The BBC Sound Archive
Hear from the people behind the scenes at the BBC Archive
The BBC Sound Archive
The BBC Sound Archive
An interview with Simon Rooks, BBC Sound Archivist
Simon Rooks, BBC Sound Archivist, explains why recording programmes was originally frowned on and what happened to make attitudes change.
- Click on a heading below to jump to that section of the film
- What's so special about the BBC Sound Archive?
- Why aren't there many recordings from the early days of radio?
- Why did the BBC start making recordings?
- When was the importance of the BBC Sound Archive realised?
- What sort of recordings did the early archivists keep?
- What production techniques were used to make early recordings?
- Why were some recordings wiped?
- Does the BBC keep copies of all programmes today?
- What is the BBC doing to preserve the sound archive for future generations?
Transcript
What's so special about the BBC Sound Archive?
The BBC Sound Archive is incredibly important. It represents more than 80 years of unique public service broadcasting. The BBC has made programmes on every kind of subject and featured every kind of person you could possibly imagine, and that kind of output has been represented in the sound archives. It's like the memory of the world. It's practically a World Heritage Site in itself.
