BBC Three - Blog - Dana Stevens

BBC Three at Glastonbury needs you!

Dana Stevens Dana Stevens — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 17:22:36 +0000

Reggie and Fearne want your help this weekend. They're going to be bringing all the best bits of the Glastonbury music festival to BBC Three and they're giving you a chance to put your question to Tinie Tempah, Jessie J or Mumford and Sons. Yes, that's right they could be putting your question to one of the most famous popstars in the UK today... and you won't even need your wellies. All you have to do is add your question here, tweet us @bbc3tv or add it to the BBC Three Facebook page. And remember to tell us who the question is for.

But that's not all, while you're enjoying all the fabulous music from the comfort of your front room we want you to tell us which performances you're loving: who's getting you up and dancing around your sofa? Will Beyoncé rock the party more than Biffy Clyro? Will Pendulum outperform Plan B? Let Fearne and Reggie know what you think of the acts by tweeting using #threeatglasto, telling us on our Facebook page or adding your comment here on the blog.

BBC Three's coverage of Glastonbury starts Friday at 7pm so don't forget to keep watching all weekend to see if they read out your comment.

HOW TO GET INVOLVED

To find out when to watch Glastonbury on BBC Three visit the Glastonbury website.

Our War - Exclusive online stories from Afghanistan

Dana Stevens Dana Stevens — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 11:00:26 +0000

"Stunning, extraordinary, powerful, shocking..." are just some of the words reviewers are using to describe BBC Three's new series Our War. This groundbreaking documentary uses real and uncensored footage shot by soldiers themselves during the ten years of war in Afghanistan. For the first time, the Ministry of Defence has given the BBC access to the stories filmed using personal cameras, mobile phones and helmet cameras to offer a unique perspective on the terrifying and emotional realities of the war.

Through the soldiers eyes we see the courage, fear and camaraderie of the men on patrol and witness how they use black humour to cope. Watch this to find out why the soldiers wanted to film their lives on the frontline and what they learnt about the war and themselves:

In order to see this content you need to have both Javascript enabled and Flash installed. Visit BBC Webwise for full instructions. If you're reading via RSS, you'll need to visit the blog to access this content.

As well as the three-part TV series we have loads of fascinating stories on the Our War website, where you can discover more about how the soldiers deal with army life and how their families manage. In this clip, Kirstie talks about dealing with the fact her dad's been on the verge of going to Afghanistan three times:

Our War starts with Ambushed on Tuesday 7th June at 9pm. If you want to join the discussion on Twitter about the programme just use #ourwar.

Visit the Our War website to watch more stories from the war in Afghanistan.

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Fresh new comedy coming soon to BBC Three

Dana Stevens Dana Stevens — Tue, 31 May 2011 11:17:41 +0000

We've got some very exciting programmes to tell you about including some really great new comedies....

Sharon Horgan as Donna in Pulling

LIFE STORY
Fans of Pulling actress Sharon Horgan will love this new prison based sitcom Life Story as it means Sharon's back on BBC Three. This time she's playing Helen Stephens, who's been wrongly imprisoned for murdering her boss. Her release looks increasingly unlikely as her family and friends don't seem keen on helping her get out. Her younger sister Laura has moved into her flat and taken her place in the pub quiz team. Her fiancé and alibi, Justin, is relieved as it means he won't have to face up to dumping her and the weirdo from work, Henry, is beginning to realise his weekly prison visits are the only guaranteed way to spend time with her. And that's before we even mention her more than useless lawyer.

WILFRED
Next up is something for all you fans of Elijah Wood - yes, Frodo from Lord of The Rings is coming to BBC Three! In this new series Elijah plays Ryan, a struggling lawyer who strikes up a friendship with his neighbour's dog. The thing is, he's the only one who doesn't just see a pet pooch but a rude, surly Australian bloke in a cheap dog suit. Sounds interesting and it's sure to be funny as it was adapted from the original Australian series by David Zuckerman, who worked on Family Guy, American Dad and King of The Hill.

