New Broadcasting House
Encyclopedia
New Broadcasting House is the home of the BBC on Oxford Road in Manchester city centre
. The studios house BBC Manchester
, BBC North
, BBC North West
, the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra and the BBC Religion and Ethics department. The BBC is is expected to vacate the building by the end of 2011 when the departments have been relocated to MediaCityUK.
. A compulsory purchase order for the site was approved by the Minister of Housing and Local Government
on 21 July 1967 and planning began the same year. Planning permission was granted in December 1968. Designs by an external architect were abandoned in February 1970 in favour of plans by R.A. Sparks from the BBC's Architectural and Civil Engineering Department. New planning permission was granted in March 1971, and construction began in December 1971 and completed in 1975.
Construction was in three stages - the network production centre for local radio and outside broadcasts, a rehearsal studio for the Northern Symphony Orchestra and the regional television centre. Radio Manchester was built on the upper ground floor in the west of the office block with a 754 square metre area. Studio A, a 453 square metre television studio, was built in the single-storey building behind the office block. The central technical area was next to the TV and radio studios. A 180-seat restaurant was built on the second floor. The view from the top of building is of the Mancunian Way
.
The building was supported on 214 piles, bored to maximum depth of around 13 metres. The building frame was made of reinforced concrete infilled with flat soffit slabs and 2,100 square metres of windows. Its architecture has been ridiculed as 'drab' and unfit for the 21st century.
, and from 1958 it occupied four floors of Peter House in St Peter's Square. The former studio of Mancunian Films
in Rusholme
was bought in 1954 and Milton Hall on Deansgate was the home of the BBC Northern Symphony Orchestra which became the BBC Philharmonic
in 1982.
Staff moved into the building on the weekend of 12-13 July 1975, and it was fully operational by September 1975 and officially inaugurated as the headquarters of BBC North
on 18 June 1976. A second television studio was opened in May 1981 for regional TV news, leading to the closure of Broadcasting House in Piccadilly after 52 years. About 800 staff worked at the site.
New Broadcasting House was home to BBC Manchester
, BBC Radio Manchester
, BBC North West
, the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra and the BBC Religion and Ethics Department. On opening, the radio station was named BBC Radio Manchester; it changed its name to BBC GMR (and briefly, GMR Talk) before reverting to its original name in April 2006.
In 2010, the building was offered for sale as the BBC's move to MediaCityUK rendered it surplus to requirements and it was sold for £10 million in April 2011. The BBC logo from the front of the building was removed in November 2011.
Manchester City Centre
Manchester city centre is the central business district of Manchester, England. It lies within the Manchester Inner Ring Road, next to the River Irwell...
. The studios house BBC Manchester
BBC Manchester
BBC Manchester is the British Broadcasting Corporation regional headquarters for the North West, the largest BBC region in the UK. BBC Manchester also forms a key part of BBC North....
, BBC North
BBC North
BBC North is a brand used by the BBC to mean any of the following.*The large BBC North region, centred on Manchester, that was active from the late 1920s until 1968....
, BBC North West
BBC North West
BBC North West is the BBC English Region serving Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Merseyside, Cheshire, Walsden in West Yorkshire, the Isle of Man , north-west Derbyshire, the Yorkshire Dales including Settle and Ribblesdale, and southern Cumbria.BBC North West television output is also broadcast in...
, the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra and the BBC Religion and Ethics department. The BBC is is expected to vacate the building by the end of 2011 when the departments have been relocated to MediaCityUK.
Architecture and construction
The site is bounded by Oxford Road, Charles Street and Pritchard Street. To the rear of the building is the River MedlockRiver Medlock
The River Medlock is a river of Greater Manchester in North West England. It rises near Oldham and flows, south and west, for ten miles to join the River Irwell in the extreme southwest of Manchester city centre.-Source:...
. A compulsory purchase order for the site was approved by the Minister of Housing and Local Government
Ministry of Housing and Local Government
The Ministry of Housing and Local Government was a United Kingdom government department formed after the Second World War, covering the areas of housing and local government....
on 21 July 1967 and planning began the same year. Planning permission was granted in December 1968. Designs by an external architect were abandoned in February 1970 in favour of plans by R.A. Sparks from the BBC's Architectural and Civil Engineering Department. New planning permission was granted in March 1971, and construction began in December 1971 and completed in 1975.
