BBC Three is a British free-to-air public broadcast

television channel A television channel is a terrestrial frequency or virtual number over which a television station or television network is distributed. For example, in North America, "channel 2" refers to the terrestrial or cable band of 54 to 60 MHz, with ...

owned and operated by the BBC. It was first launched on 9 February 2003 with programmes targeting 16 to 34-year-olds, covering all genres including animation, comedy, current affairs, and drama series. The television channel closed down in 2016 and was replaced by an online-only BBC Three streaming channel. After six years of being online, BBC Three returned to linear television on 1 February 2022. It broadcasts every day from 19:00 to around 04:00, timesharing with

CBBC CBBC (initialised as Children's BBC and also known as the CBBC Channel) is a British free-to-air public broadcast children's television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is also the brand used for all BBC content for children aged 7–16 ...

(which starts at 07:00). BBC Three is the BBC's youth-orientated television channel, its remit to provide "innovative programming" to a

target audience A target audience is the intended audience or readership of a publication, advertisement, or other message catered specifically to said intended audience. In marketing and advertising, it is a particular group of consumer within the predetermined ...

of viewers between 16 and 34 years old, leveraging technology as well as new talent. Unlike its commercial rivals, 90% of BBC Three's output originated from the United Kingdom. Notable exceptions were ''

Family Guy ''Family Guy'' is an American animated sitcom originally conceived and created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The show centers around the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their ch ...

'' and ''

American Dad ''American Dad!'' is an American animated sitcom created by Seth MacFarlane, Mike Barker and Matt Weitzman for the Fox Broadcasting Company. Since 2014, the series has been airing new episodes on TBS. ''American Dad!'' is the first televisio ...

'' (both of them originating in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

). It and sister channel

BBC Four BBC Four is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was launched on 2 March 2002

also carry occasional

BBC Sport BBC Sport is the sports division of the BBC, providing national sports coverage for BBC television, radio and online. The BBC holds the television and radio UK broadcasting rights to several sports, broadcasting the sport live or alongside f ...

programming as an overflow for the BBC's other channels. Following budget cuts at the BBC, the first iteration of BBC Three ceased operations on 16 February 2016, despite public opposition, moving to a BBC Three-branded streaming channel on the

iPlayer BBC iPlayer (stylised as iPLAYER or BBC iPLAYER) is a video on demand service from the BBC. The service is available on a wide range of devices, including mobile phones and tablets, personal computers and smart televisions. iPlayer services del ...

. It returned to broadcast television in the form of a late-night

strand Strand may refer to: Topography *The flat area of land bordering a body of water, a: ** Beach ** Shoreline * Strand swamp, a type of swamp habitat in Florida Places Africa * Strand, Western Cape, a seaside town in South Africa * Strand Street ...

BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...

on Monday to Wednesday nights since 4 March 2019. On 2 March 2021, the BBC confirmed that it planned to relaunch BBC Three's linear television channel in 2022 subject to regulatory approval, which was approved in November that year.

History

In mid-2000, the BBC decided to reposition and rebrand their two digital channels so that they could be more closely linked to the well established

and

BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream a ...

. Their plan was for BBC Knowledge to be replaced with

BBC Four BBC Four is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was launched on 2 March 2002

(which took place in 2002) and for

BBC Choice BBC Choice was a British digital television channel which was owned by the BBC and was launched on 23 September 1998. It was the first British TV channel to broadcast exclusively in digital format, as well as the BBC's second non-analogue-terres ...

to be replaced with BBC Three. However, questions were raised over the proposed format of the new BBC Three, as some thought the new format would be too similar to the BBC's commercial rivals, namely

ITV2 ITV2 is a British free-to-air television channel owned by ITV Digital Channels, a division of ITV plc. It was launched on 7 December 1998. For a number of years, it had the largest audience share after the five analogue terrestrial stations, ...

& E4 at the time. It would be unnecessary competition. Whilst BBC Four, the BBC's proposed children's channels and digital radio stations all received approval, the BBC Three plans were rejected in September 2001. The channel was eventually given the go ahead, eleven months after the original launch date on 17 September 2002, following a change to the remit of the channel where a 15-minute news programme and an altered target age range of 25-34 audiences. BBC Three was launched on 9 February 2003. The channel was launched by Stuart Murphy, who previously ran BBC Choice, and before that

UK Play Play UK was a television channel broadcasting in the United Kingdom as part of the UKTV network of channels. Play UK broadcast all day on the digital platforms, but on the Sky Analogue platform on the Astra 19.2°E satellite system it broadcas ...

, the now-discontinued

UKTV UKTV Media Limited, simply known as UKTV, is a British multi-channel broadcaster, which, since 2019, has been wholly owned by BBC Studios (formerly BBC Worldwide), a commercial subsidiary of the BBC. It was formed on 1 November 1992 throug ...

music and comedy channel. At 33, Murphy was still the youngest channel controller in the country, a title he had held since launching UK Play at the age of 26; although on 20 October 2005 it was announced that Murphy was soon to leave the channel to work in commercial television. On 12 May 2011, BBC Three was added to the Sky EPG in the Republic of Ireland on channel 229. It was later moved to channel 210 on 3 July 2012, to free up space for new channels. For the duration of the

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, th ...

, BBC Three increased its broadcasting hours to 24 hours to provide extra coverage of Olympic events. Broadcast hours were extended again for the

2014 Commonwealth Games The 2014 Commonwealth Games ( gd, Geamannan a' Cho-fhlaitheis 2014), officially known as the XX Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Glasgow 2014, ( sco, Glesca 2014 or Glesga 2014; gd, Glaschu 2014), was an international multi-sport ev ...

with BBC Three broadcasting from 9:00 am to 4:00 am for the duration of the games. On 16 July 2013 the BBC announced that a high-definition (HD)

simulcast Simulcast (a portmanteau of simultaneous broadcast) is the broadcasting of programmes/programs or events across more than one resolution, bitrate or medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at exactly the same time (that is, simul ...

of BBC Three would be launched by early 2014. The channel launched on 10 December 2013. The former controller of the station, Zai Bennett, left to join

Sky Atlantic Sky Atlantic is a British pay television channel owned by Sky Group Limited broadcast in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The channel is primarily dedicated to imported programmes from the United States, and holds the domestic rights to HB ...

in July 2014, at which point BBC Three commissioner Sam Bickley became acting controller. On 8 September 2022, BBC Three and

BBC Four BBC Four is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was launched on 2 March 2002

suspended broadcasting for the entire night, following the

death Death is the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain an organism. For organisms with a brain, death can also be defined as the irreversible cessation of functioning of the whole brain, including brainstem, and brain ...

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

. The rest of the

BBC Television BBC Television is a service of the BBC. The corporation has operated a public broadcast television service in the United Kingdom, under the terms of a royal charter, since 1927. It produced television programmes from its own studios from 193 ...

channels simulcast

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broadc ...

' coverage of the monarch's death. The next day (9th September 2022), BBC Three resumed broadcasting at 7:00pm with Disney's 2004 animated film,

The Incredibles ''The Incredibles'' is a 2004 American computer-animated superhero film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. Written and directed by Brad Bird, it stars the voices of Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, ...

Replacement by Internet service

In February 2014, BBC Director-General Tony Hall announced that cuts of £100 million would have to be made at the corporation; Hall stated that the corporation could be forced to close one of its television services as a cost-savings measure. On 5 March 2014, Hall announced a proposal to convert BBC Three, discontinuing it as an "open" television service and turn it into an over-the-top

Internet television Streaming television is the digital distribution of television content, such as TV shows, as streaming media delivered over the Internet. Streaming television stands in contrast to dedicated terrestrial television delivered by over-the-air ...

service with a smaller programming budget and a focus on short-form productions. These changes formed part of a package of proposals from the BBC, including extending CBBC's hours, reallocating £30 million on

audiences for drama, and launching a one-hour timeshift channel of BBC One. There was notable backlash against the measures, with celebrities including

Greg James Gregory James Alan Milward (born 17 December 1985) is an English radio and television presenter, comedian and author. He is the host of BBC Radio 1's breakfast show, co-presenter on the cricket podcast '' Tailenders'' alongside Felix White and ...