OTHER BRILLIANT COMEDIES COMING BACK...
You love 'em, we love 'em and so we're bringing them back. White Van Man starring Will Mellor and written by comedian Adrian Poynton has been recommissioned. And the brilliant Him & Her featuring Russell Tovey and Sarah Solemani has just finished filming and will be back later this year. And those rude, crude and hilarious puppets Mongrels will also be back for another series.

We'll be bringing you photos and news from the set of Mongrels soon on the blog, so watch out for that.

MORE NEW SHOWS
Other programmes coming to BBC Three soon include Up For Hire Live, a whole week of documentaries and live discussions tracking four young people as they attempt to get a job and explore the job market. One-off documentaries include: Mixed up in The Middle East which will follow the journey of Reya who's half-Jewish and half-Arabic as she attempts to understand how the conflict affects her cousins on both side of the divide, and Britain You're Welcome To It which focuses on a group of Eastern European immigrants during their initial few weeks in England.

And last but not least, series 2 of Lip Service is filming now in Glasgow.

Meet more of the Angry Boys...

Dana Stevens Dana Stevens — Wed, 25 May 2011 14:30:25 +0000

Today, I can officially confirm that Angry Boys will start at 10.40pm on Tuesday 7th June. And the best thing is, we'll be launching with a double bill of the new comedy from Summer Heights High creator Chris Lilley.

Last week on the blog, we introduced you to some of the characters Chris Lilley plays in the show with clips of South Australian twins Daniel and Nathan. Here's a look at some of the other brilliant characters from Angry Boys:

S. MOUSE

Chris Lilley as S. mouse

By the end of the summer, S. mouse will (probably) be everyone's favourite rapper. Watch out for his brilliant music videos for tracks like 'Slap My Elbow' (which made him a superstar) and the controversial 'Poo on You'.

JEN OKAZAKI

Chris Lilley as Jen Okazaki

My personal favourite is the formidable Jen. Barely concealed beneath her polite and softly-spoken exterior is her steely ambition to turn son Tim into the most successful skateboarder Japan has ever seen. She soon realises that he'll be more successful as a 'cute' Japanese boy who's proud to be gay.

BLAKE OAKFIELD

Chris Lilley as Blake & Paul Pearson as Hunter

Champion surfer Blake is the founder of the Mucca Mad boys, a 'gang' that protects the beaches in Narmucca Bay from their rivals the Fennel Hell Men.

He has no balls after his testicles were shot during a gang fight.

Chris Lilley as Ruth 'Gran' Sims

RUTH 'GRAN' SIMS

The grandmother of twins Daniel and Nathan, 'Gran' is a prison officer at a juvenile justice centre for teenage boys. She tries to cheer up the inmates with her homemade superhero pyjamas, song nights and trips to see her 23 guinea pigs.

So not long to wait now comedy fans and keep checking the Angry Boys website as we'll be adding lots of clips.

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Coming Soon: Chris Lilley's new comedy Angry Boys

Dana Stevens Dana Stevens — Thu, 19 May 2011 14:20:41 +0000

We're all very excited here at BBC Three HQ about the brilliant and outrageous new comedy Angry Boys. It's written and performed by Australian comedian Chris Lilley, who you might know from the excellent Summer Heights High that we showed on BBC Three in 2008.

Angry Boys is a hilarious mockumentary which explores the issues faced by young males today. As in Summer Heights High, Chris Lilley stars as multiple characters including S. Mouse, a deluded American rapper, champion surfer Blake Oakfield and Ruth 'Gran' Sims a guard at a juvenile detention facility. And these amazing twins Daniel and Nathan Sims...

The twins live in Dunt, Southern Australia where they skate, hang out with their mates and do 'mainees' in the street in their mum's car. They also give their mum's new boyfriend Steve a really hard time...

Aside from the twins, one of my favourite characters in Angry Boys has to be cruel and manipulative Jen, who is the pushy mother of Japanese/American skateboarder Tim "I'm Gay" Okazaki. She's also the founder of the "Gaystyle Enterprises" empire - trust me, wait until you see the merchandise!

