Broadcasting House

Headquarters and registered office of the BBC

This article is about the BBC's headquarters. For the BBC's former facilities in Manchester, see New Broadcasting House, Manchester.

For other uses, see Broadcasting House (disambiguation).

Broadcasting House

The main entrance to Broadcasting House

Location within Central London

Alternative names| NBH, OBH, BH, BBC Broadcasting House
General information
Architectural style| Art Deco
Location| Westminster
Address| Portland Place
Town or city| London[2]
Country| United Kingdom
Coordinates| 51°31′6.8″N 00°8′37.8″W﻿ / ﻿51.518556°N 0.143833°W﻿ / 51.518556; -0.143833[1]
Current tenants| BBC London
BBC Monitoring
BBC News
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1Xtra
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 3
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 Extra
BBC Radio 6 Music
BBC World Service
BBC Television
Construction started| 21 November 1928
Inaugurated| 15 March 1932
Client| British Broadcasting Corporation
Owner| British Broadcasting Corporation
Height| 34 m (112 ft)
Technical details
Floor count| 9 above ground, 3 below ground
Design and construction
Architect(s)| George Val Myer
Raymond McGrath
Civil engineer| Marmaduke T. Tudsbery
Website
bbc.co.uk/broadcastinghouse

Listed Building – Grade II*

Official name| Broadcasting House
Designated| 16 January 1981
Reference no.| 1265570

Broadcasting House is the headquarters of the BBC, in Portland Place and Langham Place, London. The first radio broadcast from the building was made on 15 March 1932, and the building was officially opened two months later, on 15 May. The main building is in Art Deco style, with a facing of Portland stone over a steel frame. It is a Grade II* listed building and includes the BBC Radio Theatre, where music and speech programmes are recorded in front of a studio audience.

As part of a major consolidation of the BBC's property portfolio in London, Broadcasting House has been extensively renovated and extended. This involved the demolition of post-war extensions on the eastern side of the building, replaced by a new wing completed in 2005. The wing was named the "John Peel Wing" in 2012, after the disc jockey. BBC London, BBC Arabic Television and BBC Persian Television are housed in the new wing, which also contains the reception area for BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 1Xtra (the studios themselves are in the new extension to the main building). In February 2024, BBC Radio 2 and BBC Radio 6 Music moved their operations into the Peel Wing, opposite the BBC Radio 1 studios on the eighth floor; this was facilitated by converting office space within the building, after the BBC decided to move the radio stations out of Wogan House.

The main building was refurbished, and an extension built to the rear. The radio stations BBC Radio 3, BBC Radio 4, BBC Radio 4 Extra and the BBC World Service transferred to refurbished studios within the building. The extension links the old building with the John Peel Wing, and includes a new combined newsroom for BBC News, with studios for the BBC News channel, BBC World News and other news programming. The move of news operations from BBC Television Centre was completed in March 2013.[3]

The official name of the building is Broadcasting House but the BBC, until 2024, used the term “new Broadcasting House” (with a lowercase 'n') in its publicity referring to the new extension rather than the whole building, with the original building known as “old Broadcasting House”.[4]

## Construction

[edit]

The 1928 building

Construction of Broadcasting House began in 1928, with programmes gradually transferring to the building. On 15 March 1932, the first musical programme was given by the bandleader Henry Hall and the BBC Dance Orchestra. Hall also wrote and performed, with his dance band, Radio Times, the name of the BBC's schedule publication.[5]

The first news bulletin was read by Stuart Hibberd on 18 March. The last transmission from Savoy Hill was on 14 May, and Broadcasting House officially opened on 15 May 1932. George Val Myer designed the building in collaboration with the BBC's civil engineer, M. T. Tudsbery. The interiors were the work of Raymond McGrath, an Australian-Irish architect. He directed a team that included Serge Chermayeff and Wells Coates and designed the vaudeville studio, the associated green and dressing rooms, and the dance and chamber music studios in a flowing Art Deco style.

Composite of Sensation in Langham Place: The BBC Arrives, a four-part cartoon by Arthur Watts, from the 1931 Christmas edition of the Radio Times

The building is built in two parts. Dispensing with the oft-found central light-well of contemporary buildings this size, the central core containing the recording studios was a windowless structure built of brick. (Structural brick rather than steel framing was used in order to reduce noise transmission both from without and between studios.) The surrounding outer portion, designed for offices and ancillary spaces, is steel-framed and faced with Portland stone.[6][7] While the outer portion had plenty of windows, the inner core required special sound-dampened ventilation systems.[6]

There were two areas where right of ancient lights would cause height restrictions. While the rights on the southern side ceased to be a problem after the owners of those rights gave concessions, the rights on the eastern side were dealt with by sloping the roof away from the street from the fourth floor up. This not only affected the floor plan of the structure, but meant that the interior recording tower could not be built to the top floor. (Thus, one studio on the top floor was actually outside the central studio core structure.)[6]

Underground structures, including a hundred-year-old sewer, also presented problems during construction. The building is above the Bakerloo line of the London Underground: the Victoria line was tunnelled beneath in the 1960s, and presented problems for construction of the Egton Wing (see below).[8] Noise from passing trains is audible within the radio theatre but generally imperceptible in recordings. The ground floor was fitted with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the street, as the BBC believed that to finance such a project (costing £25 million in today's money), they would need to let the ground floor as a retail unit. The rapid expansion of the BBC meant this never occurred.

