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BBC Three is a British free-to-air

public broadcast Public broadcasting involves radio, television and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service. Public broadcasters receive funding from diverse sources including license fees, individual contributions, public financing ...

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 #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...

...

. 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 service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast children's television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is also the bran ...

(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'' 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 primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

). It and sister channel BBC Four 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 flag ...

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 de ...

. 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 Broadcast programming is the practice of organizing or ordering (scheduling) of broadcast media shows, typically radio and television, in a daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly or season-long schedule. Modern broadcasters use broadcast automation ...

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. Their plan was for

BBC Knowledge BBC Knowledge was a British television channel which was owned by the BBC and was launched on 1 June 1999, broadcasting documentary, cultural and educational programmes. It was shut down on 2 March 2002, and was replaced by BBC Four. History L ...

to be replaced with BBC Four (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 & 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, 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 through ...

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, 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 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, simulta ...

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

Zai Bennett Zai Bennett (born 1974) is a television executive. He is the director of Sky Atlantic and former controller of BBC Three.

, 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 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 ...

of Queen Elizabeth II. The rest of the BBC Television 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 broad ...

' 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, Sarah ...

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 An over-the-top (OTT) media service is a media service offered directly to viewers via the Internet. OTT bypasses cable, broadcast, and satellite television platforms: the types of companies that traditionally act as controllers or distributors ...

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 a ...

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 Matthew Richard Lucas (born 5 March 1974) is an English actor, comedian, writer, and television presenter. He is best known for his work with David Walliams on the BBC sketch comedy series ''Little Britain'' (2003–2006, 2020) and '' Come Fl ...

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 Change.org is a worldwide nonprofit petition website, based in California, US, operated by the San Francisco-based company of the same name, which has over 400 million users and offers the public the ability to promote the petitions they care abo ...

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. 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 Aidan Turner (born 19 June 1983) is an Irish actor. He played the roles of Ross Poldark in the 2015–2019 BBC adaptation of ''The Poldark Novels'' by Winston Graham, Dante Gabriel Rossetti in ''Desperate Romantics'', Ruairí McGowan in '' Th ...

, Olivia Colman and

Lena Headey Lena Kathren Headey ( ; born 3 October 1973) is a British actress. She gained international recognition and acclaim for her portrayal of Cersei Lannister on the HBO epic fantasy drama series ''Game of Thrones'' (2011–2019), for which she rec ...

. 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 James Thomas Mulville (born 5 January 1955) is an English comedian, comedy writer, producer and television presenter. He is best known for co-founding (in 1986) the British independent television production company Hat Trick Productions with ...

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 Hat Trick Productions is an independent British production company that produces television and radio programmes, mainly specialising in comedy, based in London. History Hat Trick Productions was founded in 1986 by Rory McGrath, Jimmy Mulville ...

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 ''Gavin & Stacey'' is a British sitcom written by James Corden and Ruth Jones about two families: one in Billericay, Essex; one in Barry, South Wales. Mathew Horne and Joanna Page play the titular characters Gavin and Stacey and the writers st ...

'', introduced by co-star James Corden 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 Edwa ...

'' 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 dig ...

'' and ''

Normal People ''Normal People'' is a 2018 novel by the Irish author Sally Rooney. ''Normal People'' is Rooney's second novel, published after '' Conversations with Friends'' (2017). It was first published by Faber & Faber on 30 August 2018. The book became a ...

'', 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 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, ...

Clara Amfo Clara Amfo (born 22 May 1984) is a British radio broadcaster, television presenter, podcast host and voice-over artist. She is known for presenting her shows on BBC Radio 1. Early life and education Amfo was born in Kingston upon Thames in Lo ...

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 during ...

. 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,

and

CBeebies CBeebies 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 6 years and under. Its sister channel CBBC is aimed at older childr ...

