BBC3 focuses on disability

BBC3 in the UK will run a season of programmes on disability amongst Britain’s youth and has commissioned a batch of new comedy, factual and entertainment shows.

The channel’s disability season will comprise of a number of one-off docs, including The World’s Worst Place to be Disabled, The Truth About Becoming Disabled and The Boy Who Wants To Cut His Leg Off, as well as other factual series.

Disability High (3×60′), from Minnow Films, explores the classrooms, common rooms and student bar of a UK college where all the students are disabled, while Personal Services (2×60′), from Ricochet, follows a group of youngsters who rely on someone else to help them wash, get dressed and cook.

Away from the disability season, BBC3 has also commissioned Life is Toff (6×30′), a comedy factual entertainment series about the aristocratic Fulford family, and Fried (6×30′), which follows the staff in a struggling branch of a low-rent fast-food chain.

Another comedy commission, Josh (6×30′), is a sitcom written by Josh Widdicombe and Tom Craine, starring Jack Dee, about two friends living in a flatshare.

Sam Bickley, channel editor, emphasised that the commissions prove BBC3 “is still very much open for business,” despite its imminent move to become an online-only network.

In related news, the BBC has revealed it’s producing a spin-off from sci-fi series Doctor Who exclusively for its VoD service iPlayer.

Doctor Who Extra follows actor Peter Capaldi, who recently became the show’s lead, during the filming of his first season as the Doctor.

The 12×10′ series will  include interviews with actors, producers and writers and is being produced by BBC Cymru Wales. A new show will be available after each week’s Doctor Who episode, which airs on BBC1.