View source for BBC Three

{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2019}}
{{redirect|BBC 3|radio station|BBC Radio 3}}
{{Infobox television channel
| name = BBC Three
| logo = BBC Three 2022.svg
| logo_size = 200px
| logo_caption = Logo for BBC Three used since 1 February 2022
| launch_date = {{start date and age|1972|9|9|df=yes}} (original)<br />{{start date and age|2022|2|1|df=yes}} (relaunch)
| closed_date = {{End date|2016|02|16|df=y}} (original)
| language = English
| picture_format = [[1080i]] [[HDTV]]<br/>(downscaled to [[16:9]] [[576i]] for the [[SDTV]] feed)
| owner = [[BBC]]
| country = [[United Kingdom]]
| area  = [[United Kingdom]]<br>[[United States]]
| replaced = [[BBC Choice]]
| slogan = ''Feel Good TV''
| sister_channels  = [[BBC One]]<br/>[[BBC Two]]<br/>[[BBC Four]]<br/>[[BBC News (TV channel)|BBC News]]<br/>[[BBC Parliament]]<br/>[[CBBC (TV channel)|CBBC]]<br/>[[CBeebies]]<br/>[[BBC Scotland (TV channel)|BBC Scotland]]<br/>[[BBC Alba]]
| website = {{URL|www.bbc.co.uk/bbcthree|BBC Three}}
| availability_note =
| terr_serv_1 = [[Freeview (UK)|Freeview]]
| terr_chan_1 = Channel 23<br />Channel 109 (HD) (England & NI only)
| online_serv_1 = [[BBC iPlayer]]
| online_chan_1 = [https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/live/bbcthree Watch live] (UK only)
|logocaption=Logo Used Since 2022|logofile=BBC_Three_2022.svg}}
'''BBC Three''' is a British television channel from the [[BBC]].

BBC Three was described by the BBC as a channel for 'New drama, talent, comedy, films, and accessible news'. It ran from 19:00 to about 04:00 each night, in order to share [[Freeview|terrestrial digital]] [[Bandwidth (signal processing)|bandwidth]] with the [[CBBC]] channel. Unlike its commercial rivals, 90% of BBC Three's output is from the [[United Kingdom]] and other [[European Union]] countries. 80% is original, covering all [[genre]]s from [[current affairs]], to drama, to comedy to animation, BBC Three returned to TV screens in February 2022.

BBC Three had a unique '60 second news' format. This was adopted so that operation of the channel could be completely automated, without the complication of dealing with variable length live news broadcasts. The current controller of the station is [[Danny Cohen]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2007/04_april/10/three.shtml|title=BBC - Press Office - Danny Cohen named Controller of BBC Three|access-date=11 August 2008}}</ref> and the Head of Scheduling is Dan McGolpin.

BBC Three closed as a standard television channel on 16 February 2016. On the same day BBC Three launched on [[BBC iPlayer]] as an online only service.

The BBC relaunched BBC Three's television channel in February 2022.<ref>{{Cite web|title=BBC Three to return as a broadcast channel in January 2022|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/2021/bbc.com/mediacentre/2021/bbc-three-broadcast-channel/|access-date=2021-11-26|website=www.bbc.co.uk|language=en}}</ref>
== Launch ==
BBC Three was the successor to the similar [[BBC Choice]] channel and was launched on 9 February 2003. It was launched by Stuart Murphy, who previously ran BBC Choice. The channel returned on 1 February 2022.
== Programming ==
Some of the programmes that have appeared for their first showing on BBC Three include [[EastEnders]] (2003), [[Little Britain]] (October 2004),<ref name="keyfacts">{{cite press release
|title = Key Facts: BBC Three
|publisher = The British Broadcasting Corporation
|date = February 2006
|url = http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/keyfacts/stories/bbcthree.shtml
|access-date = 11 August 2008
|archivedate = 24 February 2008
|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20080224145320/http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/keyfacts/stories/bbcthree.shtml
}}</ref> [[Doctor Who Confidential]] (2005), and [[Torchwood]] (2006), The Apprentice, You're Fired! (2006). When the first episode of Torchwood was launched in October 2006 on BBC Three, 2.4 million people watched it. This broke BBC Three's previous record of 1.8 million,.<ref>{{cite news
|title=Torchwood scores record audience
|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6077078.stm
|publisher=[[BBC News]]
|date=23 October 2006
|access-date=16 February 2009}}</ref> The second episode attracted an equally impressive 2.3 million viewers, and boosted BBC Three to a 3.5% share of multichannel viewing that evening, compared to the network's three-month Sunday average of 0.9%.

