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Danny Cohen, Controller of ´óÏó´«Ã½ Three, announces three exciting new, original commissions for the channel, from entertainment, comedy and drama.

The channel continues its history of showcasing a host of rising on and off-screen talent, in the new series of Russell Howard's Good News from entertainment, Mouth To Mouth from comedy, and Lip Service from drama.

Russell Howard, one of this year's most celebrated comedians on the UK's comedy circuit, comes to the channel with his own 9 x 30-minute weekly series.

Russell will offer his unique perspective on the big stories dominating all of our news outlets, from online and print to broadcast, as well as picking up on those sometimes overlooked things that make him smile.

The series, which is set to air this autumn, will be filmed in front of a live studio audience and comprises a seven-week run, followed by a best-of and a Christmas special.

Following the critically acclaimed one-off special, comedy-drama Mouth To Mouth returns for a six-part series later this year.

Penned by talented newcomer Karl Minns, the series of interwoven monologues is set in contemporary Britain, and deals with the complicated and sometimes funny issues of personal identity, following the year-in-the-life story of six young people.

Returning cast include: Anna Nightingale (Snowdon And Margaret: Inside A Royal Marriage), Ayesha Antoine (Holby City), Pippa Duffy (KateModern), along with new cast members, Alex Price (Being Human), Shane Zaza and Simon Coombs.

Continuing to support original UK drama, ´óÏó´«Ã½ Three has commissioned Lip Service, a 6 x 60-minute drama series about the sex lives and love affairs of twenty-something lesbians living in contemporary Glasgow.

The soon-to-be-cast series has been created and written by Harriet Braun (Mistresses series one, and co-creator Attachments) and will film later this autumn in Glasgow.

Harriet says of the series: "Based on my own experiences and those of my friends, I wanted to write a sexy, funny and irreverent drama that reflects what it is to be a young gay woman living in Britain today.

"I loved The L Word but it's high time we saw some contemporary British lesbians, with all the bad weather, trips to the pub and repressed emotions that go with that. It will be as funny as it is pathos filled, because in my experience that's how life is."

Danny Cohen said of the commissions: "´óÏó´«Ã½ Three remains utterly focused on its commitment to young British performers, writers and actors. Russell is a huge talent who already has a great following and it's exciting to be trying something new with him.

"The one-off special of Mouth To Mouth struck a chord with audiences and critics alike. It's a beautifully written piece, and an opportunity to bring some monologues to the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Three audience.

"Harriet Braun's Lip Service offers a fresh new twist on relationships through its exploration of what it means to be a young gay woman in Britain today. I'm very proud to be showcasing these programmes on the channel."

Notes to Editors

Production credits:

Russell Howard's Good News: the producer is Mark Iddon (Mouth To Mouth), series producer is Robyn O'Brien (Al Murray's Happy Hour and Big Brother's Big Mouth) and the director Peter Orton (Harry Hill's TV Burp and Al Murray's Happy Hour). The executive producers for Avalon are Jon Thoday, Richard Allen-Turner, James Taylor and for the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Karl Warner. The series was commissioned from Avalon by Danny Cohen and Karl Warner.

Mouth To Mouth: the series is written by Karl Minns, produced by Mark Iddon (Russell Howard's Good News) and directed by Craig Young (The Real Apprentice). Commissioned from Avalon by Danny Cohen and Simon Wilson, the executive producers are Jon Thoday, Richard Allen-Turner, James Taylor for Avalon and the ´óÏó´«Ã½'s Simon Wilson.

Lip Service: a Kudos Film and Television production for ´óÏó´«Ã½ Scotland, the producer is Polly Williams (Hotel Babylon series two, Holby City), the executive producer for Kudos is Derek Wax (Occupation, Flesh And Blood, Sex Traffic) and Matthew Read (Fiona's Story, Wallander) for ´óÏó´«Ã½ Scotland. The series was commissioned by Ben Stephenson and Danny Cohen.

CP

Information for viewers

More content about Russell Howard's Good News and Lip Service will be published, as transmission approaches, on these page: