 4 is opening the gates to one of the UK’s most critical—and congested—logistics arteries with Dover 24/7: Britain’s Busiest Port, a new six-part docuseries from ITN Productions that charts the round-the-clock operations inside the Port of Dover.
Premiering Monday, June 2 at 8pm on Channel 4, the hourlong series drops viewers straight into the real-time pressure of a high-stakes transport hub that moves 33% of all UK-EU goods trade. With the Paris Olympics looming and volumes expected to surge, Dover 24/7 lands at a moment when the port’s capacity and infrastructure are under the spotlight.
Commissioned by Simon Lee at Channel 4 and shot during the peak of summer 2024, the series marks one of the most comprehensive behind-the-scenes documentaries the port has allowed. Viewers will track the terminal teams managing 10,000 freight and 15,000 passenger vehicles per day, meet Port of Dover Police officers on the front lines of border security, and get rare insight into the split-second decisions from ferry and cruise operations staff coping with daily bottlenecks and unexpected disruptions.
Produced under the guidance of Caroline Short, Head of UK Factual at ITN Productions, the show leans heavily into the unsung complexity of maritime logistics. “Dover 24/7” also takes time to spotlight the diversity of the port’s footprint, from its award-winning cruise terminal to one of the largest public marinas on the south coast.
The series joins Channel 4’s expanding slate of infrastructure-focused factual programming, catering to a growing viewership for blue-light and frontline ops docs with a national relevance hook.
