We’ve had a blast writing the BBC Three blog but this will be our last update as all future posts about BBC Three shows will now live on the TV blog. We’ll be continuing the conversation on our Facebook and Twitter pages, so don’t be a stranger. If you’re missing the Free Speech blogs, there’s a corker of a daily debate on their Facebook and Twitter pages where you can get involved. And worry not, you can still read all our archive posts on this page. Thanks for reading, and for all your wonderful comments – it’s been a hoot.

Unless you’ve been hiding under a body shaped rock lately, you will have noticed that this month on BBC Three is all about the Body Beautiful.

The past ten days have seen a brave bunch of body-conscious people put their life in front of the lens as they reveal all about their bodies and their bits.

From young people wanting to go under the knife, to guys wanting want to bulk up, the season has raised a lot of questions around today’s obsessive body image culture.  And in the spirit of Free Speech, for every question raised there’s a good debate to be had.

Cue the Free Speech Body Beautiful Special, live from Newcastle on Tuesday 27th November at 8pm.

Over the hour we’ll be focusing on the following big issues:

- Cosmetic surgery and its global popularity
- Obesity and its health and social consequences
- Body image issues from a man’s perspective
- The media and its role in creating the body beautiful image

Getting the debate going is a top notch panel of industry experts who all have specific knowledge around the issues being discussed. Introducing:

Rosi Prescott: Head of the YMCA and was part of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Body Image.

Venice A. Fulton: personal trainer, dietician, and author of this year’s controversial diet book Six Weeks To OMG: Get Skinnier Than All Your Friends.

Sabrina Mahfouz: a poet, playwright and feminist with a history of campaigning against Page 3.

Grace Woodward: a fashion stylist, TV presenter and reality TV judge known for her no-nonsense comments and outspoken opinions on beauty and fashion.

Of course, there’s another side to this debate: you guys. Free Speech is the only show that doesn’t just let you shout at the TV, it lets you change it. Using the Twitter controlled Power Bar you can tell the panellists exactly what you think of their points, right as they’re making them. Just use the following hashtags to say whether you AGREE (#YesName) or DISAGREE (#NoName) with them:

Rosi: #YesRosi to agree and #NoRosi to disagree
Venice: #YesVenice to agree and #NoVenice to disagree
Sabrina: #YesSabrina to agree and #NoSabrina to disagree
Grace: #YesGrace to agree and #NoGrace to disagree

It's as simple as that.

Finally, bringing your debate at home into the heart of the Free Speech zone is our Social Media Jockey Sam Naz. She’ll be injecting your points from Facebook, Twitter and this blog in to the spotlight for the panel and audience to mull over. But, you’ve got to make those points first. 

So, to kick the debate off let’s ask you all this question:

Should cosmetic surgery be banned?

Over to you...

Related links:
BBC Three’s Body Beautiful Season page

All eyes are Stateside right now as today is the U.S. Presidential Election.

It’s a two-horse race with the current Democrat President Barack Obama fighting to hold on to his position for a second term, versus the Republican candidate Mitt Romney, who is hoping to pip him to the post and move into the White House.

Honouring the biggest democratic vote in the world, Free Speech are holding a U.S. Election Special in Colchester, Essex, with a stellar panel of presidential experts to debate us through the issues of the night. Introducing:

Historian, writer, and current Labour MP for Stoke-on-Trent, Dr Tristram Hunt MP.

American journalist, author and Professor of American Literature and Public Understanding, Sarah Churchwell.

Cyclist, scientist, and serving Liberal Democrat MP for Cambridge, Julian Huppert.

American obsessive, History expert and Tea Party supporter, Dr. Tim Stanley.  
 

Controversial star of Young, Bright and on the Right, and former Oxford Uni Conservative Association chair, Joe Cooke.
 

The eagle eyed among you will have noticed five panellists instead of our usual four – meaning you’ll get even more debate to mull over for the night. Which can only be a good thing, right?

But, what will that debate consist of? Well, that’s up to you, as it’s your debate and needs your input. The four subjects up for offering this month are:

• The U.S. Presidential Elections – who will win, why, and does it really matter
• Voting – why don’t young people vote, and will giving the right to 16 and 17 year olds make any difference?
• Abortion – do men have the right to have a say in when a baby can be terminated?
• Jimmy Savile – have we lost faith in the BBC?

Something to say on any of those? Good. We thought so. ‘Cos in the last few weeks these issues have been ripped apart and put up for dissection by our hungry online audience through Facebook and Twitter. These debates have been flying around, and there’s been some pretty strong opinions on both sides of the argument so far.

For those who don’t yet know, Free Speech is more than a panel debate show. It’s a completely interactive programme that YOU control from your very own sofa through the appropriately named Power Bar. Find out how your opinions can affect the power bar.

