The BBC’s new rolling commissioning brief is live, offering up to £50,000 per documentary and a real route in for regional filmmakers.
The BBC has opened a new commissioning route, and this one doesn’t run through the usual network channels. In partnership with YouTube, the corporation is now inviting original documentary pitches for ‘deepwatch’, its YouTube-first documentary channel aimed at 16-24 year olds. Successful films will also be released on BBC iPlayer.
For filmmakers who may have found it hard to get a foot in the door with traditional broadcast commissioning routes, this is well worth a look – and the BBC has explicitly stated it wants to hear from producers and filmmakers outside of London – Devon-based filmmakers, that means you!
What’s on offer?
The brief, published by the BBC in August 2026, sets out the terms:
- £50,000 indicative fee per documentary
- 25 minutes minimum running time
- Roughly three months from commission to delivery
- Content built specifically for BBC’s deepwatch channel on YouTube – not repurposed TV, companion content, or promotional extensions of existing programmes – successful films will also feature on BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds
- A rolling, standing brief, rather than a single time-limited call – so there’s no hard deadline to panic about, but also less reason to sit on an idea – get it pitched!
The commission is part of a wider shift in broadcasting routes and viewing habits – back in January 2026, the BBC agreed its first ever content partnership with YouTube, and deepwatch is the first of the big opportunities for independent producers and filmmakers to come from this.
What BBC deepwatch is looking for
‘deepwatch’ is the BBC’s YouTube-first documentary channel aimed at 16-24 year olds, exploring the people, communities and stories shaping the UK.
The BBC are specifically looking for stories around to the following themes:
- Online culture and the digital worlds that make up the everyday lives of 16–24 year-olds: e.g. gaming, streaming, emerging subcultures, creator culture and viral/topical online stories
- Hidden systems and underworlds: deep dives into obscure worlds, networks, economies and power structures operating beneath young people’s everyday lives, with hard-to-believe stories spanning hidden online activity, crime and exploitation
- Coming of age: stories about the foundational issues and experiences shaping the lives of young adults in the UK
The strongest ideas and pitches should have a clear reason why 16 – 24 year-olds would choose to watch and feature stories, contributors or creators with genuine relevance to their lives and interests.
They should offer revealing access to people, places or communities viewers couldn’t normally reach and show the story through strong visual evidence and lived experience, covering subjects young audiences already care about.
A fantastic opportunity for Devon-based filmmakers
Producers based outside London – across Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and the England – are being explicitly invited to submit, provided they have relevant digital production experience.
Devon has no shortage of fascinating stories that fit the documentary brief – coastal and rural youth experience, living in a tourist economy, identity and belonging outside the big cities. For local filmmakers and creators who’ve been building a reel and looking for a way into network-level commissioning, this is a brilliant direct route.
How to apply
Full details and the submission process are available on the BBC’s commissioning site, where you can also find some useful tips and insights into developing content for this channel. And if you submit anything, let Film Devon know – we’d love to share your story on how it goes.
Follow @filmdevonuk on Instagram for more Devon film industry news, production opportunities and crew updates.
