The BBC Story
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BBC History milestones
On the 14 November, 1922 the British Broadcasting Company went on the air for the first time. The transmission sparked huge interest and was considered the latest scientific marvel of the age. It was the first of many key milestones in UK broadcast history, which until the advent of commercial competition, were largely the preserve of the BBC. By 1932 the 'Company' had transformed itself into a public corporation, and had opened one of the most advanced broadcasting centres in the world, Broadcasting House.
History of Innovation
Collections & Buildings
Explore BBC history via objects, tours and exhibitions.
Research and Links
Explore the life and times of the man who created the BBC in the 1920s, moulding its very ethos and instigating a model for public service broadcasting all around the world. Also includes aspects of Reith's personal life and his career post BBC. Find out more.
Fascinating Fact: What distraction tactics did the BBC famously use to concentrate audience attentions away from the launch of their first commercial competitor, ITV, in September 1955?
They killed off the character Grace Archer in their long-running radio soap, The Archers.
Complete our new quiz and download an exclusive screensaver!
They killed off the character Grace Archer in their long-running radio soap, The Archers.
Complete our new quiz and download an exclusive screensaver!
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BBC links
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