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, ITV2,

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 Sky One was a British pay television channel operated and owned by Sky Group (a division of Comcast). Originally launched on 26 April 1982 as Satellite Television, it was Europe's first satellite and non-terrestrial channel. From 31 July 1989, ...

. 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 compiled ...

(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 ''Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps'' is a British sitcom that ran from 26 February 2001 to 24 May 2011. First broadcast on BBC Two, it starred Sheridan Smith, Will Mellor, Natalie Casey, Ralf Little, Kathryn Drysdale and Luke Gell. Cr ...

''. 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 ''Russell Howard's Good News'' was a British comedy and topical news television show which was broadcast on BBC Three between 2009 and 2014, and on BBC Two between 2014 and 2015. Hosted by comedian Russell Howard, it offered his commentary on th ...

'' (which later transferred to BBC Two, partly due to its success, and partly to BBC Three's move to online only) and ''

Lee Nelson's Well Good Show ''Lee Nelson's Well Good Show'' is a British comedy sketch show, written and presented by Simon Brodkin and produced by Avalon Television for BBC Three. It featured Brodkin hosting a studio based show as his comedy character Lee Nelson, a happy- ...

''.

Comedy and drama

The channel airs various comedies and dramas; one of its most popular sitcoms is ''

'', which first aired in May 2007 and was written by and starred James Corden and

Ruth Jones Ruth Alexandra Elisabeth Jones (born 22 September 1966) is a Welsh actress, comedian, writer and producer. She co-wrote and co-starred in the award-winning BBC sitcom ''Gavin & Stacey'' (2007–2010, 2019). Jones has also appeared in various ...

. 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 or ...

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 '' Family Guy'' 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 ''Doctor Who Confidential'' is a documentary series created by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) to complement the revival of the long-running British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. Each episode was broadcast on BBC T ...

'', 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 u ...

'' 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 growing ...

'', designed as a post- watershed 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 (film and television), drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple co ...

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 B ...

'', 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 ''Blood, Sweat and T-shirts'' is a British TV documentary series, broadcast in 2008 on BBC Three. The series followed six British fashion consumers aged between 20 and 24 as they travelled to India to live and work alongside Indian garment wor ...

'' (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 Stacey Jaclyn Dooley (born 9 March 1987) is an English television presenter, journalist, and media personality. She came to prominence in 2008 when she appeared as a participant on '' Blood, Sweat and T-shirts''. Since then, she has made socia ...

, since her appearance on ''

'' 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 ''My Brother the Islamist'' is a 2011 documentary produced and directed by film-maker Robb Leech. It charts his attempt to reconnect with his stepbrother, Richard Dart, who had in the summer of 2009 converted to Islam under Anjem Choudary, th ...

'' (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 Dagwel ...

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

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

, 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 b ...

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 internati ...

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'' (2007) * ''Two Pints of Lager: The Outtakes'' (2008–2011) * ''

The Wall ''The Wall'' is the eleventh studio album by the English progressive rock band Pink Floyd, released on 30 November 1979 by Harvest/EMI and Columbia/CBS Records. It is a rock opera that explores Pink, a jaded rock star whose eventual self-imp ...

'' (2008) * ''

'' (2009–2013) * '' Special 1 TV'' (2010–2011) * ''

World's Craziest Fools ''World's Craziest Fools'' is a clip show made by Roughcut TV for BBC Three, presented by Mr. T. It showcases clips, sometimes viral, of people making themselves look like "Fools" (a reference to Mr. T's catchphrase), often by accident. Many c ...

'' (2011–2013) * ''The Pranker'' (2011) * ''

World Series of Dating ''World Series of Dating'' is a Television in the United Kingdom, British comedic speed dating reality television show. Several young men compete to be judged best dater by four young women they date during the show. It airs on BBC Three in 30-m ...

'' (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''. Th ...

'' (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 K ...

'' (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 Coal ...

'' (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 tr ...