We'll have photos and clips of all the characters on the Angry Boys website soon.

Angry Boys starts on BBC Three in June.

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Watch previews of new Family Guy

Dana Stevens Dana Stevens — Mon, 16 May 2011 12:15:24 +0000

We know that lots of you had to wait patiently for Family Guy to start last night following Lady Gaga's late arrival on stage at BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend. To say thank you, today we thought we'd share not one, but two new preview clips from this Sunday's Family Guy episodes.

This clip from Baby, You Knock Me Out is...well it's just plain wrong. You'll see what I mean..."Moo for me"...

Hee hee! Can't wait to see the rest of that on Sunday. And in this clip from Halloween on Spooner Street, Stewie tries to take on some young villains with a bazooka.

Don't miss both of these episodes on Sunday night from 10pm. And if you missed last night's new Family Guy episodes they'll be repeated this Saturday from 11.35pm.

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BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend: Your chance to go Gaga with BBC Three

Dana Stevens Dana Stevens — Mon, 09 May 2011 11:30:57 +0000

Missed out on tickets to BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend in Carlisle? Don't worry, you can still join in by attending one of the events we're holding in Middlesbrough and Liverpool on Sunday 15th May.

From 7pm local BBC Introducing bands will be performing on stage. Then at 9pm we'll be beaming Lady Gaga's headline set from Carlisle onto the Big Screens LIVE as it happens.

LIVERPOOL
Where? Liverpool One in Chavasse Park, L1 8LT. Who's playing on the BBC Introducing Stage? Picture Book, Fly with the Vampires and The Battleships.

MIDDLESBROUGH
Where? Centre Square, TS1 2AZ.
Who's playing on the BBC Introducing stage? Jimmy & The Sounds and Be Quiet! Shout Loud!

There are no tickets to worry about, so you can just turn up and the best thing is it's all FREE!!

If you want to watch all the action from the comfort of your sofa, BBC Three's coverage of Radio 1's Big Weekend is on telly from 7pm on Saturday 14th May presented by Fearne and Reggie. So don't miss Tinie Tempah and the Foo Fighters on Saturday before we all go Gaga on Sunday.

Go to the BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend website for details of all the acts performing in Carlisle.

For more information about the events in Liverpool and Middlesbrough visit the BBC Big Screen website.

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Family Guy Weekend: New series starts Sunday GIGGITY, GIGGITY, GIGGITY!

Dana Stevens Dana Stevens — Fri, 06 May 2011 15:23:35 +0000

Woohoo it's finally here! The new series of Family Guy starts on BBC Three this Sunday and to celebrate we're bringing you a whole weekend of Family Guy fun. There's a brand new programme looking at Family Guy's Groundbreaking Gags narrated by comedian Robert Webb and featuring a host of British comic talent including Paul O'Grady, Shappi Khorsandi and Blake Harrison. And you'll be able to watch a whole bunch of classic episodes back-to-back from 9.45pm on Saturday and 10.50pm on Sunday night. All riiiiight!

Here's a little look at what you can expect in the first new hilarious episode And Then There Were Fewer.

As you can see, the Griffins and residents of Quahog are invited to a mansion for a weekend retreat...

..but things soon become a real murder mystery when guests end up dead...

...and everyone tries to figure out whodunnit. It's gonna be AMAZING! I cannot wait.

You can watch Family Guy's Groundbreaking Gags at 9.30pm this Sunday and the new series of Family Guy starts at 10pm Sunday.

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Is Breast Best? Live Q&A with Cherry Healey and Dr Trisha MacNair

Dana Stevens Dana Stevens — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 15:33:33 +0000

The Bringing up Britain season launched with the brilliant documentary Is Breast Best: Cherry Healey Investigates.

Thank you for all your questions, comments and views about breastfeeding for Cherry Healey and Dr Trisha MacNair.