Throughout the live debate, the fabulous Tina Daheley of Radio 1’s Newsbeat fame will be sitting in the studio reading out as many messages as she can, bringing your debate at home in to the heart of the debate in the studio.

Got that? Good. See you at 8pm tonight on BBC Three when we’ll be opening with a question on the U.S. Elections.

Free Speech is on tonight at 8pm, live on BBC Three

• BBC News - US presidential vote
• BBC News - Predict the president
•  

* Additional note on 8 Nov 2012: Due to time constraints all of the topics listed in the the blog post were not covered in this show.  

Whether you are in favour of the British immigration system or not, it affects all of our lives in many different ways. Jobs, housing, further education – all of these things are both positively and negatively impacted by the number of people coming into the UK. 

And as economic times change, attitudes towards immigrants also change, with the majority of the population stating they would like to see less immigrants coming in to the UK.

This month’s show is live from Reading, a city which has twice the number of immigrants compared to the national average. And to debate the issues surrounding immigration, we have selected a panel who we think will do the debate proud:

Alok Sharma:

Conservative MP for Reading West, Alok was born in India and moved to Reading with his family as a child. He is Vice Chairman of the Conservative party, and campaigned to allow Gurkhas to settle in the UK.

Luciana Berger:

Labour MP for Liverpool Wavertree and the Shadow Minister for Climate Change, Luciana is a Labour party high flyer who’s previously campaigned against anti-Semitism.

Michael Heaver:

Head of Online Engagement for the UK Independence Party, Michael has strong views on immigration.

Stacey Dooley:

Investigative documentary presenter for BBC Three, Stacey has reported on issues ranging from child sex trafficking to the economic instability in Greece.

As the panel get down with the debate, you can get down with the Power Bar – TV’s only Twitter controlled opinion tracker that lets YOU tell the panellists exactly what you’re thinking.

Tweet #YesName if you like what they’re saying and tweet #NoName if you don't.

The Power Bar moves in real time, meaning you no longer have to shout at the TV – now you can change it.

Here are the #hashtags you need to know:

Alok Sharma - #YesAlok  #NoAlok

Luciana Berger - #YesLuciana #NoLuciana

Michael Heaver  - #YesMichael  #NoMichael

Stacey Dooley - #YesStacey  #NoStacey

If Twitter's not your bag then get involved on Facebook where all of the questions will be debated live along with the show. Or simply leave your comments in the space below where they could be selected and read out by this month’s social media jockey. Speaking of which, all hail…

Sam Naz

Sam is heading up this month’s Free Speech social-media-sphere, bringing the online debate to the studio floor. You might know Sam from BBC Three’s 60 Seconds where she presents micro round-ups of the big issues of the world – so she’s well practiced for our micro round ups of the big issues of the debate.

She’ll be scanning the internet picking up on your points, so make sure you have your opinion heard on Twitter, Facebook or in the comments space below.

Let the debate begin...

• Free Speech is on tonight, Wednesday 3rd October, at 8pm, live on BBC Three.

• Read our BBC Three Free Speech Immigration blog

 
Have a little watch of this and see how many answers you get right:

Funny how much you think you know against what you actually know, right?
 
Cue a Free Speech Immigration Special live from Reading on Wednesday 3rd October at 8pm. But before then, cue a Free Speakers debate from three young writers, all answering this question:

Should there be a reduction in the number of immigrants entering Britain?

Alexander Donald, 19
 
Immigration has always been and still is important for Britain, bringing workers and needed skills.
 
However, I believe there should be some limit on the number of immigrants who are unskilled coming to Britain. While we will always need skilled professionals such as doctors, in the current economic situation jobs are in short supply and people already residing here should be encouraged to take up low-skilled work for experience instead of relying on immigrants to fill these roles. This, I believe, would help reduce unemployment and reintroduce a work ethic rather than relying on government aid.
 
Immigration from the E.U. also needs to be tightened as at the moment those stating they have an intent to work are entitled to national insurance and benefits and, although many do so with an intent to work, the system is open to abuse and needs to be amended.
 
Alexander is a student from Barnsley

 **

Matei Rosca, 23.

Keep those evil scroungers out – they are thieves, terrorists and polygamists with no regard whatever for the moral values this great nation holds so dear. There’s no room for them in British Society, however Big.

They are savage beasts and they should be sent back to the forests and caves they came from. They cannot help but steal, destroy and cast their wicked eye everywhere around them. It’s permanently riveted in their DNA.

London’s youth is in a deplorable state of unemployment. Why? Because foreigners take their jobs, places in universities and horizons. Upper class people know that immigrants have no souls and that’s why they keep their daughters away from them.

Surely they must have broken some laws, my goodness, why are they still at large? Indeed.

As a Romanian immigrant myself, I am incessantly tormented by what I’m doing to this beautiful land every day, and my conscience can’t handle it any more. To wit, I’m considering packing up as we speak. Or else I'll just stay in the country and continue to study, work, pay taxes, and stomp on xenophobic nerves. 
 
