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Channel 4 has screened plenty of elite sport since launching in 1982. Test cricket, the Tour de France, the Paralympics and even, for those with long memories, Masters golf in the mid-80s.

Traditionally regarded as the most progressive and forward-thinking terrestrial TV channel, on Saturday a new string will be added to its sporting bow: the Boat Races, part of the English calendar since 1829.

The plan is for an old event, famously and often controversially contested by Oxford and Cambridge universities, to acquire a new look.

Clare Balding, previously the face of the BBC’s longstanding coverage, will again be the presenter but Jamie Laing – reality TV star, Radio 1 DJ and podcaster – arrives alongside. Ade Adepitan, TV presenter and “bona fide Londoner” (according to the production company), is also part of the on-screen team.

The BBC’s decision to drop the event and Channel 4’s acquisition of it, announced last October, led some to wonder if it is drifting into irrelevance. Naturally the organisers and Channel 4 maintain the opposite is true; that the switch will widen the event’s appeal and attract a new audience.

“It’s about coming in with a new set of eyes,” said Pete Andrews, head of sport at Channel 4. “As a public service broadcaster we’re free-to-air and we can showcase it for everyone. We’re really excited.”

The production company FilmNova bring four years’ experience from the BBC broadcasts, and they have numerous innovations planned. “Expect lots of relatable comparisons,” said the managing director, Phil Sibson. “For example if this was boxing, it would be an 18-minute round, with no break.

“We’re putting together a fantasy boat with well-known sports people. Unfortunately they won’t be here – but for instance at No 5, you might have Serena Williams in the engine room.

“The stroke might be Paula Radcliffe, for consistency and rhythm. Frankie Dettori might be the best cox … We’ve also really tried to humanise the rowers. We’ve taken them away from their colleges and done some fun things.”

Whether Laing, who built his reputation via E4’s Made in Chelsea, is likely to attract younger viewers from a wider demographic is debatable. But the athletes are obviously key if the battle to increase popularity is to be won.

Siobhan Cassidy, chair of the Boat Race company, said: “They’re young people who are working really hard. Everyone will have earned their place at Oxford or Cambridge on academic ability. They just happen to be incredibly hard-working, dedicated rowers.”

In recent times perhaps the most relatable of all factors, for ordinary people, is the ability of the Boat Races to shine a light on the scandal of mismanagement at Thames Water, and the political issues at play when sewage is routinely pumped into Britain’s waterways.

Politics aside, for anyone with a strong work ethic, there is much to admire. Carys Earl, competing for Cambridge, is studying medicine and spoke this week of working in a hospital to deliver babies until 3am before heading for 5am training. “Sleep is not something you get to do very often,” Earl said.

After eight consecutive Cambridge wins the Oxford women’s president, Heidi Long, seemingly has the qualities to end their long wait for victory.

The 29-year-old Long won a bronze medal in the women’s eight at Paris 2024 and is striving for gold at Los Angeles 2028. The plan is to train full-time towards that after graduation this year.

What Long calls “micro-studying” has been essential in her punishing schedule since last summer. “That is what I rely on,” she said. “It’s surprising how much work you can get done in 10 minutes.”

Long’s father, Keith, died before the Paris Olympics and his memory remains stronger than ever as motivation. “He believed in me from a very young age,” Long says. “To have parents that love you that much, it just kind of sets you free. As a child I did not appreciate the sacrifices he made.

“I’d get in the car sometimes and he’d be like: ‘How was rowing?’ and I’d just give a two-word answer, probably like most teenagers. And honestly right now, what I would do for him to just pick me up, and just chat about rowing.

“I love being able to talk about him because he was such an incredible man. So much positive energy. He cared about so many people and he fought so hard through his disease. I can do 10 more strokes in a rowing race. That’s nothing compared to what he did.”

“Heidi is an incredible leader,” says Oxford’s Annie Anezakis, president last year and back for a fourth shot at victory. “She has a real sense of how people on the team are feeling: always knows when to check in, when to push, when to hold back. I think she’s built a real sense of belief. She’s great fun to be around as well.”

“She’s got bucketloads of experience,” says Oxford’s Sarah Marshall, who is also back for a fourth attempt. “The great thing is she’s really able to pass that on in a really useful way. To be able to translate that I think is a real skill.”

Channel 4 will start the fight for a new, bigger, younger audience, while the athletes can focus on a more straightforward but no less difficult goal. Win or lose, Long has already achieved something meaningful with Oxford.