Is Breast Best? Live Q&A with Cherry and Dr Trisha MacNair

Disclaimer
All comments are pre-moderated which may delay publication. Not all comments will be published when the volume of comments is very high, or if they contain material that may offend other users.

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external websites linked from this page.

BREASTFEEDING HELPLINES AND WEBSITES

National Breastfeeding Helpline: run by the Association of Breastfeeding Mothers and The Breastfeeding Network. Visit the website.
Helpline: 0300 100 0212
Association of Breastfeeding Mothers: a charity run by mothers for mothers, giving friendly support and supplying accurate information to all women wanting to breastfeed. Visit the website.
Helpline number: 08444 122 949 (also supports the National Breastfeeding Helpline.)
Baby Friendly Inititative: provides up-to-date information on research and breastfeeding activity in the UK. Users can subscribe to email updates. Visit the website.
The National Childbirth Trust: a leading charity for parents, supporting people through pregnancy, birth and early parenthood. Visit the website.
Helpline: 0300 330 0771
La Leche League Helpline: strives to help mothers worldwide to breastfeed through mother-to-mother support, encouragement, information and education. Visit the website.
Helpline number: 0845 120 2918
United Kingdom Association for Milk Banking: a registered charity that supports human milk banking in the UK. Visit the website.
BBC Health website: newborns and feeding
NHS Breastfeeding information

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White Van Man's Will Mellor answers your questions

Dana Stevens Dana Stevens — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 10:09:33 +0000

Thank you for all your questions for the lovely Will Mellor, who stars as Ollie in our new comedy White Van Man.

We picked a selection that you sent via our Facebook page, @bbc3tv Twitter and added to this blog. Here are Will's answers:

From Aaron2132 on the blog: What made you want to be in White Van Man? (By the way, you're amazing playing Ollie)

Well it's such a great show and it's the show I've been waiting for for a long time. It's a comedy drama - it's got a warm side so it's not just jokes, jokes, jokes. When I read the first seven or eight pages I knew I wanted to do it. I didn't know at the time that it was written with me in mind but I found that out later on. I just think it's a brilliant script and a great show and I'm really pleased to be playing Ollie.

From Scott Julyan on Facebook: Who is your favourite character and why?

The lad who plays Darren, Joel, is just fantastic. I think he's such a brilliant part and Joel is such a great actor and he's just so funny. There's so many scenes where we were just cracking up all the time, we were just howling and laughing the whole time. It makes it really difficult to get through a scene!

From Terry Haley on Facebook: When watching the show I can see that it must be fun to make an episode, especially working with Joel. How hard is it on a scale of one to ten is it to keep a straight face and complete a scene?

Yeah, as I said, Joel just always makes me laugh and there are a couple of episodes where we just found it almost impossible to stop laughing and we had to do so many takes because I couldn't keep it together. So definitely I'd say it's an eight or nine out of ten.

@sarahjhaycock on Twitter: What's been your best episode of White Van Man?

I think the last two episodes are fantastic and they are probably my favourites as the series as a whole snowballs into chaos. Towards the end of the series it really does get going and I think the last two episodes are fantastic because everything comes to a head. The love triangle thing comes to a head and things happen with Ollie where he just tells everyone how he feels about them. And I remember filming that episode and it was a great episode. And I'm just over the moon with the series and I'm just dying to make series two.

Will Mellor as Ollie and Joel Fry as Darren in White Van Man

From Hannah Ciaran Collins on Facebook: Love the new show. Why does Ollie take everyone's abuse and Darren's ineptitude so lightly?

He's just in a really difficult situation, what else can you do? He's just trying his best. When people don't pay you it's just really difficult. But there's not much you can do other than getting violent - which is never a good idea - because you end up getting in more trouble than you were in the first place. So I think you've just got to take it as experience and never get into that situation again. It's happened to me and I've just swallowed a lot of money that someone ripped me off for, but I've learnt, I'll never do it again.

Lisa Wittner on Facebook: Fab show, when is series two of White Van Man on?

