Studio71 Lands Trio of BBC Commissions

The BBC has commissioned a trio of female-led factual series from Studio71, a Red Arrow Studios company, all of which will explore contemporary themes such as fashion, sustainability, body positivity and sexuality.

Sex in Seconds, Fashion Conscious and Period Dramas feature a variety of rising U.K.-based talent and will speak directly to a core audience of 18- to 30-year-olds. They are being developed and produced by Studio71’s U.K. arm for BBC digital platforms, including iPlayer, YouTube and social.

All three series will broadcast during early 2019. Sex in Seconds, the first to be launched of the trio, premieres today, Tuesday, February 12, and will run every subsequent Tuesday.

Sex in Seconds provides sexual health advice in a bid to remove the stigmas around sex for young people. Hosted by Florence Barkway and Reed Amber, who are better known as sex-positive YouTube duo Come Curious, the show features a cast of young people who bring their own attitudes and experiences to the table and encourages young people to engage in informed dialogue about sex.

Fashion Conscious is a six-episode short-form series hosted by actor, presenter, model and internet personality Grace Mandeville. The show will explore the fashion industry’s sustainability problem and investigate topics such as future materials, transparency and microplastics in clothing, providing viewers with advice and consumer alternatives along the way.

Featuring a cast of 12 U.K.-based female comedians—including Kemah Bob, Sarah Keyworth, Maisie Adam and Rosie Jones—Period Dramas is a six-part series that seeks to break the taboo of women talking about their periods by featuring unfiltered stories of women openly talking about menstruation.

Studio71 U.K. Creative Director Jodi Smith said: “We’re thrilled to be making three distinctive series for the BBC, all united in how they talk to a young audience. We’ve leant on our experience of working with new and digital talent to produce series that aim to resolve challenges through storytelling and discussion—that begins in the shows and will continue in people’s lives.”

Daisy Griffith, digital commissioner of BBC Factual, added: “It’s been great working with Studio 71 and making the most of their expertise in creating content for younger audiences—they really understand the topics and talent that appeal to this demographic, as well as the pace and style of the content.”