BBC Parliament
Encyclopedia
BBC Parliament is a British television channel from the BBC
. Its remit is to make accessible to all the work of the parliamentary and legislative bodies of the United Kingdom and the European Parliament
. It broadcasts live and recorded coverage of the House of Commons and House of Lords
, Select Committees of the UK Parliament, the three devolved assemblies, being the Scottish Parliament
, the Northern Ireland Assembly
and the Welsh Assembly, and occasionally from the General Synod of the Church of England
. The channel also broadcasts reports from the European Parliament
and the yearly party conferences of the main UK political parties and the Trades Union Congress
.
The channel ran as an audio service via DAB
from launch until 14 November 2000.
Due to capacity limitations on the Digital Terrestrial Television
platform, now known as Freeview, from launch until 30 October 2002, the channel ran as "audio only". Then on Freeview from October 2002 until 13 November 2006 the channel was only able to broadcast a quarter-screen picture. After receiving "thousands of angry and perplexed e-mails and letters", not to mention questions asked by MPs in the House itself, the BBC eventually found the bandwidth to make the channel full-screen.
Until 2008, BBC Parliament was unique amongst the BBC channels in being broadcast using non-BBC facilities - with ITV's Millbank Studios, based in Westminster
, supplying the engineering and playout
facilities (CBeebies
became the second such channel when it moved live presentation to Teddington Studios
in 2008). Production, editorial and journalism are, however, maintained by the BBC.
The channel's current identity was introduced on Monday, 20 April 2009 as part of the unifying of all of BBC News' output, the process which saw the BBC News Channel and BBC World News receive revamps in 2008. This replaced the channel's previous identity which was first introduced in 2002.
coverage from a given year, from the 1955 election
, the first British election programme to be telerecorded, to the 2010 election. Some have been broadcast on the anniversary of their original transmissions. The channel's editor has described this as adding "something of value" and says it helps the channel "reach a wider audience for our normal parliamentary schedule".
1 - In addition, the overnight coverage of the 1979 election was broadcast on BBC Four
on 12 June 2008.
2 - The 1983 election was originally scheduled to be shown on 10 October 2003, but was not broadcast.
3 - Notably, the 1997 coverage was broadcast "clean"- without the original on-screen graphics, although they have been included on all other election reruns.
. They are generally shown on the anniversaries of major events. Programmes in this area have been diverse in character, such as the channel's very first archive rerun, which was to celebrate the Golden Jubilee
in June 2002 when BBC Parliament reran the coronation coverage
.
In 2005, the channel showed the coverage of the funeral of Winston Churchill
to mark the 40th anniversary of his death.
Also in 2005, BBC Parliament marked the 30th anniversary of the 1975 referendum over Europe. The programming featured interviews with the two main party leaders and showed two hours of the Referendum results coverage.
To commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the Suez Crisis
in November 2006, writer and broadcaster Anthony Howard
introduced a special series of programmes on the channel. This included television broadcasts by the prime minister Anthony Eden
, Labour Leader of the Opposition Hugh Gaitskell
and a new documentary called Suez in Parliament: a Fine Hullabaloo.
In April 2007, Brian Hanrahan
introduced Falklands Night. This programme featured BBC television's news coverage of the Falklands Conflict, shown to mark the 25th anniversary of the outbreak of hostilities. The output included news bulletins and reports from the time, editions of Newsnight
and excerpts of debates from Question Time. Falklands Night was shown twice during the spring of 2007, to mark the beginning and the end of the conflict.
On 1 July 2007, the channel had a Hong Kong Night, presented by Chris Patten
, the last Governor of Hong Kong
, which reran coverage of the handover ceremony, to coincide with the tenth anniversary of the end of British rule, and the transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong to China.
On 1 September 2007, the channel re-ran the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales
to coincide with the tenth anniversary of her death
. The rerun was shown at the precise broadcast times of the BBC coverage, running from 0825 until the BBC coverage ended at 1600. David Dimbleby
, who anchored the BBC's coverage, said a few words at the beginning and the end of the rerun.
On 18 November 2007 Cliff Michelmore
came out of retirement to present The Pound in Your Pocket. This was an evening of BBC archive programmes shown to mark forty years since the devaluation of the Pound
by the British government on 18 November 1967. The Money Programme
, Twenty-Four Hours
, highlights from the 1968 Budget programme and ministerial broadcasts were among archive shown. The programme's title is taken from the famously misquoted television broadcast made by the Prime Minister Harold Wilson
about the devaluation on 19 November 1967. Wilson said: "It does not mean that the pound here in Britain, in your pocket, in your purse or bank has been devalued."
On 26 May 2008, Joan Bakewell introduced an archive evening called Permissive Night which examined the liberalising legislation passed by Parliament in the late 1960s. Topics covered included changes to divorce
law, the death penalty
, the legalisation of abortion
, the Race Relations Act 1968
, the partial decriminalisation
of homosexual acts (using editions of the documentary series Man Alive) and the relaxation of censorship
. The evening concluded with a special new edition of Late Night Line-Up
, the review programme that Joan Bakewell presented in the late 1960s.
On 28 March 2009 Donald MacCormick
made his final appearance on television presenting an evening on BBC Parliament. The Night The Government Fell marked the 30th anniversary of the vote of no confidence
in the Labour Government headed by James Callaghan
. 30 years previously MacCormick had presented a live programme in Westminster covering these same events. The night included nearly three-and-a-half hours of audio highlights of the Commons debate as well as a documentary charting the evening's events and other archive programmes.
On 28 June 2009, BBC Parliament reran BBC TV's coverage of the Investiture of Prince Charles as Prince of Wales
to mark the 40th anniversary of this event. The channel also broadcast an interview which Prince Charles gave a few days before his Investiture.
At 8pm on 3 September 2009, BBC Parliament re-broadcast the British declaration of War made by Neville Chamberlain
just after 11am on 3 September 1939. This marked the point when Britain entered World War II
. From this time "a state of war" existed between the United Kingdom and Nazi Germany
.
On 25 September 2009 the channel marked the 30th anniversary of Question Time
by broadcasting the first edition of the topical discussion programme originally broadcast on 25 September 1979 and presented by Robin Day
. The inaugural panel consisted of Michael Foot
MP, Teddy Taylor
, Edna O'Brien
and Archbishop Derek Worlock.
To mark the fiftieth anniversary of the 1959 general election
the channel repeated the BBC's election results programme on 9 October 2009 (originally broadcast on 8 October 1959). Only the overnight coverage was shown because the BBC did not keep the daytime coverage. This was given a special introduction by David Dimbleby
, the son of Richard Dimbleby
who presented the 1959 broadcast alongside Cliff Michelmore
, Alan Whicker
, David Butler and Robert Mackenzie.
As a companion piece on 10 October 2009 the writer and broadcaster Anthony Howard
introduced an archive evening looking back at 1959 called Never Had It So Good. This included television election broadcasts by the prime minister Harold Macmillan
, Leader of the Opposition Hugh Gaitskell
and Labour's Tony Benn
, an edition of Tonight
and other BBC current affairs programmes. The evening's title is taken from a phrase contained in a speech made by Harold Macmillan in 1957 when he optimistically said "Let us be frank about it - most of our people have never had it so good".
On 4 November 2011 the UK Youth Parliament
will be broadcasted live to mark the parliaments third sitting in the House of Commons after Members of Parliament
voted in 2010 to allow the UK Youth Parliament to debate as the only organisation other than MPs in the House of Commons every year for the remainder of the sitting of the current parliament. John Bercow
, Speaker of the House of Commons
, will chair the five debate topics chossen by oer 65,000 young people across the UK.
During breaks, BBC Parliament does not often show programming information, instead showing short portions of, for example, Britain's Best Buildings, in particular the Palace of Westminster
episode, or its regular series A to Z of Westminster, attempting to make plain some of the more common aspects of parliamentary protocol. These portions usually last from 5–15 minutes, depending on how long the gap is to fill.
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
. Its remit is to make accessible to all the work of the parliamentary and legislative bodies of the United Kingdom and the European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
. It broadcasts live and recorded coverage of the House of Commons and House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
, Select Committees of the UK Parliament, the three devolved assemblies, being the Scottish Parliament
Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament is the devolved national, unicameral legislature of Scotland, located in the Holyrood area of the capital, Edinburgh. The Parliament, informally referred to as "Holyrood", is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament...
, the Northern Ireland Assembly
Northern Ireland Assembly
The Northern Ireland Assembly is the devolved legislature of Northern Ireland. It has power to legislate in a wide range of areas that are not explicitly reserved to the Parliament of the United Kingdom, and to appoint the Northern Ireland Executive...
and the Welsh Assembly, and occasionally from the General Synod of the Church of England
General Synod of the Church of England
The General Synod is the deliberative and legislative body of the Church of England. The synod was instituted in 1970, replacing the Church Assembly, and is the culmination of a process of rediscovering self-government for the Church of England that had started in the 1850s.- Church Assembly: 1919...
. The channel also broadcasts reports from the European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
and the yearly party conferences of the main UK political parties and the Trades Union Congress
Trades Union Congress
The Trades Union Congress is a national trade union centre, a federation of trade unions in the United Kingdom, representing the majority of trade unions...
.
History
Before being taken over by the BBC, the channel was known as The Parliamentary Channel, at first operated by United Artists Cable and funded by a consortium of British cable operators. The Parliamentary Channel launched as a cable-exclusive channel in 1992. The channel was purchased by the BBC in 1998, retitled 'BBC Parliament', and relaunched under the new name on 23 September 1998. It now broadcasts on cable, satellite, and Freeview.The channel ran as an audio service via DAB
Digital audio broadcasting
Digital Audio Broadcasting is a digital radio technology for broadcasting radio stations, used in several countries, particularly in Europe. As of 2006, approximately 1,000 stations worldwide broadcast in the DAB format....
from launch until 14 November 2000.
