The BBC aims to be open and transparent. In line with this commitment we voluntarily publish information that goes beyond our obligations. However, there are circumstances when we are not able to disclose information for editorial, ethical, legal or commercial reasons. When this happens we will explain why.

This page describes how we seek to be open and transparent, including the types of information we publish, who we report to and how you can get access to the BBC.

Where to find out more information about the BBC

The Freedom of Information Act gives the public a right of access to all types of recorded information held by public authorities. To find out how the Act applies to the BBC, how to request information from us and for a full list of the information that we publish as part of the BBC's Publication Scheme, see BBC Freedom of Information.

The BBC's Executive Board, chaired by the Director-General, Mark Thompson, manages the day-to-day operation of the corporation. The Board meets each month and summary minutes are published. See Executive Board.

The BBC is established by a Royal Charter, which is reviewed by Government every 10 years after extensive and open public consultation. The current BBC Charter and the accompanying Agreement between the Secretary of State and the BBC set the overall remit of the BBC based on six public purposes and established the BBC Trust to govern the BBC. See Royal Charter and Agreement.

The BBC Trust represents the interests of licence fee payers and sets the overall strategy. The BBC reports to the Trust on issues of compliance, finance, impartiality and independence, and editorial complaints. See BBC Trust.

As well as consulting licence fee payers and other stakeholders extensively, the Trust also relies on the Audience Councils of the four nations of the UK to reflect the views of licence fee payers. See the Audience Councils for England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

The BBC is regulated by Ofcom on issues relating to the Communications Act of 2003, the Broadcasting Act 1996 and the BBC Charter and Agreement. See Ofcom.

The BBC is also subject to National Audit Office scrutiny under special arrangements that account for the independence of the BBC. See National Audit Office.

Each July, the BBC publishes an annual report and accounts, which reviews the BBC's activities over the past year. See Annual Report.

Every spring the BBC publishes a statement of commitments for each of its services. This is reported on in the following year's Annual Report. See Statements of Programme Policy.

Since the launch of Radio Times in 1923, the BBC has engaged in commercial activities which it carries out within a detailed fair trading regime. See Fair Trading Guidelines.

Fair trading complaints and responses are published in a quarterly bulletin. See Fair trading complaints bulletins.

Where to find out more about BBC services on TV, radio and online

The BBC publishes press releases, press packs, programme information, biographies, speeches and key facts. See BBC Press Office.

A number of BBC staff members and programme contributors from a range of output write regular blogs. These blogs also allow the audience to interact with the writers asking questions and providing feedback on the output. See BBC Blog Network.

To find out what's in the BBC archive and how you can access it, see BBC Archive.

How to contact the BBC

BBC Information is the name of the team that handles enquiries from the public and can be contacted 24 hours a day. See Contact us.

How to make a complaint about the BBC

The BBC's editorial complaints process is published on the BBC Complaints site, where you can also find a list of recent responses from the BBC. See BBC Complaints.

If your complaint is about TV licensing, see TV Licensing – Making a complaint.

If you would prefer to complain to an outside body, Ofcom deals with all issues except impartiality, news and current affairs, and some commercial issues. These remain the responsibility of the BBC Trust. See Ofcom – How to complain.

How to visit the BBC

To book a tour of a BBC building, get tickets for BBC shows and events or apply to be on a BBC show, see Shows, Tours and Live Events.

In London we open our doors – along with hundreds of other buildings – as part of the annual Open House weekend. See Open House.