Construction was in three stages - the network production centre for local radio and outside broadcasts, a rehearsal studio for the Northern Symphony Orchestra and the regional television centre. Radio Manchester was built on the upper ground floor in the west of the office block with a 754 square metre area. Studio A, a 453 square metre television studio, was built in the single-storey building behind the office block. The central technical area was next to the TV and radio studios. A 180-seat restaurant was built on the second floor. The view from the top of building is of the Mancunian Way
A57(M) motorway
The Mancunian Way, officially the A57, is a two mile long motorway in Manchester, England. It is part of the A57, which runs east-west through Greater Manchester and links the M602 and M67 motorways.-Route:...
.
The building was supported on 214 piles, bored to maximum depth of around 13 metres. The building frame was made of reinforced concrete infilled with flat soffit slabs and 2,100 square metres of windows. Its architecture has been ridiculed as 'drab' and unfit for the 21st century.
History
Before New Broadcasting House opened, the BBC's Manchester base was at Broadcasting House in PiccadillyPiccadilly Gardens
Piccadilly Gardens is a green space in Manchester city centre, England, situated at one end of Market Street and on the edge of the Northern Quarter...
, and from 1958 it occupied four floors of Peter House in St Peter's Square. The former studio of Mancunian Films
Mancunian Films
Mancunian Films was a British motion picture production company organized in 1934.Founded by John E. Blakeley, the company originally produced films in London on extremely low budgets. Blakeley's first studio consisted of a single soundstage in a loft space above a taxi garage...
in Rusholme
Rusholme
-Etymology:Rusholme, unlike other areas of Manchester which have '-holme' in the place name is not a true '-holme'. Its name came from ryscum, which is the dative plural of Old English rysc "rush": "[at the] rushes"...
was bought in 1954 and Milton Hall on Deansgate was the home of the BBC Northern Symphony Orchestra which became the BBC Philharmonic
BBC Philharmonic
The BBC Philharmonic is a British broadcasting symphony orchestra based at Media City UK, Salford, England. It is one of five radio orchestras maintained by the British Broadcasting Corporation. The orchestra's primary concert venue is the Bridgewater Hall....
in 1982.
Staff moved into the building on the weekend of 12-13 July 1975, and it was fully operational by September 1975 and officially inaugurated as the headquarters of BBC North
BBC North
BBC North is a brand used by the BBC to mean any of the following.*The large BBC North region, centred on Manchester, that was active from the late 1920s until 1968....
on 18 June 1976. A second television studio was opened in May 1981 for regional TV news, leading to the closure of Broadcasting House in Piccadilly after 52 years. About 800 staff worked at the site.
New Broadcasting House was home to BBC Manchester
BBC Manchester
BBC Manchester is the British Broadcasting Corporation regional headquarters for the North West, the largest BBC region in the UK. BBC Manchester also forms a key part of BBC North....
, BBC Radio Manchester
BBC Radio Manchester
BBC Radio Manchester is a BBC Local Radio station broadcasting to Greater Manchester in North West England. It broadcasts 24 hours a day from studios at MediaCityUK in Salford Quays via a transmitter at Holme Moss, with a small repeater at Saddleworth covering Tameside and Saddleworth...
, BBC North West
BBC North West
BBC North West is the BBC English Region serving Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Merseyside, Cheshire, Walsden in West Yorkshire, the Isle of Man , north-west Derbyshire, the Yorkshire Dales including Settle and Ribblesdale, and southern Cumbria.BBC North West television output is also broadcast in...
, the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra and the BBC Religion and Ethics Department. On opening, the radio station was named BBC Radio Manchester; it changed its name to BBC GMR (and briefly, GMR Talk) before reverting to its original name in April 2006.
In 2010, the building was offered for sale as the BBC's move to MediaCityUK rendered it surplus to requirements and it was sold for £10 million in April 2011. The BBC logo from the front of the building was removed in November 2011.