Due to capacity limitations on the Digital Terrestrial Television
Digital terrestrial television
Digital terrestrial television is the technological evolution of broadcast television and advance from analog television, which broadcasts land-based signals...
platform, now known as Freeview, from launch until 30 October 2002, the channel ran as "audio only". Then on Freeview from October 2002 until 13 November 2006 the channel was only able to broadcast a quarter-screen picture. After receiving "thousands of angry and perplexed e-mails and letters", not to mention questions asked by MPs in the House itself, the BBC eventually found the bandwidth to make the channel full-screen.
Until 2008, BBC Parliament was unique amongst the BBC channels in being broadcast using non-BBC facilities - with ITV's Millbank Studios, based in Westminster
Westminster
Westminster is an area of central London, within the City of Westminster, England. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, southwest of the City of London and southwest of Charing Cross...
, supplying the engineering and playout
Playout
In broadcasting, playout is a term for the transmission of radio or TV channels from the broadcaster into broadcast networks that delivers the content to the audience...
facilities (CBeebies
CBeebies
CBeebies is the brand used by the BBC for programming aimed at children 6 years and under. It is used as a themed strand in the UK on terrestrial television, as a separate free-to-air domestic British channel and used for international varients supported by advertising, subscription or both...
became the second such channel when it moved live presentation to Teddington Studios
Teddington Studios
Teddington Studios is a large British television studio complex located in Teddington, South-West London, providing studio facilities for programmes airing on BBC television, ITV, and Channel 4 along with others...
in 2008). Production, editorial and journalism are, however, maintained by the BBC.
The channel's current identity was introduced on Monday, 20 April 2009 as part of the unifying of all of BBC News' output, the process which saw the BBC News Channel and BBC World News receive revamps in 2008. This replaced the channel's previous identity which was first introduced in 2002.
General election repeats
Since 2002, the channel has frequently shown (almost) complete recordings of BBC general electionGeneral election
In a parliamentary political system, a general election is an election in which all or most members of a given political body are chosen. The term is usually used to refer to elections held for a nation's primary legislative body, as distinguished from by-elections and local elections.The term...
coverage from a given year, from the 1955 election
United Kingdom general election, 1955
The 1955 United Kingdom general election was held on 26 May 1955, four years after the previous general election. It resulted in a substantially increased majority of 60 for the Conservative government under new leader and prime minister Sir Anthony Eden against Labour Party, now in their 20th year...
, the first British election programme to be telerecorded, to the 2010 election. Some have been broadcast on the anniversary of their original transmissions. The channel's editor has described this as adding "something of value" and says it helps the channel "reach a wider audience for our normal parliamentary schedule".
| Election | Dates(s) Shown |
| 1955 United Kingdom general election, 1955 The 1955 United Kingdom general election was held on 26 May 1955, four years after the previous general election. It resulted in a substantially increased majority of 60 for the Conservative government under new leader and prime minister Sir Anthony Eden against Labour Party, now in their 20th year... |
26 May 2005 - 50th anniversary. Only three hours of the programme are known to exist |
| 1959 United Kingdom general election, 1959 This United Kingdom general election was held on 8 October 1959. It marked a third successive victory for the ruling Conservative Party, led by Harold Macmillan... |
9 October 2009 - 50th Anniversary. |
| 1964 United Kingdom general election, 1964 The United Kingdom general election of 1964 was held on 15 October 1964, more than five years after the preceding election, and thirteen years after the Conservative Party had retaken power... |
4 January 2004 3 October 2008 |
| 1966 United Kingdom general election, 1966 The 1966 United Kingdom general election on 31 March 1966 was called by sitting Labour Prime Minister Harold Wilson. Wilson's decision to call an election turned on the fact that his government, elected a mere 17 months previously in 1964 had an unworkably small majority of only 4 MPs... |
31 March 2006 - One hour 'highlights' programme, 40th anniversary 8 April 2006 - Full Coverage |
| 1970 United Kingdom general election, 1970 The United Kingdom general election of 1970 was held on 18 June 1970, and resulted in a surprise victory for the Conservative Party under leader Edward Heath, who defeated the Labour Party under Harold Wilson. The election also saw the Liberal Party and its new leader Jeremy Thorpe lose half their... |
26 September 2003 18 July 2005 - Unadvertised; shown the day after the death of Ted Heath Edward Heath Sir Edward Richard George "Ted" Heath, KG, MBE, PC was a British Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and as Leader of the Conservative Party .... 9 October 2010 |
| February 1974 United Kingdom general election, February 1974 The United Kingdom's general election of February 1974 was held on the 28th of that month. It was the first of two United Kingdom general elections held that year, and the first election since the Second World War not to produce an overall majority in the House of Commons for the winning party,... |
3 October 2003 19 February 2010 15 May 2010 |
