The BBC has confirmed that BBC Three, its youth-skewed brand that was discontinued as a dedicated broadcast channel in 2016 due to cutbacks, is to return to TV screens.
The idea had been mooted since 2020, with the BBC confirming Tuesday that BBC Three would return in January 2022.
BBC Three has been something of a hitmaker for the broadcaster, commissioning shows including Killing Eve, Fleabag and Normal People. Its investment in commission is set to double over the next two and reach out to a wider audience.
“BBC Three is a BBC success story, backing creativity, new talent and brave ideas has resulted in hit after hit, from Fleabag and Man Like Mobeen, Ru Paul’s Drag Race UK and Jesy Nelson’s Odd One Out, to Normal People and This Country,” said the BBC’s chief content officer Charlotte Moore.
“The BBC needs to back success and make sure its programs reach as many young people as possible wherever they live in the UK,” Moore continued. So regardless of the debates about the past, we want to give BBC Three its own broadcast channel again. It has exciting, ground breaking content that deserves the widest possible audience and using iPlayer alongside a broadcast channel will deliver the most value.”
