Zai Bennett


BBC Three appoints interim boss

Sam Bickley has been appointed acting channel editor of UK free-to-air channel BBC Three. Bickley will fill the role being vacated by Zai Bennett, who is leaving the UK public broadcaster next month to join pay TV platform BSkyB as director of Sky Atlantic. He announced his departure as BBC Three boss following the news […]

Outgoing boss announces new BBC Three series

UK digital youth-skewed channel BBC Three has ordered three new formats. From the BBC’s own production department there will be a 6x30mins variety show, Nick Helm’s Heavy Entertainment, in which the titular host will explore weighty issues and set the world to rights. Lion TV is making dating show Sexy Beasts. It was piloted earlier […]

Sky Atlantic poaches BBC Three’s Zai Bennett

BBC Three controller Zai Bennett is leaving the UK pubcaster to become director of Sky Atlantic. The news comes after the BBC announced that youth-skewing BBC Three will move to an online-only service. Bennett joined the BBC in 2011 and as boss of youth-skewed BBC Three has overseen shows including The Call Centre, Life And […]

BBC Three, ABC board next Chris Lilley Heights spin-off

The Australian and UK pubcasters are to broadcast the latest spin-off from Chris Lilley’s mockumentary Summer Heights High. Australia’s ABC yesterday unveiled its 2014 programming line-up, which included the untitled series. The BBC subsequently revealed BBC Three had come onboard the project, as it has done with other Lilley comedy projects. The Princess Productions and […]

News brief: BBC Three goes back to The Call Centre

UK digital channel BBC Three has commissioned a second season of its ob doc series The Call Centre. The in-house BBC Factual Production show follows the lives of workers at the Swansea-based call centre Save Britain Money and its larger-than-life CEO. The first season began in June to solid ratings prompting BBC Three controller Zai […]

BBC Three to launch all comedies on iPlayer

UK channel BBC Three will begin premiering all of its scripted comedies on the on-demand iPlayer service as of August. The initiative will launch with the second season of Jack Whitehall-fronted Bad Education, which will be available free online a week before its TV debut. The BBC has been experimenting with a number of intiatives […]

Orphan Black finds UK home

BBC Three has acquired BBC America-coproduced drama Orphan Black and concurrently commissioned a workplace doc series. The first deal sees the UK public channel acquire Orphan from stablemate BBC Worldwide. The 10-part thriller series themed around a street smart young adult orphan who witnesses the suicide of a woman that looks exactly like her and […]

BBC3 opens Hotel of Mum and Dad

Youth-skewed UK digital channel BBC3 has commissioned a new factual entertainment series studying economically-stricken young couples moving back to their parents’ homes. Hotel of Mum and Dad (working title) will investigate how sky high housing and rental prices, fewer jobs, debt culture and child care costs have lead to an estimated one in 10 young […]

BBC orders original dramas for iPlayer

UK public broadcaster the BBC has ordered a strand of original dramas for its iPlayer catch-up service. The dramas will be made as a result of a venture between the BBC’s in-house drama department, iPlayer and youth-skewed digital channel BBC Three. The strand will comprise six short films from up and coming directing talent from […]

BBC Three orders Horsemeat Banquet

BBC Three has ordered The Horsemeat Banquet, a one-off show in which a group of young diners are invited to tuck into a variety of horse dishes. The show will TX on the UK public broadcaster’s youth channel in a 10pm slot on March 27. It will be made by Shine-owned producer Dragonfly. The show, […]