We don't know. We're waiting to hear but we know that the viewing figures are very big at the moment so it's doing very well. And it's getting bigger every week which is fantastic - it's a hit! So fingers crossed we're hoping for another series. But we'll let you know if we hear anything, obviously.

Will Mellor in White Van Man

@PeaceColeman on Twitter: Who would you rather have as your best mate, Ollie Curry or Gaz Wilkinson (from Two Pints)?

It's got to be Gaz Wilkinson - I think Ollie takes things a bit too seriously where as Gaz is up for more a laugh. Ollie's a little bit uptight at the moment because he's been put into this job situation, Gaz has got more of a free-spirit. So Gaz would probably be better on a night out.

Jackie on the blog: Have you picked up any handyman skills? Loving the programme.

No, I'm rubbish. I try to do some things: I put up a TV in my house on the wall and the kids aren't allowed to go near it just in case it falls on them! That's how much confidence I have in my own work. I try some bits, I have a go, but I think if in doubt pay someone who knows what they're doing.

And can I just say thanks very much to everyone for all your support and I'm really glad you're enjoying the show.

Yes you can Will!. You can watch Will as Ollie in White Van Man at 10.30pm tonight.

Is Breast Best? Chat LIVE with Cherry Healey

Dana Stevens Dana Stevens — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 13:30:49 +0000

*UPDATE: If you missed the live chat you can watch what happened here.*

Following on from her documentary Cherry Has a Baby, Cherry Healey is back on BBC Three and this time she's exploring the emotional and complicated issue of breastfeeding in Is Breast Best? Cherry Healey Investigates.

Is Breast Best? Cherry Healey Investigates (Cherry Healey)

Although many assume it will be easy for new mums, lots of women find breastfeeding a struggle, don't know enough about it or are worried about how people will react if they do it.

So if you want some advice, need reassurance or have a question about breastfeeding, we're giving you the chance to chat live with Cherry and breastfeeding expert Dr Trisha McNair here on the BBC Three blog during and after the programme, which will be on BBC Three at 9pm on Tuesday 12th April.

HOW TO TAKE PART IN THE LIVE CHAT

Visit us here on the BBC Three blog between 9.30pm - 10.30pm on Tuesday 12th April
Simply add your comment, query or question for Cherry or Doctor Trisha
You can also take part on the night via Twitter by using #isbreastbest
Or add your question for Cherry or the Doctor in advance by adding it now to the blog

Is Breast Best? Cherry Healey Investigates is part of the Bringing up Britain season. As part of the season, we're also giving you the opportunity to hear what young parenthood is really like for young mums and dads in a series of online videos. The young parents will be offering help and advice based on their personal experiences on everything from how to wean your baby or stop it crying to why time together as a couple is so important.

To find out more about other programmes in the season visit the Bringing Up Britain website.

Is Breast Best? Cherry Healey Investigates is at 9pm on Tuesday 12th April.

Read Cherry's tips for surviving parenthood.

Read about Cherry's personal reasons for making the film on the TV blog.

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Ask Will Mellor a question about White Van Man

Dana Stevens Dana Stevens — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 17:12:30 +0000

I don't know about you, but I'm loving the new comedy White Van Man and I think Will Mellor is brilliant as struggling handyman Ollie. So we thought we'd give you a chance to ask him a question about starring in the show.

Maybe you want to know if he's really any good with a power drill? Or you want to find out what the cast got up to behind-the-scenes during filming? Or whether he thinks Ollie should go out with Emma or Liz.

HOW TO ASK WILL A QUESTION:

Add your question here on the blog
Leave it on our Facebook page
Tweet us @bbc3tv or using #bbc3askwill.

Make sure you get your question to us by 10am on Thursday 7th April, we'll pick a selection of the best ones and then we'll post Will's answers here before next week's episode of White Van Man.

You can watch White Van Man tonight at 10.30pm.

Series 4 of Being Human confirmed!!

Dana Stevens Dana Stevens — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 12:12:33 +0000

We're delirious with excitement here at BBC Three HQ, as today we can announce the news that all Being Human fans have been waiting for. Yes, the excellent Being Human will be back for another series! Woohoo!