The channel featured hourly news updates called ''[[60 Seconds]]'', which included the top news, sport and entertainment stories. It was presented in a cheeky, relaxed style in keeping with the rest of the channel. As part of the BBC's discussions with the government in whether the channel could launch originally, a longer news programme had been promised to provide a daily section of news and current affairs. ''The News Show'', as it came to be called upon launch was later rebranded ''[[The 7 O'Clock News]]''. However, the BBC discontinued the bulletin in 2005, claiming that in fact, the programme's audiences were minuscule and the output was provided elsewhere on the BBC.
== Viewing ==
[[File:BBC Three viewing figures from BARB.png|right|thumb|300px|BBC three viewing share to July 2008]] The channel was aimed at 25–34-year olds,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/keyfacts/stories/bbcthree.shtml|title=BBC - Press Office - BBC Three key facts|access-date=11 August 2008|archive-date=24 February 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080224145320/http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/keyfacts/stories/bbcthree.shtml|url-status=dead}}</ref> and competes with other digital channels including [[ITV2]] and [[E4 (channel)|E4]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.brandrepublic.com/login/News/779694/|title=Is BBC Three a commercial threat? - Brand Republic Login - Brand Republic|access-date=11 August 2008}}</ref>

Its share of the audience during its transmission hours was 2.6% among 25–34-year olds, and 1.7% among all individuals. [[BARB]], the official ratings agency, averages out BBC Three's viewing figures over 24 hours even though the channel only broadcasted in the evenings, giving a distorted sense of the channel's viewership. Despite several official complaints from the BBC, BARB continued to publish figures which the BBC argued were unrepresentative. Nine million people watched BBC Three every week.<ref name="keyfacts" />
== Awards ==
The channel had critical and popular successes, winning more awards in its four-year history than its commercial rivals ([[Sky One]], [[Living (channel)|Living]], [[E4 (channel)|E4]], [[ITV2]], [[Five (channel)|Five]] and [[Paramount Comedy Channel]]) have won in their combined 25-year history. In total BBC Three had won 7 [[British Academy of Film and Television Arts|BAFTA]] awards, 5 [[British Comedy Award]]s, 15 [[Royal Television Society]] Awards and 5 [[Rose d'Or]] Awards since the channel was launched in February 2003. Most recently, it won ''Broadcast Magazine'''s ''Digital Channel of the Year'' Award for Best General Entertainment Channel, and MGEITF Non Terrestrial Channel of the Year.

All three of BBC Three's dramas produced in 2004 (''[[Outlaws (2004 TV series)|Outlaws]]'', ''[[Bodies (TV series)|Bodies]]'' and ''[[Conviction (TV series)|Conviction]]'') received BAFTA nominations, as did classical music show ''Flashmob The Opera''.

In 2008, BBC Three's [[Gavin and Stacey]] won the BAFTA audience award and the best comedy performance award was awarded to [[James Corden]] for his part.
== Criticism ==
The channel had also come in for criticism from several corners, the most prominent of which are some of the BBC's long-standing presenters. These include [[John Humphrys]], who argued that BBC Three and BBC Four should be shut down in the face of budget cuts to [[BBC Radio 4|Radio 4]]'s [[Today programme]], which he presents,<ref name="jhumphrys">{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/humphrys-bbc-costcutters-should-axe-new-channels-401269.html|title=Humphrys: BBC cost-cutters should axe new channels|author=Ian Burrell|access-date=8 May 2008}}</ref> [[John Sweeney]] of Panorama,<ref name="jsweeney">{{cite web|url=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=479553&in_page_id=1770|access-date=8 May 2008|author=Daniel Bates|title=Scrap BBC Three and Four to save prestigious programmes, says veteran journalist John Humphrys|website=[[Daily Mail]] }}</ref> and [[Jeremy Paxman]] are among other journalists have also criticised the channel and its content.<ref name="times">{{cite news|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/camilla_cavendish/article2028767.ece|title=BBC Three and Four, your number's up|author=Camilla Cavendish|access-date=8 May 2008|archive-date=8 July 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080708200946/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/camilla_cavendish/article2028767.ece|url-status=dead}}</ref>
== Proposed earlier start time for BBC Three ==
BBC Vision director Jana Bennett confirmed in an interview<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blog.wotsat.com/page/whatsat?entry=bbc_three_plans_extended_broadcast|title=What Satellite & Digital TV|access-date=11 August 2008|archive-date=22 September 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080922141636/http://blog.wotsat.com/page/whatsat?entry=bbc_three_plans_extended_broadcast|url-status=dead}}</ref> for Broadcast magazine in May 2008 that the BBC Trust has been petitioned to change the start of transmission time from the current time of 7pm each evening to earlier in the afternoon.

Bennett said that some of the extra hours would be given over to BBC Switch the BBC's teen programming strand.
== BBC Three HD ==
BBC Three HD was launched on 10 December 2013 alongside the sister channels [[BBC Four HD]], [[CBeebies HD]], [[BBC News HD]] and [[CBBC HD]].

== BBC Three Media ==
<gallery widths='160px' heights='100%' mode='traditional' caption=''>
File:BBC Three (2003).svg|Logo used from 2003 to 2008

File:BBC Three (2008).svg|Logo used from 2008 to 2016

File:BBC Three logo.svg|Logo of the TV channel BBC Three

File:BBC Three (2020).svg|Logo used from 2020 to 2021

File:BBC Three logo 2021.svg|Logo used from 2021 to 2022
</gallery>
== References ==
{{reflist|30em}}
== Other websites ==
* {{bbc.co.uk|bbcthree|BBC Three Homepage}}
* {{bbc.co.uk|bbcthree/watchlive|Watch BBC Three live}}
* {{bbc.co.uk|bbcthree/tvlistings|BBC Three Schedule}}

{{BBC}}

[[Category:BBC television channels]]
[[Category:2003 establishments in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:2016 disestablishments in the United Kingdom]]