BBC Wales
Encyclopedia
BBC 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 London, BBC Wales is the largest BBC production centre in the United Kingdom, partly due to its additional slate of Welsh language programmes for BBC Radio Cymru
and the Welsh language television channel S4C
.
The original BBC Wales television station (now known as BBC One Wales) debuted on 9 February 1964 to much fanfare (short television promotions proclaimed Wales gets its very own TV service in 1964!). However, the BBC had been producing television programmes in Wales since the mid 1950s.
The first production studios were established in a converted chapel (since demolished) in Broadway, Cardiff. The first programmes were produced and transmitted live from in a temporary studio, later to become part of the scenery-dock, while two proper studios were constructed within the structure of the church. These studio played host to drama and some entertainment programmes as well as news and current affairs including the daily Welsh magazine programme Heddiw and the English language news programme Wales Today. In this pre-videotape era, film was played into programmes from a telecine machine in Bristol or London until telecine was actually installed in Broadway. Film processing for news was carried out by a firm called Park Pictures in Cardiff until BBC processing was installed in Stacey Road.
Prior to 1964, BBC Wales shared its television station with the West of England as the Wenvoe transmitter near Cardiff also served viewers in both southern Wales and the Westcountry. The 20 minute slot for regional news each evening was therefore split between Wales Today and the West of England's Points West. The establishment of a dedicated BBC Wales channel transmitted from a new mast built alongside the main transmitter mast at Wenvoe enabled a full length Wales Today to be broadcast for the first time along with other Welsh and English-language programming for Wales.
programming in English and Welsh both for the "opt out" sections of the BBC One
and Two
network feeds, and for the dedicated Welsh-language channel S4C
. Perhaps its best-known Welsh-language programme is the soap opera Pobol y Cwm
, which has run since 1974, and as such is the BBC's longest-running television soap opera. BBC Wales also operates two radio stations: BBC Radio Wales
in English and BBC Radio Cymru
, which broadcasts in Welsh. The national television news programme Wales Today
is one of the world's longest-running daily television news programmes, having been on air since 17 September 1962. The Welsh language news service Newyddion
, produced by BBC Wales for S4C
, combines international and UK news with the national news of Wales.
series Doctor Who
and its spin-offs Torchwood
(2006) and The Sarah Jane Adventures
(2007). In addition, BBC Wales commissions other drama output for the BBC network from independent producers, such as Life on Mars
(2006–07). The BBC National Orchestra of Wales
was based at Broadcasting House in Cardiff, but moved to BBC Hoddinott Hall at the Wales Millennium Centre
in January 2009, and performs regularly throughout Wales and internationally.
will move the filming of shows such as Casualty
and Crimewatch
to studios in Cardiff
following an announcement stating the BBC will concentrate on more programmes being made in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland
, instead of most of shows being made in London.
Work on the BBC Wales Drama Village
in Cardiff Bay began on 24 June 2010. The 170,000 sq ft (15,800 sq m) site will eventually house productions including Casualty, Pobol y Cwm, The Sarah Jane Adventures and Doctor Who. The village is part of the BBC's commitment to double television UK network production from Cardiff by 2016. Once the studios, offices and external filming lots are fully fitted out, filming will begin for Casualty and Pobol y Cwm in autumn 2011.
For the UK:
It was announced in March 2009 that the BBC
will move the filming of shows such as Casualty
and Crimewatch
to studios in Cardiff
.
For the UK:
Broadcasting House (Cardiff)
Broadcasting House Cardiff is the purpose-built headquarters for BBC Cymru Wales' radio, television and online services, situated in north Cardiff...
in the Llandaff
Llandaff
Llandaff is a district in the north of Cardiff, capital of Wales, having been incorporated into the city in 1922. It is the seat of the Church in Wales Bishop of Llandaff, whose diocese covers the most populous area of South Wales. Much of the district is covered by parkland known as Llandaff...
area of Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
, 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 London, BBC Wales is the largest BBC production centre in the United Kingdom, partly due to its additional slate of Welsh language programmes for BBC Radio Cymru
BBC Radio Cymru
BBC Radio Cymru is BBC Cymru's Welsh-language radio station, broadcasting throughout Wales from studios in Cardiff, Bangor, and Aberystwyth on FM since 1977. At the time of its launch it was one of the few FM-only radio services in the UK...
and the Welsh language television channel S4C
S4C
S4C , currently branded as S4/C, is a Welsh television channel broadcast from the capital, Cardiff. The first television channel to be aimed specifically at a Welsh-speaking audience, it is the fifth oldest British television channel .The channel - initially broadcast on...