'' (2015)

Sketch comedy

* '' 3 Non-Blondes'' (2003) * ''

Monkey Dust ''Monkey Dust'' is a British adult animated satirical sketch comedy series created by Harry Thompson and Shaun Pye. The series is characterized by its dark humour, frequent shifts in animation styles, and handling of taboo topics such as best ...

'' (2003–2005) * ''

'' (2003–2004) * ''

The Comic Side of 7 Days ''The Comic Side of 7 Days'' is a British television programme shown from 2005 on BBC Three. It is a topical comedy programme which shows the satirical side of the past 7 days of news. It was broadcast weekly on a Friday, with several repeats duri ...

'' (2005) * ''

High Spirits with Shirley Ghostman ''High Spirits with Shirley Ghostman'' is a British television comedy show broadcast on BBC Three and featuring character comedian Marc Wootton who plays an effete and slightly vicious medium/psychic. It is narrated by Patrick Stewart, with anim ...

'' (2005) * ''

Tittybangbang ''Tittybangbang'' is a female-led BBC television sketch comedy show, featuring Lucy Montgomery and Debbie Chazen. It ran between 2005 and 2007 on BBC Three. The show was largely written by Bob Mortimer and Jill Parker and produced by their comp ...

'' (2005–2007) * ''

Man Stroke Woman ''Man Stroke Woman'' is a British television comedy sketch show directed by Richard Cantor and produced by Ash Atalla and starring Amanda Abbington, Ben Crompton, Daisy Haggard, Meredith MacNeill, Nicholas Burns and Nick Frost. In addition ...

'' (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 innue ...

'' (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: on ...

'' (2007) * '' Marc Wootton Exposed'' (2008) * ''

Scallywagga ''Scallywagga'' is a British comedy sketch show, written by Stuart Kenworthy, who has worked on Green Wing and Smack the Pony. The executive producer of series one was Kenton Allen, and the producer was Jon Montague. The pilot episode aired on 2 ...

'' (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'' (2009) * ''

La La Land ''La La Land'' is a 2016 American romantic musical comedy-drama film written and directed by Damien Chazelle. It stars Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone as a struggling jazz pianist and an aspiring actress, respectively, who meet and fall in love ...

'' (2010) * ''

'' (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'' (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'' (2003) * ''

HeadJam ''HeadJam'' is a BBC television game show hosted by Vernon Kay. It originally aired during the summer of 2004 on BBC Three, with a repeat soon afterwards on BBC Two. It features two teams, each consisting of a member of the public and a celebr ...

'' (2004) * '' Stars in Fast Cars'' (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 ''Sweat the Small Stuff'' is a British comedy panel show broadcast on BBC Three, presented by Nick Grimshaw and featuring team captains Melvin Odoom and Rochelle Humes. Humes, formerly a regular panellist, replaced Rickie Haywood Williams ...

'' (2013–2015)

Sitcom

* ''

Swiss Toni Swiss Toni is a British television comedy character played by Charlie Higson. He is a 50-something car dealer, usually depicted wearing a grey suit and with his hair styled in a platinum blond bouffant quiff; his accent is reported to be based on ...

'' (2003–2004) * ''

'' (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 an ...

'' (2003) * ''

Nighty Night ''Nighty Night'' is a BBC black comedy television sitcom starring Julia Davis. It was first broadcast on 6 January 2004 on BBC Three. Notorious for its dark humour, the show follows narcissistic sociopath Jill Tyrell (Julia Davis) alongside he ...

'' (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, sa ...

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

Cyderdelic ''Cyderdelic'' was a BBC Three spoof documentary following the activities of a 'West Country direct action group within the growing anti-capitalist movement'. It was subtitled 'The Revolution Will Be Televised'. ''Cyderdelic'' was narrated by Jo ...

'' (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 aire ...

'' (2004–2007) * ''

The Smoking Room ''The Smoking Room'' is a British television sitcom written by Brian Dooley, who won a BAFTA for the series in 2005. The first series, consisting of eight episodes, was originally transmitted on BBC Three between 29 June and 17 August 2004. Th ...