The original building is a Grade II* listed building.

## Renovation

[edit]

Beginning in 2003, Broadcasting House underwent a major renovation during the BBC's W1 Programme,[9] with the aim of refurbishing the building and combining a number of the BBC's operations in a new extension. This houses the television and radio operations of BBC News, relocated from Television Centre, and the BBC World Service, which relocated from Bush House on 12 July 2012.[10] Many of the BBC's national radio stations are also broadcast from the building, with the exception of BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra which have moved to Salford Quays. The building work was completed in two phases. It began with the demolition of two post-war extensions to the original building.

"The redevelopment was part of a wider cost-saving strategy to consolidate the BBC's property portfolio and centralise its London operation. This will ultimately produce savings of more than £700m over the remaining 21-year life of the BBC lease on Broadcasting House."[11][12]

### First phase

[edit]

Refurbished reception in Broadcasting House

The first phase consisted of the renovation of the original building, which was starting to show its age and needed structural repair, and a new wing to the east.[13]

In the old building, the sloped "cat slide" slate roof was removed and many of the rooms stripped back to their walls, although much of the Art Deco architecture was retained and preserved. Much of the work focused on the lower walls and ceilings, which did not include Art Deco features. The reception area was renovated to include a new desk while retaining the message and statue as an attention piece. Many rooms had ceilings removed, such as the south tower, and new reinforcement joists were added.

The new east wing, named after John Peel

The new Egton Wing is roughly the same shape as the main building, with a modern design and window arrangement but retaining features such as Portland stone. Towards the rear a large block was created in the side, mirroring that created in the main building when the sloping roof was removed.

The design of the extension, intended to equal the original in "architectural creativity", was carried out by MacCormac Jamieson Prichard. Construction was completed in 2005, with the refurbished Broadcasting House and new Egton wing opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 20 April 2006 as part of her 80th birthday celebrations.[14] All areas of the Egton Wing were fully fitted out and completed by 2007.

In 2012, it was announced by the then Director-General Mark Thompson that the Egton Wing would be renamed the 'John Peel Wing' to commemorate the late Radio 1 disc jockey, whom he described as a "great radio talent".[15] Thompson described the wing as a "fitting tribute to a man who personified so much of what the BBC stands for".

The new extension at night.

It houses BBC London, BBC Arabic Television and BBC Persian Television, together with the reception area for BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 1Xtra.

### Second phase

[edit]

The connecting wing between old and new buildings

The second phase was the creation of the large wing to the rear of the building, joining the two buildings, and creating a plaza between them. The original architects were replaced for not agreeing to cost-related revisions, as Sir Richard MacCormac was unwilling to sacrifice the quality of his design.[16] Construction was completed by Bovis Lend Lease[17] in 2010, and control handed over to the BBC in 2011. While the rebuilding process was under way, many BBC radio stations moved to other buildings near Portland Place.

The extension contains the BBC News and Journalism departments, and state-of-the-art technical equipment and new studios to house the BBC News bulletins on television, the BBC News Channel and BBC World News, the BBC Arabic Television service and the BBC Persian Television service. At the heart of this is a new newsroom, the largest live newsroom in the world.[14]

A walkway above the newsroom allows the public to view the work of journalists, connecting the foyer to the Radio Theatre and a new café for staff and the public. Complemented by the outdoor plaza, which could act as an outdoor arena and theatre, this is designed to engage the public with the television and radio making process.[14] The extension is glass-covered in the plaza area and curved to contrast both wings either side and to continue the glass on both sides high up the building. On the Portland Place side, it continues the same use of Portland stone and glass as with the John Peel Wing.

On Monday 18 March 2013 at 1 pm, following the BBC News Channel's final broadcast from Television Centre, the first news programme from Broadcasting House was aired: the BBC News at One, on BBC One and the BBC News Channel. BBC World News was the first of BBC's news services to move into the new building on Monday 14 January 2013, beginning with GMT at noon.

Queen Elizabeth II officially opened the extension on 7 June 2013.[18] The second phase development won the 'Programme of the Year' award at the 2013 annual awards of the Association for Project Management.[19]

## Studios

[edit]

### Original

[edit]

When built, Broadcasting House contained 22 radio studios[20][21] for all programme genres, in the art-deco style with an emphasis on both looks and practicality. The practicality of the studios diminished rapidly as a result of the changing nature of broadcasting and changes in the required uses of the studios. These studios and their original intended roles were:

Number | Name | Designer | Designed use

|
|
|

8A | Military Band studio | Serge Chermayeff | Designed for large band and vaudeville performances.[22]
8B | Small Debates studio | Serge Chermayeff | A small informally designed studio to encourage lively and confident debate.[23]
7A | Production studio | Wells Coates | Acoustically dead studio, used for one section of a drama.[24]
7B | Production studio | Wells Coates | Used for speech in a play, drama, and piano performances.[24]
7C | Production studio | Wells Coates | Acoustically dead small drama studio.[24]
7D | Effects studio | Wells Coates | Small effects studio for producing foley.[24]
7E | Gramophone Effects studio | Wells Coates | Small studio for producing effects from or involving gramophones.[24]
6A | Production studio | Wells Coates | Double height, large production studio for drama productions.[25]
6B | Production studio | Wells Coates | Small drama studio.[25]
6C | Production studio | Wells Coates | Acoustically dead small drama studio.[25]
6D | Effects studio | Wells Coates | Main effects studio for the production of foley, with different floor coverings and coverings on the main table to achieve different effects, containing items including a wind machine and a water tank.[26]
6E | Gramophone Effects studio | Wells Coates | Small studio for producing effects from or involving gramophones.[27]
4A | News studio | Wells Coates | Acoustically dead small studio for reading news bulletins. Contained gramophone records to be played in the event of an interruption.[28]
4B | News studio | Wells Coates | Acoustically dead small news studio with turntables.[28]
3A | Production studio | Serge Chermayeff | A double-height large studio used for Children's Hour, chamber music recitals and the BBC Dance Orchestra.[29]
3B | Talks studio | Serge Chermayeff | A small talks studio for unrehearsed debates.[29]
3C | Talks studio | Serge Chermayeff | An acoustically dead small talks studio for unrehearsed debates.[29]
3D | Library Talks studio | Dorothy Warren Trotter | A small talks studio for speeches and debates. It was decorated in the style of a personal library or study for the benefit of elderly or lordly speakers.[30]
3E | Religious studio | Edward Maufe | A double-height large studio with a balcony, designed for religious broadcasts with a focus on all religions so that any religious member would feel comfortable. It was soon disused as listeners preferred the sound of a real church and congregation.[31]
| The concert hall | Val Myer | A very large double-height concert hall for orchestras playing classical music.[32] It contains a large space for the orchestra, a large section and a balcony for seating, and the first organ suitable for broadcasting. It was renamed the Radio Theatre in 1994.[33]
BA | Vaudeville studio | Raymond McGrath | A double-height studio with balcony for theatre and variety performances, with an audience of 60.[34]
BB | Dance band studio | Raymond McGrath | A double-height studio with a small balcony for an audience for the BBC Dance Orchestra. It was taken over for experimental television broadcasts on 22 August 1932.[35]

### Current

[edit]

Following the rebuild and refurbishment, several studios have been added and the studio structure changed dramatically. The current studios are:[citation needed]

#### Radio studios

[edit]

Studio | User(s) | Programmes

|
|

30A | BBC Radio 3 |
30B | BBC Radio 3 |
30C | BBC Radio 3 |
30D | BBC Radio 3 |
40A | BBC Radio 4 | Long Wave continuity studio, Yesterday in Parliament, the Daily Service, Test Match Special and the Shipping Forecast.[36]
40B | BBC Radio 4 | Continuity studio for BBC Radio 4
40E | BBC World Service | Focus on Africa
40F | BBC World Service | Focus on Africa
50B | BBC Radio 4 | The Media Show, Woman's Hour, Front Row
51A | BBC Radio 5 Live | Used for Radio 5 shows relay to Salford
52A | BBC World Service | Programme productions for BBC languages programme
52B | BBC World Service | Programme productions for BBC languages programme
52C | BBC World Service | Programme productions for BBC languages programme
52D | BBC World Service | Programme productions for BBC languages programme
60A | BBC Radio 3, BBC Radio 4, BBC Radio 4 Extra, BBC World Service | Radio drama
62A | BBC World Service | Programme productions for BBC languages programme
82Mills[37] | BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 1Xtra & BBC Asian Network | The Radio 1 Breakfast Show, Scott Mills, Annie Mac also used for mixing live performances – adjacent to the Live Lounge
82B | BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 1Xtra & BBC Asian Network |
82C | BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 1Xtra & BBC Asian Network |
82D | BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 1Xtra & BBC Asian Network | adjacent to the Live Lounge, Nick Grimshaw, Clara Amfo
82E | BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 1Xtra & BBC Asian Network |
82F | BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 1Xtra & BBC Asian Network |
82G | BBC Radio 1 & BBC Radio 1Xtra | Formally Newsbeat (15-minute bulletins) (Now Broadcast from BBC Birmingham)
82H | BBC Radio 1 & BBC Radio 1Xtra | Formally Newsbeat (hourly bulletins) (Now Broadcast from BBC Birmingham)
82J | BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 1Xtra & BBC Radio 1 Dance | "The Gallery" – All of the online video streaming content
is controlled here, including studio cameras.
82K  | Latest BBC Radio 2 & BBC Radio 6 Music | New studios from converted office space
82L  | Latest BBC Radio 2 & BBC Radio 6 Music | New studios from converted office space
82M  | Latest BBC Radio 2 & BBC Radio 6 Music | New studios from converted office space
82N  | Latest BBC Radio 2 & BBC Radio 6 Music | New studios from converted office space
83A | BBC Asian Network | News studio
S31 | BBC World Service

BBC Radio 4

BBC Radio 5 Live

Nicky Campbell (5 Live)

