London's
first live chat studio plays host to the stars
Starstruck Londoners will be in their element on Friday (6 September)
when five of the hottest stars around turn out for the BBCi Studio
opening celebrations.
Cat
Deeley, George Clooney, Michael Owen, Jordan and Madonna will be
treading the boards in the windows of the new BBCi Studio between
noon and 2.00pm, casting some glamour over lunchtime for central
London workers.
But
don't be fooled… only one of them is the real thing.
To mark the launch of its new studio, BBCi is inviting members of
the public to come down to the Aldwych and test their powers of
perception by picking out the real personality amongst a host of
look-a-likes.
After
the celebrity is revealed just after 1.00pm, the real star will
take the hot-seat in the BBCi Studio to be the first guest interviewed
live by the public by text and e-mail.
People
on the street can text in their burning questions there and then,
and see and hear the interview as it happens.
The
event is the first of a week of celebrity live chats planned between
6 and 13 September to mark the launch of the BBCi Studio - a state-of-the-art
space in the heart of the capital that extends the work of the BBC's
Open Centres around the country, giving Londoners an inside view
of the BBC and a chance to get involved with BBCi's interactive
services.
Five street-level windows in the North-East wing of Bush House in
the Aldwych have been transformed into huge transparent screens,
allowing passers-by not only to watch and listen to some of the
best known faces on TV and the silver screen, but to participate
using mobile phones.
Special
heat-sensitive buttons on the glass also let visitors to try out
popular interactive services such as BBC News Interactive and the
forthcoming Fame Academy.
They
can also get "behind-the-scenes" by observing the teams
responsible for ensuring that BBCi content is ready for transmission
from the UK's number one digital destination.
Ashley
Highfield, Director of New Media at the BBC, says: "We wanted
to create a space that would let passers-by feel part of the buzz
here at BBCi and interact with our content in an innovative way.
"The BBCi Studio, like the BBC's Open Centres around the country,
encourages pedestrians to watch and join so that they can really
get to understand what goes on inside the BBC."
The
BBCi Studio opens its shutters to the public from noon on Friday
6 September, 2002.
Notes
to Editors
BBCi Studio Fast Facts
BBCi
is the name for the BBC's interactive services working across the
web, interactive TV and personal organisers.
BBCi
provides a single signpost and easier way of getting to the BBC's
great information, entertainment and education services, no matter
how you choose to access it.
Live
chats can be accessed from www.bbc.co.uk/communicate
- the hub of web communication, providing over 300 moderated
message boards and chatrooms to let audiences air their thoughts
and views or create their own cyber space.
The four areas of the BBCi Studio explained
Live Chat Studio
It
really is a matter of lights, camera and action as celebrity Live
Chat moves into a whole new arena.
The BBCi Studio not only provides stars with a comfortable interview
lounge, but also allows audiences to get up close and personal with
their favourite stars thanks to the glass walls in the studio…
well, virtually.
Live chats now have text appeal, with observers given the chance
to text messages to the live chat guests and receive real time answers
back on a giant LED display visible outside the studio.
Interactive
TV Area
The
Interactive TV area should push all the right buttons, or at least
allow visitors to do so.
Touch-sensitive pads on the middle glass window invite passers-by
to get involved in the interactive action, whether that is our interactive
news service or changing commentary while watching the FA Cup.
A huge plasma screen displays the results of your interactive journey,
putting you firmly in control.
Interactive
Operations Base
Putting
the BBC on show is the transmission control base: an insight into
the working world of BBCi as teams go about their daily job of ensuring
that BBCi services across the web, digital TV and mobile devices
maintains the quality you'd expect of the BBC.
With over a dozen screens of output to view, you'll be eye- as well
as mind-boggled!
Creative
Space
If
you want to know what BBCi is thinking about, take a peek into the
Creative Space, which will show you how staff come up with the ideas
for their creative, innovative and ground-breaking services.
Who knows, you might even be able to suggest a few ideas yourself?
|
