David Farnor | On 18, Nov 2018

BBC Three has scored two new commissioned this week, as the online channel follows different groups of people taking on huge challenges, shining a light on the lives and experiences of young people today.

In one series, five mums will step back in time to live as 21 year-olds once more, while in the other, 19 year-old Jack Sullivan steps up as the Managing Director of West Ham United women’s team. Britain’s Youngest Football Boss (working title) follows top flight football club West Ham United women’s team and their 19 year-old Managing Director Jack Sullivan in his first full-time job since leaving school at 16. As women’s football explodes, the team makes its debut in the professional Women’s Super League, and Jack’s dad, David Sullivan – one of the richest men in Britain and the Chairman of West Ham United – has tasked him with transforming the club’s fortunes. With exclusive behind the scenes access, this is a revealing and intimate look at what it takes to be a professional female footballer in today’s game, and whether a loveable but inexperienced teenager can change the face of women’s football.

Filmed and released across the season, the first two episodes will be released on BBC Three on Wednesday 5th December.

In four-part series 21 Again (also a working title), five mums aged 35-45 will undergo an age-defying make-under to roll back the years, before attempting to seamlessly slot back into 20s life without being discovered. Armed with a new look, a new wardrobe and a crash course in Gen Z culture, the mums will live in a brand new city with their daughters, who will challenge them to experience the highs, the lows and the daily struggles they face today. What does it mean to be 21 today and will walking a mile in their daughters’ shoes ultimately bring these mums closer to their kids?

Damian Kavanagh, BBC Three’s Controller, says: “I’m delighted to announce two new commissions for BBC Three, 21 Again and Britain’s Youngest Football Boss. Earlier this year we announced a new editorial pillar to broaden the scope of our commissioning and extend our focus by introducing feel-good, entertaining propositions at their heart that celebrate and unite young people and get them talking. 21 Again and Britain’s Youngest Football Boss will deliver on that and will introduce hugely engaging characters bringing a new tone and sensibility to the channel.”

David Brindley, Head of Commissioning, Popular Factual and Factual Entertainment, says: “These two commissions demonstrate the exciting range we’re able to bring to our Popular Factual offering on BBC Three. 21 Again promises to be a really entertaining and energetic exploration of the expanding gulf across the generational divide – we’re excited to see how our brave mums and daughters navigate their unique experience. With Britain’s Youngest Football Boss we’re thrilled to be bringing the highs and lows of the Women’s Super League to a BBC Three audience through the exploits of West Ham United women’s team and their impossibly young new Managing Director. Both series promise to have real heart and warmth and we’re keen to find more ideas that can strike this tone for the channel.”

For more on BBC Three, see our guide to what’s coming soon to the online channel.

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