The Media Show (Radio 4) || Visual Radio Studio

S32 | BBC World Service & BBC Radio 4 | Newsday
World Update
The World at One

S33 | BBC Radio 4 | Today
The World Tonight
S34 | BBC World Service | World Briefing
S42 | BBC World Service & BBC Radio 4 |
S46 | BBC World Service & BBC Radio 4 | Newscast
S48 | BBC World Service & BBC Radio 4 |
SL1 | BBC World Service & BBC Radio 4 | World Briefing
Six O'Clock News
Midnight News
The Newsroom
WG1 | BBC General News Service (GNS) networked national news bulletins for BBC English Regions. From 8 January 2024 for BBC Radio 2 and 6 Music news bulletins |
Newsroom | Multipurpose | Outside Source (radio)

#### Television studios

[edit]

Studio  | Users  | Programmes

|
|

A | Multipurpose
(Green screen virtual studio)  | BBC News channel
BBC Election Coverage & Special Programmes
B | BBC One
BBC News | BBC News at Six
BBC News at Ten
BBC Weekend News
BBC London (Evening and Late Night)
Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg
Politics London
BBC Election Coverage & Special Programmes
C | BBC News | BBC News channel
D | Multipurpose  | BBC News at Six
BBC News at Ten
BBC Weekend News
BBC London (Breakfast, Lunch and Weekends)
BBC News channel (back-up studio)
HARDtalk
Politics London
E | BBC News
BBC One | BBC News channel
BBC Election Coverage (TOTH BBC News Summary)
Verified Live
The Context
Business Today
The World Today with Maryam Moshiri
News Now
F | BBC News
BBC Three
(CSO green screen Studio)  | The Catch Up
G | BBC Weather
(CSO green/blue screen Studio)  | BBC Weather
H | BBC Weather
(CSO green/blue screen Studio)  | BBC Weather
J | BBC News
BBC Verify
(Plasma newsroom mezzanine position)  | Verified Live (fact-checking segments)
Ros Atkins on...
BBC Election Coverage
Streaming Centre  | BBC News channel UK opt-outs
BBC News Live
BBC News iPlayer, BBC News Polska
K | BBC World Service | BBC Russian, BBC Ukrainian, BBC What's New (African youth bulletin), BBC Hausa, BBC Afrique
L | BBC World Service
BBC News | BBC Pashto (13:30 GMT weekdays), BBC Cash Eco, BBC World Service specials (e.g. BBC Persian election results programme 2013)
Newswatch
M | BBC World Service
(CSO green screen studio)  | Short language bulletins to various World Service partners
P | BBC World Service
(CSO green screen studio)  | Short language bulletins to various World Service partners
V | BBC One | The One Show
Special Programmes
34D  | BBC World Service | BBC Arabic Television
44D  | Multipurpose
(Green screen virtual studio)  |
54D  | BBC World Service
BBC Two | BBC Persian Television
Newsnight
Outside Plaza  | various  | The One Show
Special Programmes
BBC Election Coverage
BBC News
Unspun World

Until programmes air information is subject to change. All times listed are either Greenwich Mean Time or British Summer Time depending on what is being used in London.

## Artworks

[edit]

Prospero and Ariel by Eric Gill Ariel between Wisdom and Gaiety by Eric Gill

The building showcases works of art, most prominently the statues of Prospero and Ariel (from Shakespeare's The Tempest) by Eric Gill. Their choice was fitting since Prospero was a magician and scholar, and Ariel a spirit of the air, in which radio waves travel. There was, reportedly, controversy over some features of the statues when built and they were said to have been modified.[citation needed] They were reported to have been sculpted by Gill as God and Man, rather than Prospero and Ariel, and that there is a small carved picture of a beautiful girl on the back of Prospero.[citation needed] Additional carvings of Ariel are on the exterior in many bas-reliefs, some by Gill, others by Gilbert Bayes.[38][39][40] The reception area contains a statue of 'The sower' by Gill.

The statues of Prospero and Ariel have attracted controversy in recent years, due to evidence that Gill engaged in pedophilia, and that the sculptor's sexuality might be reflected in the statue. The BBC has declined to remove the statue, citing Gill's status as one of the preeminent British artists of the 20th century.[41] On 13 January 2022, the statue was vandalized by a man wielding a hammer, who wrote "Time to go was 1989" and "noose all paedos" on the statue.[42][43]

Several works of art were commissioned by the BBC for the refurbishment of Broadcasting House, at an overall cost of more than £4 million.[44] Among these is World, a pavement artwork by the Canadian-born architect and artist Mark Pimlott. According to the BBC, the work "reflects the global dimension of the BBC’s broadcasting and consists of over 750 stone flags inscribed with place names from around the world, as well as those from history, mythology and fantasy. The artwork is enhanced by elegant steel lines of longitude and latitude, a subtle scheme of small embedded lights and some audio installation linked to key output from the World Service."[45]

On the roof of the John Peel wing, mirroring the radio mast, is Breathing, a cone-shaped glass structure reaching into the sky to the same height as the mast. It was sculpted by Jaume Plensa as a memorial to journalists killed in the line of duty. It includes words from a poem by James Fenton and is illuminated day and night. At 10 pm daily, in line with the BBC News at Ten, a column of light shines 900 metres (3,000 ft) into the sky. It was officially unveiled on 16 June 2008, by the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.[46][47]

## Broadcasting House in literature

[edit]

The earliest use of Broadcasting House as a setting in fiction would seem to be in the 1934 detective novel Death at Broadcasting House by Val Gielgud and Holt Marvell (Eric Maschwitz), where an actor is found strangled in Studio 7C. Broadcasting House is a central feature in Penelope Fitzgerald's novel Human Voices, published in 1980, where the lead characters work for the BBC during the Second World War.[48] It is also the work place of Alexander Wedderburn in A. S. Byatt's 1995 novel Still Life,[49] and Sam Bell in Ben Elton's 1999 novel Inconceivable,[50] and also that of the evil nazi-sympathiser Ezzy Pound in Michael Paraskos's 2016 novel In Search of Sixpence.[51] The building is well realised as a setting in Nicola Upson's 2015 mystery novel London Rain.

## Statue of George Orwell

[edit]

Statue of George Orwell outside Broadcasting House, headquarters of the BBC

The head of BBC history, Robert Seatter, has said George Orwell in his novel Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949), "reputedly based his notorious Room 101 from the novel "on a room he had worked in whilst at the BBC."[52]

On 7 November 2017, a statue of Orwell, sculpted by the British sculptor Martin Jennings, was unveiled, outside Broadcasting House. The wall behind the statue is inscribed with the following phrase: "If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear". These are words from his proposed preface to Animal Farm and a rallying cry for the idea of free speech in an open society.[53][52]

## MI5 involvement

[edit]

In 1985 it was revealed by The Observer that MI5 had had a special office in the building from 1937[54] for the purpose of vetting BBC employees for national security purposes.[55]

## See also

[edit]

* BBC portal

* List of BBC properties
* BBC Television Centre
* Bush House
* Granada TV Studios, Manchester

