Channel 4 has launched its first vertical drama for social media in Britain, a five-part series called The Guest List featuring 90-second to two-minute episodes released weekly. The show, made in partnership with skincare brand Sol de Janeiro, follows a group of young women preparing for an exclusive boat party on the Thames.
Vertical dramas, short-form content designed for phone screens, have become a global phenomenon. The market is expected to reach $26 billion by 2030, particularly in China and India, where episodes typically release all at once and feature cliffhangers designed to keep viewers scrolling.
The Guardian's critic found The Guest List light on tension and drama compared to its Asian counterparts, which have been described as "soap operas on cocaine". Episode one centres on Amaka, a PR professional whose phone is stolen by a thief, forcing her to chase the thief by rickshaw through London while mourning the loss of her contacts and bank card. The second episode features finance intern Bella improvising an outfit from office clothes to attend the party. A third follows Mika retrieving a parcel while avoiding her neighbour in sweatpants.
The critic noted that while individual moments contain appeal, the weekly release schedule undermines what makes vertical dramas addictive. Most vertical dramas drop entire seasons at once, allowing viewers to watch dozens of episodes in a day. Channel 4's approach, the critic argued, means viewers will struggle to remember character names across weeks of waiting.
The show runs only five episodes total, a constraint the critic called "rather slight". The critic also observed that the series functions more like advertising for Sol de Janeiro than traditional drama, despite moments of genuine humour and relatability. The creator expressed intrigue about whether the characters reach the party but noted that waiting weeks to find out contradicts the entire purpose of the format. "Releasing the episodes so far apart," the critic wrote, "just isn't the microdrama way."