Matei is a Romanian citizen who is studying in Southampton and working as a freelance writer in London

**

Alex Barker, 26 
As a British citizen I value the human rights narrative that runs through our society. It allows freedom of expression, entrepreneurship, tolerance and diversity. We make room and opportunities for those who would otherwise have none in their home countries.
 
I also greatly value our generally high standard of living. In many respects, Britain protects its own interests first - through military action or trade agreements that are unfair on the world’s poorest. This ‘realist’, selfish side to Britain contributes enormously to why others seek citizenship here.
 
The immigration debate is uncomfortable because it reveals that the nation is divided by opinion on this issue. Logically, too many people will eventually weigh on our services and our economy, unless the government comes up with a miracle. To me, the question is not – ‘do I support immigration now’, but ‘what will the reality be in 30 years, if the rate does not slow down?’
 
Alex holds an MA in International Relations from King’s College London

***

They’ve kicked off the debate. YOU continue it.

Should there be a reduction in the amount of immigrants entering Britain?

Leave your thoughts in the comments below, or get involved with the debate on Facebook or Twitter and your points could be included in Wednesday's live show.

• BBC News: UK attitudes on immigration and welfare
• BBC News: Migration to UK more than double Government target
• British Social Attitudes Survey: Immigration
• Home Office: Immigration Policy

But we're not all millionaires. In fact a lot of people are in debt, and in an exclusive Free Speech survey, 40% of those 16-25 year olds we asked who are in debt admitted they are worried about it.

And that's hardly surprising considering 23% of people who took part in the survey said they think it will take more than 15 years to pay back the money they owe.

No doubt parents are worried too, as the survey showed more than a third of young people are more financially dependent on their parents than they expected to be.

We think these shocking statistics need talking about. So, tonight Free Speech will be live in Manchester to debate the issues surrounding debt, alongside the other big topics of the moment such as the booing of George Osborne at the Paralympics, the publishing of Prince Harry's naked photos, and the overhaul of the Disability Living Allowance.

Joining us tonight we have a top notch team of expert panellists:

Francesca Martinez - You may recognise Francesca from her Grange Hill or Extras days as she's an actress and comedian. She is currently touring the UK with a show that addresses what 'normality' means today.

Ben Howlett – As the National Chairman of Conservative Future, Ben works with young people who are up and coming Conservatives and encourages debate from a more youthful perspective.

John Leech – Liberal Democrat MP for Withington in Manchester, John plays for the Parliamentary Football Team (who knew) but started his career flipping burgers in McDonalds.

Shiv Malik - Nominated by the Evening Standard as one of the most influential Londoners, Shiv is an investigative journalist for The Guardian. He writes about political issues affecting young people and is known for his reporting on terrorism.

As the panel get stuck into the debate, you can let them know if you agree or disagree with their points by powering up our Twitter-activated Power Bar. It's so simple – you couldn’t make a hash (tag) of it if you tried. (Sorry...)

Tweet #YesName if you like what a panellist is saying and tweet #NoName if you don't. The Power Bar moves in real time on the show and gives a voice to those of you watching and shouting at the screen.

Here are the #hashtags you need to know:

Francesca Martinez -                  #YesFran #NoFran

Ben Howlett - #YesBen #NoBen

John Leech -                 #YesJohn #NoJohn

Shiv Malik - #YesShiv #NoShiv

If Twitter's not your bag then get involved on Facebook where all of the questions will be debated live along with the show. Or simply leave your comments in the space below.

As if these juicy topics and expert line-up weren't enough for one show, we will also be revealing our brand-tastic new set and introducing this month’s social media jockey, Tinea Taylor.

Tinea will be taking charge of the Free Speech social-media-sphere, bringing the online debate to the studio floor. Not only is she is addicted to social media, but as Rinse FM’s breakfast show presenter she is used to getting her voice heard live on a daily basis. But now she’s here to get YOUR voice heard so make sure you say your piece on Twitter or Facebook or in the comments below this blog.

Let the debate begin...

• Free Speech is on tonight, Tuesday 11th September, at 8pm, live on BBC Three.
• The poll was conducted by ComRes who telephone interviewed 500 16-25 year olds in Great Britain between 2nd and 12th July 2012. Full data tables can be found here.

'Lend us a fiver will you? I'm skint...'

It's the same old line you either hear your mates asking you, or you asking your mates, 'cos one thing is for sure – being young very often = being broke. Or does it?

With credit cards, payday loans and overdrafts being pushed on to our radars through an ever-increasing variety of adverts, credit is almost available through one tick of a box and one signing of a form. But credit does, as we all should know, lead to debt. And debt has to be paid off, interest rates and all.