, Matt Lucas and

Jack Whitehall Jack Peter Benedict Whitehall (born 7 July 1988) is an English comedian, actor, presenter and writer. He is known for starring as JP in the series '' Fresh Meat'' (2011–2016) and Alfie Wickers in the series '' Bad Education'' (2012–2014, 20 ...

speaking out. A petition against the move on change.org has gathered over 300,000 signatures. However, there was some support from media commentators, and those who backed a "slimmer" BBC. When the BBC revealed the full detail in December 2014, it admitted there was widespread opposition from BBC Three viewers but said there was support for the wider package of proposals. They believed the public welcomed a BBC One +1 as it admits "a vast majority of viewing still takes place on linear channels". The "Save BBC Three'" campaign pointed out this was a contradiction to what the BBC said about BBC Three. The

BBC Trust The BBC Trust was the governing body of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) between 2007 and 2017. It was operationally independent of BBC management and external bodies, and its stated aim was to make decisions in the best interests of ...

began a 28-day public consultation regarding the plans on 20 January 2015 and it ended with a protest outside

Broadcasting House Broadcasting House is the headquarters of the BBC, in Portland Place and Langham Place, London. The first radio broadcast from the building was made on 15 March 1932, and the building was officially opened two months later, on 15 May. The ma ...

. As part of the consultation a letter of 750 names against the move from the creative industry was sent to the BBC Trust, and this had the backing of a number of celebrities including

Daniel Radcliffe Daniel Jacob Radcliffe (born 23 July 1989) is an English actor. He rose to fame at age twelve, when he began portraying Harry Potter in the film series of the same name; and has held various other film and theatre roles. Over his career, Rad ...

, Aidan Turner,

Olivia Colman Sarah Caroline Sinclair ( Colman; born 30 January 1974), known professionally as Olivia Colman, is an English actress. Known for her comedic and dramatic roles in film and television, she has received various accolades, including an Academy A ...

and Lena Headey. The polling company ICM concluded a "large majority" of those that replied to the consultation were against the move, with respondents particularly concerned about those who cannot stream programming online, the effect of the content budget cuts, and the BBC's own admission the audience numbers would drop. Despite significant public opposition, the proposal was provisionally approved by the BBC Trust in June 2015, and nonetheless the BBC Trust issued its final decision to approve the transition in November 2015, citing the fact that younger audiences have increasingly migrated to online television content as opposed to linear television channels, and the BBC's ability to "deliver more distinctive content online, while bearing down on costs". Conditions were imposed on other BBC properties to complement the changes; BBC One and Two will be required to develop "distinctive programmes designed for younger audiences", as well as air encores of all full-length programmes that originally premiere on the BBC Three online service. The Trust also approved related proposals to allow first-run and third-party content on iPlayer, as well as extend CBBC's broadcast day to 9:00 p.m. The BBC One timeshift service was rejected, citing "limited public value". Jimmy Mulville and

Jon Thoday Jonathan Murray Thoday (born May 1961) is a British television executive and businessman. He is the joint founder and managing director of Avalon Entertainment. Founded in 1989, Avalon is an entertainment and talent management company, with offic ...

of independent production companies Hat Trick Productions and Avalon reportedly considered legal action against the Trust if it went ahead with the closure of the channel. They had previously offered to buy the channel to keep it on television, but the BBC said the channel was not up for sale. BBC Three ended regular programming during the early morning of 16 February 2016. Its final programme was an episode of '' Gavin & Stacey'', introduced by co-star

James Corden James Kimberley Corden (born 22 August 1978) is an English television host, actor, comedian, and singer. In the United Kingdom, he is best known for co-writing and starring in the critically acclaimed BBC sitcom '' Gavin & Stacey''. In the ...

from the

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

studio of his U.S. talk show '' The Late Late Show''. The channel space carried promotional information regarding the BBC Three online service until it officially shut down on 31 March. From March 2019, programmes from the new service were carried by BBC One from Monday to Wednesday after the ''

BBC News at Ten '' BBC News at Ten'' formerly known as the ''BBC Ten O'Clock News'' or the ''Ten O'Clock News'' is the flagship evening news programme for the BBC News channel and British television channel BBC One on weekdays and Sundays at 10:00pm. Huw Ed ...

'' under the name ''BBC Three on BBC One''.

Return to linear television

In May 2020, the BBC submitted its annual general plan for 2020–2021. It stated that the broadcaster was considering reinstating BBC Three as a linear channel with a doubled budget, citing that its content "now has the potential to reach a wider audience on a linear channel, as well as the key demographic which will continue to watch online." A number of series carried by the service, including ''

Fleabag ''Fleabag'' is a British comedy-drama television series created and written by Phoebe Waller-Bridge, based on her one-woman show first performed in 2013 at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. It was originally produced by Two Brothers Pictures for d ...

'' and '' Normal People'', had achieved strong critical acclaim, with ''Fleabag'' in particular winning multiple

Primetime Emmy Awards The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...

. On 2 March 2021, the BBC officially announced plans to reinstate BBC Three as a linear channel by January 2022, subject to approval by

Ofcom The Office of Communications, commonly known as Ofcom, is the government-approved regulatory and competition authority for the broadcasting, telecommunications and postal industries of the United Kingdom. Ofcom has wide-ranging powers acros ...

. As before, it will timeshare with the CBBC channel and broadcast from 7:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m. nightly. There will be pre-

watershed Watershed is a hydrological term, which has been adopted in other fields in a more or less figurative sense. It may refer to: Hydrology * Drainage divide, the line that separates neighbouring drainage basins * Drainage basin, called a "watershe ...

programming targeting teenagers as part of the schedule. On 16 September 2021, the UK media regulator Ofcom announced provisional approval for allowing BBC Three to return as a broadcast channel in 2022. As a public service channel it has the right to appear in the top 24 channels on EPGs. Sky complained that this would cause other channels to be bumped down the list to a less prominent position. On 25 November 2021, Ofcom announced it had given final approval for BBC Three to relaunch as a broadcast channel with a set period of February 2022, one month later than originally expected. A final logo of BBC Three as a streaming service was handled over the relaunched linear service; however, instead of pink, it uses a lime green colour. On 5 January 2022, CBBC returned to its pre-2016 hours and BBC Three began test broadcasts on 10 January 2022 ahead of its relaunch on 1 February 2022. The relaunched channel's first programme was ''The Launch Party,'' a preview special hosted by

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance ...

's Clara Amfo and

. This was followed by news programme ''The Catch Up'', an ''Eating With My Ex'' celebrity special, and the premieres of '' RuPaul's Drag Race: UK Versus the World'', ''Lazy Susan'', and the documentary '' Cherry Valentine: Gypsy Queen and Proud.'' On 8 September 2022, the BBC decided to scrap all programming on the channel to preserve the bandwidth for BBC News's breaking news coverage of

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states durin ...

. Unlike BBC One and BBC Two there were not too many amendments to the schedule over the following days, with Thursday's ''MOTDx'' being moved to 9pm on Friday 9 September 2022 and a repeat of ''Sky High Club: Scotland and Beyond'' being added to the line-up afterwards to make up the time where ''Canada's Drag Race'' was initially scheduled.

BBC Three HD

A high-definition version of BBC Three launched on 10 December 2013 along with high-definition versions of

BBC Four BBC Four is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was launched on 2 March 2002

and CBeebies.

Programming

The channel's target audience is 16–34-year-olds, and it faces heavy competition from rivals including ITV2 and E4, for an audience that the BBC has traditionally had difficulty in attracting. In 2008 it reached 26.3% of 16–34-year-olds in digital homes—the channel's highest ever such reach and above that of E4,

Dave Dave may refer to: Film, television, and theater * ''Dave'' (film), a 1993 film starring Kevin Kline and Sigourney Weaver * ''Dave'' (musical), a 2018 stage musical adaptation of the film * Dave (TV channel), a digital television channel in the ...

and Sky 1. On average, nine million people watched BBC Three every week, and it had a 2.6% share of the 15–34-year-old audience and 1.4% of the whole population, according to the

Broadcasters' Audience Research Board The Broadcasters Audience Research Board (BARB) is a British organisation that compiles audience measurement and television ratings in the United Kingdom. It was created in 1981 to replace two previous systems whereby ITV ratings were compil ...