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Grid Ref: TQ2888481593". OSGB. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
2. ^ "Broadcasting House Address". Archived from the original on 2 May 2017. Retrieved 2 April 2017.
3. ^ "BBC News' television output moves to new studios at Broadcasting House" (Press release). BBC. 18 March 2013. Archived from the original on 5 May 2019. Retrieved 18 March 2013.
4. ^ "Her Majesty The Queen officially opens BBC's new Broadcasting House" (Press release). BBC. 7 June 2013. Archived from the original on 20 June 2013. Retrieved 12 June 2013.
5. ^ "Henry Hall's BBC Dance Orchestra – "Radio Times"". archive.org. 1930s. Retrieved 9 May 2014.
6. ^ a b c "Design and Construction of Broadcasting House in the 1930s". Retrieved 28 February 2016.
7. ^ "The Past". BBC. Archived from the original on 3 October 2011. Retrieved 19 September 2011.
8. ^ "Broadcasting House, London – the creation of a major new broadcast centre". BBC Press Office. April 2006. Archived from the original on 18 November 2012.
9. ^ "W1 Programme comes to a close". BBC. 30 April 2013. Retrieved 5 September 2013.
10. ^ "BBC World Service leaves Bush House". BBC News. 12 July 2012. Retrieved 12 July 2012.
11. ^ BBC – Broadcasting House – Home Archived 9 February 2016 at the Wayback Machine
12. ^ Freedom of Information request – RFI20111247
13. ^ "The story of Broadcasting House". BBC. Archived from the original on 4 September 2011. Retrieved 19 September 2011.
14. ^ a b c "The Present". BBC. Archived from the original on 3 July 2012. Retrieved 19 September 2011.
15. ^ "BBC to name wing of new Broadcasting House after John Peel" (Press release). BBC. 2 March 2012. Archived from the original on 14 December 2019. Retrieved 2 March 2012.
16. ^ Barnett, Antony (13 November 2005). "BBC in political row after sacking leading architect". The Observer. London. p. 2. Retrieved 10 June 2010.
17. ^ "Bovis to revamp BBC headquarters". The Daily Telegraph. London. 19 December 2002. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 10 June 2010.
18. ^ "Queen officially opens BBC's new Broadcasting House building". BBC News. 7 June 2013. Retrieved 7 June 2013.
19. ^ "BBC Triumphs at Awards". APM. 4 November 2013. Archived from the original on 22 March 2016. Retrieved 26 November 2013.
20. ^ "Key Facts: Broadcasting House, London". BBC Press Office. May 2004. Archived from the original on 13 June 2007. Retrieved 18 October 2012.
21. ^ Hines, Mark (2008). The Story of Broadcasting House, Home of the BBC (First ed.). London: Merrell. p. 51\. ISBN 978-1-85894-421-0. Retrieved 12 March 2013.
22. ^ "Eighth Floor – Studio 8A". Broadcasting House 1932. Old Radio Broadcasting Equipment and Memories (ORBEM). Retrieved 18 October 2012.
23. ^ "Eighth floor – 8B and Drama Control". Broadcasting House 1932. Old Radio Broadcasting Equipment and Memories (ORBEM). Retrieved 18 October 2012.
24. ^ a b c d e "Seventh floor – 7B and Music control". Broadcasting House 1932. Old Radio Broadcasting Equipment and Memories (ORBEM). Retrieved 18 October 2012.
25. ^ a b c "Sixth floor". Broadcasting House 1932. Old Radio Broadcasting Equipment and Memories (ORBEM). Retrieved 18 October 2012.
26. ^ "Sixth floor – Effects studio". Broadcasting House 1932. Old Radio Broadcasting Equipment and Memories (ORBEM). Retrieved 18 October 2012.
27. ^ "Sixth floor – Effects studio". Broadcasting House 1932. Old Radio Broadcasting Equipment and Memories (ORBEM). Retrieved 18 October 2012.
28. ^ a b "Fourth floor – 4A, 4B and office". Broadcasting House 1932. Old Radio Broadcasting Equipment and Memories (ORBEM). Retrieved 18 October 2012.
29. ^ a b c "Third floor – 3A and 3B". Broadcasting House 1932. Old Radio Broadcasting Equipment and Memories (ORBEM). Retrieved 18 October 2012.
30. ^ "Third floor – Studio 3D". Broadcasting House 1932. Old Radio Broadcasting Equipment and Memories (ORBEM). Retrieved 18 October 2012.
31. ^ "Third floor – Studio 3E". Broadcasting House 1932. Old Radio Broadcasting Equipment and Memories (ORBEM). Retrieved 18 October 2012.
32. ^ "Lower Ground floor – Concert Hall". Broadcasting House 1932. Old Radio Broadcasting Equipment and Memories (ORBEM). Retrieved 18 October 2012.
33. ^ Hines, Mark (2008). The Story of Broadcasting House, Home of the BBC (First ed.). London: Merrell. p. 121\. ISBN 978-1-85894-421-0. Retrieved 12 March 2013.
34. ^ "Sub-Basement – Studio BA". Broadcasting House 1932. Old Radio Broadcasting Equipment and Memories (ORBEM). Retrieved 18 October 2012.
35. ^ "Sub-Basement – Studio BB". Broadcasting House 1932. Old Radio Broadcasting Equipment and Memories (ORBEM). Retrieved 18 October 2012.
36. ^ Priming the pips in studio 40B
37. ^ @BBCR1 (25 August 2022). "Live from the new ✨82Mills Studio✨" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
38. ^ "Key Facts: Broadcasting House, London" (Press release). BBC. Archived from the original on 13 June 2007. Retrieved 16 October 2019.
39. ^ "Exterior Sculptures – Broadcasting House in 1932". Retrieved 10 April 2007.
40. ^ "BBC – Radio 4 – Archive Hour – The Home of Radio". Archived from the original on 30 June 2008. Retrieved 10 April 2007.
41. ^ Williams, Megan (24 January 2022). "Reckoning with Eric Gill's legacy". Creative Review. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
42. ^ "Man uses hammer to attack statue on front of BBC Broadcasting House". The Guardian. 12 January 2022. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
43. ^ Quadri, Sami (15 January 2022). "Save the Children to ditch font designed by paedophile artist Eric Gill". www.standard.co.uk. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
44. ^ Barnett, Antony (26 March 2006), "£4m price tag of BBC art collection", The Observer, retrieved 10 May 2017
45. ^ "What to see outside". BBC. Archived from the original on 20 October 2015. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
46. ^ "Killed reporters' memorial opens". BBC News. 16 June 2008. Retrieved 10 June 2010.
47. ^ "Editorial: In praise of ... the Breathing light sculpture". The Guardian. London. 17 June 2008. Retrieved 10 June 2010.
48. ^ Fitzgerald, Penelope (1999). Human Voices. London: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN 978-0-395-95617-5.
49. ^ Byatt, A. S. (1985). Still Life. New York City: Simon & Schuster. p. 191\. ISBN 978-0-684-83503-7.
50. ^ Elton, Ben (26 May 2010). Inconceivable. Dell. ISBN 978-0-3077-5554-4.
51. ^ Paraskos, Michael (2016). In Search of Sixpence. London: Friction Press. ISBN 978-0-9929247-8-2.
52. ^ a b Kennedy, Maev (9 August 2016). "Homage to George Orwell: BBC statue wins planning permission". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 19 June 2018.
53. ^ "Orwell statue unveiled". BBC. 7 November 2017. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
54. ^ "History of the BBC: Observer reveals MI5 vetting of BBC staff". BBC Online. 18 August 1985. Retrieved 6 July 2014.
55. ^ Bignell, Jonathan; Lacey, Stephen (12 May 2014). British Television Drama: Past, Present and Future. Springer. ISBN 978-1-1373-2758-1. Retrieved 16 October 2019.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Broadcasting House, London.