Have a little watch of this to see what these guys make of debt:

So how can we know our APRs from our elbows, and how can we stop ourselves from getting into bad debt that we can't pay off? To debate some of these questions, tune in to the Free Speech Debt Special coming live from Manchester on Tuesday 11th September at 8pm on BBC Three.

To kick the debate off, we asked two Free Speakers to answer this question:

When it comes to debt and credit, does greed outweigh common sense?

Craig Chappell, 18, student from Doncaster

Greed often outweighs common sense because many of us seem to have a need to purchase lavish and unaffordable products due to intensive and often intrusive advertisements on TV, radio and in print without considering the financial impact on budgets.

The growth of the nasty, over inflated and often financially crippling yet attractive payday loan sector, now "worth" £1.7bn, and having expanded five-fold in recent years, is only testament to this.

We must begin realising that we live in 'austerity Britain' and, as such, need to cut back on purchasing what we cannot realistically afford to ensure that we live comfortably and do not struggle for vital, life preserving items such as food.

Alexander Pettitt, 20, student from Kent

Although I believe credit cards are the devil's invention, I do feel that in some instances borrowing money is a necessity. I am currently a second year University student from a fairly middle-class background. However like most other students, I would not have been able to afford a degree without the help of a student loan. I didn't take out the loan because I was greedy, but because I wanted to give myself the best opportunity for later life. I have the hope that it will aid me in securing a high paid job and allowing me to pay off the loan eventually.

Looking further ahead, I one day hope to purchase a house. The likelihood of being able to afford one without taking out a mortgage is extremely low. Again I don't feel that this makes me a greedy person, but it's something I feel I need to do to enable myself to live my life. However, I think the question of greed shouldn't be centered around taking out the loan in the first place, but actually about how you repay the loan. I, for example, would consider myself greedy if I chose to spend my wages on a new car instead of paying off my debts.

I do not believe for one minute that people should spend money that they do not have on luxury items such as flash cars and big screen TVs. Instead I'm suggesting that to get the most out of life, you may sometimes need a little helping hand... just make sure that one day you can pay it back.

***

So what do you think?

On one side there’s the temptation to slap everything on a credit card so you can look hot in your designer threads, not worrying about the consequences, as the bill won't come through for another month. Plus when you never physically see the money, but just have to type in your PIN, it must be easy to get carried away...

Or is debt an entirely sensible thing? Get yourself into debt when you're young so you can better yourself and buy the things you need in life, knowing that if you stick to the straight and narrow you'll pay it off in due course. That's not greedy, right?

These two sides of the argument are missing a vital point however – people who HAVE to get themselves into debt purely to live. If you're buying your food on a credit card and paying your bills with a loan, then which category does that fall into? Maybe into its own one - survival.

Greed, common sense, a necessity to survive are just some of the arguments about getting into debt, but where do you stand?

As always Free Speech is about YOU having YOUR say. So leave your thoughts in the comments below, or get involved with the debate on Facebook or on Twitter and your points could be included in next Tuesday's live show.

See you then.

Three weeks ago I boarded a plane to Denver to report on the Batman killings and find out what this shocking incident tells us about America’s attitude towards guns.  With 12 dead and over 50 seriously injured in the suburb of Aurora I thought I would find a city in shock and its people up in arms about the amount of guns in circulation in the country.   On the first point I was right - many were affected by the tragedy, knowing someone who was killed or injured.  On the second I was wrong. Even after the massacre, this part of America is still in love with its guns – and that’s what surprised me.

Most of the images we see of the USA over here are of the East and West coasts – New York, Hollywood, San Francisco, maybe Boston, Miami or Seattle. It’s easy to forget that there is a vast amount of America in between - often Republican, usually evangelically Christian, invariably in love with country music - and strongly pro-gun.  And Colorado belongs firmly in that tradition, as I was to learn.

On a sunny Saturday afternoon we headed off to a picturesque old mining town called Leadville, high in the Rocky Mountains to watch their annual Boom Day parade. It was a fun family day out with floats, costumes, food, dancing and music – just like you’d find at a summer fete in any number of English villages.  But I was surprised to find that the star attraction that afternoon was a gun display from a re-enactment society. As they marched down the high street shooting off round after deafening round, I was confronted by the reality that guns are very much a part of American culture and history.   As the afternoon progressed they even staged a mock shoot-out on the high street, and the watching crowds loved it.  I chatted to young people in the street afterwards and was surprised to find that most of them were strongly in favour of guns, and many owned guns themselves. In this part of the world, it’s normal – and it seemed the events of Aurora hadn’t changed it one bit.

The next day I visited the memorial to the Aurora victims. It’s on a dusty patch of ground opposite the cinema where the massacre took place.  Here, amongst the tributes, the flowers, the tears and the supportive hugs, I chatted to young people paying their respects.  I expected to find that here, of all places, they would be strongly opposed to guns and might want to make them a little less accessible, but once again I was surprised. Though many people had been directly affected by the tragedy, having lost friends or family, the feeling wasn’t as strongly anti–gun as I expected.  Yes there should be restrictions, said some, and yes, we should keep guns away from people with mental health problems, but even here quite a few still thought that gun ownership was an important part of being an American. It was a fundamental right which should be defended.