| October 1974 United Kingdom general election, October 1974 The United Kingdom general election of October 1974 took place on 10 October 1974 to elect 635 members to the British House of Commons. It was the second general election of that year and resulted in the Labour Party led by Harold Wilson, winning by a tiny majority of 3 seats.The election of... |
10 October 2004 - 30th anniversary |
| 1979 United Kingdom general election, 1979 The United Kingdom general election of 1979 was held on 3 May 1979 to elect 635 members to the British House of Commons. The Conservative Party, led by Margaret Thatcher ousted the incumbent Labour government of James Callaghan with a parliamentary majority of 43 seats... 1 |
7 September 2002 3 May 2004 - 25th anniversary 4 May 2009 - 30th anniversary |
| 1983 United Kingdom general election, 1983 The 1983 United Kingdom general election was held on 9 June 1983. It gave the Conservative Party under Margaret Thatcher the most decisive election victory since that of Labour in 1945... 2 |
6 October 2006 30 May 2008 - 25th anniversary |
| 1987 United Kingdom general election, 1987 The United Kingdom general election of 1987 was held on 11 June 1987, to elect 650 members to the British House of Commons. The election was the third consecutive election victory for the Conservative Party under the leadership of Margaret Thatcher, who became the first Prime Minister since the 2nd... |
5 September 2005 5 October 2007 |
| 1992 United Kingdom general election, 1992 The United Kingdom general election of 1992 was held on 9 April 1992, and was the fourth consecutive victory for the Conservative Party. This election result was one of the biggest surprises in 20th Century politics, as polling leading up to the day of the election showed Labour under leader Neil... |
9 April 2007 - 15th anniversary |
| 1997 United Kingdom general election, 1997 The United Kingdom general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997, more than five years after the previous election on 9 April 1992, to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party ended its 18 years in opposition under the leadership of Tony Blair, and won the general... 3 |
8 September 2002 13 May 2005 7 May 2007 - 10th anniversary |
| 2001 United Kingdom general election, 2001 The United Kingdom general election, 2001 was held on Thursday 7 June 2001 to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. It was dubbed "the quiet landslide" by the media, as the Labour Party was re-elected with another landslide result and only suffered a net loss of 6 seats... |
30 May 2011 - 10th anniversary |
| 2005 United Kingdom general election, 2005 The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160.... |
7 May 2005 - Two days after its original transmission |
| 2010 | 8 May 2010 - Two days after its original transmission |
1 - In addition, the overnight coverage of the 1979 election was broadcast on BBC Four
BBC Four
BBC Four is a British television network operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation and available to digital television viewers on Freeview, IPTV, satellite and cable....
on 12 June 2008.
2 - The 1983 election was originally scheduled to be shown on 10 October 2003, but was not broadcast.
3 - Notably, the 1997 coverage was broadcast "clean"- without the original on-screen graphics, although they have been included on all other election reruns.
Special programming
BBC Parliament often broadcasts programmes that have a historical or broader social significance, often encompassing major events both in the United Kingdom and in the world. They have also included a selection of programmes exploring issues of import and topicality in-depth, akin to BBC FourBBC Four
BBC Four is a British television network operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation and available to digital television viewers on Freeview, IPTV, satellite and cable....
. They are generally shown on the anniversaries of major events. Programmes in this area have been diverse in character, such as the channel's very first archive rerun, which was to celebrate the Golden Jubilee
Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth II
The Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II was the international celebration marking the 50th anniversary of the accession of Elizabeth II to the thrones of seven countries, upon the death of her father, George VI, on 6 February 1952, and was intended by the Queen to be both a commemoration of her 50...
in June 2002 when BBC Parliament reran the coronation coverage
Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II
The Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II was the ceremony in which the newly ascended monarch, Elizabeth II, was crowned Queen of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Ceylon, and Pakistan, as well as taking on the role of Head of the Commonwealth...
.
In 2005, the channel showed the coverage of the funeral of Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
to mark the 40th anniversary of his death.
Also in 2005, BBC Parliament marked the 30th anniversary of the 1975 referendum over Europe. The programming featured interviews with the two main party leaders and showed two hours of the Referendum results coverage.
To commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the Suez Crisis
Suez Crisis
The Suez Crisis, also referred to as the Tripartite Aggression, Suez War was an offensive war fought by France, the United Kingdom, and Israel against Egypt beginning on 29 October 1956. Less than a day after Israel invaded Egypt, Britain and France issued a joint ultimatum to Egypt and Israel,...
in November 2006, writer and broadcaster Anthony Howard
Anthony Howard (journalist)
Anthony Michell Howard, CBE was a prominent British journalist, broadcaster and writer. He was the editor of the New Statesman, The Listener and the deputy editor of The Observer...
introduced a special series of programmes on the channel. This included television broadcasts by the prime minister Anthony Eden
Anthony Eden
Robert Anthony Eden, 1st Earl of Avon, KG, MC, PC was a British Conservative politician, who was Prime Minister from 1955 to 1957...
