BBC Three

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.

The mission behind the makers of RuPaul's Drag Race UK

Television glitter should lift many spirits brought low by this year’s Christ­mas comedown as RuPaul’s Drag Race UK returns for a second series in January. Good news for fans of the raucous and rude BBC Three show – and for the people that make it.

Randy Barbato and Fenton Bailey met at NYU film school in the mid-1980s, performed as a gloriously camp electro-pop duo, The Fabulous Pop Tarts, and went on to found World of Wonder Productions in 1991.

Cast and release date revealed for RuPaul’s Drag Race UK’s second series

(credit: BBC Three)

RuPaul and his crew of twelve new British queens will be bringing some sequins and sass to our screens this dreary January.

With Michelle Visage, Graham Norton, Alan Carr and a host of surprise celebrity guest judges offering their critiques of the chosen drag queens, the series will see the queens battle it out through a series of challenges, cat walks and lip-syncs to ultimately be crowned Britain’s next drag superstar.

Meet the 2021 contestants:

Tayce

From Newport, South Wales, Tayce describes her look as ‘model-esque, villainous, dark, punky and edgy’.

Cillian Murphy to narrate new documentary series on esports scene for BBC Three

Narrated by Cillian Murphy (Peaky Blinders), the series follows the multimillion pound esports organisation EXCEL ESPORTS and its League of Legends team as they compete in The League of Legends European Championships in Berlin.

The team finished in tenth place in 2019, but given the new blood, huge financial backing and world class coaches, they are looking to make their mark on the global LoL scene.