56-741: BBC South East is the BBC English region serving Kent , East Sussex (including the City of Brighton and Hove ), parts of West Sussex and Surrey . The BBC region was created in September 2001 by the joining of the Heathfield transmitter (formerly part of the BBC South region) with the Bluebell Hill and Dover transmitters (from the then BBC London and South East region) to form
112-460: A charge-coupled device (CCD). Widescreen was introduced in 1999 , using Philips /Thomson LDK 100s. In 2010 , the cameras across the site were again upgraded, this time to Sony HSC-300s. In August 2022, it was reported that the BBC was considering selling the studios and leasing them back for production. "Fairbanks", with its distinctive green-tiled roof, is the oldest surviving building on
168-472: A day of local programming for each county from 6 am to 9 am, sharing the remainder of their output between 9 am and 7 pm, then joining with other stations in the BBC South and BBC South East regions at 7 pm. BBC South East also produces regional news and local radio pages for BBC Red Button and BBC Local websites for each county. It also provided regional information for
224-541: A dedicated South East operation was finally introduced on Tuesday 28 March 1989 with the launch of Newsroom South East from a dedicated news centre at the BBC Elstree Centre in Hertfordshire. Despite the changes throughout the decade, the large region and fewer regional operatives meant the service was still far from ideal. The size of the region was gradually reduced in stages, starting in 1993 when
280-590: A hidden car park and the headquarters of BBC South East and BBC Radio Kent . The studios, as is now the trend with most modern developments, can be viewed by the public through tours or through the display windows into the offices from the public areas. Until late 2015, the complex contained a BBC Shop. BBC English Regions BBC English Regions is the division of the BBC responsible for local and regional television, radio, web , and teletext services in England ,
336-462: A new regional TV service. Unlike ITV Meridian (East), it does not provide local news for southern Essex (received from a Bluebell Hill overlap), this area being part of the BBC London region instead. BBC South East's television output consists of the flagship regional news service South East Today and its main programme is broadcast weeknights at 6:30 pm, with short bulletins throughout
392-534: A radical review of the BBC's network radio and non-metropolitan broadcasting structure – published on 10 July 1969. Before this the structure of regional broadcasting in England had remained virtually unchanged since the late 1920s, when the establishment of four regional radio transmission stations covering England had led to a regional structure on similar lines. BBC North was based in Manchester and covered
448-569: A raft of closures, restructures and cost-cutting measures and one of these was the decision not to renew We Are England for a third series. BBC Elstree Centre The BBC Elstree Centre , sometimes referred to as the BBC Elstree Studios , is a television production facility, currently owned by the BBC . The complex is located between Eldon Avenue and Clarendon Road in Borehamwood , Hertfordshire , England. This site
504-402: A region as it acted as the sustaining service for the other regions. These regions (alongside the national regions BBC Scotland , BBC Wales and BBC Northern Ireland that performed a similar role outside England) were well-suited to delivering the pre-war BBC Regional Programme and the post-war BBC Home Service that replaced it. By the 1960s, though, the growth of television, the birth of
560-590: A separate entity and Heathfield viewers rejoining Bluebell Hill and Dover in a new smaller BBC South East region, launched on Monday 3 September 2001 and based in Royal Tunbridge Wells . Following digital switchover in the south on 7 March 2012, the Whitehawk Hill transmitter in Brighton transferred from the BBC South region to BBC South East. The network had been broadcasting around
616-540: A small television news studio, the latter to enable local ( opt out ) programming. As a result of the latter, Plymouth -based BBC South West and Southampton -based BBC South were split from BBC West in Bristol; Norwich -based BBC East separated from BBC Midlands in Birmingham; a new smaller BBC North West was created from the existing Manchester -based region, with the old BBC North name being taken by
SECTION 10
#1732780889851672-451: A switching and engineering area for BBC News ' election broadcasts. 114 × 78 metric feet, excluding audience seating. The only studio on site available for hire via BBC Studioworks, this is a 8,892 sq ft (826.1 m ) light-entertainment studio with permanent audience seating in a recessed area of one wall. Like A, B and C, it has an overhang in one corner with production galleries above. Adjacent to Studio D, Studio E, which
728-521: A wholly new complex would be some years in the future, while the need for more studio space was urgent. As a result, the Eldon Avenue centre was re-equipped as an electronic television complex, and most of ATV's live and video-taped shows were made there. The series made by the affiliated ITC, such as The Saint , Gideon's Way , and The Prisoner , were shot on 35mm film at other companies' neighbouring Elstree facilities or elsewhere, mostly at
784-470: Is 1,134 square feet (105.4 square metres), is used as props handling. 154 × 60 metric feet outside fire lanes. Part of the EastEnders studio facilities. It includes a number of control rooms and associated facilities along one wall, which can control the backlot plus any of the studios on site (other than Studio D). This is the home of the standing sets of The Queen Victoria and the cafe. Part of
840-451: Is available for hire, the other six being permanently dedicated to EastEnders . There are also a number of smaller studios used for the filming of Holby City . The current configuration is as follows: 66 × 62 metric feet within fire lanes. Part of the EastEnders studio facilities. It has an overhang in one corner with production galleries above, but these areas are no longer used. 70 × 62 metric feet within fire lanes. Part of
896-473: Is the only one of the BBC regions not based in a major city. The Tunbridge Wells studios are located in The Great Hall, a historic building previously used as public rooms, photography studios, a performance venue, a cinema, a dancing school and until 1980, a nightclub called Carriages . In 1980, the building was severely damaged by fire. It was renovated and bought and now contains an arcade of shops,
952-401: Is themed around a different subtitle, with the first being Mental Health . Aisling O'Connor, the head of TV Commissioning for BBC England, commissioned 120 episodes to be broadcast in 2022, with the first being shown on 26 January 2022 at 7:30pm. In-addition to being shown on BBC One , select episodes are also repeated on BBC News and on BBC Three . In May 2022, the BBC announced
1008-681: The Douglas Fairbanks Presents series (1953–1957), and a few episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents . The studios were sold to Lew Grade 's Associated Television (ATV) in May 1958. The original intention of the new owners was to use the facility for production of the affiliated ITC filmed series. The Adventures of William Tell (1958–59) was produced here, but ATV's existing television studios were insufficient for its requirements. A 7.5 acres (3.0 hectares ) site on London's South Bank had been purchased, but completion of
1064-682: The ABPC Elstree (Film) Studios , and MGM-British Studios . Originally, some ATV programmes were made at the Alpha studios in Aston, Birmingham, as ATV had the weekday ITV Midland franchise as well as the weekend London franchise until network changes in 1968 . After 1970, programmes such as Crossroads were made at the new Birmingham studios at the ATV Centre. Larger-scale productions, including many drama programmes, continued to be recorded at
1120-600: The BBC Home Service was to be replaced by BBC Local Radio . The report stated that the local radio experiment, started in 1967 "has proved that there is a demand for local radio" and that the BBC should "put forward to the Postmaster General a provisional scheme for expanding our local network to about forty stations" . This structure has largely survived since the 1970s. Local news services were developed on Ceefax from 1997 and were extended onto
1176-548: The EastEnders studio facilities. Like A, C and D, it has an overhang in one corner with production galleries above. The original gallery facilities have been modified into two separate production galleries for use on EastEnders , and both can control any of the studios on site (other than Studio D) plus the backlot. 102 × 68 metric ft within fire lanes. Part of the EastEnders studio facilities. Like A, B and D, it has an overhang in one corner with production galleries above. The original gallery facilities have been converted into
SECTION 20
#17327808898511232-612: The Heathfield transmitter serving East Sussex was switched from BBC South East to BBC South. On 16 October 2000, the areas served by the Oxford transmitter were transferred from BBC South East to a new opt out service from BBC South's South Today . This service was concluded on financial grounds in December 2022. Following the BBC's South East Review of 2001, the London and South East arrangements changed, with BBC London split off as
1288-1096: The Isle of Man , and the Channel Islands . It is one of the BBC's four "nations" – the others being BBC Cymru Wales , BBC Northern Ireland , and BBC Scotland . The division is made up of 12 regions. Many of the names of these regions are similar to those of the official government Regions of England , but the areas covered are often significantly different, being determined by terrestrial transmission coverage rather than administrative boundaries. BBC English Regions has its headquarters at The Mailbox in Birmingham (West Midlands) and additional regional television centres in Norwich , Nottingham , Broadcasting House (London), Newcastle , MediaCityUK (Salford), Southampton , Tunbridge Wells , Plymouth , Bristol , Leeds , and Kingston upon Hull as well as local radio stations based at 43 locations across England. Overall,
1344-609: The Look North branding for Yorkshire , East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire and the North East and Cumbria , with national bulletins for Scotland , Wales and Northern Ireland . All follow the national UK-wide BBC News bulletins. In May 2022 the BBC announced the cessation of the Cambridge and Oxford sub-regional television news bulletins as part of plans to move to a digital-first BBC. The last bulletins aired at 18:30 on
1400-600: The Queen Vic fire . In January 2014, the BBC announced on the EastEnders website that the set has been approved to be expanded by twenty per cent; creating a new permanent front lot, located on the site of the former staff car park. This expansion project is the 'E20' project, which by 2018 had already gone over-budget. Filming on the front lot commenced in January 2022. Of the seven large studios on site, all are operated by BBC Studioworks . However, only one (Studio D)
1456-521: The web in 1999. The decreasing costs of television production and improving technology also enabled the gradual development of even smaller regions. In 1991, BBC East Midlands was finally created in Nottingham , BBC London (separated from BBC South East) became a region in 2001 and BBC North was split into BBC Yorkshire and BBC Yorkshire and Lincolnshire in 2004 – with the new millennium seeing several BBC regions moving into new premises. In
1512-416: The 16th December 2022. Programmes made for BBC English Regions include Walking with... and Winter Walks , two series produced by Cy Chadwick , where presenters take solitary walks along scenic paths, filming themselves and their surroundings with a 360-degree camera on a selfie stick . All the episodes from a series get a regional slot on BBC One where they are broadcast at all the same time, before
1568-588: The BBC Ceefax service until its closure in October 2012. Prior to 2001, London, and the whole of the South East had been considered part of the same editorial region by the BBC, and as a result, received a single regional service, including news programmes London Plus (1984–1989) and Newsroom South East (1989–2001). London had not been afforded the same 'regional' status as the other BBC regions as
1624-636: The East, South and South West regions, sub-regional opt-outs during local news programmes have also been created (similar to those on ITV regional news programmes), based respectively in Cambridge, Oxford and Jersey. In total, the BBC has produced the regional news bulletins for London , the East , South East , South , South West , West , the West and East Midlands , and the North West regions of England, with
1680-532: The Elstree facility for the rest of ATV's existence. In the period of its occupation of the Elstree complex, the smaller Studios A and B were used for schools TV and sitcoms, while Studio C was a drama studio. Studio D, with permanent audience seating, was used for light entertainment programmes such as the ATV Morecambe and Wise series ( Two of a Kind , 1961–68) and The Muppet Show (1976–81). ATV
1736-522: The ITV franchise since 1968. For the last 18 months of its use as an ITV production studio, the complex was under the ownership of Central Independent Television ; as ATV ceased to exist as a company at the end of 31 December 1981. The studios remained in operation by Central TV up until July 1983 (the final production under Central ownership being a Max Bygraves -era episode of Family Fortunes ), when its new East Midlands Television Centre in Nottingham
BBC South East - Misplaced Pages Continue
1792-559: The area from Cheshire and Sheffield northwards, BBC Midlands and East Anglia was based in Birmingham covering a swathe of central England from the Potteries to Norfolk , and BBC South and West was based in Bristol covering the area south and west of a line from Gloucester to Brighton . The London area, though it had regional transmission infrastructure of its own, produced only national programming and wasn't considered to be
1848-501: The back of the building in 1989, but was dismantled when the series left Elstree in 2002. Neptune House can be seen in the opening titles of Gerry Anderson's science-fiction series UFO (1970) as Harlington-Straker Film Studios, the (literal) cover for the secret and below-ground headquarters of SHADO. The hospital 'wards' in Holby City are actually the top floor of Neptune House, fully kitted out, allowing genuine outside views from
1904-449: The bulk of the national content was produced in the capital. This was reflected in the fact that since the launch of regional TV news bulletins in 1957, there was no specialist division within the BBC tasked with producing South East opt-outs. As a result, the region had fewer local bulletins. Town and Around , the BBC's first attempt at a South East news programme, was gradually integrated into Nationwide , whose production team produced