(BARB). These ratings by BARB, the official ratings agency, average out BBC Three's viewing figures over a 24-hour period even though the channel only broadcasts in the evening, giving a distorted sense of the channel's viewership. Despite several official complaints from the BBC, BARB continued to publish figures which the BBC argues are unrepresentative. BBC Three's programming consists of comedy, drama, spin-off series and repeated episodes of series from BBC One and BBC Two, and other programmes that attempted to alert others of their actions through a series of programmes challenging common beliefs. An example of BBC Three's comedy output includes the award-winning comedy ''

Little Britain Little Britain may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Little Britain'' (sketch show), a British radio and then TV show ** ''Little Britain USA'', an American spin-off * "Little Britain", a song by Dreadzone from the 1995 album ''Second Light'' * ...

'', which in October 2004 broke its previous viewing record when 1.8 million viewers tuned in for a new series. ''Little Britain'' was later broadcast on the BBC's terrestrial analogue channels BBC One and BBC Two. The channel's longest-running comedy programme is '' Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps''. Some current programmes feature stand-up comedians performing their own take on a subject, usually the news, examples of which include '' Russell Howard's Good News'' (which later transferred to

, partly due to its success, and partly to BBC Three's move to online only) and '' Lee Nelson's Well Good Show''.

Comedy and drama

The channel airs various comedies and dramas; one of its most popular sitcoms is '' Gavin & Stacey'', which first aired in May 2007 and was written by and starred

and Ruth Jones. The sitcom was an instant hit, with subsequent series being moved to other BBC channels and the show being granted a Christmas special. Another example is '' Being Human'', a drama in which a ghost, a

vampire A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead creatures that often visited loved ones and caused mi ...

and a

werewolf In folklore, a werewolf (), or occasionally lycanthrope (; ; uk, Вовкулака, Vovkulaka), is an individual that can shapeshift into a wolf (or, especially in modern film, a therianthropic hybrid wolf-like creature), either purposely ...

share a flat, which has become a success and heralded several new series. American programming also features, with ''

American Dad! ''American Dad!'' is an American animated sitcom created by Seth MacFarlane, Mike Barker and Matt Weitzman for the Fox Broadcasting Company. Since 2014, the series has been airing new episodes on TBS. ''American Dad!'' is the first television ...

'' and ''

'' being the notable examples. Numerous popular series were either repeated on the channel or have spin-offs created from them. In early 2003, viewers could watch episodes of popular BBC soap opera ''

EastEnders ''EastEnders'' is a Television in the United Kingdom, British soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the Ea ...

'' on BBC Three before they were broadcast on BBC One. This programming decision coincided with the relaunch of the channel and helped it break the one million viewers milestone for the first time. An episode of ''EastEnders Revealed'', which was commissioned for BBC Three and looking behind the scenes of the programme, attracted 611,000 viewers. In 2005, BBC Three commissioned the documentary series '' Doctor Who Confidential'', which was shown immediately after episodes of the new series of ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the ...

'' had been screened on BBC One. This was followed up in July 2005, when it began to screen repeats of both programmes. In October 2005, it was announced that BBC Three had commissioned a spin-off drama series from ''Doctor Who'', ''

Torchwood ''Torchwood'' is a British science fiction television programme created by Russell T Davies. A spin-off of the 2005 revival of ''Doctor Who'', it aired from 2006 to 2011. The show shifted its broadcast channel each series to reflect its growin ...

'', designed as a post-

science fiction drama for a more adult audience. ''Torchwood'' launched with 2.4 million viewers in October 2006. ''Torchwood'' is the first science fiction programme ever to have been commissioned by the channel, and its popularity led to it being broadcast on BBC Two for the second series, and on BBC One for subsequent series. In 2010, BBC Three began airing episodes of the fifth series of BBC drama series '' Waterloo Road'' after they had aired on BBC One as part of its 'catch-up' programming. From January 2015, BBC Three aired the remaining episodes of ''Waterloo Road'' before being repeated on BBC One later the same day. Among its original programming, the channel also gave viewers the

comedy drama Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...

Pramface ''Pramface'' is a British sitcom starring Scarlett Alice Johnson and Sean Michael Verey. Written by Chris Reddy, the first series, comprising six half-hour episodes, piloted on 23 February 2012. The second series, which was commissioned by the BB ...

'', which was written by Chris Reddy and comprised 19 episodes over three series, broadcast between 2012 and 2014.

Documentaries

BBC Three also aired several youth-focused documentaries, including the BAFTA-winning ''Our War'', '' Blood, Sweat and T-shirts'' (as well as its subsequent sequels), ''Life & Death Row'' and a season of films focused on mental illness. BBC Three also aired specialist factual documentaries, such as ''How Drugs Work'' and ''How Sex Works.'' Stacey Dooley, since her appearance on '' Blood, Sweat and T-shirts'' in 2008, presented documentaries including ''Stacey Dooley in the USA'' (2012–14), ''Coming Here Soon'' (2012), ''The Natives: This is our America'' (2017), ''Beaten by My Boyfriend'' (2015), ''Stacey Dooley in Cologne: The Blame Game'' (2016), ''Sex in Strange Places'' (2016), ''Stacey Dooley: Hate and Pride in Orlando'' (2016), ''Stacey Dooley on the Frontline: Girls, Guns and Isis'' (2016), ''Brainwashing Stacey'' (2016), ''Stacey Dooley: Face to Face with Isis'' (2018), and several other titles under the umbrella title ''Stacey Dooley Investigates'' (2009–present). BBC Three also commissions a number of one-off documentaries, including ''Growing Up Down's'' (2014), '' My Brother the Islamist'' (2011), ''Small Teen Big World'' (2010); ''Stormchaser: The Butterfly and the Tornado'' (2012) and ''The Autistic Me'' (2009). Many were commissioned through BBC Three's FRESH scheme which provided an opportunity for 'the next generation of directors' to make their first 60-minute documentaries for the channel. In July 2022, a number of documentaries from the regional ''We Are England'' strand (featuring celebrities such as Bimini, Jayde Adams and Jassa Ahluwalia) were repeated on BBC Three, alongside a number of similarly formatted 30 minute documentaries, now made to get a premiere showing on BBC Three. However, rather than being grouped under a master brand, like BBC One's ''We Are England'' or ''Our Lives'' programmes, these new documentaries are now just being listed under one off titles such as ''Filthy Business'' and ''Queen of Trucks'' on the BBC iPlayer and in programme guides.

News and sport

In its original incarnation, BBC Three featured ''

60 Seconds ''60 Seconds'' is a short-news programme which ran between shows on BBC Three (and before that BBC Choice). It was broadcast under the BBC News format and branding. The presenters included Tasmin Lucia-Khan, Andy May, Matt Cooke, James Dagw ...

'', an hourly summary of news, sport and entertainment headlines. They were presented in a relaxed style in keeping with the rest of the channel. As part of the BBC's discussions with the government regarding the founding of the channel, a longer news programme had been promised to provide a daily section of news and current affairs. ''The News Show'', as it came to be called upon launch, was later rebranded ''

The 7 O'Clock News ''The 7 O'Clock News'' is a British news programme. It was the main news programme broadcast each weekday at 7:00pm, on British digital television channel BBC Three between 9 February 2003 to 2 December 2005. Originally called ''The News Show'' f ...

''. However, the BBC discontinued the bulletin in 2005, following a recommendation made in the 2004 Barwise Report, which found that the channel's target audience sought news from elsewhere. Upon the 2022 relaunch of BBC Three, a new summary of news, sport and entertainment was launched under the name ''

The Catch Up ''The Catch-Up'' was an Australian daytime live television talk show on the Nine Network created by Mia Freedman. The show featured a panel of women as co-hosts, with Libbi Gorr, Zoe Sheridan, Mary Moody and Lisa Oldfield. It premiered on 2 ...

