The History of the BBC

By Si Pui and Becky

 1920’s
• The British Broadcasting Company was formed in
October 1922 by a group of wireless manufacturers.
• Daily broadcasting began from a London studio on 14th
November and the next day to Manchester and
Birmingham.
• By 1925 the BBC could be heard throughout most of the
UK
• The General strike of 1926 saw no regular newspapers
being published, the country turned to BBC for the news

BBC announcers
 1930’s
• Throughout the thirties, eminent figures, including
writers, performers, artists and actors, were heard in
talks, plays, sport and children’s programmes.
• On 2nd November 1936 the BBC opened the world’s first
regular service of high definition television.
• BBC were the first to include important landmarks such
as Wimbledon coverage (1937) and the first FA Cup final
(1938)

BBC Broadcasting House

 1940’s
• With the television service closed for the duration of the
Second World War the radio took control over
broadcasting the news.
• The BBC emerged from the war with an enhanced
reputation for honesty and accuracy in its news
broadcasts.
• By the end of the war, the BBC was broadcasting in 40
languages.

BBC after WWII

 1950’s
• On 2nd June 1953, a single event changed the course of
television history. An estimated 22 million saw the queen
crowned.
• As television licence income grew, more ambitious
programmes were possible and new stars emerged such
as David Attenborough
• As the ITV transmitter network expanded, the BBC lost
viewers at an alarming rate, and its share of the viewing
audience fell to 28% in 1957.

The Queen being crowned

 1960’s
• The 1960’s brought more up-to-date content that
reflected the times and the expectations of audiences.
• In 1960 the television and radio praised public service
broadcasting and authorised the launch of BBC Two in
1964
• Colour television broadcasts began on BBC Two in
1967, and BBC One in 1969

BBC Two
 1970’s
• This was the ‘golden age’ of television. Income grew as
more homes bought television licences and more
switched to colour
• In 1972 the CEEFAX text service was introduced and the
subtitling of programmes on CEEFAX began in 1979
• The BBC faced many challenges from the Government
regarding programme output and as a result, this paved
the way for the establishment of channel 4.

BBC CEEFAX
 1980’s
• Important television programmes came about including
Newsnight (1980), Watchdog (1985) and Eastenders
(1985), which regularly pulled in 12 million viewers.
• It was a decade of competitive and political pressure on
the BBC. Channel 4 went on air in 1982, more radio
stations opened and satellite television services was
launched.
• The BBC contemplated satellite, but judged the risks and
cost to be too great.

Eastenders
 1990’s
• BBC Online, an internet service which did not exist at the
beginning of the 90s, was one of the leading websites in
Europe by the end of 1999
• Radio 5, the first new network for 23 years, opened in
August 1990, offering sport and learning opportunities.
• In the face of growing competition, the BBC sought to
offer a range of programmes that commercially funded
broadcasters would not provide.

Radio 5 launched
 2000’s
• The BBC opened the new millennium with the most
ambitious programme in its history. It lasted 28 hours
and involved 60 nations, and was seen in over 80
countries worldwide
• Digital expansion followed with the launch of BBC Four,
Cbeebies, CBBC and BBC Three
• In 2007, the BBC launched IPlayer, a service that allows
people to download television programmes on to their
computers to watch after the broadcast.

BBC IPlayer