.
History
The first production studios were established in a converted chapel (since demolished) in Broadway, Cardiff. The first programmes were produced and transmitted live from in a temporary studio, later to become part of the scenery-dock, while two proper studios were constructed within the structure of the church. These studio played host to drama and some entertainment programmes as well as news and current affairs including the daily Welsh magazine programme Heddiw and the English language news programme Wales Today. In this pre-videotape era, film was played into programmes from a telecine machine in Bristol or London until telecine was actually installed in Broadway. Film processing for news was carried out by a firm called Park Pictures in Cardiff until BBC processing was installed in Stacey Road.
Prior to 1964, BBC Wales shared its television station with the West of England as the Wenvoe transmitter near Cardiff also served viewers in both southern Wales and the Westcountry. The 20 minute slot for regional news each evening was therefore split between Wales Today and the West of England's Points West. The establishment of a dedicated BBC Wales channel transmitted from a new mast built alongside the main transmitter mast at Wenvoe enabled a full length Wales Today to be broadcast for the first time along with other Welsh and English-language programming for Wales.
Programming
Today, BBC Cymru Wales produces televisionTelevision
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
programming in English and Welsh both for the "opt out" sections of the BBC One
BBC One
BBC 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...
and Two
BBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
network feeds, and for the dedicated Welsh-language channel S4C
S4C
S4C , currently branded as S4/C, is a Welsh television channel broadcast from the capital, Cardiff. The first television channel to be aimed specifically at a Welsh-speaking audience, it is the fifth oldest British television channel .The channel - initially broadcast on...
. Perhaps its best-known Welsh-language programme is the soap opera Pobol y Cwm
Pobol y Cwm
Pobol y Cwm is a Welsh-language television soap opera which has been produced by the BBC since October 1974. The longest-running television soap opera produced by the BBC, Pobol y Cwm was originally transmitted on BBC Wales television and later transferred to the Welsh-language station S4C when it...
, which has run since 1974, and as such is the BBC's longest-running television soap opera. BBC Wales also operates two radio stations: BBC Radio Wales
BBC Radio Wales
BBC Radio Wales is the BBC's national radio station broadcasting to Wales in the English language. Operated by BBC Wales, it began broadcasting on 12 November 1978 following the demise of the old "Radio 4 Wales" when BBC Radio 4 became a national network and moved from medium wave to long wave...
in English and BBC Radio Cymru
BBC Radio Cymru
BBC Radio Cymru is BBC Cymru's Welsh-language radio station, broadcasting throughout Wales from studios in Cardiff, Bangor, and Aberystwyth on FM since 1977. At the time of its launch it was one of the few FM-only radio services in the UK...
, which broadcasts in Welsh. The national television news programme Wales Today
BBC Wales Today
Wales Today is the BBC's national news programme for Wales, broadcast on BBC One Wales from the headquarters of BBC Wales in Llandaff, Cardiff....
is one of the world's longest-running daily television news programmes, having been on air since 17 September 1962. The Welsh language news service Newyddion
Newyddion
Newyddion is a Welsh-language news programme consisting of Welsh, UK, and international news, produced daily by BBC Cymru Wales and broadcast on S4C.-Overview:...
, produced by BBC Wales for S4C
S4C
S4C , currently branded as S4/C, is a Welsh television channel broadcast from the capital, Cardiff. The first television channel to be aimed specifically at a Welsh-speaking audience, it is the fifth oldest British television channel .The channel - initially broadcast on...
