Sian Williams will host Channel 5’s new one hour-long news programme, replacing its two 30-minute news bulletins at 5pm and 6.30pm from Monday 8th of November. The channel told Ofcom its 5pm news slot, anchored by Sian alongside Claudia-Liza Vanderpuije, attracts “harder-to-reach” demographics such as women in the lowest socio-economic group. Allowing the audience to WhatsApp in live on air is part of their innovative approach to the format. Another distinctive feature will be a regular mental health segment presented by Sian, who has recently achieved a doctorate in counselling psychology and has three years’ experience of delivering psychological therapy in the NHS. Channel 5’s commissioning editor for unscripted, Daniel Pearl, acknowledged that the new format “necessitates more investment in our news coverage” and said this will be forthcoming. “This is in line with our wider programming strategy to transform Channel 5’s schedule across all genres.”