BBC Three

BBC Three renews The Rap Game UK

DJ Target and Krept and Konan will return to mentor the rapping talent as they search for the next biggest player in the game.

High-profile rappers such as Ms Banks, Wretch 32, Aitch and AJ Tracey have helped mentor in previous series, and the BBC has promised names just as big for the third.

The programme was filmed across new locations in Manchester.

There is also a new £20,000 cash prize up for grabs along with a mentor scheme to aid the winning artist create and launch new music after the competition.

Clara Amfo announced as the host of BBC Three streetwear competition

Clara Amfo, Marc Jacques Burton and Blondey (Credit: BBC)

The series will see nine of Britain’s up-and-coming creatives showcase their own streetwear brand in the competition. 

The competition blends together fashion, music, sport, celebrity and business, all taking place in the heart of Manchester and culminating in a life-changing prize. 

Grammy Award-winning artist Miguel is the head judge and will be joined by Marc Jacques Burton, an entrepreneur and high-end designer with his own luxury British label MJB, which has dressed the like of Zayn Malik, Tom Hardy and Gigi Hadid. 

Rose Matafeo on Starstruck, fangirling and the romcom renaissance

Rose Matafeo as Jessie in Starstruck (credit: BBC/Avalon UK/Mark Johnson)

For comedian Rose Matafeo’s friend, this actually happened. “I’ll never reveal who it was, it’s like a blind item on Deuxmoi,” Matafeo slyly grins, referring to the Instagram page notorious for posting cryptic celebrity gossip.

The anecdote became a key inspiration behind her new romcom series Starstruck, in which Matafeo plays Jessie, a 28-year-old New Zealander living in London who discovers the morning after a one-night stand that she has just slept with a famous film star.

Jamie Laing and Kaelynn ‘KK’ Harris to front new dating series I Like The Way You Move

The eight-part series will give contestants the chance to find love through dance, as professional dancers and non-dancers compete to find the perfect match that will sweep them off their feet, both on and off the dance floor. 

There will be a series of fun challenges to test the budding connections, combining dance, dating and drama in order to find true love, including breath-taking routines and shocking eliminations.

Each episode will see Laing and Harris joined by a guest judge to determine which couples have the most chemistry and deserve to stay in the competition. 

BBC Three to return as a broadcast channel in 2022

Published last year, BBC’s Annual Plan outlined research that confirmed there remains a broadcast television audience for the channel.

In recent years BBC Three has given the BBC some of its biggest hits, including Killing Eve, Fleabag and last year’s internet-breaking Normal People.

Having recently announced a doubling of investment for BBC Three commissions over the next two years, the BBC says it wants to showcase that content to a wider audience.

Casting announced for BBC Three’s adaptation of Conversations With Friends

Alison Oliver, Sasha Lane, Jemima Kirke, Joe Alwyn (credit: BBC)

Newcomer and Lir Academy graduate Alison Oliver, who attended the same college as Normal People star Paul Mescal, will lead the series as Frances, with Sasha Lane (American Honey) starring as her ex-girlfriend and best friend Bobbi.

The series will follow Frances and Bobbi as they become entwined in a complex affair with an older couple. Jemima Kirke (Girls) will star as the enigmatic writer Melissa, while Joe Alwyn (The Favourite) will play her partner Nick, an actor.

Maya Jama confirmed as the new host of Glow Up: Britain’s Next Make Up Star

Maya Jama (Credit: BBC)

The former Radio 1 DJ and presenter will join returning series judges Val Garland and Dominic Skinner to whittle down 10 burgeoning make-up artists to discover Britain’s Next Make Up Star. 

The previous series have welcomed some of the most famous names in the beauty and fashion industry onto the show, with big names like Rankin, Henry Holland, NikkieTutorials and Lisa Armstrong featuring. 

“I absolutely love Glow Up and can’t wait to join the family!” said Maya Jama. 

BBC Three announces new documentary film Daisy Maskell – Insomnia and Me

Daisy Maskell – Insomnia and Me sees the breakfast radio host investigate her own insomnia, consulting experts to find the roots and causes, while offering personal insights into her consequent struggles with her mental health.

Maskell will also look at the various treatments and cures, and meet young people from across the country to explore why so many suffer from sleeping disorders. According to research by the NHS, the number admitted to hospital has doubled over the past seven years, and the pandemic has exacerbated the issue further still.