The latest commissions aim to shine a light on timely issues facing modern Britain, while showcasing some new directing talent.

Britain vs Coronavirus

Bringing viewers the definitive story of the Coronavirus pandemic, Britain vs Coronavirus will be a feature-length, state-of-the-nation documentary for BBC One.

With interviews from many of the key decision-makers throughout the crisis, interwoven with archive footage, the film will offer a forensic retelling of the pandemic that has made 2020 a significant year in British history.

With a focus on how Coronavirus has affected the NHS, social care, the economy and wider society as a whole, the documentary will tell the story of how much Britain has changed in just 12 months.

Hometown: Another Killing

BBC Three’s series Hometown: A Killing, which won Mobeen Azhar an RTS Award for presenting, is returning for a new series.

This time, journalist Amber Haque will front the six-part series as she returns to her hometown of Cheadle, Greater Manchester, to uncover the true story behind the tragic murder of a Manchester school boy.

The case, which saw the young student stabbed to death in the leafy neighbouring suburb of Hale, has split the community in two.

Amber Haque commented: "I’m heading back home to try and understand the factors that led to the tragic death of Yousef Makki.

“I also want to get to the bottom of the social media rumours that suggest that this is a story not only about race and identity but also money and power."

Digga D

This new film will follow one of the biggest up-and-coming drill artists in the UK, Digga D.

Directed by Marian Mohamed from the BBC’s New Directors’ Scheme, the film will follow nineteen-year-old Digga D as he is released from a 15-month stint in prison.

As one of the first musicians in British history to be given a police Criminal Behaviour Order controlling his creative output, Digga D is unable to release any music or videos without police approval.

While the police claim drill music promotes and causes violence, others believe this acts as censorship when artists are simply reflecting their lived experiences. Digga’s story embodies this dilemma.

A year after his last music video, and an extensive absence from public life later, Digga’s next step could redefine his music, and his life, forever.

High

This six-part series will tell the story of Michaella McCollum, the 20-year-old who was arrested at Lima Airport in August 2013 for attempting to smuggle £1.5million of cocaine hidden in her suitcase.

Along with her accomplice, McCollum was sentenced to nearly seven years in jail at one of Peru’s toughest prisons: Ancon 2.

Unable to speak a word of Spanish, McCollum was locked up alongside murderers and gangsters, and had to witness brutal attacks on her fellow inmates. While she initially feared that she wouldn’t make it out of Peru alive, McCollum rose through the ranks of the prison, gaining the respect of some of the country’s most notorious criminals.

With exclusive access to McCollum and her family and friends, as well as others closely connected to the case, High will chart the rural Northern Irish girl’s transformation from naïve youngster to the ‘Delegada’ – the highest-ranking prisoner in her wing.