''. The channel has also shown sports programming. '' Match of the Day Live'' broadcast international football matches featuring

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

, often when an

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

match was being shown on BBC One. The channel also showed some matches of England's Women's team. The 2002, 2004, 2006 and 2008

Africa Cup of Nations The Africa Cup of Nations referred to as AFCON (french: Coupe d'Afrique des Nations, sometimes referred to as CAN, or TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations for sponsorship reasons), and sometimes as African Cup of Nations, is the main internat ...

tournaments were shown on the channel, while it is scheduled to air the semi-finals and final of the 2021 edition.

List of series

General comedy

* ''

Brain Candy Brain Candy may refer to: * ''Brain Candy'' (TV series), 2003 standup comedy variety TV series on BBC Three * ''Brain Candy'' (album), 2020 album by Australian duo Hockey Dad * '' Kids in the Hall: Brain Candy'', 1996 Canadian comedy film by ...

'' (2003) * '' 2004: The Stupid Version'' (2004) * ''Three's Outtakes'' (2005–2010) * ''Welcome To My World: Funny Business'' (2006) * ''Conning The Conmen'' (2007) * ''

It's Adam and Shelley ''It's Adam and Shelley'' is a British television variety series written by brother and sister Adam and Shelley Longworth. The series was directed by Tim Kirkby and was broadcast on BBC Three from 1 October to 5 November 2007. Following poor rec ...

'' (2007) * ''Two Pints of Lager: The Outtakes'' (2008–2011) * '' The Wall'' (2008) * '' Russell Howard's Good News'' (2009–2013) * ''

Special 1 TV ''Special 1 TV'' (formerly known as ''I'm on Setanta Sports'') is a satirical football television programme, produced by Blue Elf Productions and Caboom Entertainment. The stars of the show are puppet caricatures of various football personalit ...

'' (2010–2011) * '' World's Craziest Fools'' (2011–2013) * ''The Pranker'' (2011) * '' World Series of Dating'' (2012) * '' Unzipped'' (2012) * '' BBC Comedy Feeds'' (2012–2015) * ''

Impractical Jokers UK ''Impractical Jokers UK'' is a British reality television series that first aired in the United Kingdom in 2012 on BBC Three. The series is based on the American hidden camera-practical joke reality television series ''Impractical Jokers''. Thr ...

'' (2012–2014) * ''

People Just Do Nothing ''People Just Do Nothing'' is a British television mockumentary sitcom, created and performed by Allan Mustafa, Steve Stamp, Asim Chaudhry and Hugo Chegwin. The programme follows the lives of MC Grindah, DJ Beats and their friends, who run ...

'' (2014–2015)

One-off comedy pilots/specials

* ''Sort-It-Out-Man'' (2003) * ''The Bunk Bed Boys'' (2004) * ''Sweet and Sour'' (2004) * ''From Bard to Verse'' (2004) * ''Killing Time'' (2004) * ''Hurrah for Cancer'' (2004) * '' AD/BC: A Rock Opera'' (2004) * ''10:96: Training Night'' (2005) * ''Marigold'' (2005) * ''Cubby Couch'' (2006) * ''Bash'' (2007) * ''Living With Two People You Like Individually... But Not As A Couple'' (2007) * ''Under One Roof'' (2007) * ''Green'' (2007) * ''Moonmonkeys'' (2007) * ''Be More Ethnic'' (2007) * ''Biffovision'' (2007) * ''Splitting Cells'' (2007) * ''Placebo'' (2008) * ''Delta Forever'' (2008) * ''Torn Up Tales'' (2008) * ''Barely Legal'' (2008) * ''MeeBOX'' (2008) * ''LifeSpam: My Child Is French'' (2009) * ''Ketch! And HIRO-PON Get It On'' (2009) * ''Vidiotic'' (2009) * ''Things Talk'' (2009) * ''Brave Young Men'' (2009) * ''Mark's Brilliant Blog'' (2009) * ''May Contain Nuts'' (2009) * ''The Site'' (2009) * ''Above Their Station'' (2010) * ''

This Is Jinsy ''This is Jinsy'' is a British comedy series. The pilot was first broadcast on 1 March 2010 on BBC Three. The programme is about the bizarre residents of the fictional island of Jinsy which is based on Guernsey, where the two writers are from. ...

'' (2010) * ''Laughter Shock'' (2010) * ''

Stanley Park Stanley Park is a public park in British Columbia, Canada that makes up the northwestern half of Vancouver's Downtown Peninsula, surrounded by waters of Burrard Inlet and English Bay. The park borders the neighbourhoods of West End and ...

'' (2010) * ''Dappers'' (2010) * ''The Inn Mates'' (2010) * ''The Klang Show'' (2010) * ''The Adventures Of Daniel'' (2010) * ''D.O.A.'' (2010) * ''Chris Moyles' Comedy Empire'' (2012) * ''The Comedy Marathon Spectacular'' (2012) * ''An Idiot's Guide To Politics'' (2015) * ''

The Totally Senseless Gameshow ''The Totally Senseless Gameshow'' is a one-off variety show that aired on 11 August 2015 for BBC Three. It was hosted by Martin Dougan. The gameshow elements were interspersed with 'backstage' inserts, humorously highlighting stereotypical tre ...

'' (2015)

Sketch comedy

* '' 3 Non-Blondes'' (2003) * '' Monkey Dust'' (2003–2005) * ''

'' (2003–2004) * '' The Comic Side of 7 Days'' (2005) * '' High Spirits with Shirley Ghostman'' (2005) * '' Tittybangbang'' (2005–2007) * '' Man Stroke Woman'' (2005–2007) * '' The Message'' (2006) * ''

Touch Me, I'm Karen Taylor ''Touch Me, I'm Karen Taylor'' is a British television sketch comedy show written and performed by BAFTA Award-winning comedian Karen Taylor and produced by Avalon Productions. The genre of the show focuses largely on sex and contains much innuen ...

'' (2006–2008) * ''

Little Miss Jocelyn ''Little Miss Jocelyn'' is a British TV sketch comedy written by and starring Jocelyn Jee Esien. The show is made up of studio sketches and hidden camera footage in which unsuspecting members of the public become part of a sketch. The series r ...

'' (2006) * ''Comedy Shuffle'' (2007) * ''

Rush Hour A rush hour (American English, British English) or peak hour (Australian English) is a part of the day during which traffic congestion on roads and crowding on public transport is at its highest. Normally, this happens twice every weekday: o ...

'' (2007) * ''

Marc Wootton Exposed ''Marc Wootton Exposed'' is a television sketch comedy show, written by Marc Wootton and Liam Woodman, and starring character comedian Marc Wootton, who plays numerous in-depth characters, with obscured humour situations, in the form of monologue ...

'' (2008) * '' Scallywagga'' (2008–2010) * ''

The Wrong Door ''The Wrong Door'' is a comedy sketch show, that first aired on BBC Three on 28 August 2008. The programme is the first comedy show in which the majority of the sketches include CGI elements. As such, it was produced under the working title of ...

'' (2008) * ''

Horne & Corden ''Horne & Corden'' is a British sketch show written by Jon Brown, Steve Dawson, Andrew Dawson, Tim Inman and the cast, script edited by Sam Ward, and starring Mathew Horne and James Corden. It aired on BBC television in 2009. The first episo ...

'' (2009) * '' La La Land'' (2010) * '' Lee Nelson's Well Good Show'' (2010–2011) * ''Wu-How: The Ninja How To Guide'' (2010) * ''One Non Blonde: Down Under'' (2010) * ''

The Revolution Will Be Televised ''The Revolution Will Be Televised'' is a British television satire show starring Heydon Prowse and Jolyon Rubinstein, which was first screened on BBC Three in August 2012. Writing for ''The Guardian'', Sam Wollaston said it's "Sacha Baron Co ...

'' (2012–2015) * ''

Lee Nelson's Well Funny People ''Lee Nelson's Well Funny People'' is a British television comedy series starring Simon Brodkin produced by Avalon for BBC Three BBC Three is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast televi ...