* Broadcasting House at BBC Online
* History of the BBC – Broadcasting House at BBC Online
* Press Office Key Facts – 1932 Broadcasting House at BBC Online
* Broadcasting House – a potted history
* Old BBC Radio Broadcasting Equipment and Memories – Broadcasting House in 1932
* Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1265570)". National Heritage List for England.
* Cover of the 13 May 1932 issue of the Radio Times, depicting the newly opened Broadcasting House, by Adrian Hill

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BBC

Services|

* Television
* stations
* programmes
* Radio
* stations
* local
* BBC Online
* BBC Red Button
* Ceefax
* iPlayer
* BBC Sounds

Management|

* Chair
* Samir Shah
* Director-General
* Tim Davie
* BBC Board
* BBC Charter
* BBC independence

Departments|

* BBC Academy
* Archives
* BBC Film
* BBC World Service (Timeline)
* Television
* Design & Engineering
* Monitoring
* News
* Pronunciation Unit
* Radio
* Sport
* Weather

Nations and
regions|

| England|

* Birmingham
* Bristol
* East
* East Midlands
* London
* Manchester
* North East & Cumbria
* North West
* South
* South East
* South West
* West
* West Midlands
* Yorkshire
* Yorkshire & Lincolnshire

|

Rest of UK|

* Northern Ireland
* Scotland
* Gàidhlig
* Wales

Commercial
subsidiaries|

* BBC Studios
* Productions
* Natural History Unit
* Home Entertainment
* Demon Music Group
* BBC Studioworks
* BBC Worldwide

History|

* Archives
* Sound Archive
* BBC Trust
* Board of Governors
* British Broadcasting Company
* Coat of arms
* Controversies
* Criticism
* First day of TV
* Logo
* Radio Times
* Genome
* Timeline

Key
properties
(full list)|

| London|

* Broadcasting House
* Lime Grove (former)
* Maida Vale Studios
* Television Centre (former)
* White City & Media Village

|

Birmingham|

* Drama Village
* Mailbox Birmingham
* Pebble Mill Studios (former)

Cardiff|

* New Broadcasting House, Cardiff
* Broadcasting House (former)
* Drama Village (Roath Lock)
* BBC Hoddinott Hall

Other locations|

* Broadcasting House, Belfast
* BBC Elstree Centre
* MediaCityUK, Salford
* Pacific Quay, Glasgow

Finance|

* Television licence
* history

Projects|

* Backstage
* BBC Micro
* BBC UK regional TV on satellite
* The Box
* Bitesize
* BritBox
* Dirac
* Domesday
* Freely
* Freesat
* h2g2
* Local Democracy Reporting Service
* Redux
* YouView

Technical|

* Programme Catalogue
* Programme Identifier

Other|

* List of songs banned by the BBC
* Live at the BBC

* Category
* Portal
* Commons

* v
* t
* e

Media in the United Kingdom

UK national newspapers, magazines, and other periodicals

| Newspapers
(history, circulation)|

| Broadsheet|

* Financial Times
* The Daily Telegraph
* The Sunday Telegraph
* The Sunday Times

|

Compact|

* The i Paper
* The Times
* The Guardian
* The Observer

Middle-market|

* Daily Express
* Daily Mail
* The Mail on Sunday

Tabloid|

* Daily Mirror
* Sunday Mirror
* Morning Star
* The Sunday People
* Daily Star
* Daily Star Sunday
* The Sun
* Sunday Sport
* Weekend Sport
* Midweek Sport

Online|

* 5Pillars

Magazines and
other periodicals|

* List of magazines in the United Kingdom
* List of magazines by circulation

Radio in the UK

| National
stations|

| BBC|

BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1Xtra
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 3
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 Extra
BBC Radio 5 Live
BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra
BBC Radio 6 Music
BBC Asian Network
BBC World Service
BBC National DAB (multiplex)

|

Independent
/ commercial|

Absolute Radio Network
BFBS Radio
Capital
Capital Xtra
Classic FM
Digital One (multiplex)
Gold
Greatest Hits Radio
Heart
Hits Radio
Jazz FM
Kiss Network
LBC
LBC News
Magic
Magic Classical
Premier Christian Radio
RNIB Connect Radio
Sound Digital (multiplex)
Smooth Radio
talkSPORT
TalkRadio
Times Radio
UCB UK
Virgin Radio UK
Radio X

Regional
and local
stations|

| BBC|

List of BBC Local Radio stations
BBC Radio Scotland
BBC Radio nan Gàidheal
BBC Radio Ulster
BBC Radio Foyle
BBC Radio Wales
BBC Radio Cymru

Cymru 2

|

Independent
/ commercial|

* List of community radio stations
* List of local commercial radio stations
* List of semi-national / regional analogue and digital radio stations

Other
stations|

* List of hospital radio stations
* Pirate radio
* Restricted Service Licence (RSL)
* List of RSL stations
* List of student radio stations

Other|

* Broadcasting House
* FM broadcasting
* Radio Academy
* Radio Academy Awards
* Radio Independents Group
* RAJAR
* Most listened to programmes

Television in the UK

| Principal
channels
(list)|

| BBC/UKTV|

BBC One
BBC Two
BBC Three
BBC Four
BBC News
BBC Parliament
BBC Alba
BBC Scotland
CBBC
CBeebies
U&Alibi
U&Dave
U&Drama
U&Eden
U&Gold
U&W
U&Yesterday

|

ITV|

ITV1/STV/UTV
ITV2
ITV3
ITV4
ITV Quiz

Channel 4/S4C|

Channel 4
S4C

E4 Extra
Film4
More4
4seven

Paramount|

5Star
5USA
5Select
5Action
Comedy Central
Comedy Central Extra
MTV
MTV Music
MTV 80s
MTV 90s
Club MTV
Nickelodeon
Nicktoons
Nick Jr.

