After being absent from our television screens for over five years, the widely popular channel BBC Three is set to make its long-anticipated return on Tuesday, February 1 as fully-fledged source of "multi-genre" entertainment.
The youth-concentrated platform, which was first introduced in 2003, moved wholly online 13 years later, however last year Ofcom approved the channel's return to mainstream viewing, claiming that this would help the beeb reach more youthful viewers outside London, and also that 75% of its output must be original programming.
Now, with it officially returning, we take a look back at the shows which were originally homed on the channel, and which stars of them have seen their on-screen careers take off since their respective premieres.
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David Walliams and Matt Lucas (Little Britain)
This troublesome twosome seem to have been wreaking havoc across British television on a regular basis for an eternity, but it turns out that amongst the huge highs of their respective careers, the sketch comedy series Little Britain that they co-created back in 2003 was their biggest commercial success.
And would it surprise you to learn that the show initially found its feet on BBC Three before moving to the more mainstream BBC One?
The duo had been acquaintances for years prior to this, it was Little Britain however, that saw their grotesque caricature comedy, which comprised of exaggerated parodies of British people from various walks of life, take off on a nationally recognised level. Soon enough, the iconic characters of the 'only gay in the village' Daffyd Thomas, harsh Weight Watchers rep Marjorie Dawes, and Bristolean 'chav', Vicky Pollard.
They later faced backlash for their use of blackface and portrayal of other races in both Little Britain and their mockumentary Come Fly With Me, leading them both to apologise. Despite the controversy, and having not worked together in a professional capacity for a number of years, both of their respective careers appear to have gone from strength to strength.
Walliams began appearing as a judge on ITV's Britain's Got Talent in 2012 for which he was later awarded three National Television Awards for his judging (he also become the official host of this awards ceremony in 2020).
He has consistently dabbled in the world of acting since departing from Little Britain, appearing in the BBC sitcom Big School alongside a range of other British comedy legends, as well as the Agatha Christie ITV adaptation of Partners in Crime and as the mole-like creative Gibbis in Doctor Who. He is now most widely recognised for his written work, specifically children's novels, examples being Gangsta Granny and The Boy in the Dress.
Lucas turned much of his attention to radio following his Little Britain stint, hosting his own show And The Winner Is, whilst also dabbling in the film industry, having landed small roles in Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland, the CGI film Gnomeo and Juliet and in the romcom Bridesmaids.
He has also starred in numerous stage productions, including Les Miserables, Prick Up Your Ears and Me and My Girl and like Walliams, he featured as an alien in Doctor Who. More recently, he landed the role of co-host of The Great British Bake Off alongside fellow BBC Three alumni Noel Fielding.
Noel Fielding and Julian Barratt (The Mighty Boosh)
British comedy fans will already be well aware that Matt Lucas' hilarious punk-rocker Bake Off sidekick Noel Fielding first found his feet when in 2004, his and Julian Barratt's stage and radio production of The Mighty Boosh was commissioned for television.
Following an extremely successful pilot episode, the bizarre, nonsensical comedy series, which followed the exploits of beer and music loving best friends Howard Moon (Barratt) and Vince Noir (Fielding), who jointly manage a trendy boutique that Howard and Vince jointly manage, spanned a total of 20 television episodes until 2007.
Since then, Fielding - known for his dark and surreal comical style - has embarked on numerous stand-up tours and also appeared as a guest on various panel/game shows including as a Team Caption on Never Mind the Buzzcocks, as well as on Big Fat Quiz of the Year, Taskmaster and QI. He's appeared in numerous music videos, most notably for rock band Kasabian, featured on several radio shows, has even crafted some of his own art exhibitions. In 2017, he was revealed to be the upcoming co-host of the Bake Off with Sandi Toksvig, who was later replaced by Matt Lucas in 2020.
Barratt, who composed all of the music for The Mighty Boosh, then had parts in other dramas following its conclusion often alongside Fielding such as Nathan Barley, Asylum and How Not to Live Your Life. In 2012, he appeared in the Sky miniseries Treasure Island before starring in the Channel 4 dark comedy Flowers. Unlike his comedy partner, he prefers not to appear as a guest on comedy quiz shows, telling The Independent that he would rather "stay at home with a good book".
