In a similar move to what they did a couple of years back, which gave us Being Human, BBC Three are producing 3 new pilots and giving one a full series at the end of it.
Unlike the pilot season a few years ago, where most of them sounded like they had potential, I think Pulse is the only one that sounds worthwhile. I'll probably give the others a chance, but Stanley Park just sounds like they saw Skins and thought "we can do something like that" and Dappers just sounds pointless.
At least there's series 2 of Being Human.
Dappers
Delivering a cheerful poke in the eye to all the "single mums/council-flats/failing Britain" headlines, welcome to the world of Dappers.
This one-off 30-minute Bristol-based comedy-drama is written by Catherine Johnson, best known for Mamma Mia, the hit musical that went on to be the highest grossing UK film of all time.
Faye and Ashley are young mothers and best mates – "dappers" in their native Bristolian – who live in housing-association flats in well-to-do Clifton. A pair of sparky chancers, they are devoted to their toddler daughters and fiercely loyal to each other. When not being ferociously competitive, they have high hopes of a better life and will stop at very little to achieve this – from Doggy Day Care to opening a pop-up restaurant.
"They're Del Boy and Rodders in a thong," says Faye's ex, a smooth hunk called Marco. Ashley's boyfriend is cheeky bad boy Ryan, half a step from a stretch. These dappers share laughs, banter and barneys with a chirpy resolve and "two fingers" to the snot-bags who've never dreamed.
Pulse
St Timothy's is one of the UK's top teaching hospitals, home to some of the country's most promising trainee doctors. But beneath its veneer of medical normality lies a secret network of dangerous experiments pushing back the boundaries of science with potentially horrifying consequences in this one-off 60-minute medical horror drama written by Paul Cornell.
Hannah Carter's mother was a consultant at the hospital, but died suddenly a year ago. Grief left Hannah (Claire Foy) teetering on the edge, but following a year off, she's back to resume her training. But Hannah remains fragile, so when she starts glimpsing peculiar events in the hospital and unsettling behaviour from her ex-boyfriend and star surgeon Nick (Stephen Campbell Moore), she's unsure what to believe.
Ignoring the pleas of those around her, Hannah puts her sanity on the line to uncover the truth about the hospital.
Stanley Park
Written by Leo Richardson and inspired by his stage play, Stanley Park is a sharply observed, character-based ensemble comedy drama pilot for BBC Three.
Set in a south London suburb, it tells the story of a group of young friends enduring the poignant, painful, hilarious and often confusing emotional upheavals during a life-changing period. All living on the same street, it’s hard to keep secrets, and it seems everyone has something they’re hiding, or hiding from.
Stanley Park looks at the desperation, aspirations and motivations of this group of young people and their families in a moving and humorous way.
Unlike the pilot season a few years ago, where most of them sounded like they had potential, I think Pulse is the only one that sounds worthwhile. I'll probably give the others a chance, but Stanley Park just sounds like they saw Skins and thought "we can do something like that" and Dappers just sounds pointless.
At least there's series 2 of Being Human.