How the BBC Began - Season 1

How the BBC Began - Season 1

Season 1

Network
Episodes2
DatesOct 22, 2022 - Mar 3, 2024

Episodes

Accident and Opportunity
Season 1Episode 190 min

Accident and Opportunity

The eyewitnesses and participants in the BBC's early history recount some of the triumphs and disasters as new frontiers of broadcasting were mapped out – often by accident rather than design.

Presenter James Burke tells how the Queen Mother helped to shape the BBC's coverage of one Apollo space mission. BBC executive Sir Huw Wheldon describes the tension of producing Sir Winston Churchill's one appearance on television. And June Spencer, famous for her role as Peggy in The Archers, shows the letter she received from a listener who was worried that she didn't know about her unmarried daughter's pregnancy.

Oct 22, 2022
Building the Audience
Season 1Episode 295 min

Building the Audience

BBC Television's first female newsreader, Nan Winton, tells the story of how she was sacked because the editor preferred men to read the news. That editor, Michael Peacock, describes his shame at the whole episode.

Staff working in the BBC's monitoring service near Reading explain the critical role they played in defusing the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962, when the world was on the brink of nuclear war. And Tony Blackburn describes the alarm his new colleagues at Radio 1 felt when he said he worked without a script: it meant their morning delivery of coffee and doughnuts was under threat.

Oct 29, 2022
Shooting the Rapids
Season 1Episode 390 min

Shooting the Rapids

The story of how the BBC struggled to be impartial at critical moments in British history and how it handled social changes in Britain after the Second World War.

Mar 3, 2024

Recently Updated Shows

Recently updated shows that might be of your interest.
Matlock
Running

Matlock

After achieving success in her younger years, the brilliant septuagenarian Madeline Matlock rejoins the work force at a prestigious law firm where she uses her unassuming demeanor and wily tactics to win cases and expose corruption from within.

EastEnders
Running

EastEnders

Set in the East End of London, the show focuses on the tensions between love and family with stories ranging from hard-hitting social issues, to personal, human tragedies. And there's plenty of funny moments too. 

Classic characters old and new across thousands of episodes have shared a drink in The Queen Vic, shed tears of despair or joy, sat on Arthur's bench in the Square... and at some point or other they probably crossed paths with Ian Beale.

GenreDrama
Fire Country
Running

Fire Country

In Fire Country, seeking redemption and a shortened prison sentence, young convict Bode Donovan joins a firefighting program that returns him to his small Northern California hometown, where he and other inmates work alongside elite firefighters to extinguish massive blazes across the region.

Elsbeth
Running

Elsbeth

Elsbeth follows Elsbeth Tascioni, an astute but unconventional attorney who utilizes her singular point of view to make unique observations and corner brilliant criminals alongside the NYPD. After leaving her successful legal career in Chicago to tackle a new investigative role in New York City, Elsbeth finds herself jockeying with the toast of the NYPD, Captain C.W. Wagner, a charismatic and revered leader. Working alongside Elsbeth is Officer Kaya Blanke, a stoic and ethical officer who quickly develops an appreciation for Elsbeth's insightful and offbeat ways.

QI XL
Running

QI XL

Sandi Toksvig, Alan Davies and comedy stars swap even more funny facts on every subject under the sun. It doesn't matter if they're right, as long as they're quite interesting.

GenreComedy