The digital youth channel, which replaces BBC Choice, was the last of the BBC's digital services to be approved. The plans finally went through in September after a long battle with the government, which felt that the BBC's original plans were not distinctive enough from rivals.
The broadcaster reworked its proposals, placing more emphasis on news and current affairs in order to prove that licence-fee money wasn't being used on a service that was already being offered by the commercial sector.
Stuart Murphy, controller of BBC Three, said: "BBC Three will be packed full of modern, radical, imaginative and funny British shows. In every programme, whether it is science, arts, comedy, current affairs, drama, news, documentaries or animation, it will be BBC Three's job to raise the creative game and to be constantly surprising and stimulating."
Among the current affairs programming BBC Three will show is a strand called 'The Third Degree', which features a mix of story-led documentary investigations and analysis.
Another programme, 'Jailed by the State', follows journalist David Akinsanya return to the scene of a crime that saw him end up in borstal. He also attempts to track down his former gang members to find out whether prison helped them get back on the straight and narrow or had the opposite effect.
The BBC has highlighted its commitment to original drama by commissioning a number of original series by new writers.
One is 'Burn It', by first-time screenwriter Matt Greenlagh. It is about three Manchester men who discover upon hitting the age of 30 that there might be more to life than just their mates.
Comedy will be provided by shows such as '3 Non Blondes', which has a black female line-up and features incidents filmed by a hidden camera and stunts performed by the show's stars Tameka Empson, Jocelyn Jee Esien and Ninia Benjamin.
'Trigger Happy TV' star Dom Joly will front his own show, called 'This is Dom Joly', which will include guests and an in-depth look at the Joly household through Dom's intimate video diary.
As reported previously, the channel will also run 60-second news bulletins on the hour every hour, as well as a 15-minute news show at 7.45pm.
Other presenters, including Johnny Vaughan and 'The Fast Show' character Swiss Toni, will also have their own chat shows.
"In its tone, its creative approach and its personality, BBC Three carries the BBC's risk gene. At times, it will chime with a wider audience, and at other times it may surprise or shock. But it would be even more of a risk not to give young adults a strong and distinctive public service channel," Jana Bennett, BBC director of television, said.
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