Sam Bickley announces broad range of new commissions for BBC Three

Sam Bickley says: “BBC Three has a deservedly brilliant reputation for its seasons, so I’m proud to be announcing the Disability Season today. Following huge critical acclaim and high viewing figures for the channel’s Crime and Punishment and Mental Health seasons, we’ve commissioned a brand-new set of programmes around the issue of disability which doesn’t shy away from difficult subjects and faces head-on many of the issues facing young disabled people in Britain today.

"In addition to this, I am really excited to announce a brand-new factual entertainment series about the four Fulford children as the eldest son takes up the reins of the family estate in Devon, and four new brilliant comedy commissions. All this goes to show that BBC Three is still very much open for business and still commissioning fantastic shows across all genres for young people in the UK today.”

The Disability Season comprises the following programmes:

Disability High - 3x60'

Studying, partying and dating - the everyday antics of the 2014 student. The scene in classrooms, common rooms and student bars is the same up and down the country, and National Star College in Cheltenham is little different. Except that all the students are disabled.

Disability High is a ground-breaking new series which will follow a stand-out cast of students at National Star College through the everyday dramas of growing up - falling in love and fitting in, rebelling and finding independence - whilse also struggling to overcome the unique challenges that face young disabled people in Britain today.

In getting to know the students, and their teachers, carers and families, Disability High will tell powerful stories of rehabilitation, triumph and failure, rejection and acceptance. With exclusive access to one of the largest specialist colleges in the UK, it will combine the ordinary with the extraordinary, and reveal what it really means to grow up with a disability.

From Minnow Films. Fiona Campbell is the BBC executive.

The World’s Worst Place To Be Disabled - 1x60'

Journalist and disabled rights activist Sophie Morgan has been in a wheelchair since a car accident when she was 18. Overnight her life changed dramatically and the future she had planned disappeared. Ten years on, Sophie believes that she is more fulfilled since her accident. She lives independently in London and has a successful career. She is about to experience what life is like for the millions of people in the world who don’t have nearly as much access to the facilities and opportunities as she does. Sophie will leave London and travel around countries that have some of the worst disability rights - from one where disabled children are banned from schools, to another where they are exiled for bringing a curse.

From Markthree Media with Watershed. Fiona Campbell is the BBC executive.

Personal Services - 2x60'

The ultimate rite of passage for a young person is becoming independent. That means moving out to live alone or with friends, not having to rely on or answer to parents and generally being able to do whatever you want, whenever you want. But for over 300,000 young people who have a long-term physically limiting disability, becoming an adult is a very different story. This group of youngsters will never be 100% independent because they’re always going to need assistance – some of them 24hrs a day. Having someone wash you, dress you, cook for you and even move you is a fact of life for even the brightest and most rebellious of these people. The biggest decision they have to make when becoming an adult is who to employ as their carer.

From Ricochet. Executive producers aer Joanna Ball and Tim Quicke. Elliot Reed is Commissioning Editor.

The Three Musketeers - 1x60' (working title)

The harsh reality is that in mainstream society a young disabled person is more likely to sink than swim. No home, no job, no future, no hope. But the fortunate 250 students at Derwen College in Shropshire, the largest and oldest specialist residential college in Britain for 16-25 year olds with learning disabilities, are offered a chance to reach their full potential. And the true test comes when those students leave to continue their lives outside.

Jon, Aled and Aled, known as the Three Musketeers for their hell-raising antics, are in the grip of a bromance. How will the trio fare after graduation which will split up this merry band? Their close friends and college sweethearts Dan and Lissie dread the end of term when they will be forced to live 200 miles apart and the strength of their love will be tested to its limits. And Stephen's challenging behaviour has been successfully managed in the college but will he be able to control it once he's living outside?

Following some of this summer’s lively and engaging graduates in their final term and beyond, The Three Musketeers (WT) discovers whether they’re going to be waving or drowning as they begin their independent lives.

From Platform Productions, the executive producer is Jane Merkin. Clare Paterson is BBC the executive.

My Broken Brain: Britain’s Secret Disability - 1x60'

My Broken Brain follows Charlie Elmore, a young victim of a brain injury, as she retraces her story. From the snowboarding accident that led to her injuries, to the life-and-death drama of hospital and rehabilitation, through to the reality of what it's now like living with a brain injury. This is a film about the ability to bounce back, the bond of family through adversity and the sheer strength of human spirit. Access behind never-opened doors provides a privileged insight into the ripple effect of a life turned upside down.

From BBC In-house production. Sarah Waldron is the BBC executive.

The Truth About Becoming Disabled - 1x60'

The truth about being disabled follows newly disabled young people through their recovery process in order to showcase how physical and mental hardships are made all the worse by systemic failings of disability support in the UK. Hosted by Peter Mitchell, former sportsman and actor.

From BBC In-house production. Fiona Campbell and Clive Edwards are the BBC executives.

Amal Fashanu: Where Is A Home For Amir? - 1x60'

What happens to young disabled teens when they get kicked out by the care system? This is an authored documentary by 25-year-old presenter Amal Fashanu, as she battles to help her younger half-brother Amir.

From Firecracker. David Dehaney is executive producer. Fiona Campbell is the BBC executive.