, combines international and UK news with the national news of Wales.
Production
BBC Wales also provides programming for the BBC's UK networks. In recent years, its drama output has been particularly successful, including the 2005 revival of the classic science-fictionScience fiction on television
Science fiction first appeared on a television program during the Golden Age of Science Fiction. Special effects and other production techniques allow creators to present a living visual image of an imaginary world not limited by the constraints of reality; this makes television an excellent medium...
series Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
and its spin-offs Torchwood
Torchwood
Torchwood is a British science fiction television programme created by Russell T Davies. The series is a spin-off from Davies's 2005 revival of the long-running science fiction programme Doctor Who. The show has shifted its broadcast channel each series to reflect its growing audience, moving from...
(2006) and The Sarah Jane Adventures
The Sarah Jane Adventures
The Sarah Jane Adventures is a British science fiction television series, produced by BBC Cymru Wales for CBBC, created by Russell T Davies and starring Elisabeth Sladen...
(2007). In addition, BBC Wales commissions other drama output for the BBC network from independent producers, such as Life on Mars
Life on Mars (TV series)
Life on Mars is a British television series broadcast on BBC One between January 2006 and April 2007. The series combines elements of science fiction and police procedural....
(2006–07). The BBC National Orchestra of Wales
BBC National Orchestra of Wales
The BBC National Orchestra of Wales is a Welsh symphony orchestra and one of the BBC's five professional orchestras. The BBC NOW is the only professional symphony orchestra organisation in Wales, occupying a dual role as both a broadcasting orchestra and national orchestra.The BBC NOW has its...
was based at Broadcasting House in Cardiff, but moved to BBC Hoddinott Hall at the Wales Millennium Centre
Wales Millennium Centre
Wales Millennium Centre is an arts centre located in the Cardiff Bay area of Cardiff, Wales. The site covers a total area of . Phase 1 of the building was opened during the weekend of the 26–28 November 2004 and phase 2 opened on 22 January 2009 with an inaugural concert...
in January 2009, and performs regularly throughout Wales and internationally.
New studios
It was announced in March 2009 that the BBCBBC
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...
will move the filming of shows such as Casualty
Casualty (TV series)
Casualty, stylised as Casual+y, is a British weekly television show broadcast on BBC One, and the longest-running emergency medical drama television series in the world. Created by Jeremy Brock and Paul Unwin, it was first broadcast on 6 September 1986, and transmitted in the UK on BBC One. The...
and Crimewatch
Crimewatch
Crimewatch is a long-running and high-profile British television programme produced by the BBC, that reconstructs major unsolved crimes with a view to gaining information from the members of the public. The programme is usually broadcast once a month on BBC One...
to studios in Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
following an announcement stating the BBC will concentrate on more programmes being made in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
, instead of most of shows being made in London.
Work on the BBC Wales Drama Village
BBC Wales Drama Village
Roath Lock is a television production facility under construction in the Porth Teigr area of Cardiff Bay. The studios will eventually house BBC Wales drama productions including Doctor Who, Casualty and Pobol y Cwm...
in Cardiff Bay began on 24 June 2010. The 170,000 sq ft (15,800 sq m) site will eventually house productions including Casualty, Pobol y Cwm, The Sarah Jane Adventures and Doctor Who. The village is part of the BBC's commitment to double television UK network production from Cardiff by 2016. Once the studios, offices and external filming lots are fully fitted out, filming will begin for Casualty and Pobol y Cwm in autumn 2011.
Produced in-house by BBC Cymru Wales
For Wales:- Wales TodayBBC Wales TodayWales Today is the BBC's national news programme for Wales, broadcast on BBC One Wales from the headquarters of BBC Wales in Llandaff, Cardiff....
(1962–present) - Week In Week Out (1964–present)
- Pobol y CwmPobol y CwmPobol y Cwm is a Welsh-language television soap opera which has been produced by the BBC since October 1974. The longest-running television soap opera produced by the BBC, Pobol y Cwm was originally transmitted on BBC Wales television and later transferred to the Welsh-language station S4C when it...
