David Farnor | On 07, Aug 2020

PRU, a brand new comedy from Fully Focused, has been commissioned as a Comedy Slice for BBC Three.

PRU is a comedy about a group of teens struggling to navigate adolescence in a Pupil Referral Unit, a school for excluded children. It aims to capture authentically the unpredictable nature of PRU life, a world seldom seen by the public. It will be told through the eyes of four complex kids who say the unsayable and do the undoable.

The four teen leads will be found through an open casting process, which began this week with Fully Focused putting out an online call for talent on its social pages.

Fully Focused is a youth-led production company at the forefront of online content creation. It is committed to centring underrepresented young voices in their work and the entire team behind PRU, from the writers (Alex Tenenbaum and Nathaniel Stevens) to the director (Teddy Nygh) have extensive experience of working with a wide range of young people, including in Pupil Referral Units, giving PRU unrivalled authenticity.

Shane Allen, Controller Comedy Commissioning at the BBC, says: “This script crackles with terrific dialogue from sharply drawn characters in a world we haven’t seen before in sitcomworld – all imbued with truth, heart and hilarity. Fully Focused bring their ethos and emphasis on authenticity and representation of young voices both on and off camera and we’re excited to go on this journey with them.”

Fiona Campbell, Controller BBC Three, says: “We’re hugely passionate about investing in young people at BBC Three, giving a platform to new stories and voices. We’re looking forward to working with Fully Focused on this sharp and authentic script.”

PRU was written and created by Alex Tenenbaum and Nathaniel Stevens and will be directed by Teddy Nygh. The Executive Producers for Fully Focused are Teddy Nygh, Leah Henry and Nick Bedu.

Now in their eighth year, Comedy Slices on BBC Three are a vital place to develop the next generation of on and off-screen British comedy talent. Many Slices have become successful series including Jerk, Ladhood, People Just Do Nothing, Tash & Ellie, In My Skin and Enterprice.

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