The Boy Who Wants To Cut His Leg Off - 1x60'

Dillon Chapman from Somerset wants to have his left leg amputated. For him and his parents this is a difficult decision, but for them it’s the only course of treatment for a condition that is stripping Dillon of any childhood.

Born with one of the most extreme forms of Neurofibromatosis (NF1) that doctors have ever seen in a child in the UK, Dillon now has over 200 tumours growing within his small body. The tumours in Dillon's left leg, which is now four times larger and over six centimetres longer than his right, make life unbearable for him. This strong boy is now adamant that he wants his severely debilitating leg amputated. Dillon's fighting spirit and love of life means he's soon to realise his dream of having a prosthetic leg, a decision his mum and dad fully support. But is it right for an 11 year old to make the decision to have his own leg removed? Will the doctors and specialist agree with the family that the time is right for amputation?

From Transparent Television. Executive producers are Jazz Gowens and Mark Powell. Elliot Reed is Commissioning Editor.

The Totally Senseless Gameshow - 1x30'

Martin Dougan and a cast of non-disabled teams and celebrity guests, push boundaries and play with taboos in this humorous, tongue in cheek mock gameshow.

From Roughcut Television. Alan Tyler is the BBC executive.

My Baby - 1x60'

Multi-award-winning programme maker Ben Antony directs the audience through a true story, a drama documentary of a disabled couple’s struggle to keep their baby. Viewers will question their own prejudices and beliefs on an issue of huge significance, both for the disabled community and for society as a whole.

From BBC In-house production. Sam Bickley is the BBC executive.

Factual

Life Is Toff – 6x30'

Life Is Toff is a comedy factual entertainment series about a family. But a family like no other. The Fulfords - masters of the 3000-acre Great Fulford estate in rural Devon - are Britain's most chaotic and loveable aristocrats. And now there's a new generation coming of age - four young adults struggling with the same problems, insecurities and rites of passage that we all confront, but with the weight of 800 years of history and tradition bearing down on them.

This series tells funny, warm, intimate and surprising stories from the private lives of the family, across a momentous few months for all four of the Fulford children - Arthur, Matilda, Humphrey and Edmund. The unfolding coming-of-age narratives will run throughout the series, through teenage and 20-something challenges and dilemmas we can all relate to, providing many comedy moments along the way.

Life Is Toff is from Oxford Film and Television. The executive producers are James Quinn and Nick Kent. The BBC commissioning editor is Elliot Reed.

Comedy

Fried - 6x30'

Fried follows the staff in a struggling branch of a low-rent fast food chain. There's Mary, the manager sent from head office who has grandiose plans for this fried chicken shop. Her job is openly coveted by bitter assistant manager Derek, who's been here 'since it were a Wimpy'. Then there's geeky teenager Joe, and the man who's decided they're best friends - foul-mouthed and relentlessly self-absorbed Ed. Every week the team has to deal with customers, with one another and with the indelible smell of oil.

Fried is created and written by Jack and Harry Williams; the producer is Sarah Hammond. It is a Two Brothers Pictures/Bwark co-production. The BBC commissioning executive is Chris Sussman.

Josh - 6x30'

Josh is a brand-new sitcom series written by Josh Widdicombe and Tom Craine, and, as the title suggests, stars Josh too. The show follows Josh and two mates living in a flatshare and features Elis James as Owen and Beattie Edmondson as Kate. Jack Dee also stars as the trio’s landlord, Geoff, who is a shoo-in for this year’s Most Irritating Landlord award. This sitcom will focus on the small things in life. Josh is like the rest of us: easily embarrassed, full of polite indignation and mildly irritated by having the teabag and hot water given to him separately on a train… but only for Josh can that irritation escalate within 30 minutes to him accidentally scalding the driver and causing a three train pile-up.

The series follows on from a pilot which was made as part of the BBC Comedy Feeds strand and is made by BBC In-house Comedy Production. It is directed by David Schneider (The Day Today, I’m Alan Partridge) and produced by Simon Mayhew-Archer (Small Scenes, The Guns Of Adam Riches, Tom Wrigglesworth’s Open Letters). Josh is written by Josh Widdicombe (The Last Leg, Live at The Apollo, 8 Out of Ten Cats) and Tom Craine (Jigsaw, Live At The Electric).

Top Coppers - 6x30'

Top Coppers is a big, silly, gag-filled, action comedy set in the colourful and fictional world of Justice City. We follow the adventures of police detectives Mahogany and Rust, as they attempt to rid the city of its deranged criminal underworld.

Made by Roughcut Television. Written by Cein McGillicuddy and Andy Kinnear. Directed by Cein McGillicuddy and produced by Bertie Peek. Executive produced by Dan Hine (Cuckoo) and Ash Atalla (Cuckoo, The Office, The IT Crowd). The BBC commissioning executive is Chris Sussman.

Together - 6x30'

Together is a brand-new romantic comedy written by and starring Jonny Sweet (Chickens, Babylon) and based on the Radio 4 comedy Hard To Tell, where each episode centres around a couple in a new relationship, dealing with the interferences, obstructions and general disasters wrought by their family and friends.

Sweet plays Tom, a charmless, witless but passionate 26-year-old prone to failure. He still has the same amount of self-possession as when he was aged 11 and, despite some genuine human potential, is yet to assemble anything close to what any other adult might call a 'life'.

Together is a Tiger Aspect production. The BBC commissioning executive is Chris Sussman.

SE/KT

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