'' (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 f ...

'' (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 considere ...

'' (2005–2011) * '' I'm with Stupid'' (2005–2006) * ''

Snuff Box A decorative box is a form of packaging that is generally more than just functional, but also intended to be decorative and artistic. Many such boxes are used for promotional packaging, both commercially and privately. Historical objects are u ...

'' (2006) * '' Grownups'' (2006–2009) * '' Live!Girls! present Dogtown'' (2006) * '' Pulling'' (2006–2009) * '' Thieves Like Us'' (2007) * ''

'' (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 b ...

'' (2007–2011) * '' The Visit'' (2007) * ''

How Not to Live Your Life ''How Not to Live Your Life'' (styled in the opening credits as "how NOT to live your life") is a British sitcom, written by and starring Dan Clark that aired between 27 September 2007 and 22 December 2011 on BBC Three, about a pessimistic twenty ...

'' (2007–2011) * ''

Lunch Monkeys ''Lunch Monkeys'' is a British situation comedy, first shown on BBC Three in 2008. Overview ''Lunch Monkeys'' by David Isaac is a BBC Three comedy series, produced by Channel X North, set in the administration department of fictional personal i ...

'' (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 ''The Gemma Factor'' is a BBC Three sitcom starring Anna Gilthorpe, Claire King and Gwyneth Powell. The series premiered on Tuesday 9 March 2010, and has six episodes. Overview The series is set in a town called Lumb in West Yorkshire, some ...

'' (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 mongr ...

'' (2010–2011) * ''

Him & Her ''Him & Her'' is a British television sitcom about a lazy twenty-something couple: Steve and Becky, who live in Walthamstow, London. It was first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC Three on 6 September 2010. It is written by Stefan Golasz ...

'' (2010–2013) * ''

White Van Man "White van man" is a stereotype used in the United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the Europe ...

'' (2011–2012) * ''

'' (2012–2014) * ''

Dead Boss ''Dead Boss'' is a British sitcom which was shown on BBC Three in 2012. Writing The writers, Sharon Horgan and Holly Walsh met through Jo Caulfield, a stand-up comedian who had a show on Radio 4. Horgan and Walsh both worked on the show, Horgan ...

'' (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 ''Some Girls'' is the 14th UK and 16th US album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released on 9 June 1978 by Rolling Stones Records. It was recorded in sessions held between October 1977 and February 1978 at Pathé Marconi Studios in ...

'' (2012–2014) * '' Way to Go'' (2013) * ''

Bluestone 42 ''Bluestone 42'' is a British sitcom about a British bomb disposal detachment in Afghanistan during Operation Herrick, first broadcast on 5 March 2013 on BBC Three. The third and final series began on 9 March 2015 and ended on 13 April 2015. In J ...

'' (2013) * ''

Badults ''Badults'' is a British sitcom series created and starring the members of Pappy's, along with Emer Kenny, Jack Docherty and Katherine Ryan in the Leading actor, lead roles. Written collectively by Pappy's, the first series piloted on 23 July 201 ...

'' (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 relat ...

'' (2014–2015) * ''

Siblings A sibling is a relative that shares at least one parent with the subject. A male sibling is a brother and a female sibling is a sister. A person with no siblings is an only child. While some circumstances can cause siblings to be raised separat ...

'' (2014–2016) * ''

Crims ''Crims'' is a British television sitcom created by Dan Swimer and Adam Kay. It centres on two men sent to a young offenders' institution after one of them involves the unaware other in a bank robbery. It was screened in early 2015 on BBC Thr ...

'' (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'' (2015) * '' Fried'' (2015) * ''

Together ''ToGetHer'' (, aka Superstar Express) is a 2009 Taiwanese drama starring Jiro Wang of Fahrenheit, Rainie Yang and George Hu. It was produced by Comic International Productions ( 可米國際影視事業股份有限公司) and directed by Linzi ...