'' (2013) * ''

Boom Town A boomtown is a community that undergoes sudden and rapid population and economic growth, or that is started from scratch. The growth is normally attributed to the nearby discovery of a precious resource such as gold, silver, or oil, although ...

'' (2013) * ''Lazy Susan'' (2022–present)

Comedy gameshow

* ''

Celebdaq Celebdaq was an online "celebrity stock exchange" game on the BBC's website which had its own television show on BBC Three. The television show was presented by Paddy O'Connell & Libby Potter. Later, the comedian Jenny Eclair was the present ...

'' (2003) * '' HeadJam'' (2004) * ''

Stars in Fast Cars ''Stars in Fast Cars'' is a motoring-themed celebrity game show, in which celebrities compete in motoring challenges, including recreating movie stunts and racing modified armchairs. The series was first broadcast on BBC Three, in 2005, and rep ...

'' (2005–2006) * ''

Rob Brydon's Annually Retentive ''Rob Brydon's Annually Retentive'' is a British television show, first aired on BBC Three in July 2006. Devised by Paul Duddridge, it concerns the making of a comedy panel game show called ''Annually Retentive'', themed around historical events, ...

'' (2006–2007) * '' The King is Dead'' (2010) * '' 24 Hour Panel People'' (2011) * '' Sweat the Small Stuff'' (2013–2015)

Sitcom

* '' Swiss Toni'' (2003–2004) * '' Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps'' (2003–2011) * ''

Grass Poaceae () or Gramineae () is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos and the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivated in lawns a ...

'' (2003) * '' Nighty Night'' (2004) * ''

15 Storeys High ''15 Storeys High'' is a British sitcom, set in a tower block. It originated as two radio series broadcast in 1998–2000, transferring to television in 2002–2004. The main characters in the television series are Vince Clark, a depressed, ...

'' (2004) * '' Catterick'' (2004) * '' Cyderdelic'' (2004) * ''

Coupling A coupling is a device used to connect two shafts together at their ends for the purpose of transmitting power. The primary purpose of couplings is to join two pieces of rotating equipment while permitting some degree of misalignment or end mov ...

'' (2004) * ''

The Mighty Boosh The Mighty Boosh is a British comedy troupe featuring comedians Julian Barratt and Noel Fielding. Developed from three stage shows and a six-episode radio series, it has since spanned a total of 20 television episodes for BBC Three which aired ...

'' (2004–2007) * '' The Smoking Room'' (2004–2005) * ''

My Life In Film ''My Life in Film'' is a British television situation-comedy series written by Mark Chappell and originally aired on BBC Three, and then on BBC Two. It uses iconography, situations and dialogue from films. Some of the show's humour is derived fro ...

'' (2004) * ''

Ideal Ideal may refer to: Philosophy * Ideal (ethics), values that one actively pursues as goals * Platonic ideal, a philosophical idea of trueness of form, associated with Plato Mathematics * Ideal (ring theory), special subsets of a ring considered ...

'' (2005–2011) * '' I'm with Stupid'' (2005–2006) * '' Snuff Box'' (2006) * '' Grownups'' (2006–2009) * '' Live!Girls! present Dogtown'' (2006) * '' Pulling'' (2006–2009) * '' Thieves Like Us'' (2007) * '' Gavin & Stacey'' (2007–2008, 2022-) * ''

Coming of Age Coming of age is a young person's transition from being a child to being an adult. The specific age at which this transition takes place varies between societies, as does the nature of the change. It can be a simple legal convention or can ...

'' (2007–2011) * '' The Visit'' (2007) * '' How Not to Live Your Life'' (2007–2011) * '' Lunch Monkeys'' (2008–2011) * '' Trexx and Flipside'' (2008) * '' Massive'' (2008) * '' Clone'' (2008) * '' Off the Hook'' (2009) * ''

We Are Klang ''We Are Klang'' is a British comedy sketch show, starring Greg Davies, Steve Hall and Marek Larwood, and produced for BBC Three. The programme was short-lived, only running for six episodes in 2009, between 30 July to 10 September, and focused ...

'' (2009) * '' The Gemma Factor'' (2010) * ''

Mongrels A mongrel, mutt or mixed-breed dog is a dog that does not belong to one officially recognized breed and including those that are the result of intentional breeding. Although the term ''mixed-breed dog'' is sometimes preferred, many mongrel ...

'' (2010–2011) * '' Him & Her'' (2010–2013) * ''

White Van Man "White van man" is a stereotype used in the United Kingdom for a smaller-sized commercial van driver, typically perceived as a selfish, inconsiderate driver who is mostly petit bourgeois and often aggressive. According to this stereotype, the ...

'' (2011–2012) * ''

'' (2012–2014) * '' Dead Boss'' (2012) * '' Bad Education'' (2012–2014) * ''

Cuckoo Cuckoos are birds in the Cuculidae family, the sole taxon in the order Cuculiformes . The cuckoo family includes the common or European cuckoo, roadrunners, koels, malkohas, couas, coucals and anis. The coucals and anis are sometimes separ ...

'' (2012–2014; 2022) * '' Some Girls'' (2012–2014) * '' Way to Go'' (2013) * '' Bluestone 42'' (2013) * '' Badults'' (2013–2014) * ''

Uncle An uncle is usually defined as a male relative who is a sibling of a parent or married to a sibling of a parent. Uncles who are related by birth are second-degree relatives. The female counterpart of an uncle is an aunt, and the reciprocal rela ...

'' (2014–2015) * '' Siblings'' (2014–2016) * '' Crims'' (2015) * ''

Murder in Successville ''Murder in Successville'' is a British sitcom with improvisational elements created by Andy Brereton and Avril Spary. The series aired on BBC Three from 6 May 2015 to 24 May 2017. ''Murder in Successville'' stars Tom Davis as DI Desmond Sleet ...

'' (2015) * ''

Top Coppers ''Top Coppers'' (released 19 August 2015) is a British sitcom, co-written and created by Andy Kinnear and Céin McGillicuddy and directed by Céin McGillicuddy. It was broadcast on BBC Three, BBC Two, and was available on Netflix UK. Backgro ...

'' (2015) * '' Fried'' (2015) * '' Together'' (2015) * '' Josh'' (2015) * ''Peacock'' (2022–present) * ''PRU'' (2022–present)

Comedy drama

* ''Grease Monkeys'' (2003–2004) * ''Spine Chillers'' (2003) * ''

Outlaws An outlaw is a person living outside the law. Outlaws or The Outlaws may also refer to: Film and television Film * ''The Outlaws'' (1950 film), an Italian crime film * ''Outlaws'' (1985 film), a French film * ''The Outlaws'' (2017 film), a Sou ...

'' (2004) * ''Twisted Tales'' (2005) * ''

Casanova Giacomo Girolamo Casanova (, ; 2 April 1725 – 4 June 1798) was an Italian adventurer and author from the Republic of Venice. His autobiography, (''Story of My Life''), is regarded as one of the most authentic sources of information about the c ...

'' (2005) * '' Funland'' (2005) * '' Drop Dead Gorgeous'' (2006–2007) * '' Sinchronicity'' (2006) * ''

Phoo Action ''Phoo Action'' is a BBC Three 60 minute TV pilot, one of six drama pilots that were transmitted in early 2008, and was first broadcast on 12 February 2008 at 21:00 UTC. ''Phoo Action'' is based on the Jamie Hewlett-created comic strip ''Get th ...

'' (2008) * '' Being Human'' (2008–2013) * ''The Last Word Monologues'' (2008) * ''

Personal Affairs ''Personal Affairs'' (also known as ''P.A's'') is a 2009 British television comedy-drama series, broadcast on BBC Three. It starred Annabel Scholey, Laura Aikman, Maimie McCoy and Ruth Negga as four City of London Personal Assistants looking fo ...

'' (2009) * '' Mouth to Mouth'' (2009) * ''

Becoming Human ''Becoming Human'' is a British supernatural comedy-drama webisode series and a spin-off from the TV series '' Being Human''. Created by Toby Whithouse, it was directed by Alex Kalymnios, written by Brian Dooley, Jamie Mathieson and John Jackson ...

