When it was announced earlier this year that BBC Three would cease broadcasting as a channel, the media response was predictable. Some of it focused on the better end of the channels output- including documentaries such as Our War, or comedy like Him & Her- but most of it attacked its worst excesses, in the form of lifestyle programmes like Snog Marry Avoid. The thing about BBC Three is that it was an easy target. As a channel for young people, it was never going to have the critical admiration of its loftier sibling, BBC Four, and most of its critics were not equipped to understand the appeal of a bitchy supercomputer that gives fashion tips. That critical perception of the channel wasnt entirely accurate, but it did make it seem like the obvious choice to shunt online. That said, there were more than a few occasions when cancelling BBC Three seemed like a good thing. And these are they:
10. I Believe In UFOs: Danny Dyer (2010)
You can imagine why this one-off was commissioned- UFO documentaries always draw in a few million credulous souls. One of those souls being professional Cockney Danny Dyer, usually to be found making lists of Britains deadliest men. Until this one-off documentary, he had shown no interest in UFOs or aliens. Thank Gort he did, though, because this is the best worst thing BBC Three has ever broadcast. After a symbolic passing of the torch from Sir Patrick Moore, our restless cosmic pioneer heads to America (UFO capital of the world in his words) to prove his completely baseless opinions. He tries to play the hardman with various balding UFO enthusiasts (What a mad cat! he says about a man with his t-shirt tucked into his jeans), but it doesnt take much to render him slack-jawed in confusion. If you can pull off a fake alien bobbing about in blurry camcorder footage, fine, but hes equally eager to conflate a fleck of dust on a telescope lens with final proof of extra-terrestrial life. Dyers passion and willingness to accept anything at face value (So I did it. I finally saw an unidentified flyin object. he concludes after seeing some nondescript lights) turns potentially hackneyed fare into a genuine voyage of discovery. Hats off to him- not many people would be brave enough to pick up a paycheque for any old tat. I mean exposing themselves to ridicule on national television.