, Labour Leader of the Opposition Hugh Gaitskell
Hugh Gaitskell
Hugh Todd Naylor Gaitskell CBE was a British Labour politician, who held Cabinet office in Clement Attlee's governments, and was the Leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition from 1955, until his death in 1963.-Early life:He was born in Kensington, London, the third and youngest...
and a new documentary called Suez in Parliament: a Fine Hullabaloo.
In April 2007, Brian Hanrahan
Brian Hanrahan
Brian Hanrahan was the Diplomatic Editor for BBC News and a well known correspondent. He also presented The World at One on BBC Radio Four and appeared on regular cover shifts on the rolling news channel BBC News 24...
introduced Falklands Night. This programme featured BBC television's news coverage of the Falklands Conflict, shown to mark the 25th anniversary of the outbreak of hostilities. The output included news bulletins and reports from the time, editions of Newsnight
Newsnight
Newsnight is a BBC Television current affairs programme noted for its in-depth analysis and often robust cross-examination of senior politicians. Jeremy Paxman has been its main presenter for over two decades....
and excerpts of debates from Question Time. Falklands Night was shown twice during the spring of 2007, to mark the beginning and the end of the conflict.
On 1 July 2007, the channel had a Hong Kong Night, presented by Chris Patten
Chris Patten
Christopher Francis Patten, Baron Patten of Barnes, CH, PC , is the last Governor of British Hong Kong, a former British Conservative politician, and the current chairman of the BBC Trust....
, the last Governor of Hong Kong
Governor of Hong Kong
The Governor of Hong Kong was the head of the government of Hong Kong during British rule from 1843 to 1997. The governor's roles were defined in the Hong Kong Letters Patent and Royal Instructions...
, which reran coverage of the handover ceremony, to coincide with the tenth anniversary of the end of British rule, and the transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong to China.
On 1 September 2007, the channel re-ran the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales
Funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales
The public funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales started on September 6, 1997 at 9:08 am in London, when the tenor bell sounded to signal the departure of the cortege from Kensington Palace. The coffin was carried from the palace on a gun carriage, along Hyde Park to St. James' Palace, where...
to coincide with the tenth anniversary of her death
Death of Diana, Princess of Wales
On 31 August 1997, Diana, Princess of Wales, died as a result of injuries sustained in a car accident in the Pont de l'Alma road tunnel in Paris, France. Her companion, Dodi Fayed, and the driver of the Mercedes-Benz W140, Henri Paul, were pronounced dead at the scene of the accident. Fayed's...
. The rerun was shown at the precise broadcast times of the BBC coverage, running from 0825 until the BBC coverage ended at 1600. David Dimbleby
David Dimbleby
David Dimbleby is a British BBC TV commentator and a presenter of current affairs and political programmes, most notably the BBC's flagship political show Question Time, and more recently, art, architectural history and history series...
, who anchored the BBC's coverage, said a few words at the beginning and the end of the rerun.
On 18 November 2007 Cliff Michelmore
Cliff Michelmore
Arthur Clifford "Cliff" Michelmore CBE is a British television presenter and producer. He is best known for the BBC television programme Tonight, which he presented from 1957 to 1965....
came out of retirement to present The Pound in Your Pocket. This was an evening of BBC archive programmes shown to mark forty years since the devaluation of the Pound
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
by the British government on 18 November 1967. The Money Programme
The Money Programme
The Money Programme is a finance and business affairs television programme on BBC2.It was first broadcast on 5 April 1966 and presented by "commentators" William Davis, Erskine Childers and Joe Roeber. At this time David Attenborough was the controller of BBC2...
, Twenty-Four Hours
24 Hours (TV series)
Twenty-Four Hours is a long-running, late evening, daily news magazine programme that aired on BBC 1. It focused on analysis and criticism of current affairs and featured in-depth short documentary films that set the style for current affairs magazine programmes. Twenty-Four Hours launched in 1965...
, highlights from the 1968 Budget programme and ministerial broadcasts were among archive shown. The programme's title is taken from the famously misquoted television broadcast made by the Prime Minister Harold Wilson
Harold Wilson
James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, KG, OBE, FRS, FSS, PC was a British Labour Member of Parliament, Leader of the Labour Party. He was twice Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during the 1960s and 1970s, winning four general elections, including a minority government after the...
about the devaluation on 19 November 1967. Wilson said: "It does not mean that the pound here in Britain, in your pocket, in your purse or bank has been devalued."
On 26 May 2008, Joan Bakewell introduced an archive evening called Permissive Night which examined the liberalising legislation passed by Parliament in the late 1960s. Topics covered included changes to divorce
Divorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
law, the death penalty
Capital punishment in the United Kingdom
Capital punishment in the United Kingdom was used from the creation of the state in 1707 until the practice was abolished in the 20th century. The last executions in the United Kingdom, by hanging, took place in 1964, prior to capital punishment being abolished for murder...
, the legalisation of abortion
Abortion in the United Kingdom
Abortion has been legal on a wide number of grounds in England and Wales and Scotland since the Abortion Act 1967 was passed. At the time, this legislation was one of the most liberal laws regarding abortion in Europe...