Denver is a city which has witnessed massacres before – the Columbine shootings of 1999 were only 15 miles to the South West of the city. That tragedy didn’t fundamentally change the country’s attitudes towards gun ownership, and somehow, I doubt if Aurora will do so either.    

The Batman Shootings is on Sunday 19th August at 9pm

Up for debate is Scottish Independence, so to throw some insight into the argument we sourced two of our Free Speakers who regularly contribute to our Twitter debates to answer this question:

IS INDEPENDENCE THE WAY FORWARD FOR SCOTLAND?

Alex O'Neill, 24, from Glasgow: YES

The recently departed Gore Vidal said that "the Scottish Parliament can only lead to independence”. I agree that it is the natural progression following the opening of the Scottish Parliament in 1999.

Since then, more powers have been devolved and to stop now would not only be cowardly folly, but, also disastrous for both Scotland and her partners in this Union. One cannot shove the contents of Pandora's box back in, we must empty it completely and allow Scotland to walk on her own two feet and reach her potential.

The Midlothian Question has for over three decades exposed a major crack in our union. MPs from my native Scotland can vote in matters effecting only England and Wales, but, not vice versa. An independent Scotland can finally end this bizarre scenario; allowing the remainder of the union to steer her own course, and Scotland hers.

Some of my fellow Scots suggest that Scotland is too small, too weak, too poor. I can't accept that a country that has given the world so much could be any of those things.  

It's time to move on.

Scott Edgar, 18, from Renfrewshire near Glasgow: NO

I have lived in Scotland my whole life and for me independence is not the way forward for us.  

It is inevitable that if there is a 'NO' vote in the upcoming referendum for Scottish Independence, then Scotland will be granted more powers for its devolved parliament, and I feel this is the best way forward.

A stronger Scottish parliament operating within the UK and alongside Westminster and other devolved chambers is the best set up. The idea that Scotland can’t exert great influence on the UK from within is nonsensical.  We tried the smoking ban first and it was soon adopted nationwide, and we have recently been the first to legalise gay marriage, knowing the rest of the UK will follow suit soon.

As part of the UK, Scotland enjoys great influence in the world, a fantastic welfare scheme, security and valuable business opportunities from other parts of the UK.  Why break away from this?

***

So where does that leave you? Do you think Independence is the way forward for Scotland?

That’s just one of the debates being covered tonight, with the others including Higher Education, same-sex marriage and the death penalty. To help move all of these issues forward is a top-tastic line up of panellists:

Shappi Khorsandi – an Iranian comedian with a panache for making a point about freedom of speech through her unique blend of humour.

Humza Yousaf – A Member of Scottish Parliament for the Scottish National Party, who are campaigning for Scottish Independence.

Milo Yiannopoulos – a journalist, broadcaster and outspoken gay Catholic with clear views on gay marriage.

Ruth Porter – a media, Government and financial bigwig with award-winning knowledge of Educational Policy.

But this show is not just about HEARING what these people have to say. It’s about TELLING them what you think about what they have to say, by using our twitter-tastic Power Bar. As they're talking add a #YesName to your tweet if you agree with them, or a #NoName if you don't, then watch the Power Bar change in real time on the show. So for these guys the hashtags are:

Shappi: #YesShappi or #NoShappi

Humza: #YesHumza or #NoHumza

Milo: #YesMilo or #NoMilo
 
Ruth: #YesRuth or #NoRuth

 

And as ever you can leave your comments below, or hop on to Facebook or send us a Tweet > your view could be read out live on BBC3 by Jake and Michelle. Which would be awesome. 

It’s going to be a great debate, so make sure you’re ready to get involved at 7pm tonight. See you there. 

Free Speech is on at 7pm tonight

• Read more Free Speech blogs
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• Like Free Speech on Facebook

Hummm. It's that time of year again. Results.

For thousands of young people across the UK, this week and next is crunch time as the Scottish Highers and A-Level results come out. To uni or not to uni, that is the question.

News just in is that university applicants have fallen by nearly 9% as the new academic term will see fees rise to £9,000 per year across some parts of the UK.

To debate this, we're focusing our next Free Speech on Higher Education, and will be coming live from Edinburgh on Wednesday 15th at 7pm.

Kicking the debate off, here's three young people in three different positions answering this question:

Higher Education. Is it worth it?

Craig James, 25, finished school with GCSEs and is now a successful office worker in London

Is Higher Education worth it? Only if you will use it for your career!!!

