BBC Three went on air on 9 February 2003 as a digital channel for 16- to 34-year-olds, and in its first decade it was home to Little Britain and the place where Gavin & Stacey and the Doctor Who spin-off Torchwood began.
Going online-only
In March 2014, under pressure to save money, the BBC proposed closing the channel and turning BBC Three into an internet service for the same audience. Viewers and producers objected — a Save BBC Three campaign, a public consultation and a letter carrying 750 names from the creative industries — but the BBC Trust approved the plan in November 2015. The channel signed off on the night of 15 February 2016 and the online BBC Three began the next day, delivered mainly through iPlayer, with a budget cut to £30 million and every long-form commission later shown on BBC One or BBC Two.
The online years produced several acclaimed series. Jodie Comer's drama Thirteen arrived on 28 February 2016 and Phoebe Waller-Bridge's Fleabag, made with Amazon, on 21 July 2016. The Cotswolds mockumentary This Country began in February 2017 and Guz Khan's Man Like Mobeen that December, while People Just Do Nothing carried on online. Normal People, co-produced with Hulu, gave BBC Three its best-ever week on iPlayer in April 2020.
Back on television
The cost was reach: viewing time fell sharply after the switch. From March 2019 BBC Three programmes filled a late slot on BBC One, and in March 2021 the BBC announced the channel would return. Ofcom gave final approval in November 2021, and BBC Three relaunched on 1 February 2022, sharing its channel space with CBBC and broadcasting from 7pm to 4am. Starstruck, first released on iPlayer in 2021, had its third series premiere on the revived BBC Three in 2023.
Key dates
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BBC Three launches
The BBC's youth-focused digital channel goes on air.
Source: Wikipedia: BBC Three
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BBC Three goes online-only
The TV channel closes the night before and BBC Three relaunches as an iPlayer-based service.
Source: Wikipedia: BBC Three
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Fleabag premieres
Phoebe Waller-Bridge's comedy-drama debuts on the online BBC Three.
Source: Wikipedia: Fleabag
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Normal People released
All 12 episodes arrive as a BBC Three box set on iPlayer, giving the service its best-ever week.
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Back on television
BBC Three returns as a broadcast channel, sharing space with CBBC.
Source: Wikipedia: BBC Three