Being Human (Russell Tovey as George, Sinead Keenan as Nina, Aidan Turner as Mitchell and Lenora Crichlow as Annie)

Last night's series finale was watched by 1.1 million of you and the next series will see the cast coming to terms with the fallout from last night's climax. (If you haven't seen it yet, you can watch it online now.) The cast will be returning to Barry Island and there'll be some new characters too, as Creator and Executive Producer Toby Whitehouse confirmed:

"We were overwhelmed by the response to series three, and so we're absolutely thrilled that the BBC have given us this opportunity to continue our show into a fourth year. We've got another intense and epic story lined up for you, with some new faces and old, and even more horror and mayhem and mugs of tea. I can't wait to get started."

That's all the clues we've got for now but keep checking the Being Human blog for up-to-date news about the show.

If you missed any of series 3, don't worry you can still catch up on previous episodes now on the website. And don't forget the online drama Becoming Human will get its first showing on telly this Sunday at 9pm.

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Two Pints: Nat and Luke Answer Your Questions

Dana Stevens Dana Stevens — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 17:22:39 +0000

You asked. They answered.

Natalie (who plays Donna) and Luke (who plays Tim) took time out from filming the new series of Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps to reply to the questions you sent in via Facebook, Twitter and the blog.

Don't forget, there's another chance to watch series 8 of Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps at 11.30pm on Friday nights.

The new series will be on BBC Three in late Spring.

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Working Girls: "I feel the journey she went on was valuable"

Dana Stevens Dana Stevens — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 17:01:06 +0000

Amazingly, there are some women who believe that unemployment is a lifestyle choice. Can they be inspired to stop relying on benefits for a fulfilling future in the workplace? That's the task facing successful businesswomen in the new series Working Girls, as they try to motivate women with a non-existent work ethic.

Sandy and Zara in Working Girls

But be prepared, it's a bumpy ride as the attitudes of the young women put their mentor's patience to the test. I caught up with one of the businesswomen taking part, Sandy Verdon, the Creative Director for fashion company Hobbs, to ask her why she wanted to get involved.

I am extremely passionate about the industry that I have been fortunate to work in for the past 20 years and felt that by instilling a work ethic in someone like Zara, viewers would also be enthused and it would ignite their passion for this amazing business.

What were you hoping the young women would get out of it?

A sense of self worth and motivation and the joys of achievement through teamwork that the girls could take with them into whatever career field they chose to go into. It was quite obvious early on that we would not convert Zara into the fashion industry. However, I hoped that the experience she had with the business would give her more confidence.

Did you enjoy the experience of filming the programme?

Sandy Verdon, Creative Director of Hobbs

Filming for eight days in a row was intense, although I am very used to working at the weekends! We had a few really key projects to deliver during the period. Our Spring Summer 2011 advertising campaign shoot was taking place together with the opening and launch event for our new store, it would always have been a stressful time but the filming added an extra dimension of pressure.

Were there any surprises or things that shocked you?

I was quite shocked that Zara's CV consisted of her name doodled on a ripped out piece of A4 notebook with a few words jotted down!

How did you feel that your advice was received?

Zara was quite reluctant, shy and bolshy to start with which was difficult for my teams to manage as they are all extremely motivated. Zara was never going to become a fashionista overnight but I feel the journey she went on was valuable and we connected a little over creativity where Zara showed some talent. At the launch party, which was her last task, I was impressed with her tenacity to get the job done. I hope she goes on to achieve her goals and dreams for the future whatever these may be.

What did you learn from making the programme?

Patience is a virtue.

What are you hoping that viewers will take away from watching the programme?

A sense of excitement in the fashion business and an idea that there are a plethora of careers out in the fashion business from hair and make up stylists, photographers to design researchers and events production.

Sandy Verdon is Creative Director for Hobbs. You can see how Sandy and Zara got on in episode 2 of Working Girls next Thursday 10th March. Working Girls starts tonight at 9pm.

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