By Saul Cooke-Black

National Star college students from Cheltenham became screen stars in a new BBC Three TV series about what it is like to be a young person with disabilities.

The Unbreakables: Life and Love on Disability Campus follows the lives of teenagers as they get their first taste of independence at National Star, a college for people with physical disabilities, acquired brain injuries and associated learning difficulties, supporting more than 1,600 students.

The ground-breaking series delves into the heartache of first love, the intimacy of close friendship, the inspiration of young people overcoming the odds and the high-stakes drama of life on the outside.

One of the students, Morgan Jones, 19, explains how having a disability is like living in a bubble.

“Being disabled is like having a bubble around you. Some people only see the bubble,” he says. “Some people ignore the bubble but others pop it to see my personality.”

Every September 170 students from around the UK begin a new year of study at National Star.

Many live on campus for three years and revel in the specialist teaching, state-of-the-art facilities, end-of-term balls, and more than anything, the freedom of a new life.

"It’s fantastic to see our students being portrayed as young people first and foremost and not being defined by their disability,” said Kathryn Rudd, principal.

The Unbreakables is on BBC Three on Thursdays at 9pm from July 30 in three one-hour films.