'' (2011) * '' Wreck'' (2022-present)

Live music and stand-up comedy

* ''Paul and Pauline Calf's Cheese and Ham Sandwich'' (2003) * ''

Glastonbury Festival Glastonbury Festival (formally Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts and known colloquially as Glasto) is a five-day festival of contemporary performing arts that takes place in Pilton, Somerset, England. In addition to contemp ...

'' (2003–2015) * ''The Fast Show Farewell Tour'' (2003) * ''

Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest (), sometimes abbreviated to ESC and often known simply as Eurovision, is an international songwriting competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), featuring participants representing pr ...

'' (2004–2015, 2022–) * ''

28 Acts in 28 Minutes ''28 Acts in 28 Minutes'' is a Stand-up comedy, stand-up TV comedy show aired on the UK's BBC Three in 2005. It comprises 28 acts, each given a minute to perform. Two episodes were aired. A 3-part series also aired on BBC Radio 4 in June 2006, ch ...

'' (2005) * ''MOBO Awards'' (2006–2013) * '' The Mighty Boosh Live'' (2008) * ''Russell Howard Live'' (2009) * ''Edinburgh Comedy Fest Live'' (2010–2014) * ''Russell Howard Live: Dingledodies'' (2010) * ''Three@TheFringe'' (2011) * ''Simon Amstell: Do Nothing Live'' (2011) * ''Stand Up For Sport Relief'' (2012) * ''

Live at the Electric ''Live at the Electric'' is a British comedy series that aired on BBC Three from 31 May 2012 and 28 February 2014 and is hosted by Russell Kane who performed stand-up in between comedy sketches from a variety of performers such as Joe Wilkinso ...

'' (2012–2014) * ''Chris Ramsey's Comedy Fringe'' (2012) * ''Greg Davies Live: Firing Cheeseballs At A Dog'' (2012) * ''Russell Howard: Right Here, Right Now'' (2012) * ''Russell Kane: Smokescreens & Castles'' (2012) * ''Lee Nelson Live'' (2013) * ''Seann Walsh's Late Night Comedy Spectacular'' (2013–2014) * ''Kevin Bridges – The Story Continues'' (2013) * ''Jack Whitehall Live'' (2013) * ''Nick Helm's Heavy Entertainment'' (2015)

Drama

* '' Burn It'' (2003) * ''

Bodies Bodies may refer to: * The plural of body * ''Bodies'' (2004 TV series), BBC television programme * Bodies (upcoming TV series), an upcoming British crime thriller limited series * "Bodies" (''Law & Order''), 2003 episode of ''Law & Order'' * B ...

'' (2004–2006) * '' Conviction'' (2004) * ''

'' (2006) * '' West 10 LDN'' (2008) * '' Dis/Connected'' (2008) * '' Spooks: Code 9'' (2008) * ''

'' (2009) * ''

Lip Service Lip service may refer to: Idiom * Lip service, an idiom for insincere talk Film * ''Lip Service'' (1988 film), an American comedy TV film Television * ''Lip Service'' (TV series), a 2010 dramatic series broadcast on BBC Three * ''Lip Serv ...

'' (2010–2012) * ''

Frankenstein's Wedding ''Frankenstein's Wedding'' (also known as ''Frankenstein's Wedding… Live in Leeds'') is a live musical drama based on Mary Shelley's 1818 novel ''Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus''. The show was broadcast live on BBC Three on 19 March 201 ...

'' (2011) * ''

The Fades The Fades are an English indie rock band from London, England, comprising Dave Lightfoot on guitar and vocals, James Lightfoot on bass, Jonathan "Jonny" Barnard on guitar and Alastair "Flash" Thorpe on drums. History The Fades were formed 2 ...

'' (2011) * ''

In the Flesh In the Flesh may refer to: Books * ''In the Flesh'' (2009 graphic novel), a collection of stories by Koren Shadmi Film and TV * ''In the Flesh'' (1998 film), an American gay-themed murder mystery film * ''In the Flesh'' (2003 film), an Indian ...

'' (2013–2014) * ''

Orphan Black ''Orphan Black'' is a Canadian science-fiction thriller television series created by screenwriter Graeme Manson and director John Fawcett and starring Tatiana Maslany. The series focuses on Sarah Manning, one of several genetically identical ...

'' (2013–2015) * '' Murdered by My Boyfriend'' (2014) * '' Our World War'' (2014) * '' Waterloo Road'' (2015) * ''

Tatau Tatau is a town, and the capital of the Tatau District (4,945.8 square kilometres) in Bintulu Division, Sarawak, Malaysia. The district's reported total population for Tatau (year 2010 census) was 30,383. Tatau became a district in 1987. Bef ...

'' (2015) * '' Red Rose'' (2022) * '' Mood'' (2022–present) * ''Life and Death in the Warehouse'' (2022–present)

Documentary

* ''Appleton On Appleton'' (2003) * '' Dreamspaces'' (2003–2004) * ''Liquid Assets'' (2003–2004) * ''Fatboy Slim: Musical Hooligan'' (2003) * ''

Body Hits ''Body Hits'' is a TV series which focused on what goes on inside people's bodies as they fight their way through their hectic modern lifestyle. Dr. John Marsden was the show's host for its entirety. The programme aired on BBC Three in the United ...

'' (2003) * ''Posh & Becks' Big Impression: Behind the Scenes & Extra Bits'' (2003) * '' Mind, Body & Kick Ass Moves'' (2004) * ''Destination Three'' (2005) * ''Spendaholics'' (2005–2008) * '' Doctor Who Confidential'' (2005–2011) * ''Generation Jedi'' (2005) * ''Forty Years of F***'' (2005) * ''Kick Ass Miracles'' (2005) * ''F*** Off I'm Fat'' (2006) * '' Japanorama'' (2006–2007) * '' The Indestructibles'' (2006) * '' Torchwood Declassified'' (2006) * ''

Most Annoying People ''Most Annoying Person'' is a British television programme that was broadcast on BBC Three from 27 December 2006 to 26 December 2011 and was usually shown each year during the end of December. The show counted down the 100 "most irritating" peo ...

'' (2006–2011) * '' Freaky Eaters'' (2007–2009) * ''Body Image'' (2007) * '' Castaway: The Last 24 Hours and Castaway Exposed'' (2007) * ''Kick Ass in a Crisis'' (2007) * ''The Bulls**t Detective'' (2007) * ''Say No to the Knife'' (2007) * ''Pranks Galore'' (2007) * ''The Most Annoying TV We Hate to Love'' (2007) * ''The Most Annoying Pop Songs We Hate To Love'' (2007) * '' Find Me the Face'' (2008) * ''The Mighty Boosh: A Journey Through Time and Space'' (2008) * '' Blood, Sweat and T-shirts'' (2008) * ''Alesha: Look But Don't Touch'' (2008) * ''The Most Annoying Couples We Love to Hate'' (2008) * ''Gavin and Stacey 12 Days of Christmas'' (2008) * ''Two Pints: Fags, Lads and Kebabs'' (2009) * ''Comic Relief's Naughty Bits'' (2009) * ''Two Pints: The Love Triangle'' (2009) * ''Blood, Sweat and Takeaways'' (2010) * ''The Autistic Me'' (2009) * ''Stacey Dooley Investigates'' (2009–2015) * ''

My Life as an Animal ''My Life as an Animal'' is a British reality television series broadcast on BBC Three and presented by Rebecca Wilcox. In each episode, two volunteers spend four days with a different species of animal, living how they live in an attempt to be ...

'' (2009) * ''Great Movie Mistakes'' (2010–2012) * ''Blood, Sweat and Luxuries'' (2010) * ''Small Teen Big World'' (2010) * ''Great TV Mistakes'' (2010) * '' Sun, Sex and Suspicious Parents'' (2011–2015) * ''Pop's Greatest Dance Crazes'' (2011) * '' My Brother the Islamist'' (2011) * ''Stormchaser: The Butterfly and the Tornado'' (2011) * ''Stacey Dooley in the USA'' (2012–14) * ''Coming Here Soon'' (2012) * ''Unsafe Sex in the City'' (2012) * ''Websex: What's the Harm?'' (2012) * '' People Like Us'' (2013–2014) * '' Hotel of Mum and Dad'' (2013–2014) * ''Cherry Healey: Old Before My Time'' (2013) * '' Doctor Who: Greatest Monsters & Villains'' (2013) * '' Tough Young Teachers'' (2014) * ''Growing Up Down's'' (2014) * ''

Junior Paramedics ''Junior Paramedics'' is a British television series that was first broadcast on BBC Three from 27 February to 8 April 2014. The series follows paramedics on a six-week placement with East Midlands Ambulance Service. The nine junior paramedics ...

