'Inbetweeners' film boosts Channel 4's profits

Channel 4's annual results tomorrow are expected to show it has received a major boost from The Inbetweeners Movie.

The cinema spin-off from the TV series grossed £45m at the box office last year and also enjoyed bumper Christmas DVD sales. The British public-service broadcaster will reap the full benefit, as it took the rare step of funding the film without a commercial partner.

The wider TV advertising market only rose modestly last year, but Channel 4's annual turnover should have broken the £1bn barrier after it took over ad sales for UKTV's satellite channels.

The broadcaster's chief executive, David Abraham, has recently ruled himself out of the race to be director-general of the BBC.