'' (2015) * ''

Josh Josh is a masculine given name, frequently a diminutive (hypocorism) of the given names Joshua or Joseph, though since the 1970s, it has increasingly become a full name on its own. It may refer to: People A–J * "Josh", an early pseudonym of S ...

'' (2015) * ''Peacock'' (2022–present) * ''PRU'' (2022–present)

Comedy drama

* ''Grease Monkeys'' (2003–2004) * ''Spine Chillers'' (2003) * '' Outlaws'' (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 ''Sinchronicity'' is a six-part comedy-drama series broadcast on BBC Three in the United Kingdom (16 July 2006 — 20 August 2006). Set in Manchester, the programme is narrated by Nathan (Paul Chequer) and focuses on the love triangle of him, ...

'' (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 ...

'' (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 Jackso ...

'' (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'' (2005) * ''MOBO Awards'' (2006–2013) * ''

The Mighty Boosh Live ''The Mighty Boosh'' was a stage show written and performed by Noel Fielding and Julian Barratt, also known as The Mighty Boosh. Michael Fielding, Rich Fulcher, and Dave Brown (comedian), Dave Brown also appeared in the show. It toured from Febru ...

'' (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 {{Infobox television , image = Burn It (BBC 2003).jpg , caption = , alt_name = , genre = Drama , creator = , developer = , writer = Matt Greenhal ...

'' (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'' * ...

'' (2004–2006) * ''

Conviction In law, a conviction is the verdict reached by a court of law finding a defendant guilty of a crime. The opposite of a conviction is an acquittal (that is, "not guilty"). In Scotland, there can also be a verdict of "not proven", which is consid ...

'' (2004) * ''

'' (2006) * ''

West 10 LDN ''West 10 LDN'' was a one-off BBC Three youth drama, written and created by Noel Clarke and directed by Menhaj Huda, first broadcast on 10 March 2008. The screenplay was based on the novel ''Society Within'', a short story collection by Courtt ...

'' (2008) * ''

Dis/Connected ''Dis/Connected'' is a BBC Three drama pilot, written by Howard Overman. It starred Holliday Grainger, Cloudia Swann, Aml Ameen, Bradley James, Laura Aikman, Katrina Rafferty and Lucy Evans. Outline Dis/Connected tells the story of a group of d ...

'' (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 on television, science-fiction Thriller (genre), thriller television series created by screenwriter Graeme Manson and director John Fawcett (director), John Fawcett and starring Tatiana Maslany. Th ...

'' (2013–2015) * ''

Murdered by My Boyfriend ''Murdered by My Boyfriend'' is a fact-based drama first aired on BBC Three in 2014. It stars Georgina Campbell as Ashley Jones, a young victim of domestic abuse at the hands of her controlling boyfriend, Reece, portrayed by Royce Pierreson. It ...

'' (2014) * ''

Our World War The BBC World War I centenary season was the marking of the First World War centenary, centenary of the World War I, First World War across the BBC. Programming started in 2014 and lasted until 2018, corresponding to 100 years after the war. The ...

'' (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 ''Dreamspaces'' is a BBC documentary TV series about architecture and interior design. The programme ran for two series and had twelve episodes total. The show was broadcast on BBC Three from 2003 to 2004. The presenters of Dreamspaces were Da ...

'' (2003–2004) * ''Liquid Assets'' (2003–2004) * ''Fatboy Slim: Musical Hooligan'' (2003) * '' Body Hits'' (2003) * ''Posh & Becks' Big Impression: Behind the Scenes & Extra Bits'' (2003) * '' Mind, Body & Kick Ass Moves'' (2004) * ''Destination Three'' (2005) * ''Spendaholics'' (2005–2008) * ''

'' (2005–2011) * ''Generation Jedi'' (2005) * ''Forty Years of F***'' (2005) * ''Kick Ass Miracles'' (2005) * ''F*** Off I'm Fat'' (2006) * ''

Japanorama ''Japanorama'' is a series of documentaries presented by Jonathan Ross, exploring various facets of popular culture and trends of modern-day Japan. Each episode has a theme, around which Ross presents cultural phenomenon, films, music, and art th ...