(1974–present) - NewyddionNewyddionNewyddion is a Welsh-language news programme consisting of Welsh, UK, and international news, produced daily by BBC Cymru Wales and broadcast on S4C.-Overview:...
(1982–present) - Satellite CitySatellite City (sitcom)Satellite City was a Welsh sitcom which started out originally as a radio show on BBC Radio Wales in 1994 and then evolved into a TV version made by BBC Wales and was first broadcast in 1996....
(1996–1999) - Belonging (1999–2009)
- The Bench (2001–2002)
- First Degree (2002)
- High HopesHigh Hopes (TV series)High Hopes is a sitcom made in Wales, produced and directed by Gareth Gwenlan for BBC Wales and is set in a fictional area of the South Wales Valleys called Cwm-Pen-Ôl...
(2002–present) - Hospital 24/7Hospital 24/7Hospital 24/7 is a medical documentary series broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One.Filmed at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff, Wales, the third biggest hospital in the UK, the series follows the professional dramas at the hospital, portrays the real-life sagas of the people who...
(2009-present)
For the UK:
- Grand SlamGrand Slam (1978 film)Grand Slam is a 1978 sports comedy film produced by BBC Wales. The film starred Oscar-winning actor Hugh Griffith, Windsor Davies, Dewi "Pws" Morris and Sion Probert...
(1978) - The Life and Times of David Lloyd GeorgeThe Life and Times of David Lloyd GeorgeThe Life and Times of David Lloyd George is a BBC Wales drama serial broadcast in 1981 on the BBC1 network which starred Philip Madoc, Elizabeth Miles, Kika Markham and David Markham....
(1981) - Ennal's PointEnnal's PointEnnal's Point is a novel by Alun Richards, first published in 1977.The story concerns the crew of a south Wales lifeboat, loosely modelled on the Swansea-based Mumbles lifeboat....
(1982) - The District NurseThe District NurseThe District Nurse is a British television series, produced by BBC Wales and shown on BBC One between 1984 and 1987.The series was a period drama created by Julia Smith and Tony Holland and starred Nerys Hughes as Megan Roberts, the titular district nurse fighting to improve living conditions for...
(1984–1987) - Border Cafe
- He Knew He Was Right (2004)
- Doctor WhoDoctor WhoDoctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
(2005–present) - Doctor Who ConfidentialDoctor Who ConfidentialDoctor Who Confidential is a documentary series created by the British Broadcasting Corporation to complement the revival of the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Each episode was broadcast on BBC Three on Saturdays, immediately after the broadcast of the weekly...
(2005–present) - The Chatterley AffairThe Chatterley AffairThe Chatterley Affair is a BBC television drama, produced by BBC Wales and broadcast on BBC Four on 20 March, 2006. It is an account of the obscenity trial surrounding the publication of Lady Chatterley's Lover in 1960...
(2006) - TorchwoodTorchwoodTorchwood is a British science fiction television programme created by Russell T Davies. The series is a spin-off from Davies's 2005 revival of the long-running science fiction programme Doctor Who. The show has shifted its broadcast channel each series to reflect its growing audience, moving from...
(2006–present) - Torchwood DeclassifiedTorchwood DeclassifiedTorchwood Declassified is a documentary series created by the British Broadcasting Corporation to complement the British science fiction television series Torchwood. Each episode is broadcast on the same evening as the broadcast of the weekly television episode...
(2006–present) - TribeTribe (TV series)Tribe is a documentary television series co-produced by the BBC and the Discovery Channel, and hosted by former British Royal Marine Bruce Parry....
(2007) - The Sarah Jane AdventuresThe Sarah Jane AdventuresThe Sarah Jane Adventures is a British science fiction television series, produced by BBC Cymru Wales for CBBC, created by Russell T Davies and starring Elisabeth Sladen...
