The news comes ahead of the pilot (available on Tuesday 2nd March) and is part of BBC Comedy's commitment to bringing new voices to BBC Three.
PRU is a comedy - written by Alex Tenenbaum and Nathaniel Stevens - about a group of teens navigating the pitfalls of adolescence in a Pupil Referral Unit, a school for excluded kids, told through the eyes of four gloriously reckless young people who can’t help but say the unsayable and do the undoable.
Halil, Hanna, Jaeden and Belle - played by Jaye Ersavas, Kosar Ali, Michael ‘MBbants’ Boahen and Pia Somersby - are four very different 15 year-olds, with one thing in common. They’ve all been perm’d.
Now, teetering on the edge of the education system, they’re negotiating Year 10 together at their local PRU.
In the pilot episode, they constantly come unstuck, seemingly determined to make the wrong call at every turn, wreaking havoc on teachers and each other’s feelings as they go.
Why can’t Jaeden ever turn up for school? Why is Belle kicking bins down the corridor? And what has Halil done to annoy Hanna so much that she wants to dash a chair in his face?
Amidst all this chaos, will long-suffering behaviour manager Anthony ever get to eat his lamb stew and jollof rice?
PRU’s authenticity comes from the writers’ and directors’ experience of working closely with young people in PRUs across London, over a period of years. In addition, the BBC funded 17 off-screen trainee placements on the pilot and is committed to funding trainees on the series as well.
The series also stars Kerry Godliman, Umit Ulgen and Tom Moutchi.
Director, Teddy Nygh said "We are incredibly proud of what we have created together with the writers, the young team at Fully Focused, our amazing cast and the whole process from Insta Live castings to our phenomenal crew, who worked so hard to create the show during the pandemic."
"To now get the series commissioned we are over the moon and can't wait to raise the bar again whilst ensuring the authenticity and humanity of our leading characters shine through. All the while delivering the realness we always do, with bundles of laughter at the forefront!"
And Executive Producer Nick Bedu added "All the team at Fully Focused are crazy excited to see PRU hit your screens in its very own series commission! We'd like to send special thanks to Fiona Campbell at BBC Three and Shane Allen and Emily Allen at BBC Comedy for seeing the potential in what we have created."
"We've assembled an amazing cast of young, on-fire talent & established comedic brilliance, who have absolutely smashed it in bringing the idea to life. We want the characters to jump from the classrooms and into your hearts, bringing with them a belly full of laughs along the way!"
The four-part series is part of a mix of new comedy commissions from upcoming writers and talent for BBC Three.
Other commissions include; Zen School of Motoring, a six-part timely, meditative take on the world from the mysterious Ogmios, a strong new comic voice with affectionate humour and unique worldview and 20 Laugh Lessons from four production companies from across the UK as a result of the collaboration with the BBC Comedy Association.
PRU will air on BBC Three