, the Race Relations Act 1968
Race Relations Act 1968
The Race Relations Act 1968 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom making it illegal to refuse housing, employment, or public services to a person on the grounds of colour, race, ethnic or national origins. It also created the Community Relations Commission to promote 'harmonious...
, the partial decriminalisation
Sexual Offences Act 1967
The Sexual Offences Act 1967 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom . It decriminalised homosexual acts in private between two men, both of whom had to have attained the age of 21. The Act applied only to England and Wales and did not cover the Merchant Navy or the Armed Forces...
of homosexual acts (using editions of the documentary series Man Alive) and the relaxation of censorship
Censorship
thumb|[[Book burning]] following the [[1973 Chilean coup d'état|1973 coup]] that installed the [[Military government of Chile |Pinochet regime]] in Chile...
. The evening concluded with a special new edition of Late Night Line-Up
Late Night Line-Up
Late Night Line-Up was a pioneering British television discussion programme broadcast on BBC2 between 1964 and 1972. Late Night Line-Up returned for a special one-off edition on BBC Parliament in 2008.-Background:...
, the review programme that Joan Bakewell presented in the late 1960s.
On 28 March 2009 Donald MacCormick
Donald MacCormick
Donald MacCormick was a Scottish broadcast journalist.MacCormick's father was a Glasgow teacher who died when Donald was six...
made his final appearance on television presenting an evening on BBC Parliament. The Night The Government Fell marked the 30th anniversary of the vote of no confidence
1979 vote of no confidence against the government of James Callaghan
The 1979 vote of no confidence in the government of James Callaghan was a vote of no confidence in the British Labour Government of James Callaghan which occurred on 28 March 1979. The vote was brought by opposition leader Margaret Thatcher and was lost by the Labour Government by one vote ,...
in the Labour Government headed by James Callaghan
James Callaghan
Leonard James Callaghan, Baron Callaghan of Cardiff, KG, PC , was a British Labour politician, who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1976 to 1979 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1976 to 1980...
. 30 years previously MacCormick had presented a live programme in Westminster covering these same events. The night included nearly three-and-a-half hours of audio highlights of the Commons debate as well as a documentary charting the evening's events and other archive programmes.
On 28 June 2009, BBC Parliament reran BBC TV's coverage of the Investiture of Prince Charles as Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales is a title traditionally granted to the heir apparent to the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the 15 other independent Commonwealth realms...
to mark the 40th anniversary of this event. The channel also broadcast an interview which Prince Charles gave a few days before his Investiture.
At 8pm on 3 September 2009, BBC Parliament re-broadcast the British declaration of War made by Neville Chamberlain
Neville Chamberlain
Arthur Neville Chamberlain FRS was a British Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from May 1937 to May 1940. Chamberlain is best known for his appeasement foreign policy, and in particular for his signing of the Munich Agreement in 1938, conceding the...
just after 11am on 3 September 1939. This marked the point when Britain entered World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. From this time "a state of war" existed between the United Kingdom and Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
.
On 25 September 2009 the channel marked the 30th anniversary of Question Time
Question Time
Question time in a parliament occurs when members of the parliament ask questions of government ministers , which they are obliged to answer. It usually occurs daily while parliament is sitting, though it can be cancelled in exceptional circumstances...
by broadcasting the first edition of the topical discussion programme originally broadcast on 25 September 1979 and presented by Robin Day
Robin Day
Sir Robin Day, OBE was a British political broadcaster and commentator. His obituary in the Guardian stated that "he was the most outstanding television journalist of his generation...
. The inaugural panel consisted of Michael Foot
Michael Foot
Michael Mackintosh Foot, FRSL, PC was a British Labour Party politician, journalist and author, who was a Member of Parliament from 1945 to 1955 and from 1960 until 1992...
MP, Teddy Taylor
Teddy Taylor
Sir Edward MacMillan Taylor, usually known as Teddy Taylor , is a British Conservative Party politician who was a Member of Parliament from 1964 to 1979 for Glasgow Cathcart and from 1980 to 2005 for Rochford and Southend East.He was a leading member and sometime Vice-President of the Conservative...
, Edna O'Brien
Edna O'Brien
Edna O'Brien is an Irish novelist and short story writer whose works often revolve around the inner feelings of women, and their problems in relating to men and to society as a whole.-Life and career:...
and Archbishop Derek Worlock.
To mark the fiftieth anniversary of the 1959 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1959
This United Kingdom general election was held on 8 October 1959. It marked a third successive victory for the ruling Conservative Party, led by Harold Macmillan...
the channel repeated the BBC's election results programme on 9 October 2009 (originally broadcast on 8 October 1959). Only the overnight coverage was shown because the BBC did not keep the daytime coverage. This was given a special introduction by David Dimbleby
David Dimbleby
David Dimbleby is a British BBC TV commentator and a presenter of current affairs and political programmes, most notably the BBC's flagship political show Question Time, and more recently, art, architectural history and history series...