50% of jobs do not require Higher Education. This is a target by the Government to keep unemployment figures down. Too many people are going on to Higher Education for the completely wrong reasons. They are told to either carry on in Higher Education or fail in life. It's that drastic.

You should only do A-levels and a degree in something you want to do as a career. The taxpayer should not pay for your hobby! I am worried that in 10 years' time we will have a new class system: the good degrees, the bad degrees, and the no degrees.

It is also creating a false pretence that a Higher Education gives you a right to an entry level £25k job; it doesn't! And people are starting to realise that now! And what does the taxpayer get? A more educated dole queue.

Ellen Coyne, 21, Journalist Student, University of Glamorgan

It's unfortunate that so many employers in certain professions, like journalism, insist on people having a degree. It can sometimes seem like nothing more than a very expensive line on your C.V.

I would prefer if fewer students felt obliged to go to university, as an aptitude for academia is hardly ever indicative of a person's ability at their chosen profession.

However, it's hard to imagine another scenario where I'd have as much time to take on work placements, start-up projects like a student paper and focus on blogging and freelancing.

At the end of three years, the best thing on your C.V. shouldn't be your degree. If you use your time wisely and grow-up, university can be the making of you. But that's based on your work as an individual; not based on the course you're doing or grades that you get.

 

Stefan Difinizio, 16, about to start AS Levels in Bath

With the rise on university fees, young people are increasingly asking themselves if it is worth going or not. I have yet to make a decision. I have just finished my GCSEs and am starting my AS-levels, but I know I'm going to have to think long and hard about what I want to do.

I have just completed a weeks media work experience, which Free Speech helped me get after watching the show in Bristol back in May. Reflecting on that week, I have seen how successful you can be even if you didn't go to university, and the company founder was a good example of this.

However I realise that it is still important to go through education. I will probably go to university as I think it is important to have a degree, but I will also make sure I have lots of work experience to set me apart from the other people in an interview.

**

Free Speech is not just about listening to what other people have to say though. It's about YOU having YOUR say. And if you've not yet seen a live show, or got involved with the debates online, then maybe now is your time...

So hop online to Facebook, Twitter or use the comments below and tell us whether you think Higher Education is worth is.

See you on Wednesday at  7pm.

• Apply to be in the Free Speech Audience
• UCAS help page
• BBC Radio 1: The Surgery with Aled - Is University for You?
• Like Free Speech on Facebook
• Follow Free Speech on Twitter

It's an exciting time here at BBC Three right now. That's because we're now broadcasting 24 hours a day every day during the Olympic Games!

To get us in the sporting mood, we caught up with our Olympics presenters Sonali Shah and Rishi Persad ahead of the Games to find out their Gold medal predictions for the next two weeks...

Sonali says...

Britain hosting an Olympic Games is once-in-a-lifetime stuff. If that isn't enough to get you excited, then you're a tough nut to crack. But I'll keep on chipping away. Just think about it for a moment - more than 10,000 athletes from over 200 countries are about to go into battle on British soil, having sacrificed and sweated so much to become Olympians.

The athletes I've got a close eye on tend to be those I've spent some time with. I'd love to see Shanaze Reade win a BMX gold after seeing her crash out in the final in Beijing. I've also got my fingers crossed for top sailor Ben Ainslie to win a 4th straight Olympic gold. And I think we all want to see Tom Daley win a diving medal.

The sport I'm most excited about watching is triathlon. You don't need a ticket for most of the Olympic course, so it's a great chance for those who won't get to see any other sport in person to be part of the Games. Britain has never won an Olympic triathlon medal, but Team GB goes into a home Games with both of the sport's world champions in Helen Jenkins and Alistair Brownlee. I'd certainly bet on a triathlete adding to Britain's gold medal tally.

Rishi says...

When I think back to the day in 2005 that Jacques Rogge announced London would host the Olympics I realise how much life has changed. Most significantly my dad was very excited for me that there may have been an opportunity to work at the Games. Sadly he passed away two years ago and I'll miss his unique assessment of my performance during the next couple of weeks.

But that's enough reflection. We should really be looking ahead to what's coming. I've picked out a couple of events and athletes I'm hoping could be successful for Great Britain. I've steered away from some of the obvious ones such as Mo Farah, Jess Ennis and Mark Cavendish.

On Saturday, the Badminton begins at Wembley Arena and I think there's a chance of a gold medal in the mixed doubles, courtesy of Chris Adcock and Imogen Bankier. They got to the final of the World Championships at the same venue in 2011 and are getting better all the time having only joined forces two years ago.

I'll be at Greenwich Park for the final two days of Eventing where Great Britain has selected a powerful team led by world number one William Fox-Pitt and including the Queen's granddaughter Zara Phillips and the always smiling 51-year-old Mary King appearing at her sixth Olympics.