Programmes based or produced at New Broadcasting House
- A Question of SportA Question of SportA Question of Sport is a long-running BBC quiz show which started on 2 December 1968 and continues to this day. It is currently recorded at The Studios, MediaCityUK...
- Cheggers Plays PopCheggers Plays PopCheggers Plays Pop was a British children's television show broadcast from 10 April 1978 to 7 November 1986. The show's format consisted of a series of physical and mental challenges undertaken by two teams of children representing their respective schools, together with studio performances by...
- Dragons' DenDragons' Den (UK)Dragons' Den is a British television series, hosted by Evan Davis. The format of the show is owned by Sony Pictures and is based on the original Japanese series, which has been sold around the world...
- File on Four (BBC Radio 4BBC Radio 4BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
) - Going for GoldGoing for GoldGoing for Gold is a British television game show that originally aired on BBC1 between 12 October 1987 and 9 July 1996.It has since been revived for Channel 5 from 13 October 2008 to 20 March 2009...
- It's a KnockoutIt's a KnockoutIt's a Knockout was adapted from the French show Intervilles. It ran between from 7 August 1966 to 25 December 1988 on BBC1, 28 May 1990 on ITV, 3 August 1991 to 24 December 1994 on S4C and from 3 September 1999 to 6 January 2001 on Channel 5, produced by Richard Hearsey and Ronin Entertainment...
- 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....
- MastermindMastermind (TV series)Mastermind is a British quiz show, well known for its challenging questions, intimidating setting and air of seriousness.Devised by Bill Wright, the basic format of Mastermind has never changed — four and in later contests five contestants face two rounds, one on a specialised subject of the...
- No Limits
- Open AirOpen Air (TV series)Open Air was BBC1's flagship programme for their new daytime service which began on 27 October 1986. In 1987 an additional early morning episode was added, following the end of Breakfast Time, to help promote and inform viewers what topics would be covered in the main edition.Open Air was similar...
- Outtake TVOuttake TVOuttake TV is a blooper show originally hosted by Paul O'Grady from 2002 to 2003, then, by Anne Robinson from 2004 to 2009 and as of 2010, Rufus Hound. Robinson had been presenting the show 2004 to 2009 and airing on BBC One. It replaced the channel's original blooper show Auntie's Bloomers...
- Real StoryReal StoryReal Story was a current affairs programme which aired on the British television channel, BBC One at 19:30 GMT weekly on Mondays. It was hosted by Fiona Bruce who was also presenter of Crimewatch. The programme was edited by Dave Stanford and produced by Mike Lewis.It focused on the weeks big...
- Screen TestScreen TestScreen Test was a UK children's quiz show about films, broadcast from 18 November 1970 to 20 December 1984 on BBC1. It was first hosted by Michael Rodd, who was succeeded by Brian Trueman and Mark Curry.-Background:...
- Songs of PraiseSongs of PraiseSongs of Praise is a BBC Television programme based around traditional Christian hymns. It is a widely watched and long-running religious television programme, one of the few peak-time free-to-air religious programmes in Europe Songs of Praise is a BBC Television programme based around traditional...
- Street DoctorStreet DoctorStreet Doctor is a prime-time health series which was first shown in January 2007 on BBC One television.The format involves four GPs who take to the streets to diagnose, advise and treat people wherever they might be--at work or out and about...
- That's ShowbusinessThat's ShowbusinessThat's Showbusiness is a television quiz show with celebrity teams answering questions about the entertainment industry. It aired on Monday nights on BBC1 between 1989 and 1996. It was presented by Mike Smith...
- The Heaven and Earth ShowThe Heaven and Earth ShowThe Heaven and Earth Show was a BBC television programme that aired on Sunday mornings from 10am to 11am on BBC One. The show ran for nine years between 1998 and 2007, looking at spiritual and moral issues...
See also
- Granada Studios - ITV Granada's base in Manchester
- 3SixtyMedia3SixtyMedia3sixtymedia is a joint venture production facilities company, based in Manchester and co-owned by Granada Television and BBC Manchester...
- BBC Manchester and Granada joint venture