, the son of Richard Dimbleby
Richard Dimbleby
Richard Dimbleby CBE was an English journalist and broadcaster widely acknowledged as one of the greatest figures in British broadcasting history.-Early life:...
who presented the 1959 broadcast alongside Cliff Michelmore
Cliff Michelmore
Arthur Clifford "Cliff" Michelmore CBE is a British television presenter and producer. He is best known for the BBC television programme Tonight, which he presented from 1957 to 1965....
, Alan Whicker
Alan Whicker
Alan Donald Whicker, CBE is a British journalist and broadcaster. His career has spanned over 50 years.-Background:Whicker was born to British parents in Cairo, Egypt...
, David Butler and Robert Mackenzie.
As a companion piece on 10 October 2009 the writer and broadcaster Anthony Howard
Anthony Howard (journalist)
Anthony Michell Howard, CBE was a prominent British journalist, broadcaster and writer. He was the editor of the New Statesman, The Listener and the deputy editor of The Observer...
introduced an archive evening looking back at 1959 called Never Had It So Good. This included television election broadcasts by the prime minister Harold Macmillan
Harold Macmillan
Maurice Harold Macmillan, 1st Earl of Stockton, OM, PC was Conservative Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 10 January 1957 to 18 October 1963....
, Leader of the Opposition Hugh Gaitskell
Hugh Gaitskell
Hugh Todd Naylor Gaitskell CBE was a British Labour politician, who held Cabinet office in Clement Attlee's governments, and was the Leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition from 1955, until his death in 1963.-Early life:He was born in Kensington, London, the third and youngest...
and Labour's Tony Benn
Tony Benn
Anthony Neil Wedgwood "Tony" Benn, PC is a British Labour Party politician and a former MP and Cabinet Minister.His successful campaign to renounce his hereditary peerage was instrumental in the creation of the Peerage Act 1963...
, an edition of Tonight
Tonight (1957 TV series)
Tonight was a BBC television current affairs programme presented by Cliff Michelmore and broadcast in Britain live on weekday evenings from February 1957 to 1965. The producers were the future Controller of BBC1 Donald Baverstock and the future Director-General of the BBC Alasdair Milne...
and other BBC current affairs programmes. The evening's title is taken from a phrase contained in a speech made by Harold Macmillan in 1957 when he optimistically said "Let us be frank about it - most of our people have never had it so good".
On 4 November 2011 the UK Youth Parliament
UK Youth Parliament
The UK Youth Parliament is a youth organisation in the United Kingdom, consisting of democratically elected members aged between 11 and 18....
will be broadcasted live to mark the parliaments third sitting in the House of Commons after Members of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
voted in 2010 to allow the UK Youth Parliament to debate as the only organisation other than MPs in the House of Commons every year for the remainder of the sitting of the current parliament. John Bercow
John Bercow
John Simon Bercow is a British politician who has been the Speaker of the House of Commons in the United Kingdom since June 2009. Prior to his election to Speaker he was a member of the Conservative party....
, Speaker of the House of Commons
Speaker of the British House of Commons
The Speaker of the House of Commons is the presiding officer of the House of Commons, the United Kingdom's lower chamber of Parliament. The current Speaker is John Bercow, who was elected on 22 June 2009, following the resignation of Michael Martin...
, will chair the five debate topics chossen by oer 65,000 young people across the UK.
Regular programming
Whenever the House of Commons is in session, BBC Parliament covers the chamber live. Additionally, the House of Lords is shown on the channel on the same day and following day when it in session, in sections that fit around the Commons. Whenever both Houses are in recess, but a devolved assembly is constituted, the channel will provide live coverage of its work. Thus, when taken together with both live and recorded coverage from the other bodies it covers, BBC Parliament's schedule is dominated by direct broadcasts of the legislative and political institutions - whether they be plenary, quasi-plenary (such as Westminster Hall), or in committees - that affect British public life. However, BBC Parliament shows a variety of other recorded programmes, taken from across the BBC's national and international channels, including:- Dateline LondonDateline LondonDateline London is a weekly news discussion programme shown on both BBC News and BBC World News. The programme, presented by Gavin Esler, with Nik Gowing and Lyse Doucet acting as relief presenters, features a roundtable panel of foreign and British journalists who discuss the week's top news...
- a roundtable panel of foreign correspondents in London discussing the week's news. - Dragon's Eye (produced by BBC WalesBBC WalesBBC Cymru Wales is a division of the British Broadcasting Corporation for Wales. Based at Broadcasting House in the Llandaff area of Cardiff, it directly employs over 1200 people, and produces a broad range of television, radio and online services in both the Welsh and English languages.Outside...
) - presented by Adrian Masters or Rhun ap Iorwerth, providing a weekly roundup of Welsh political developments. - EòrpaEòrpais long-running current affairs programme broadcast on BBC Two Scotland and BBC Alba. The series has been running since 1993, and has covered political and social issues affecting Europe and Europeans over that time including issues affecting the Western Isles. It is broadcast weekly in Scottish...