'' (2006–2007) * ''

The Indestructibles The Indestructibles ( egy, j.ḫmw-sk – literally "the ones not knowing destruction") was the name given by ancient Egyptian astronomers to two bright stars which, at that time, could always be seen circling the North Pole. The name is directly ...

'' (2006) * ''

Torchwood Declassified ''Torchwood Declassified'' is a documentary series created by the BBC to complement the British science fiction television series ''Torchwood''. Each episode is broadcast on the same evening as the broadcast of the weekly television episode. A se ...

'' (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" pe ...

'' (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) * ''

'' (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) * ''

'' (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 ''Tough Young Teachers'' is a British documentary television series that was first broadcast on BBC Three on 9 January 2014. The six graduate teachers featured in the series are Charles Wallendahl (University of Oxford), Chloe Shaw ( Royal Hollow ...

'' (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 a ...

'' (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 ''Traffic Cops'' is a British documentary series broadcast on Channel 5 (and formerly on BBC One) which follows Roads Policing Units from various UK police forces. It has consistently been one of the most watched factual series on UK televisi ...

'' (2016) * ''Sex in Strange Places'' (2016) * '' We Are England'' (2022)

Chat show

* '' This Is Dom Joly'' (2003) * '' The Graham Norton Effect'' (2005) * ''

Lily Allen and Friends ''Lily Allen and Friends'' is a British TV talk show presented by Lily Allen. The programme was produced by Princess Productions for BBC Three. It was first shown on 12 February 2008. The audience consists entirely of Lily's online friends, who ...

'' (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 Top Gear may refer to: * "Top gear", the highest gear available in a vehicle's manual transmission Television * ''Top Gear'' (1977 TV series), a British motoring magazine programme * ''Top Gear'' (2002 TV series), a relaunched version of the or ...

'' (2006–2016, 2022–) * ''

That Mitchell and Webb Look ''That Mitchell and Webb Look'' is a British sketch comedy television show starring David Mitchell and Robert Webb that ran from 2006 to 2010. Many of its characters and sketches were first featured in the duo's radio show ''That Mitchell and W ...

'' (2006–2010) * ''

Giving You Everything ''Spice Girls: Giving You Everything'' is a 2007 British documentary film released to coincide with the 2007 The Return of the Spice Girls, reunion tour of the British all-female pop group the Spice Girls. Summary The documentary is centred o ...

'' (2008) * ''

Wallace and Gromit's Cracking Contraptions ''Wallace and Gromit's Cracking Contraptions'' is a British series of ten Wallace and Gromit stop-motion animations varying in length from 1 to 3 minutes. Each episode features one of Wallace's new inventions and Gromit's skeptical reaction to it. ...

'' (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 ''Killing Eve'' is a British spy thriller television series, produced in the United Kingdom by Sid Gentle Films for BBC America and BBC Three. The series follows Eve Polastri (Sandra Oh), a British intelligence investigator tasked with capturi ...

'' (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 p ...

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

'' (2003–2016) * ''

Little Angels Little Angels were an English hard rock band predominantly active between the mid-1980s and mid-1990s. The band reformed on 8 June 2012 to play the Download Festival. History 1984–1994: Early history and UK popularity Little Angels formed i ...

'' (2004–2006) * ''Slam Poets'' (2004) * '' The House of Tiny Tearaways'' (2005–2007) * ''

The Real Hustle ''The Real Hustle'' is a BBC British television series created by Objective Productions, Alexis Conran and R. Paul Wilson for BBC Three. The show demonstrates confidence and magic tricks, distraction scams and proposition bets performed on ...

