BBC Three Opens Call for Indie Current Affairs Documentaries for YouTube and iPlayer
20 August 2025, BBC Three has announced an open call for independent producers to pitch compelling current affairs documentaries aimed at younger audiences. The initiative was unveiled at the Edinburgh TV Festival, and will result in five independent production companies being selected to each create a standalone documentary for the channel.
The documentaries will be distributed on both BBC iPlayer and YouTube, broadening their reach across digital platforms.
Focus & Format
Aimed at engaging 16–34-year-olds, the call specifically seeks UK-set stories with “original journalism at their heart” that reflect issues affecting young Britons with authenticity and urgency.
Fiona Campbell, controller for youth audiences at BBC iPlayer and BBC Three, emphasized the need for:
“…a maximum of five standout films from five different indies that uncover arresting characters, voices or perspectives that will resonate among 16-34s in the UK”
Nasfim Haque, head of content for BBC Three, added that the documentaries should:
“…enhance 16–34-year-olds’ understanding of today’s world and reflect life across the UK in the 2020s”
Past Precedents
Previous one-off documentaries of this nature on BBC Three include titles such as Inside Britain’s Kidnap Gangs, The Secret World of Sexual Health Clinics, Shame in the Game, Defending Digga D, Nudes4Sale, Hunting the Rolex Rippers, Secrets of the Multi-Level Millionaires, and Hard Up.
Opportunity for Regional Indies
C21Media also reported that, concurrently in Edinburgh, the BBC is launching a digital accelerator programme for indies in the North East of England, in partnership with North East Screen.
With £600,000 (approximately US$810,000) in funding, this initiative will support up to four companies over nine to twelve months, providing production funding, mentorship, and tailored editorial and business guidance. The focus: digital-first content, ranging from vertical video to TikTok-native storytelling, aimed at both BBC and commercial platforms.