'' (2014) * '' Life and Death Row'' (2014) * '' Invasion of the Job Snatchers'' (2014) * ''My Brother the Terrorist'' (2014) * '' Tyger Takes On...'' (2014–2015) * ''Excluded: Kicked Out of School'' (2015) * ''Bangkok Airport'' (2015) * ''Beaten by my Boyfriend'' (2015) * '' Traffic Cops'' (2016) * ''Sex in Strange Places'' (2016) * '' We Are England'' (2022)

Chat show

* '' This Is Dom Joly'' (2003) * ''

The Graham Norton Effect ''The Graham Norton Effect'' is a talk show hosted by the Irish comedian Graham Norton. The show aired on Comedy Central from June 24, 2004 to September 16, 2004. ''The Graham Norton Effect'' can be considered a spin-off to two previous shows ...

'' (2005) * '' Lily Allen and Friends'' (2008) * ''Comic Relief's Big Chat With Graham Norton'' (2013) * '' Backchat with Jack Whitehall and His Dad'' (2013–2014) * ''Staying In With Greg & Russell'' (2013)

Repeats

* '' The Murder Game'' (2003) * ''

Angry Kid ''Angry Kid'' is a British live-action/stop-motion adult animated comedy web series created, directed, written, and designed by Darren Walsh (who also provides the voice of the title character) and produced by Aardman Animations for Series 1 ...

'' (2003) * ''Absolutely Fabulous'' (series 5) (2003) * ''

'' (2003–2016, 2022–) * '' Spooks'' (2003–2009) * ''

'' (2005–2016) * '' Top Gear'' (2006–2016, 2022–) * '' That Mitchell and Webb Look'' (2006–2010) * '' Giving You Everything'' (2008) * '' Wallace and Gromit's Cracking Contraptions'' (2008–2009) * ''

The Voice UK ''The Voice UK'' is a British singing competition television series. Created by John de Mol, it premiered on BBC One during the spring television cycle on 24 March 2012. Based on the original '' The Voice of Holland'', and part of ''The Voice ...

'' (2012–2015) * '' Live at the Apollo'' (2015–2016) * ''

'' (2022–present) * ''

This Country ''This Country'' is a British mockumentary sitcom, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC Three on 8 February 2017. Created by, written by and starring siblings Daisy May Cooper and Charlie Cooper and directed by Tom George, the series f ...

'' (2022–present) * '' Killing Eve'' (2022–present) * '' Back to Life'' (2022–present)

Unscripted and reality

* ''

'' (2003–2005) * '' Re:covered'' (2003) * ''

Liquid News ''Liquid News'' was a daily round up of entertainment news for BBC Three (and before that BBC Choice) running from 30 May 2000 to 1 April 2004. The show was also broadcast weekly on BBC One and internationally on BBC Prime and BBC America. The ...

'' (2003–2004) * '' The Bachelor'' (2003–2005) * ''

'' (2003–2016) * '' Little Angels'' (2004–2006) * ''Slam Poets'' (2004) * '' The House of Tiny Tearaways'' (2005–2007) * '' The Real Hustle'' (2006–2012) * '' Anthea Turner: Perfect Housewife'' (2006–2007) * '' The Apprentice: You're Fired!'' (2006) * '' Celebrity Scissorhands'' (2006–2008) * ''

The Baby Borrowers ''The Baby Borrowers'' is a British reality television series produced by Love Productions for BBC Three. The series premiered 8 January 2007. The show features five couples aged between 16 and 19. They start off attempting to look after a baby ...

'' (2007) * ''Kill It, Cook It, Eat It'' (2007–2010) * '' Comic Relief Does Fame Academy'' (2007) * '' Last Man Standing'' (2007–2008) * '' Don't Tell the Bride'' (2007–2014) * '' Bizarre ER'' (2008–2011) * ''

Snog Marry Avoid? ''Snog Marry Avoid?'' is a British reality television show broadcast on BBC Three, produced by Remarkable Television. The first four series were presented by Atomic Kitten member Jenny Frost, with Ellie Taylor presenting from the fifth series on ...

'' (2008–2013) * ''

Britain's Missing Top Model ''Britain's Missing Top Model'' is a British Reality TV modelling show for disabled women, aired on BBC Three. The premiere episode aired on 1 July 2008. The show courted controversy, with many arguing that the show made disability a spectator ...

'' (2008) * ''Make My Body Younger'' (2008–2009) * ''

The World's Strictest Parents ''The World's Strictest Parents'' (or ''World's Strictest Parents'') is an international television franchise reality series developed by Twenty Twenty with its original broadcast in the United Kingdom by BBC Three. There are also many other ...

'' (2008–2011) * '' Undercover Princes'' (2009) * '' Young, Dumb and Living Off Mum'' (2009–2011) * '' Freak Like Me'' (2010) * ''I Believe in UFOs: Danny Dyer'' (2010) * ''

Hotter Than My Daughter ''Hotter Than My Daughter'' is a British reality television series on BBC Three hosted by Atomic Kitten member Liz McClarnon Elizabeth Margaret McClarnon (born 10 April 1981) is an English pop singer, songwriter, dancer, television presenter ...

'' (2010–2011) * ''

Dancing on Wheels ''Dancing on Wheels'' is a British Reality TV show made by production company Fever Media and first broadcast on BBC Three BBC Three is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television c ...

'' (2010) * ''Nicola Roberts: The Truth About Tanning'' (2010) * '' Undercover Princesses'' (2010) * '' Are You Fitter Than a Pensioner?'' (2010) * '' Junior Doctors: Your Life in Their Hands'' (2011–2013) * ''

The Call Centre ''The Call Centre'' is a BBC fly-on-the-wall documentary following staff at the call centre of a Welsh company called Save Britain Money. Although now in administration at the time of filming the call centre was described as Swansea's third-large ...

'' (2013–2014) * ''

Sexy Beasts ''Sexy Beasts'' is a British reality television dating game show produced by Lion Television and aired on BBC Three from 14 February to 9 September 2014. The show features people being transformed with prosthetic makeup into animal and mythic ...

'' (2014) * ''

Hair Hair is a protein filament that grows from follicles found in the dermis. Hair is one of the defining characteristics of mammals. The human body, apart from areas of glabrous skin, is covered in follicles which produce thick terminal and fi ...

'' (2014) * '' Killer Magic'' (2014–2015) * ''

Life Is Toff Life Is Toff is a 2014 documentary-style reality television series, following the family of Francis Fulford. The Fulford family have resided at their Devon country seat, Great Fulford Great Fulford is an historic estate in the parish o ...

'' (2014) * '' South Side Story'' (2015) * ''

I Survived a Zombie Apocalypse ''I Survived a Zombie Apocalypse'' is a 2015 reality TV game show made for BBC Three. It is described as "the toughest reality show on TV" and is presented by Greg James. The show is centered on a group of contestants who must survive for seven ...

'' (2015) * '' Asian Provocateur'' (2015) * '' RuPaul's Drag Race: UK vs the World'' (2022–present) * ''

'' (2022–present) * ''The Fast and the Farmer(ish)'' (2022–present) * ''Hungry For It'' (2022–present) * ''The Drop'' (2022–present) * ''Gassed Up'' (2022–present) * ''Love In The Flesh'' (2022–present) *

Imports

* ''

'' (2007–2016) * ''

'' (2006–2016) * ''

Jonah From Tonga ''Jonah from Tonga'' ( to, Siōnā pe Tonga) is an Australian television sitcom that is written by and starring comedian Chris Lilley. The mockumentary series follows Jonah Takalua, a rebellious 14-year-old Australian boy of Tongan descent por ...