1960-600: The day and during the weekend. A half-hour opt-out during Sunday Politics is produced by an independent production company. In 2020, South East Today joined forces with BBC London News during the COVID-19 Pandemic to keep viewers in both regions informed with the developments about the virus in their areas, although it didn't affect their separate main evening programmes. The joint venture happened again in January 2021. BBC South East covers Kent , East Sussex and parts of West Sussex and Surrey . Due to
2016-576: The division produces over 70% of the BBC's domestic television and radio output hours, for about 7% of the licence fee. Since April 2009, the English Regions division has been aligned with the BBC News department to "maximise co-operation in the BBC's news operations". The current BBC English Regions division was the product of the controversial Broadcasting in the Seventies report –
2072-614: The drama film The Edge of the World (1937), directed by Michael Powell . The studios were owned by British National Films Company between 1939 and 1948, although during this period a large portion of the studio was taken over by the British government for war work. During 1953, the studios were bought by Douglas Fairbanks Junior , mainly for television production, who renamed them "National Studios", although they were informally known as "Fairbanks Studios". Early productions included
2128-658: The equipment was already so old and worthless there would have been no gain in intentionally disabling it. When the BBC moved in, it repaired equipment that was not beyond repair, sometimes using spare parts from identical pieces of equipment already in BBC use. The EMI 2001 television cameras used in Studio 3 at BBC Television Centre , Shepherd's Bush , were moved into the newly renamed 'BBC Elstree Centre' as part of that studio's refurbishment, instead of being stripped down for spare parts. Central TV's own EMI 2001s were considered to be beyond economic repair by BBC staff sent to examine
2184-477: The fringes of Brighton and Hove prior to switchover and has always been part of the region's remit since 2001; BBC South East now broadcasts terrestrially to the whole city extending along the coast into West Sussex as far as Worthing . The regional broadcasting centre is based in Tunbridge Wells , Kent with local radio studios and television bureaux located in Brighton and Guildford . BBC South East
2240-426: The local bulletins, presented for many years by Bob Wellings . This issue was addressed to a degree with the launch of South East at Six on Monday 4 January 1982 and later, on Monday 3 September 1984, by London Plus – which saw the introduction of short daytime bulletins of the type seen in other BBC regions. Production teams based within the BBC's Current Affairs department continued to produce London Plus until
2296-487: The more locally based ITV franchises in 1955 and the development of smaller BBC Local Radio stations (made possible by the development of FM radio ) were making the structure look increasingly anachronistic. The effect of Broadcasting in the Seventies was to separate the two different roles of regional BBC offices into different organisations: Each of the production centres also had network radio studios ( BBC Birmingham , for instance, producing The Archers ) plus
BBC South East - Misplaced Pages Continue
2352-558: The nearby Elstree Studios in Shenley Road. The Neptune Film Company opened the first studios in Borehamwood in 1914. It contained just a single 70 feet (21 metres ) window-less stage (the first 'dark stage' in England), relying on electricity from a gas-powered generator for lighting . At the time, this was an innovation, as the majority of early films were shot in large glass-roof studios which relied on natural light . It
2408-604: The newly created region based in Leeds ; and the existing Newcastle -based BBC North East separated from the old BBC North Region in this process. In addition, London and the surrounding area was finally recognised as a region with the creation of BBC South East although the region was not to get a dedicated regional programme of its own until 1982 and regional news bulletins for the area did not launch until September 1985. These new regions produced local news programmes and opt-outs on television, but regional radio programming on
2464-557: The sale and partial demolition of BBC Television Centre in West London , BBC Television's original head office and primary TV production site, Studio D at Elstree has since been utilised for many of the BBC's large studio productions; such as Children in Need , Comic Relief and the BBC's 2015 General Election coverage. During the 2010s, BBC Studioworks began operating three additional sound stages , newly equipped for television, at