'' (2006–2012) * '' Anthea Turner: Perfect Housewife'' (2006–2007) * '' The Apprentice: You're Fired!'' (2006) * ''

Celebrity Scissorhands ''Celebrity Scissorhands'' is a reality television show that is part of the BBC's '' Children in Need'' charity campaign, in which celebrities attempt to cut people's hair to raise money for the campaign while trained and watched by professional ...

'' (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 ''Bizarre ER'' is a BBC Three, and later E4, television show that deals with hospital mishaps. Series guide Every episode shows a miraculous survival story and strange facts, like the woman who fell out of a plane at 35,000 ft and survived ...

'' (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 o ...

'' (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 spectat ...

'' (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 i ...

'' (2008–2011) * '' Undercover Princes'' (2009) * ''

Young, Dumb and Living Off Mum ''Young, Dumb and Living Off Mum'' is a British entertainment reality series which aired on BBC Three. The series follows a group of young adults who have been waited on hand and foot their whole lives. The series sees them living together in a h ...

'' (2009–2011) * ''

Freak Like Me "Freak Like Me" is the debut single of American R&B singer Adina Howard. It was released on January 25, 1995, as the lead single from her debut album, ''Do You Wanna Ride?''. It reached number two on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 for two weeks, a ...

'' (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. It focuses on mother/daughter relationships in which the mothers claim to be hotter than their daughters. Premise Liz Mc ...

'' (2010–2011) * '' Dancing on Wheels'' (2010) * ''Nicola Roberts: The Truth About Tanning'' (2010) * ''

Undercover Princesses ''Undercover Princesses'' is a BBC Three reality TV show which took three royal claimants from foreign cultures and placed them in Ingatestone where they had to 'live and date' like normal people. The idea for the programme came from the 1988 Edd ...

'' (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-larg ...

'' (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 mythical ...

'' (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 f ...

'' (2014) * ''

Killer Magic ''Killer Magic'' is a British reality television series that shows five magicians competing against each other in tasks. A pilot aired on 1 April 2014 with a full series to follow on 24 March 2015. It is narrated by Matt Edmondson. The five co ...

'' (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, since the reign of King Richard I Richard I (8 Sept ...

'' (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 ''Asian Provocateur'' is a British comedy travel documentary television series shown on the BBC. In 2015, comedian Romesh Ranganathan reluctantly travels to Sri Lanka after his mother, Shanthi, tells him that he is a coconut and that he should ...

'' (2015) * '' RuPaul's Drag Race: UK vs the World'' (2022–present) * '' The Catch Up'' (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) * '' Family Guy'' (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 rea ...

(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 the ...

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 an ...

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 Superunion is a global brand and design consultancy, headquartered in London. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of WPP. Superunion was formed after five agencies merged in January 2018, and employs 500 people across 16 offices.

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 theme ...

''.

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 BBC Sport, Sport, the on-demand video and radio services branded BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds, t ...

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

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 Red Bee Media, formerly Ericsson Broadcast and Media Services (EBMS), is an international broadcasting and media services company and the largest access provider in Europe. Red Bee has its headquarters in London, England, with branch offices in ...

, 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 de ...

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, eac ...

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 Witness. ...

, E4, ITV2, Channel 5 and

Comedy Central Comedy Central is an American basic cable channel owned by Paramount Global through its network division's MTV Entertainment Group unit, based in Manhattan. The channel is geared towards young adults aged 18–34 and carries comedy programming ...

) have won in their combined 25-year history. In total BBC Three has won 7 BAFTA awards, 5

British Comedy Award The National Comedy Awards (known as the British Comedy Awards from 1990 to 2014) is an annual awards ceremony in the United Kingdom, celebrating notable comedians and entertainment performances of the previous year. The British Comedy Awards (1 ...

s, 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 lakesi ...

Awards since the channel was launched in February 2003. In 2008, BBC Three's ''

'' 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 ''

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 ne ...

. 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 programme schedules, with other features such as interviews, film reviews and lifestyle items. Founded in May 1923 by J ...

'', 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, indigeno ...

' 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