Commissioning opportunity: BBC YouTube deepwatch channel

We are launching deepwatch - a YouTube-first documentary channel aimed at engaging 16-24 year-olds (male skewing) across the UK. We are inviting production companies with a substantive base in Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales or the English regions to pitch standalone documentary ideas for the channel.

We are looking for ideas that open up worlds, immersing audiences in the communities and systems that define modern young adulthood in Britain, and telling those stories with clarity, honesty and depth.

The opportunity

We are commissioning a total of 20 standalone documentaries and aim to commission five films from each of the four Nations (Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and the English regions).

Each documentary will be a minimum of 25 minutes in length and be produced and delivered for a tariff of £50,000.

Each film should be built around a strong presenter, creator or central figure.

We are not looking for traditional TV production timelines or large-scale execution. Ideas must be able to be produced and delivered within a three-month window, so we are looking for contained access and a clear narrative approach. Projects that require extended access, complex legal negotiation or heavy archive use are therefore unlikely to be suitable.

Production should prioritise YouTube-native pacing, editorial clarity and strong platform-focused storytelling. Small teams and simple setups are expected.

The editorial ask

All deepwatch films should feel like a backstage pass into a hidden or under-explored world, told through one person’s experience.

We are particularly interested in how this content can speak to 16-24 men, offering an opportunity to engage this audience with content that reflects their realities, builds trust, and supports a deeper understanding of the worlds they are navigating.

While some stories may explore challenging or hidden worlds, we are looking to reflect the full breadth of experiences that shape young adulthood in the UK today. The overall tone of ideas should not feel uniformly dark - lighter moments are as important for the channel.

We are seeking:

Human-first storytelling

The presenter/creator or central figure will be critical to the story. We are looking for individuals who feel authentic to 16-24 audiences - ideally with a proven following among young UK audiences - but who are placed in situations that stretch or challenge them.

We are looking for a familiar voice in unfamiliar territory. Someone who is curious, open and willing to be challenged by what they encounter. The audience should feel like they are discovering the story alongside them.

This is not about using creators to repeat what they already do, nor about traditional BBC reporters delivering to camera.

Access-led topics

We are looking for ideas across three key areas:

1. Access and underworlds

Stories that take viewers inside hidden systems, online cultures and misunderstood worlds that are shaping young lives in Britain today.

This could include digital economies such as AI scams, bot farms or influencer pipelines, online subcultures such as streamer rivalries, looksmaxxing or emerging identity movements, or contemporary crime and grey economies told responsibly through first-hand testimony and access.

We are also interested in UK-specific internet controversies, modern myths or rabbit-hole investigations that reveal how online worlds intersect with real life.

2. Systems and power

Stories that unpack and interrogate the systems shaping young people’s lives in the UK today.

This could include housing exploitation and ‘uni slumlords’, youth unemployment, cost-of-living pressures, digital dependency, or the growing influence of online gambling and betting.

These films should prioritise real voices and lived experience, helping young audiences feel accurately represented and understood, while offering clarity on how these systems actually operate.

3. Coming-of-age/navigating adulthood

Immersive storytelling that captures how young people are navigating early adulthood in the UK.

This may involve spending time inside specific environments, communities or working lives - from unusual or underrepresented jobs to the everyday realities of building a life today.

Ideas might include stepping into someone’s world for a defined period, shadowing emerging lifestyles or opportunities, or exploring identity and aspiration in a digitally influenced culture.

These films should feel human, observational and rooted in real experience, showing the breadth of young lives across the UK.

Eligibility criteria

To qualify, companies will need to have an existing substantive base, as per the Ofcom definition (pdf), in any of the Nations or English regions outside London.

They will also need to demonstrate experience producing digital-first content for younger audiences, including understanding of the YouTube platform and production.

Application process

The deadline for applications is 12pm (noon) on Thursday 7 May 2026.

The BBC is committed to accessibility and inclusion. If you require reasonable adjustments or support throughout the application process, please let us know and we will work with you to accommodate your access requirements.

Please submit your proposal via the BBC PiCoS ‘Digital Area’.

If you do not already have a BBC PiCoS account, please email us outlining how your experience meets our eligibility criteria above to be granted access.

The proposal should outline the following information, entered into the appropriate field on PiCoS as below:

Eligibility field:

• Relevant previous work: Examples of previous work that demonstrate experience in digital, social or YouTube-native storytelling.
• Links to your website and contact details that demonstrate how you meet our criteria above.

Proposal title field:

• Prospective YouTube title for the idea: A platform-native title(s) written for YouTube, with emotional clarity and a compelling human angle - for example using first-person framing, demonstrating stakes or curiosity where appropriate, and avoiding ‘traditional TV’ descriptive titling. Note, additional suggested titles can be added to the full proposal field.

Short proposal field:

• Repeat your title for the YouTube idea here.

Full proposal field:

• Storyline for the documentary: A clear outline of the documentary, in 500 to 1,000 words maximum, setting out the central story and how its structure, pacing and narrative engine will work for young audiences whose expectations have been shaped by YouTube storytelling.
• Production timelines: Including clear plan to collaborate with digital specialists or creators to bring that expertise into delivery.
• Presenter/creator/central figure: The proposed presenter, creator or central figure, with an explanation of why they are right for both the story and a 16-24 year-old YouTube audience.

Contributor field:

• Production staff, where applicable (optional)

Additional Information field:

• Prospective YouTube thumbnail: A concept for the video’s bespoke, YouTube-native thumbnail that complements the title with its own visual hook rather than simply copying the title. Can be hand-drawn. Please upload as a pdf.

We will commission a range of ideas submitted based on the creative idea and the producer’s ability to deliver the programme.

Commissioning and delivery schedule

• Deadline for initial applications: 12pm (noon) 7 May 2026
• Successful companies notified: w/c 1 June 2026
• Delivery by: w/c 31 August 2026

Terms

Ideas must be able to be produced and delivered within three-months from green light.

All content produced might also be published across iPlayer, and must align with BBC standard commissioning and delivery requirements.

• The commission will be contracted on the BBC’s digital terms.
• Submissions from supplier partnerships are welcome. In the case of a partnership, one supplier must be designated as the lead partner.
• The BBC reserves the right at any time prior to commissioning, and without incurring any liability to the affected suppliers, to accept or reject any proposal, or to annul the process, rejecting all proposals, without incurring any liability to any of the affected parties.
• All costs incurred directly or indirectly in responding to this brief will be borne solely by the producers.
• Proposals must remain open for acceptance for 180 days from the award.
• The offering of inducement of any kind in relation to obtaining this or any other contract with the BBC will automatically disqualify a producer and may constitute a criminal offence.
• The producer warrants that the concepts and ideas submitted as part of the proposal (in whole or in part) do not infringe any third parties’ rights and agrees to indemnify the BBC against any and all claims resulting from the use of these concepts and ideas.
• The BBC reserves the right to perform any appropriate due diligence (including but not limited to health and safety assessments and/or or financial due diligence) at any stage of this commissioning process prior to the award of a final contract. The producer will provide all assistance required in order to achieve this.