Can I use BBC material?

We receive a large number of requests from people and organisations that wish to use BBC material (e.g. whole programmes, clips, photos, content from bbc.co.uk and other copyright material) for a wide range of purposes.

If you live outside the UK and want to use something the BBC has either broadcast or published, or anything else that may be BBC copyright material, please visit the BBC Worldwide ‘Contact Us' page for Frequently Asked Questions and details on how to get in touch.

If you live in the UK and want to use something, click on the relevant link below;

  • I want to play a whole TV or radio programme or a clip to an audience

    • We need to know more about what you want to do. Send us an enquiry by filling in our webform and submitting it to us.

    • Please include information about what you plan to do, including;

      i) Who you are

      ii) Details of your organisation (if relevant), including how you're funded.

    • If you're not charging admission, then we may be able to give you permission.

  • I want to use a whole TV or radio programme for educational purposes

    • You can record broadcasts for educational purposes if your school, college or university has an Educational Recording Agency (ERA) licence. Please visit the ERA website for further information.

    • You can buy some TV programmes for educational use from BBC Active.

  • I want to use a clip from a TV or radio programme

    • You may already be able to use clips if your school, college or university has an Educational Recording Agency (ERA) licence. Please visit the ERA website for further information.

    • You may also be able to use clips under the educational exceptions to copyright that allow limited use of copyright works without the permission of the copyright owner. Visit the GOV.UK 'Intellectual Property - Exceptions to copyright' page for further information.

    • You can buy clips for educational use by emailing BBC Worldwide Learning - bbcworldwidelearning@bbc.com.

    • You can enquire about buying clips for other uses by emailing the BBC Motion Gallery Sales team at BBC.MotionGallerySales@gettyimages.com.

  • I want to use a screen grab from a TV programme or website

  • I want to use a photo

    • You can enquire about using BBC owned photos by emailing the BBC Photo Library at photo.library@bbc.co.uk, or for business customers, please visit the BBC Photo Library website.

    • You can enquire about using photos that appear on the BBC News website by emailing the News Website Permissions team at news.website.permission.requests@bbc.co.uk.

    • Please note: The BBC doesn't own all of the photos it uses. Many are owned by picture libraries, agencies or the photographer – the copyright owner is often credited in the corner.

  • I want to use content from the BBC News website

    • You can enquire about using content from the BBC News website by emailing the News Website Permissions team at news.website.permission.requests@bbc.co.uk.

    • Please note: The BBC doesn't own most of the photographs and pictures on the BBC News website, but the copyright owner is often credited in the corner. We’re unable to allow commercial re-use of material from this site.

  • I want to use content from a non-news BBC website

    • To use material from any of our non-news websites, we’ll need to know more about what you want to do.  Send us an enquiry by filling in our webform and submitting it to us. (Please include information about what you want to do with the material and where you hope to use it.)

  • I want to use a transcript of a TV or radio programme

    • We don’t make transcripts of our programmes and so can’t provide them.

    • However, we put lots of useful information on our programme pages on the BBC Programmes website.

  • I want to use a BBC logo

  • I want to buy a copy of a programme I appeared in

    • If you, or your company, organisation or property has been featured in a BBC programme, you may be able to purchase a copy.

    • Visit the Contributor Acccess application page on our Frequently Asked Questions website for further information.

  • Can’t find an answer here?

    • If what you want to do isn’t covered here, send us an enquiry by filling in our webform and submitting it to us. We'll reply to you as soon as we can.