BBC Studios Digital Brands is expanding its original programming slate with new creator-led and digital-first formats spanning entertainment, travel, automotive, technology and family content.
The slate includes video podcast The Girls Are Talking, travel series Scran & Scramble: An American in Scotland, two new Top Gear YouTube channels and recently launched family format The Rewinderz.
Commissioned by digital director for content Chris Allen and group digital director for portfolio Madi Woodstock, the projects form part of BBC Studios Digital Brands’ strategy to develop content around specific audience interests and communities.
Jasmine Dawson, SVP digital at BBC Studios (pictured), said: “Our starting point is always the audience. On digital platforms, people increasingly come together around the things they’re passionate about, and that gives us an opportunity to think differently about how we develop content. We can build new formats around those communities, bring creators with genuine credibility into established brands and create entirely new IP.”
She added: “For advertisers, those same communities are incredibly valuable. This slate gives brands more opportunities to align with premium content that audiences are actively choosing to watch and engage with, whether that’s entertainment, automotive and technology, travel or family.”
Leading the slate is The Girls Are Talking, a weekly video podcast featuring singer Keisha Buchanan, singer-songwriter Kamille, creator and author Tara Thorpe, radio presenter Issra Wiheba and comedian Sharifa Butterfly.
The 30 x 60-minute series will feature conversations about subjects including fame, money, relationships, womanhood, resilience and identity. It will launch on YouTube and be distributed through podcast platforms from autumn 2026.
Developed by Shukri Dirie and Hannah Wesson, The Girls Are Talking is a BBC Studios Audio production, produced by Leanne Alie.
Also launching this autumn is Scran & Scramble: An American in Scotland, a five-part creator-led travel series for BBC Studios’ The Travel Edit YouTube channel. The series follows American creator Kobie, known online as @Kjordy, as he explores Scotland with Scottish creator Bryan Millar Walker. Combining humour and travel storytelling, it will visit scenery and destinations beyond the country’s established tourist stereotypes. The 5 x 22-minute series was developed by Chris Ambrose and is produced by Aurora Media Worldwide.
BBC Studios is also extending Top Gear’s digital presence with two dedicated YouTube channels.
Top Gear Tech, launching in September, will cover subjects including electric vehicles, robots, gadgets and emerging technologies. Hosted by presenter, journalist and creator Jack Scarlett, the channel will initially release fortnightly 20-minute features, supported by short-form content across Top Gear’s other digital platforms.
It will be followed in October by Top Gear Challenges, an entertainment-led channel featuring automotive stunts, challenges and creator collaborations. Hosted by Top Gear editor-in-chief Jack Rix, the channel will release monthly films running between 30 and 60 minutes. Planned ideas include testing whether a supercar can outrun a golf ball and whether a full-size LEGO car can be driven in the real world.
The channels build on existing digital formats First Looks and First Drives. BBC Studios said First Looks generated 19 million views and 1.5 million watch hours during 2025, while First Drives delivered 21 million views and 1.8 million watch hours.
Completing the slate is The Rewinderz, a music-led family format that has launched on the Bopple Junior YouTube channel. Hosted by children’s educator MC Grammar, dancer Starr Kiely and comedian Watson D. Hirschfield, the series follows a time-travelling crew visiting periods including Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, the Ice Age and the Golden Age of Piracy.
The 10 x 4-minute format combines original music, dance, games and storytelling and is aimed at children aged four to eight and their families. It will also receive support from the BBC Learning Hub in the US as it seeks to reach classrooms, after-school clubs and home-learning environments.
The Rewinderz was developed by Hannah Wesson and John Knowles and produced by Strawberry Blond, with CGI, visual effects and animation supplied by The Berry.
