BBC Three

The news was announced at the Edinburgh TV Festival during a panel discussion with Phoebe Waller-Bridge and BBC Controller of Comedy, Shane Allen.

It was revealed that the second series will arrive on the online platform in 2019, following a hugely successful first series about a sharp and crude twenty-something woman living in London who is trying to come to terms with a personal tragedy. 

The first series was adapted from Waller-Bridge's multi award-winning one-woman stage show of the same name, which was first shown at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2013. 

Not everyone was happy with the Royal Television Society crowning BBC Three Channel of the Year. As one young viewer tweeted: “@bbcthree how can you win channel of the year, if you don’t actually exist on a channel?” 

The success of online-only, schedule-free BBC Three shows that our idea of what constitutes a channel is evolving.

“I think in the past two years, the whole conversation [about mental illness] has become saturated with the importance of talking – which I think is important, but the conversation has got to progress beyond that.”

His show, Happy Man, launched on BBC Three last week, and sees the comedian try a range of approaches to tackling depression, including cold water swimming (“one of the worst things I have ever done”), running, life modelling (“scary”) and drag.

Gay Britannia will feature bold stories that celebrate the LGBTQ community and highlight what it means to be gay in Britain today, whilst challenging existing preconceptions and prejudices.

The season of programming will mark 50 years since The Sexual Offences Act 1967, which partially decriminalised homosexual acts that took place in private between two men over the age of 21.

Some of the leading creatives from across the BBC identified over 200 one and off screen talent of the future at the event.

The New Talent Hotlist features fresh new voices taking risks in front of and behind the camera and reflecting the diversity of modern Britain in the creative industry.

"Finding and supporting the next generation of new talent - both on and off screen - is a vital part of the BBC’s remit," said Tony Hall. 

Dickens is the writer behind BBC Three drama Thirteen, the channel’s flagship programme following its move online

The show follows 26-year old Ivy Moxam (Jodie Comer) who finds her way home 13 years after she was abducted on her way from school.

“There [were] several other projects in development around the same time of someone being captured and escaping,” recalls Dickens. “But most of them were told that way: captured and escaping.”

“We basically started where a show might end and tried [to] be as forward-looking as possible.”

“I’d always seen it as a one-off,” she says. “It feels so fragile. I’d hate to ruin it, to extend it longer than it is, [but] I think I’ve found a way.”

Waller-Bridge was nominated in the Breakthrough category of the RTS Programme Awards 2017, alongside Bake Off’s Nadiya Hussain and documentary-maker Philip Wood, for her work on Fleabag.

The week of content will be a mixture of comedy, drama, music and documentary, featuring some of the best new and emerging talent in the industry.

The season will tackle issues and topics that affect young audiences, telling modern and diverse stories of young British people. 

“There's a part of me in every aspect of this season; comedy, drama, documentary, sport all made by a truly diverse team both on and off screen," said Idris Elba.

Teaming up with King Bert Productions, this will be Omielan's first stand-up television debut and it will be filmed in front of a live audience at the Clapham Grand on January 19. 

She originally debuted this show at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and has since built up a big following, with critically acclaimed and sell-out shows, such as Am I Right Ladies?!.

This year has been BBC iPlayer's best year so far according to stats from the BBC, recording the amounts of requests shows have had on the online platform. 

October and November saw the highest average number of daily requests BBC iPlayer has ever had, at 11.7 million in each month.

BBC Three had a good year on BBC iPlayer, with drama Thirteen’s first episode requested more than 3.2 million times, the second most popular episode of any series across the year so far. These are promising figures, considering BBC Three made the transition to online in February.