Their preparation is almost complete, mine is still continuing. There's lots of information I need to install into my tiny brain and there are lots of other little bits and pieces to do, such as sort out my clothes and I definitely need a haircut. I'll hopefully be able to chat to some of you during the Games (using the hashtag #bbcthree2012) and I hope you all enjoy it as much as we want you to!

Olympics coverage begins on BBC Three from Saturday 28 July at 8.30am. Never miss a moment of London 2012 with BBC Sport's interactive video player, where you can watch up to 24 HD live streams.

Oh dear. It's not sounding too positive for the 500 young people who took part in a poll conducted especially for Free Speech to launch tonight's live Free Speech debate on the Olympics. (Tonight, 8pm)

However, 71% agreed that the Olympics are making them feel proud to be British, and 61% admitted to even being excited about the games, so maybe it's not all doom and gloom.

To debate the issues surrounding all things Games related, we've lined up a stellar panel of those in the know:

Tasha Danvers: A British Bronze Olympic medal winner in the 400 metre hurdles in Beijing, Tasha suffered a late injury that has sadly stopped her from taking part in London 2012.

Rushanara Ali MP: Labour MP for Bethnal Green and Bow, Rushanara has been named as one of the most powerful Muslim women in Britain. She's been supporting her constituents in the Olympic boroughs, including those who are finding missiles on their rooftops as part of Olympic security.

John Hayes MP: As the Government Minister in charge of Further Education Skills and Life Long Learning, John joined the Conservative party when he was just 14 years old and is in one of the party's safest seats as MP for South Holland and The Deepings (Lincolnshire).

Symeon Brown: Co-founder of Haringey Young People Empowered, Symeon aims to improve youth and community relations and give young people a stake in the democratic process, and describes himself as an 'activist/writer on youth, justice and urbanism.'

 As they give us their chat, YOU can give us your OPINION of their chat, by powering up or down the Twitter-controlled Power Bar.

It's pretty simple – as they're talking add a #YesName to your tweet if you agree with them, or a #NoName if you don't, then watch the Power Bar change in real time on the show. So for these guys the hashtags are:

Tasha:           #YesTasha          and    #NoTasha
Rushanara:  #YesRushanara and    #NoRushanara
John:             #YesJohn             and    #NoJohn
Symeon:       #YesSymeon       and    #NoSymeon

If Twitter's not your thing then head to our Facebook instead, where all of the questions will be debated live along with the show. Or simply leave your comments in the space below.

We will be reading out tweets, Facebook and blog comments live throughout the hour so if you have something to say, get on and say it... now.

• Free Speech is on tonight, Wednesday 18th July, at 8pm, live on BBC Three.
• The poll was conducted by ComRes who telephone interviewed 500 16-25 year olds in Great Britain between 2nd and 12th July. Full data tables can be found here.

Free Speech returns to your screens this Wednesday, live at 8pm on BBC Three, with a big old debate on that little sporting thing you might JUST have heard about… the Olympics.

To kick things off we’ve asked three young people to answer this question:

Are young people benefiting from the cost of the London Olympics?

 

Thomas Marshall-Potter (UCL and author of thesis The Regeneration Games: London 2012 and the Making of a New Community)

I see the Olympics as a machine, not one driven by sport, but one driven by the forces of regeneration. Categorised as a ‘mega- event’ the Olympics has the power to affect whole economies and therefore has the power to both benefit and severely disadvantage young lives in London and the host boroughs. 

In the case of Newham, for example, the Olympics has breathed new life into an area in desperate need of investment, but in turn, has brought with it higher house prices and significantly less social housing. The communities that the Olympic committee forcibly removed in 2005 have now been replaced by large new developments, which are out of the reach of young people. 

The Olympics, to me, just highlights the continuing gentrification of East London, and provides a false hope for the future of the Olympic boroughs. Following the same trajectory as Barcelona’ 92, the London games appears to have a sporting legacy worthy of recognition, but it’s the social legacy it leaves behind, where we will truly see the impact of the investment on the lives of younger generations. 

 

Jita Mitra, Creative Director, Hackney

Having started up my production company based in Hackney this year, I’ve seen a real change in the area. There’s a buzz, a hushed excitement. There's a lot of luck to be made. Being young and running your own business can be hard - you need people to take you seriously. But numerous events and companies eager to promote themselves in the area has meant start-up custom has been good. We’ve been lucky. 

At the same time, with a convoluted ticket booking system and a wooly legacy I’m not sure the access is immediate or awareness widespread. 

One thing is for sure, there’s going to be a hell of a party. Any excuse. With East London at the heart of the new urban social scene and set to host an international audience, it should be an Olympics to remember for all.

 

Shereece Marcantonio, Teenager and Sexual Health Campaigner, Newham

Being a teenager from the heart of the Olympic borough, I feel extremely left out!

My only chance of involvement was volunteering but even the process of that was oh-so ridiculous, feeling completely unfriendly towards young people. I was under the impression that part of why we won the bid was for the work we would do in involving our young people, but I can’t see much evidence of that from where I’m sitting.