(produced by BBC Gàidhlig) - current affairs series which covers political and social developments covering Europe, transmitted in Gaelic with English subtitles. - Hearts and Minds (produced by BBC Northern IrelandBBC Northern IrelandBBC Northern Ireland is the main public service broadcaster in Northern Ireland.The organisation is one of the three national regions of the BBC, together with BBC Scotland and BBC Wales. Based at Broadcasting House, Belfast, it provides television, radio, online and interactive television content...
) - weekly programme covering the latest issues in the politics of Northern Ireland. - Mayor's Question Time (from the Greater London AuthorityGreater London AuthorityThe Greater London Authority is the top-tier administrative body for Greater London, England. It consists of a directly elected executive Mayor of London, currently Boris Johnson, and an elected 25-member London Assembly with scrutiny powers...
) - Politics Scotland (produced by BBC ScotlandBBC ScotlandBBC Scotland is a constituent part of the British Broadcasting Corporation, the publicly-funded broadcaster of the United Kingdom. It is, in effect, the national broadcaster for Scotland, having a considerable amount of autonomy from the BBC's London headquarters, and is run by the BBC Trust, who...
) - the Scottish section of The Politics Show, presented by Isabel Frazer and transmitted on BBC One Scotland. - The Record - daily evening roundup at 11 O'Clock of that day's business in the UK Parliament.
- The Record Review - weekly hour-long analysis of discussion and events in the UK Parliament. Also during recess, a review of the Parliamentary term.
- The Record Europe - once-weekly review of the work of the European ParliamentEuropean ParliamentThe European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
, and the other European Union institutions, with debate and analysis of current European political issues, with a look at the work of EU member state parliaments. Presented by Shirin Wheeler. - This WeekThis Week (BBC One TV series)This Week is a current affairs and politics TV programme in the United Kingdom on the BBC, screened on Thursday evenings, hosted by former Sunday Times editor Andrew Neil alongside former Conservative Member of Parliament and Minister Michael Portillo, and a left leaning guest panellist on...
- presented by Andrew NeilAndrew NeilAndrew Ferguson Neil is a Scottish journalist and broadcaster.He currently works for the BBC, presenting the live political programmes The Daily Politics and This Week...
and shown on BBC One, an often-witty look at developments on the UK and international political scene, with a variety of guest contributions and discussions. - The World Debate - part of a selection of programmes originally transmitted on BBC World News, that are broadcast exclusively on BBC Parliament to UK audiences, such as the 2009 London Intelligence SquaredIntelligence SquaredIntelligence Squared is a UK based organisation that stages debates around the world. It began in London, but now operates globally in the US, Australia, Hong Kong, Ukraine and Nigeria...
debates. - Straight Talk - a weekly political talk show in which presenter Andrew NeilAndrew NeilAndrew Ferguson Neil is a Scottish journalist and broadcaster.He currently works for the BBC, presenting the live political programmes The Daily Politics and This Week...
discusses the motivitations, ideas and politics of leading figures in UK public life using the 1960s classic Face to Face format. - BOOKtalk - face-to-face discussion with authors about recently released political books
- Washington JournalWashington JournalWashington Journal is an American television series on the C-SPAN network in the format of a political call-in and interview program. The program features elected officials, government administrators and journalists as guests, answering questions from the hosts and from members of the general...
(from C-SPANC-SPANC-SPAN , an acronym for Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network, is an American cable television network that offers coverage of federal government proceedings and other public affairs programming via its three television channels , one radio station and a group of websites that provide streaming...
) - providing a lookback at the week in American politics, and providing the opportunity for UK viewers to contribute to a phone-in debate. - Question TimeQuestion Time (TV series)Question Time is a topical debate BBC television programme in the United Kingdom, based on Any Questions?. The show typically features politicians from at least the three major political parties as well as other public figures who answer questions put to them by the audience...
(repeated from BBC OneBBC OneBBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
) - a topical debate programme based on Any Questions?Any Questions?Any Questions? is a topical debate radio programme in the United Kingdom.-Format:It is broadcast by BBC Radio 4 on Friday evenings and repeated on Saturday afternoons, when it is followed by a phone-in response programme, Any Answers?, previously a postal response slot...
which typically features politicians from at least the three major political parties as well as other public figures who answer questions put to them by the audience.
- Prime Minister's Question Time
- Deputy Prime Minister'sDeputy Prime Minister of the United KingdomThe Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a senior member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom. The office of the Deputy Prime Minister is not a permanent position, existing only at the discretion of the Prime Minister, who may appoint to other offices...
Question Time
- First Minister's Question Time
During breaks, BBC Parliament does not often show programming information, instead showing short portions of, for example, Britain's Best Buildings, in particular the Palace of Westminster
Palace of Westminster
The Palace of Westminster, also known as the Houses of Parliament or Westminster Palace, is the meeting place of the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom—the House of Lords and the House of Commons...
episode, or its regular series A to Z of Westminster, attempting to make plain some of the more common aspects of parliamentary protocol. These portions usually last from 5–15 minutes, depending on how long the gap is to fill.