(2007–present) - Top Dogs (2009)
- Upstairs, DownstairsUpstairs, DownstairsUpstairs, Downstairs is a British drama television series originally produced by London Weekend Television and revived by the BBC. It ran on ITV in 68 episodes divided into five series from 1971 to 1975, and a sixth series shown on the BBC on three consecutive nights, 26–28 December 2010.Set in a...
(2010-present)
It was announced in March 2009 that the BBC
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...
will move the filming of shows such as Casualty
Casualty (TV series)
Casualty, stylised as Casual+y, is a British weekly television show broadcast on BBC One, and the longest-running emergency medical drama television series in the world. Created by Jeremy Brock and Paul Unwin, it was first broadcast on 6 September 1986, and transmitted in the UK on BBC One. The...
and Crimewatch
Crimewatch
Crimewatch is a long-running and high-profile British television programme produced by the BBC, that reconstructs major unsolved crimes with a view to gaining information from the members of the public. The programme is usually broadcast once a month on BBC One...
to studios in Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
.
Commissioned from independent producers by BBC Cymru Wales
For Wales:- Coal HouseCoal HouseCoal House is a Welsh television series made by Indus Films for BBC Wales, and broadcast on BBC One Wales, with a subsequent UK wide repeat of both series on BBC Four. Series 1 was set in the depressed economic coalfields of 1927, while Series 2 was set in 1944 as World War II draws to a close...
(2007–2008) - The Wright TasteThe Wright TasteThe Wright Taste is a five part BBC Wales documentary series that started in late October 2008.It follows food critic and restaurateur Simon Wright's journey farming animals from field to fork.Simon is a partner in the restaurant in South West Wales...
(2008) - CrashCrash (2009 TV series)Crash is an English-language Welsh television drama series created by Tony Jordan and produced by Red Planet Pictures for BBC Wales. The series follows the lives of four newly qualified doctors.The series is filmed in Cardiff...
(2009–present)
For the UK:
- Shakespeare: The Animated TalesShakespeare: the Animated Talesthumb|right|[[Banquo]] and [[Fleance]] from the "Macbeth" episode. Shakespeare: The Animated Tales comprised two six-part television series, first broadcast in 1992 and 1994...
(1992, 1994) - Casanova (2005)
- The Girl in the CaféThe Girl in the CaféThe Girl in the Café is a British made-for-television drama film directed by David Yates, written by Richard Curtis and produced by Hilary Bevan Jones. The film is produced by the independent production company Tightrope Pictures and was originally screened on BBC One in the United Kingdom on 25...
(2005) - Life on MarsLife on Mars (TV series)Life on Mars is a British television series broadcast on BBC One between January 2006 and April 2007. The series combines elements of science fiction and police procedural....
(2006–2007) - Wide Sargasso SeaWide Sargasso Sea (TV)Wide Sargasso Sea is a British television adaptation of Jean Rhys's 1966 novel of the same name.Produced by Kudos Film & Television for BBC Wales, the one-off 90-minute drama was first broadcast on digital television channel BBC Four on October 9, 2006...
(2006) - This Life + 10This LifeThis Life is a BBC television drama that was produced by World Productions and screened on BBC Two. Two series were broadcast in 1996 and 1997 and a reunion special in 2007....
(2007) - Ashes to AshesAshes to Ashes (TV series)Ashes to Ashes is a British science fiction and police procedural drama television series, serving as the sequel to Life on Mars.The series began airing on BBC One in February 2008. A second series began broadcasting in April 2009...
(2008–2010, spinoff of Life on Mars) - MerlinMerlin (TV series)Merlin is a British fantasy-adventure television programme by Julian Jones, Jake Michie, Julian Murphy and Johnny Capps. It began broadcasting on BBC One on 20 September 2008. The show is based on the Arthurian legends of the wizard Merlin and his relationship with Prince Arthur but differs from...
(2008–present) - Being HumanBeing Human (TV series)Being Human is a British supernatural drama television series. It was created and written by Toby Whithouse and is currently broadcast on BBC Three. The show blends elements of flatshare comedy and horror drama...
(2009–present) - Rhod Gilbert's Work Experience (2009-present)
- Sherlock (2010 - present)