BBC iPlayer lines up new range of teen box sets
David Farnor | On 05, Jul 2018
The BBC has ordered a new range of shows for teen audiences, with plans to release them as box sets on BBC iPlayer for binge-watching.
The content for 13-15 year olds promises to offer insights into teenage lives, giving them a platform to express their thoughts on sex education, relationships and parents and including a new drama series that explores identity and betrayal. YouTube stars Ali A and Mimi Missfit join the line-up of the new series in a multi-genre mini-slate commissioned by Cheryl Taylor, Head of Content, BBC Children’s.
The A List (13×30′) explores universal teen concerns of friendship, romance, loyalty and betrayal in an intense powerful and addictive drama. It is set in what appears to be an idyllic island summer camp, but dark secrets will turn the holiday of lifetime into a twisted nightmare. The A List is produced by Kindle Entertainment. Executive producers are Anne Brogan (Kindle Entertainment) and Amy Buscombe (BBC). The A-List will be available on BBC iPlayer this autumn.
Teen Taxi (12×20′) will shine a humorous and engaging light on the conversations had between teenagers and their parents as they travel in their family cars. In our hectic world, time spent in the car remains one of the last refuges of unfiltered child-to-parent conversation – a place where laughs can be had and tricky conversations raised, without digital distractions or the possibility of escape!
Teen Taxi is a two series commission and will be shown on BBC iPlayer. It is produced by Dragonfly with Simon Kerfoot as executive producer alongside BBC executive producer Hugh Lawton.
YouTuber Ali-A will present I’m Not Driving That (20×22′) for BBC iPlayer. Young drivers who have just passed their tests have their cars revamped in a garage fitted with fixed rig cameras as celebrities drop by. This isn’t just a car transformation show – each young driver is put through their paces on a personalised advanced driving course, by a charismatic trio of driving instructors. But what will their friends and families think when their revamped cars are finally revealed?
The series is produced by Endemol Shine North. Executive Producers are Kez Margrie for the BBC and Coral Lawson for Endemol Shine North.
Fellow YouTube influencer, Mimi Missfit, hosts Mimi Tells It Straight: Everything You Need To Know About Sex (5×20′) in which a group of 15-year-olds travel to Holland to find out how Dutch teenagers learn the facts of life and everything related to sex education – from understanding their own bodies, to falling in love and taking control of their online relationships.
Mimi Tells It Straight is produced by Peggy Pictures and will be available on BBC iPlayer. Executive Producers are Kez Margrie for the BBC and Ida Bruusgaard for Peggy Pictures.
Doctors Chris and Xand van Tulleken will also front a series of special programmes on mental health and alcohol for a teen audience. These come from Maverick TV and the executive producers are Kez Margrie for the BBC and Romily Menzies for Maverick.
Other titles on the way include a documentary mini series featuring young people moving into adulthood, an improvised drama, Logan High (30×10′), and, True Believers (w/t) (13×28′), a comedy drama about a boy-band who are trying to make it big in the music industry. The latter will air on CBBC.
Cheryl Taylor, Head of Content for BBC Children’s, says: “We have been keen to produce bespoke shows for the 13-15 demographic for some time and the iPlayer affords us the opportunity to publish more ‘rites of passage’ content. These fresh and illuminating formats are aimed fair and square at fun loving and curious teens across the UK.”