2520-472: The site, part of the studios constructed during the 1930s. It sits adjacent to the largest studios, Studio C and D. Neptune House was built during the 1960s, and has a glass-fronted entrance. It has featured in several popular television series, including as the school in Grange Hill , and since 1999, as the hospital reception for Holby City . A purpose-built set was constructed for Grange Hill at
2576-449: The site, regardless of whether they had been intentionally disabled or not by Central TV employees. Elstree kept the EMI 2001s until 1991. Elstree's first new cameras were to be Thomson TTV-1531s, one of the last plumbicon -tubed cameras to be made. These cameras were again replaced in the mid-1990s with Thomson TTV-1542 and TTV-1647 lightweight cameras using the then-new camera technology of
2632-584: The size of Surrey , the listenership of BBC Radio Surrey is covered by both BBC London , BBC South and BBC South East. The region is the controlling centre for BBC Radio Kent , BBC Radio Surrey and BBC Radio Sussex . Radio Kent carries local programming between 6 am and 7 pm from the Tunbridge Wells studio, then simulcasts networked programming along with stations in the BBC South and South East regions until 1 am every night. Radio Sussex and Radio Surrey each carry three hours
2688-536: The studios were sold to the Ideal Film Company , who used the site up until 1924. During 1928, the studios were sold to Ludwig Blattner , who connected them to the electricity mains and introduced a German system of sound recording. The Blattner Studios were leased to Joe Rock Productions during 1934, and two years later it purchased the site, renaming it " Rock Studios ". Rock Productions built four new large stages, and began making films, including
2744-405: The whole series gets a national repeat on either BBC Two or BBC Four . In 2022, a new regional documentary strand titled We Are England was launched, as a replacement for the current affairs show Inside Out . A notable change is that episodes represent large, new, combinations of English regions, based in six main bases (Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds, London, Newcastle and Norwich); each week
2800-473: The windows. The building's staircases are seen almost constantly in the series. The exterior set for the fictional East London setting Albert Square in EastEnders is located in the permanent backlot at 51°39′32″N 0°16′40″W / 51.65889°N 0.27778°W / 51.65889; -0.27778 . Originally constructed in 1984, the set is outdoors and open to the elements; by 2010, it
2856-443: Was completed. When the BBC bought the Elstree site in 1984 to produce its new soap opera EastEnders (first aired on 19 February 1985), it did not purchase the equipment within the building. Some sources state that as a consequence, Central TV's studio technicians were instructed to make the equipment left behind inoperable (there are particular claims about the camera prisms being smashed). Other sources dispute this, claiming
SECTION 50
#17327808898512912-405: Was looking increasingly shabby. It was rebuilt for compliance with the requirements of high-definition television on the same site in 2013–2014, using mostly real brick, with some areas using a new improved plastic brick. Throughout rebuilding filming still took place, and so scaffolding was often seen on screen during the process, with some story lines written to accommodate the rebuilding, such as
2968-685: Was restructured as Central Independent Television for the new contractual period beginning in January 1982. One of the conditions of its licence renewal by the governing body of the ITV network , then the Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA), was that ATV should vacate any London-based facilities and become entirely focused on the English Midlands , the region of the United Kingdom for which it had held
3024-457: Was said that Borehamwood was chosen as it had a good London train service, but was far enough away to avoid the then-regular London pea soup fogs . At the time, Borehamwood was a small hamlet in the parish of Elstree , named after the larger village of Elstree , as was the railway station of Elstree , and so the studio's location was often referred to as "Elstree", rather than "Borehamwood". Production at Neptune Studios ceased during 1917, and
3080-404: Was sold to the BBC in 1984. It is currently a main production base for BBC Television , with the television studios being run by the BBC's commercial subsidiary BBC Studioworks , previously known as BBC Studios and Post Production. The BBC Elstree Centre site includes the external set for the long-running soap opera EastEnders and, until December 2021, the medical drama Holby City . With
3136-430: Was the first of several such complexes colloquially referred to as Elstree Studios located in the area. Originally created as a film studio in 1914, the site was converted for use as a television studio in 1960, becoming the main television production site for Lew Grade's ATV franchise for the ITV network . After ATV became Central Television in the early 1980s and moved to a new Midlands-based complex, this site
#850149