2000: Justin Mitchell wins Young Technologist of the Year

BBC engineer Justin Mitchell.

Justin Mitchell, 28, led the BBC Research and Development team that designed the prototype receiver chips for digital terrestrial television set-top boxes.

Launched in April 1998, the chips set the industry standard, becoming the market leader for consumer and professional use.

‘Designing the chips was a major project, undertaken when the specifications for digital terrestrial television had only just been finalised,’ Mitchell explained.

Based at Kingswood Warren, he joined the BBC in 1993 as a graduate engineer after being sponsored by the BBC through Cambridge University, where he studied electrical and information sciences. He will collect his award at an RTS dinner later this month.