The BBC Trust has now confirmed it’s shutting down BBC3 in February – leaving young people with one less channel to enjoy on the telly. In honour, we’ve compiled our 5 favourite shows that BBC3 brought us and paid short tributes. Some on this list are more well-known than others but all brought us barrels of laughs and thought-provoking messages galore. Let’s begin!
5 – Young, Dumb and Living Off Mum
Something BBC3 did very well was give us insight into how useless some of this country’s teens 
really are. Young, Dumb and Living Off Mum put the spotlight on a handful of these spoilt big babies by dumping them in a house together and forcing them to live off a benefits budget. Not only did they have to eat and sleep together, they also had to brave early mornings to put in a solid day’s work at placements such as fishmongers and children’s parties. Comedic fails and fiery confrontations made this a must-watch!
4 – Young Soldiers
Whilst BBC3 produced reality telly to a tee, they were also quietly pumping out brilliant 
documentaries. One such show was Young Soldiers, which focused on a squad of new army recruits as they journeyed from training to the frontline of Afghanistan. Don’t get us wrong, this was dark, but it was emotionally compelling seeing the trainees – and their families – come to terms with the risks of conflict.
3 – The World’s Strictest Parents
Another “fixing useless teenagers” production, this time sending lazy or downright nasty 
youngsters to far-flung corners of the world to live under the strict principled rules of other parents. Religious attitudes and non-smoking rules provoked frequent anger from the teens, sparking rows and walkouts galore. Some found it a tad formulaic but we never tired of the strops nor the drama, and cliché lovers might also love the ‘journey’ the youths undergo from hardened rebels to mature and responsible(ish) young adults.
2 – Tough Young Teachers
This 2014 documentary put a spin on the ordinary fly-on-a-wall school affair by focusing not on 
the students, but on a group of amateur teachers embarking on one of the toughest training schemes around (Teach First). This involves dumping them in front of classes of kids after just six weeks of training, and all hell broke loose with the poor newbies unable to deal with the troublesome tykes and mad workload. One teacher hovers near the firing line – does she rescue her job from the brink?
1 – Russell Howard’s Good News
Could we really choose anything else for the top spot? Since 2009 comedian Mr. Howard has been bringing us his weekly pisstake of the week’s news, with every story from political 
interviews to anti-speeding ads falling victim to his sometimes immature, but smart, mockeries. It’s so good, the powers that be decided to move it to BBC2 ahead of Three’s axing instead of moving it onto the scrapheap. One show lives on!
So there we have it – BBC3 will be missed but we can hope that this online-only channel becomes a reality. Which BBC3 shows do you hold dear to your heart? Let us know in the comments below or over on @CelebMix
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