James Corden and Ruth Jones (Gavin & Stacey)
Essex and Wales collided in 2007 when Gavin Shipman and Stacey West fell in love after meeting online, bringing their friends, family and baggage with them. The slow-burn hit that became one of the nation's most widely-adored sitcoms was first commissioned for BBC Three, comprising of three series totalling 20 episodes. Written by two of the leading stars of the show, James Corden and Ruth Jones, the show certainly launched the careers of many of the actors involved.
Prior to his critically-acclaimed success on/for the show, Corden had only featured in the world of television on a handful of occasions. Between 2000 to 2005, he starred on the sitcom Fat Friends, during which he met Welsh actress and comedian, Jones, who herself had only taken numerous minor on-screen roles in shows such as Little Britain, Nighty Night'and East is East. Their creation Gavin & Stacey, which they jointly starred in as leads Nessa Jenkins and Smithy, quickly became a nationwide hit, bagging a multitude of awards at various ceremonies.
James Corden is now one of the world's most well-known TV presenters, hosting The Late Late Show in the U.S. He's also been the face of numerous award ceremonies and has since featured in a huge range of blockbuster movies including Cats, Into the Woods, Peter Rabbit and The Prom, for which he received his first Golden Globe nomination.
Ruth Jones has since starred in a handful of television period dramas, including Tess of the d'Urbervilles and Little Dorrit, before creating her own production company called Tidy Productions, after one of Nessa's most popular catchphrases. Her team worked on the comedy-drama series Stella, in which she starred in the lead role, and she has also dipped her toe in the world of theatre before being awarded an MBE in 2014 for her services to entertainment.
Sheridan Smith, Will Mellor, Natalie Casey, Ralf Little, Katheryn Drysdale (Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps)
Despite first airing on BBC Two back in 2011, the gritty beer-fuelled sitcom Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps moved across the BBC Three when it achieved widespread success, boosting a number of its leading lads and ladies into the limelight.
Starring Will Mellor, Natalie Casey, Sheridan Smith, Ralf Little, Katheryn Drysdale and Luke Gell the series centres on the lives of a group of friends living in Runcorn, attempting to navigate their way through adulthood.
Being that you've probably heard of the majority of these individuals, it's safe to say that following their appearance on the show, their respective careers certainly soared. Mellor, who starred as stereotypical "blokey bloke" Gaz Wilkinson, has since appeared in similar BBC Three comedy White Van Man before landing a roles in Waterloo Road as well as both EastEnders and Coronation Street.
Casey, who played Gaz's quick-tempered partner Donna Henshaw, later went on to star in numerous impressive stage productions, including as Serena Katz in Fame, Julia in The Wedding Singer and most recently Ado Annie in Oklahoma. She's also the voice of romance show Dinner Date.
Sheridan Smith, arguably the most successful of the Two Pints... gang, has starred in a vast amount of both on-screen and on-stage productions since she first played homely girl Janet Keogh, who famously loved Vimto, cigs, Corrie and rich tea biscuits, back in 2001. She later starred in Fat Friends alongside Corden and Jones, who later gave her a part in Gavin & Stacey, as well as sitcoms Eyes Down, Love Soup, Grownups and Benidorm.
Smith has also taken on a series of more serious roles, including as Cilla Black in an ITV miniseries and crime dramas like The Moorside and Clearing Up. In recent months, she has also taken on leading roles in true crime drama Four Lives as well as brand new Channel 5 series, The Teacher. Smith has also taken the West End by storm, starring in over 10 jaw-dropping productions and even has two albums under her belt.
Little, who played Janet's devoted daytime TV-loving husband Jonny, has since starred as DI Neville Parker in lighthearted crime-drama series Death in Paradise and has also been the voice of Channel 5's The Yorkshire Farm as of 2020. He still plays semi-professional football on the side.
Katheryn Drysdale, who starred as unlucky-in-love adoptee Louise Brookes, has also continued with acting following her BBC Three stint, having landed roles in blockbusters such as Vanity Fair and St. Trinians. She's also adopted minor parts in popular series such as Doctor Who, The Windsors, Plebs and more recently, the Netflix period drama, Bridgerton.
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