Sky UK|

Challenge
Sky Arts
Sky Atlantic
Sky Cinema
Sky Comedy
Sky Crime
Sky Documentaries
Sky History
Sky History 2
Sky Kids
Sky Max
Sky Mix
Sky Nature
Sky News
Sky Replay
Sky Sci-Fi
Sky Showcase
Sky Sports Box Office
Sky Sports F1
Sky Sports News
Sky Sports Racing
Sky Sports
Sky Witness

Warner Bros. Discovery|

Animal Planet
Boomerang
Cartoon Network
Cartoonito
CNN International
Discovery Channel
Discovery History
Discovery Science
Discovery Turbo
DMAX
Food Network
HGTV
Investigation Discovery
Quest
Quest Red
Really
TLC
TNT Sports

Narrative Entertainment UK Limited|

Great! Action
Great! Movies
Great! Romance
Great! Real
Great! TV
Pop
Tiny Pop

Services
and
platforms|

| Current|

* Amazon Prime Video
* BBC iPlayer
* cable
* Channel 4
* digital
* digital terrestrial
* List of channels
* Disney+
* EE TV
* 5
* Freely
* Freesat
* Freesat+
* Freeview
* high-definition
* List of channels
* ITV
* ITVX
* STV Player
* local television
* Now
* Netflix
* Paramount+
* Pop Player
* Restricted Service Licence
* satellite
* List of channels
* Sky Group
* Sky Q
* Sky Glass
* Sky Stream
* TalkTalk TV
* TVPlayer
* U
* Virgin Media
* FilmFlex
* TiVo
* YouView

|

Defunct|

* analogue
* analogue terrestrial
* BBC Store
* Film4oD
* Real Digital
* Sky Group
* Freesat from Sky
* On Demand
* Sky+
* Sky+ HD
* TalkTalk TV Store
* Top Up TV
* Virgin Media
* V+

Studios|

| Current|

* 3 Mills Studios
* BBC Cymru Wales New Broadcasting House
* BBC Elstree Centre
* BBC Pacific Quay
* The Bottle Yard Studios
* Broadcasting House
* Broadcasting House, Belfast
* Broadcasting House, Bristol
* Dock10
* Elstree Studios (Shenley Road)
* Gas Street Studios
* The Leeds Studios
* The Maidstone Studios
* Mailbox Birmingham
* MediaCityUK
* Old Granada Studios
* Riverside Studios
* Roath Lock
* The Sharp Project
* Sky Campus
* Space Studios Manchester
* Television Centre, London

|

Defunct|

* Broadcasting House, Cardiff
* Dickenson Road Studios
* Fountain Studios
* The Hospital Club
* Lime Grove Studios
* Limehouse Studios
* The London Studios
* MGM-British Studios
* New Broadcasting House, Manchester
* Pebble Mill Studios
* Teddington Studios
* Television Centre, Newcastle upon Tyne
* Television Centre, Southampton
* Upper Boat Studios

Other|

* Television in Northern Ireland
* in Scotland
* in Wales
* Defunct channels
* Edinburgh International Television Festival
* History
* List of years
* Viewing statistics
* Most-watched broadcasts

Companies and organisations

| Major
companies|

* Banijay UK Productions
* Bauer Media Audio UK
* BBC
* Bloomsbury Publishing
* BT Group
* Channel Four Television Corporation
* Daily Mail and General Trust
* Dentsu International
* Economist Group
* EMI Music Publishing
* Future plc
* Global Media & Entertainment
* Guardian Media Group
* Haymarket Media Group
* Informa
* ITN
* ITV plc
* National World
* News Broadcasting
* News UK
* Newsquest
* Pearson plc
* Press Holdings
* Reach plc
* RELX
* Reuters
* Sky
* STV Group
* Syco
* TalkTalk Group
* Paramount Networks UK & Australia
* Virgin Media O2
* The Walt Disney Company (UK) Ltd.
* Warner Bros. Discovery EMEA

|

Resources|

* Arqiva
* List of largest UK book publishers

Government and
regulatory bodies|

* Advertising Standards Authority
* BBC Board (formerly: BBC Trust
* Board of Governors of the BBC)
* British Board of Film Classification
* British Film Institute
* Culture, Media, and Sport Select Committee
* Department for Culture, Media and Sport
* Independent Press Standards Organisation
* Ofcom
* Press Recognition Panel
* S4C Authority

Industry and
trades bodies|

* British Academy of Film and Television Arts
* British Phonographic Industry
* Broadcasting, Entertainment, Cinematograph and Theatre Union
* Clearcast
* Digital TV Group
* Equity
* Everyone TV
* Federation Against Copyright Theft
* Independent Publishers Guild
* National Union of Journalists
* The Publishers Association
* Royal Television Society
* United Kingdom Independent Broadcasting

Other|

* BBC Academy
* National Film and Television School
* National Science and Media Museum

Regional and student media

| Regional media|

* Media in England
* Birmingham
* London
* Manchester
* Media in Scotland
* Aberdeen
* Dundee
* Glasgow
* Media in Wales
* Cardiff

|

Student media|

* Student television
* Student press

* Category

Authority control databases: Geographic |

* MusicBrainz place

|

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