The Written ArchivesThis section attempts to answer some of the questions about the archive and the BBC archive trial that lots of people have asked us. If your question is not answered here e-mail us through our feedback form and we will do our best to answer.
Questions about the content of the trial
- Can I let my children use this website?
- Why are there more factual programmes than drama and entertainment programmes in the trial?
- Why are there so many programmes about India and Pakistan?
- Why are some programmes incomplete? - Magazine shows
- Why are some programmes incomplete? - Other programmes
- Why are there clips of some programmes that exist in full?
- Why are there so many 'fragments' of radio programmes in the BBC archive trial?
- Why are the titles of some programmes different to the ones I remember?
- What are all these channels?
Questions about the website
Questions about content not in the trial
Can I let my children use this website? While there is some content in the trial that children and young teens may enjoy, many programmes are only suitable for an adult audience. Therefore, please do not allow your children to use the BBC archive trial without adult supervision. Tip: If you want to make sure that your children cannot get into the site without permission, when you log in to the trial site click "no" when you are asked if you would like the browser to remember your login details. This will mean that you will need to re-enter your unique PIN each time you want to gain access to the trial.
Why are there more factual programmes than drama and entertainment programmes in the trial? The fact that there are more factual programmes than comedy and drama programmes in the archive trial reflects the fact that there are lots more factual programmes in the BBC's archive as a whole. This is because drama and entertainment programmes actually account for only a small percentage of the BBC's output. We all tend to think that more drama and entertainment programmes are broadcast than actually are because most of these are broadcast at prime time - which is, of course, when most of us are watching!
Why are there so many programmes about India and Pakistan? This trial has been designed to give you a glimpse into the BBC archives. The first batch of content we released aimed to give you an overview of everything in the archives so you could get a sense of how many different types of programmes from different years there are. For the second release of content we wanted to show the potential for exploration there is in just one area. To do this we joined up with the current BBC season 'India & Pakistan '07'.
Working with 'India & Pakistan '07' has allowed the BBC archive trial the chance to uncover programmes that explore both the historical range of the archive and the different types of programmes the BBC has made over the years.
Read more about why we chose this season
Why are some programmes incomplete? - Magazine shows Some of the magazine programmes in the trial, like 'Nationwide', do not exist in full any more. This is because with this format of show lots of different elements are brought together to create each programme. For many programmes some segments would have been pre-recorded, perhaps on location, whereas other elements would have gone out live from the studio. This all means that not every show was recorded in full and of the ones that were, the cost of videotape, and accidental factors like film degradation, means that not every show exists in a complete form.
Why are some programmes incomplete? - Other programmes Many of the older programmes in the trial were originally recorded on reels of film. Occasionally one of those reels has not survived or been lost over the years. Some programmes are also without their title sequences or end credits. This is because older programmes, which were recorded on film, were stored on separate reels. Therefore for long-running series, such as 'Panorama' or 'Tuesday Documentary', not every edition has a title sequence attached to the main body of the programme.
Why are there clips of some programmes that exist in full?
For the content supporting 'India & Pakistan '07', we've included clips from a range of magazine and news programmes. Unlike the rest of the archive trial selection, these clips will have come from longer programmes that contained additional items not related to the themes of the 'India & Pakistan '07' season. We'd like to hear from you how you feel about these clips. Is it better to be able to jump straight into an item that interests you, or do you prefer to watch content in its original context? Do use the feedback page to let us know.
Why are there so many 'fragments' of radio programmes in the BBC archive trial? In the early days of radio whole programmes were very rarely recorded. Instead the archivist would have a look at everything that was broadcast and choose the 'best bits' to keep. That means that the Sound Archive is full of fantastic 'bits' of radio. We can't always tell what programmes they came from or how they were presented to the original audience - which means the titles of these programmes in the archive might well not be the same as when they were first broadcast. (To find out more about the Sound Archive watch Simon Rooks, BBC Sound Archivist, explain how it works.)
Why are the titles of some programmes different to the ones I remember? We have always attempted to use the same title for programmes in the archive as those under which they were originally broadcast. Sometimes this means that the title might not be quite the same as the one under which the programme is generally known. For example, 'Play for Today' was a long-running series made up of stand-alone plays, many of which have now become famous in their own right. (The same is also true for 'The Wednesday Play', and the 'Screen One' and 'Screen Two' strands). However, a search for the programme will find it, even if you don't remember all of the title.
What are all these channels? Over the last 70 years the BBC has broadcast programmes on a variety of different channels. Sometimes one channel was simply renamed or rebranded as another, as other new channels were launched; the list below shows when people would have been tuning into each of the channels we have represented in the BBC archive trial.
BBC Radio
- 2LO In 1922 the new British Broadcasting Company began broadcasting on this station (Corporation status was eventually granted in 1927).
- National Programme This replaced the original 2LO service in 1930.
- Regional Programme This alternative to the National Programme was also launched in 1930.
- Home Service The National and Regional Programmes were merged on 1 September 1939 to form the Home Service due to the outbreak of World War II; this channel continued right up until 1967. (Regional programmes were restored after the end of the war as part of the Home Service and not as a separate channel.)
- The Forces Programme This light-entertainment channel was launched in 1940 to entertain British servicemen (and, presumably, service women too), most of whom were still based in the UK.
- The Light Programme This successor to the Forces Programme was launched in 1945. It continued with the same popular mix of comedy and light music that had made the Forces Programme so popular.
- The Third Programme Launched in September 1946, this was a deliberately highbrow mix of speech and music. The Third Programme also shared its frequency with The Music Programme - also known as Network Three.
- Network Three Daytime service broadcast on the same frequency as the Third Programme (which went out in the evening). It was launched in 1957 and was more accessible than the erudite Third Programme.
- Radio 1 Britain's first national pop station was launched on 30 September 1967.
- Radio 2 On 30 September 1967 the Light Programme had its name changed to Radio 2.
- Radio 3 On 30 September 1967 the output of Network Three and the Third Programme was merged to form the new Radio 3. To confuse matters, The Third Programme continued to broadcast alongside Radio 3 for a while on a separate frequency, before finally being completely absorbed into Radio 3 in 1970.
- Radio 4 The Home Service was renamed on 30 September 1967 to become Radio 4. It has always been a speech radio service with a unique mix of news, comedy, drama and factual programmes.
- Radio 5 On 27 August 1990 the BBC's fifth national network launched. It provided a mix of sports coverage, children's programming and educational content and closed on 27 March, 1994.
- Radio 5 Live Launching on 28 March 1994, this channel took over from the old Radio 5 but with differing content and style. This station provides a combination of live news and sport.
- Asian Network (Digital Radio) Originally a local radio service covering the Midlands, the Asian Network became a national digital radio service on 28 October 2002.
- 1Xtra (Digital Radio) This digital music station launched on 16 August 2002, specialising in new black, or urban, music.
BBC Television
- BBC Television Service The BBC began experimenting with Television in 1932 and on 2 November 1936 it launched the world's first regular 'high-definition' 405-line television service. This service was suspended in 1939 due to the imminent outbreak of World War II and didn't re-start until 7 June 1946.
- BBC One and Two BBC Two was launched on 20 April 1964, pioneering the improved high-definition 625-line service - although a power cut spoilt the opening night. The original Television Service was re-branded BBC One at the same time. BBC Two was also used to launch BBC Television's colour service on 1 July 1967 with highlights from Wimbledon.
- BBC Choice (Digital) BBC Choice was the BBC's first digital TV channel, launched on 23 September 1998. Focusing mainly on entertainment and youth-orientated programming, the channel was re-branded BBC Three on 9 February 2003.
- BBC Knowledge (Digital) This channel launched on 1 June 1999 with a primarily factual and educational schedule. It retained the factual focus when it was re-launched as BBC Four on 2 March 2002.
To find out more about the development of the BBC over the years read the fact sheets at the BBC Heritage site.
What are 'Collections'? Collections are groups of programmes based around the same theme (such as 'The Falklands Conflict') or idea (eg, 'Snobbery'). They should help you to find more programmes about the things in which you are interested. You can also use collections to see how understanding on a particular subject (eg, 'Sex' or 'The Environment') has changed over the years.
How can I find particular programmes? You can find programmes by using the search, browsing the lists of programmes on the site or through collections. Pages for specific programmes have collection lists on the right-hand side, which control the collection 'flipper' across the top of the page.
What does 'removed for review' mean?
As this is a trial, we'll occasionally have to remove programmes for technical or editorial reasons. This may mean that a programme already in the trial may become temporarily unavailable, but you'll still be able to read the information about it on its programme page and we'll try to restore the programme to the site as soon as possible.
How can I get hold of a copy of a particular BBC programme that isn't a part of the BBC archive trial? The BBC gets a lot of requests from the public for copies from its archive. If you have taken part in a programme then you are entitled to a viewing copy but you will have to pay transfer costs. Contact BBC Information, Contributor Access Service, PO BOX 1922, Glasgow G2 3WT, Tel: 0870 0100 222.
Unfortunately we do not have the resources to help individuals wishing simply to get hold of a favourite programme. If a programme has been released commercially, you can try BBC Shops who stock a wide range of the archive on CD, VHS and DVD.
If you are from a school or university and want material to include in a lecture or for research you can contact BBC Studies on (020) 7010 2751 or try http://www.bbcstudies.com. Businesses who want material for training should contact BBC Learning on (020) 8433 1641 or e-mail corporate.sales@bbc.co.uk. Individual students not covered by either of these options can contact the National Film and Television Archive on (020) 7255 1444 or e-mail: information.unit@bfi.org.uk.
Non-UK-based broadcast media companies with a commercial interest in a programme should contact BBC Worldwide for complete programmes on (020) 8433 2861 or e-mail http://www.bbcmotiongallery.com.
UK-based companies wanting programme extracts should contact Research Central on (020) 8225 7193 or e-mail: research-central@bbc.co.uk.