'' (2014) * ''Devin'' (2010) *

Ghosts A ghost is the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that is believed to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to re ...

(airing as 'Ghosts US') (2022–present)

Most watched programmes

The following is a list of the ten most watched broadcasts on BBC3 since launch, based on Live +7 data supplied by

BARB Barb or the BARBs or ''variation'' may refer to: People * Barb (name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or surname * Barb, a term used by fans of Nicki Minaj to refer to themselves * The Barbs, a band Places * Barb, ...

. Number of viewers does not include repeats.

Presentation

The channel's original

idents Station identification (ident, network ID or channel ID or bumper) is the practice of radio and television stations and networks identifying themselves on-air, typically by means of a call sign or brand name (sometimes known, particularly in th ...

were conceived by Stefan Marjoram at

Aardman Animations Aardman Animations Limited (also known as Aardman Studios, simply Aardman or Aardman Animation and stylised as AARDMAN as of 2022) is a British animation studio based in Bristol, England. It is known for films made using stop-motion and clay ani ...

and were used from launch until February 2008. Stuart Murphy was touring Aardman Animations looking for new programming ideas for BBC Three when he spotted the cone shaped creatures, he then took the idea back to the Lambie-Nairn agency, responsible for the BBC Three identity package. A feature of this identity is also the music "Three Is The Magic Number", based (only the lyrics are copied) upon ''

Schoolhouse Rock! ''Schoolhouse Rock!'' is an American interstitial programming series of animated musical educational short films (and later, videos) that aired during the Saturday morning children's programming block on the U.S. television network ABC. The t ...

''.

BBC Online BBC Online, formerly known as BBCi, is the BBC's online service. It is a large network of websites including such high-profile sites as BBC News and Sport, the on-demand video and radio services branded BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds, the childr ...

provided a number of downloads and activities based on the channel's identity, these included "BlobMate", screensavers, wallpapers and also games such as ''BlobLander'' and ''BlobBert''. The idea used by both Lambie-Nairn, who had developed the branding for CBeebies and

, and Aardman, was to create the BBC Three blobs as a relation to the green and yellow blobs of the children's channels. Kieron Elliott, Lola Buckley, Gavin Inskip and Jen Long provided out-of-vision continuity. On 22 January 2008 a new channel identity was unveiled. Rebranding was carried out by Red Bee Media, along with agencies MPG and Agency Republic with music and sound design by creative audio company Koink. In October 2013, BBC Three introduced a new series of idents with a theme of "discovery". Designed by Claire Powell at Red Bee Media, the idents utilised

projection mapping Projection mapping, similar to video mapping and spatial augmented reality, is a projection technique used to turn objects, often irregularly shaped, into display surfaces for video projection. The objects may be complex industrial landscapes, s ...

effects. The soundtrack for the idents was composed by Chris Branch and Tom Haines at Brains & Hunch. On 4 January 2016, alongside the announcement of the date for BBC Three's relaunch as an online-only service, a third logo was unveiled. Inspired by the iconography of

mobile application A mobile application or app is a computer program or software application designed to run on a mobile device such as a phone, tablet, or watch. Mobile applications often stand in contrast to desktop applications which are designed to run on des ...

s, the new logo incorporated the

Roman numeral Roman numerals are a numeral system that originated in ancient Rome and remained the usual way of writing numbers throughout Europe well into the Late Middle Ages. Numbers are written with combinations of letters from the Latin alphabet, ea ...

for the number 3, with the third bar replaced by an exclamation mark. Marketing head Nikki Carr explained that the three bars represented the three principles of BBC Three as a service; making viewers "think", "laugh", and have a voice. The "tricon" was used as the service's primary logo until 2020, when a more conventional logo box was adopted—connecting and modifying the "T" and "H" in "Three" to resemble the tricon emblem. In October 2021, this wordmark was replaced with one in the BBC's corporate font "Reith Sans" as part of a larger rebranding of the BBC's television channels. The tricon remained in use as a secondary logo, such as in an ident used to present BBC Three programmes on BBC One after the rebrand. The rebrand in 2021 proved to be short-lived, as with the service's linear relaunch in February 2022, BBC Three adopted a new identity developed by Superunion and BBC Creative, with idents featuring three animated, pink and purple-coloured hands named "Captain", "Spider", and "Pointer" interacting in a lime green backdrop. The channel's presentation features the hands "irreverently bservingwhat's going on in popular culture and young people's lives".

Awards

The channel has had critical and popular successes. Most recently, it won ''Broadcast Magazines ''Digital Channel of the Year'' Award for Best General Entertainment Channel, and MGEITF Non Terrestrial Channel of the Year. It won more awards in its eleven-year broadcast history than its commercial rivals (Sky 1,

Sky Living Sky Living was a British pay television channel owned and operated by Sky. The channel's programming was aimed mainly at women and young adults. It originally launched as UK Living in 1993 and closed 25 years later, being replaced by Sky Witnes ...

, E4, ITV2, Channel 5 and Comedy Central) have won in their combined 25-year history. In total BBC Three has won 7 BAFTA awards, 5 British Comedy Awards, 15

Royal Television Society The Royal Television Society (RTS) is a British-based educational charity for the discussion, and analysis of television in all its forms, past, present, and future. It is the oldest television society in the world. It currently has fourteen r ...

Awards and 5

Rose d'Or The Rose d'Or ('Golden Rose') is an international awards festival in entertainment broadcasting and programming. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) first acquired the Rose d’Or in 1961, when it was created by Swiss Television in the lakes ...

Awards since the channel was launched in February 2003. In 2008, BBC Three's '' Gavin & Stacey'' won the BAFTA audience award and the best comedy performance award was awarded to James Corden for his part.

Criticism

The channel came in for criticism from several corners, the most prominent of which came from some of the BBC's long-standing presenters. These included

John Humphrys Desmond John Humphrys (born 17 August 1943) is a Welsh broadcaster. From 1981 to 1987 he was the main presenter for the '' Nine O'Clock News'', the flagship BBC News television programme, and from 1987 until 2019 he presented on the BBC Radio 4 ...

, who argued that BBC Three and BBC Four should be shut down in the face of budget cuts to

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC's ...

's ''

Today programme ''Today'', colloquially known as ''the Today programme'', is a long-running British morning news and current-affairs Radio program, radio programme on BBC Radio 4. Broadcast on Monday to Saturday from 6:00 am to 9:00 am, it is produced by BBC N ...

'', which he presents, as well as

Jeremy Paxman Jeremy Dickson Paxman (born 11 May 1950) is an English broadcaster, journalist, author, and television presenter. Born in Leeds, Paxman was educated at Malvern College and St Catharine's College, Cambridge, where he edited the undergraduate new ...

. In July 2010 a UK music magazine printed a letter from the pressure group Friends of Radio 3 that criticised BBC Three for having 'comedies, game shows, films and documentaries, but no arts programming at all'. In a later issue another correspondent endorsed this assessment on the basis of a search through issues of the ''

Radio Times ''Radio Times'' (currently styled as ''RadioTimes'') is a British weekly listings magazine devoted to television and radio Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves ...

'', and cast doubt on the BBC's claim (in the document ''Performance Against Public Commitments 2009/10'') that the channel broadcast '54 hours of new music and arts programming' in that year. Two months later the same correspondent wrote in to inform readers that the BBC had refused his '

Freedom of Information Freedom of information is freedom of a person or people to publish and consume information. Access to information is the ability for an individual to seek, receive and impart information effectively. This sometimes includes "scientific, indigen ...

' request concerning the titles of the programmes used in calculating the '54 hours' total.Letter from Mark Doran, ''Musical Opinion'', January–February 2011, p. 4

Notes

References

External links

* {{Portal bar, BBC, Television, United Kingdom 2003 establishments in the United Kingdom 2016 disestablishments in the United Kingdom 2022 establishments in the United Kingdom BBC television channels in the United Kingdom Television channels and stations established in 2003 Television channels and stations disestablished in 2016 Television channels in the United Kingdom Television channels and stations established in 2022