Channel 4's primary purpose is the fulfilment of its public service remit, which is defined in the 2003 Communications Act.

This states that "the public service remit for Channel 4 is the provision of a broad range of high quality and diverse programming which, in particular:

(b) appeals to the tastes and interests of a culturally diverse society;

Later this scope was widened in 2010 to include the following;

*promote alternative views and new perspectives, and
*provide access to material that is intended to inspire people to make changes in their lives.

http://www.channel4.com/info/corporate/about/channel-4s-remit