BBC Three has announced two documentary commissions that will see Professor Green investigate the truth about the cannabis trade and child poverty in the UK.

In each film musician and documentary maker Professor Green, aka Stephen Manderson, will offer his perspective on two of the most important social issues affecting young people today.

Professor Green says: “I'm over the moon to continue working with BBC Three on two new documentaries. Child poverty is a huge problem in this country and with the UK potentially following in the footsteps of the many places in the world where marijuana’s medicinal use is now allowed, what better time to look at what this change might bring about.”

Damian Kavanagh, Controller of BBC Three, says: “Stephen is one of BBC Three’s strongest voices whose previous documentaries on suicide, homelessness and illegal dogs really resonated with our audience. I’m sure these two new films from Stephen on cannabis and poverty in the UK will have a similar impact.”

In Professor Green: The Truth About Weed (working title) Stephen will investigate cannabis use and the cannabis trade in the UK, exploring the arguments for and against legalisation. The film will take a look at the criminal activity behind its distribution and production today, as well as current research into the medicinal benefits cannabis can have and its positive and negative effects on users.

Today, cannabis use impacts British society as well as the British economy, with legalisation a hot topic of debate. Stephen’s history in selling cannabis provides him with a unique starting point for his journey exploring our relationship with the drug, as he considers the changing culture abroad and what the future could hold for cannabis in the UK.

In Professor Green: Living In Poverty (working title) Stephen will investigate why 2.3m children in the UK are growing up in poverty and show what life is like for families on the breadline. Stephen’s background growing up in East London gives him an informed perspective on the pressures low income families face, as he comes to question what can be done to change the situation.

The new commissions follow the success of his previous documentaries for BBC Three, including the groundbreaking Suicide And Me, which helped put male suicide on the agenda; and the thought-provoking films Hidden And Homeless and ‘Dangerous Dogs.

The new projects are being made by The Garden and will be made available on BBC Three in 2017.

Professor Green: The Truth About Weed and Professor Green: Living In Poverty are both working titles. Commissioned by Damian Kavanagh, Controller of BBC Three and Danny Horan, Commissioning Editor, Documentaries. Executive produced by Zac Beattie and directed by Chris McLaughlin for The Garden.