Travelling will be out of control, as will so many other aspects of everyday life. As for the amount of money being spent on the games when vital local youth services are having their budgets cut, or being closed down all together – it feels like some priorities have got slightly muddled up in recent years. 

Thinking about it, how are young people benefitting from the Olympics being in London? I hope we will benefit in the long run, with the new facilities and rejuvenation of the borough but as of now, I'm failing to find my British spirit and look forward to the games.

You’ve heard what these guys have got to say, now tell us what you think. Leave a comment below, or hop on to our Facebook or Twitter to have your say and get involved in the debate. 

Meanwhile check out the super power street artist that is Shepard Fairey talking about his latest and largest mural on free speech:

Pretty cool huh? So… make sure you’re plugged in to your sofa and set to BBC Three on Wednesday at 8pm where Jake and Michelle, a panel of guests, a live studio audience and the opinion tracking Power Bar will be ready and waiting for you. 

See you then. 

Free Speech is on Wednesday at 8pm. 

My new series (Coming Here Soon, Tuesdays 9pm) looks at how the world’s economic crisis has affected us all - in particular young people – and is one of the most important series I think I've done.
 
In the past I’ve focused on situations that are just as important as this one, but certainly a lot harder for us to relate to. The issue of child soldiers in DR Congo is fortunately not something many of us have first-hand experience of.

But feeling the pressure to find a job or make the wage we earn go as far as we need it to? That’s totally relatable. Nearly all my pals, and definitely myself, have been in that situation. It's no fun.

The economy is in bits here in the UK and as unfair as it is, it seems to be the least to blame are often the hardest hit. It's the same feeling over in Greece, although the Greeks are facing a much tougher time than us right now. Every single person you talk to there tells you they’re stressed and panicking about their future.

Greece is in so much debt and many Greeks say it's because they have been contending with a bent government. They will tell you that those in charge were - and still are - corrupt. They will tell you they were lied to, and given a false sense of security.

Now the country’s leaders are running around trying to find the money they owe. They’re putting harsh austerity measures in place on normal, hardworking people.  Jobs are being cut all the time; families are struggling to feed their kids. There were some areas of Athens that reminded me of a third world country. It's a city on its knees.

Half of the Greeks’ youth are unemployed yet every young person I met was bright, academic, keen and talented. They should be an asset to their country, but instead it seems to me they are wasted. They've studied for years because they were told that if they did they would have decent jobs and comfortable lives. That's not been the case. I was heading back to my hotel room one night, and I saw a young lad on a main road with a needle hanging out of his arm nearly unconscious.

That was the same day I saw a mum hanging off the side of a building threatening to jump because she and her partner have both been told they were losing their jobs. She’s got two kids, one of whom is disabled  and requires expensive medicine.

One night I will never ever forget, is when I was in the thick of a protest. There were nearly one million people outside parliament. I've never seen anything like it in my life. The riot police were aggressive and scary; they threw so much tear gas there were rumours they ran out of supplies.

From what I witnessed, the police threw it without any warning whatsoever. There were kids here at this stage and everyone was struggling to breathe. I couldn't see. You lose your vision and can't get out of the way because there’s so many people, some of whom were getting crushed. In retaliation, people threw petrol bombs and buildings started burning down. This went on for hours. I remember people smashing marble off the steps and buildings. It was terrifying.

I hope people watch the episode and are able to see what it's like for Greek people at the minute. I was blown away by what they are going through right now, especially the young people. You have to keep your fingers crossed and hope things somehow work out for them.

Whether it's a total clear out in parliament or a revolution from the public, things have to change.

What stuck with me is this isn't Africa or South-East Asia. This is a country in the European Union, four hours away on a plane.

It's very close to home.

Coming Here Soon is on Tuesdays at 9pm.

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Grab your top hats and fascinators! You are cordially invited to the launch of a brand new series of Don’t Tell the Bride coming to BBC Three in August!

We're celebrating the return of everyone's favourite wedding show by giving you the chance to vote for your best episode ever! Your chosen top ten will then feature in a special Best Ever show, heading -up the new series.

So what is your all-time favourite episode of Don’t Tell the Bride? We’ve shortlisted 20 of the very best programmes, so all you need to do is check out the featured episode clips.

Click here to vote now!

Confetti at the ready, it’s time to celebrate the best. RSVP!

How did we choose the shortlist?

The shortlist was devised by a BBC Three panel who are experts in all things ‘Don’t Tell the Bride’. Using their knowledge of the series and considering episodes recognised by fans as amongst the best, they have whittled down all episodes of ‘Don’t tell the Bride’ into a shortlist of 20.
Tell us about your favourite episode below, and we’ll be using the best comments as part of our special ‘Best Ever’ episode to launch the new series!

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