See Hear
Encyclopedia
See Hear is a weekly magazine programme for deaf and hard of hearing people in the UK
, broadcast on Wednesday afternoons at 1pm. The programme focuses on the British and the worldwide deaf community and covers a broad range of topics from areas such as education
, deaf people's rights, technology
and language
. A regular segment is given over to Deaf News, which is presented by Tessa Padden. The programme is presented entirely in BSL
and is broadcast
with voice-over
and subtitles in English throughout the programme.
, and a Deaf presenter
Maggie Woolley. The programme was originally broadcast on Sunday afternoons during lunchtime. As the series went from strength to strength different topics, such as discussions, chat shows, and special editions focussing on technology and education for Deaf people were added that ran alongside the original magazine.
Over the years See Hear's appeal within the Deaf community increased, and with it the involvement of Clive Mason
, the series' longest serving presenter who joined in 1984. Clive was prominently involved with the See Hear Christmas
and pantomime
specials written by Terry Ruane
and the late Dorothy Miles, two deaf people with strong backgrounds in Theatre. By the late 1980s the show was focussed on the important issues and concerns of members of the Deaf community. As the show's popularity grew more Deaf staff were recruited to work on the show, both behind the scenes as well as in front of the camera. As the show neared its 10th anniversary, the BBC
, along with other Deaf organisations felt that it needed a change to keep it fresh.
See Hear took a brief hiatus
from broadcast, while the format of the show was revamped. The new format had a broader scope than the previous one, because the producers felt that Deaf people were interested in different activities and experiences outside of their own community. When See Hear was broadcast following the new format the audience almost doubled. The new format was a success, and with this the BBC recognised BSL as a language.
and new presenter Lara Crooks joined the staff. It was renamed See Hear on Saturday. Since the time of this revamp, the show has constantly upgraded itself to keep up with the changes within the deaf community.
, and Hay's Way, involving Deaf academic and historian
John Hay visiting a city in the UK and delving into its past and discovering what it is like today.
See Hear celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2006. This time it included a segment which took a retrospective
look at the best bits of the show over its 25 year history. Coinciding with the 25th anniversary, in October 2006 See Hear switched from open subtitles, which had been used since the programme's inception, to closed subtitles that must be specially activated in order to appear.
At the end of the 2006-2007 series, it was announced that See Hear would move from its usual broadcast day of Saturday at 12pm to Wednesday, although the time of broadcast will remain unchanged.
See Hear now airs on BBC2 every Wednesday at 1pm.
On September 18, 2009, the BBC announced that the programme will be recommissioned until March 2011.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, broadcast on Wednesday afternoons at 1pm. The programme focuses on the British and the worldwide deaf community and covers a broad range of topics from areas such as education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
, deaf people's rights, technology
Technology
Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
and language
Language
Language may refer either to the specifically human capacity for acquiring and using complex systems of communication, or to a specific instance of such a system of complex communication...
. A regular segment is given over to Deaf News, which is presented by Tessa Padden. The programme is presented entirely in BSL
British Sign Language
British Sign Language is the sign language used in the United Kingdom , and is the first or preferred language of some deaf people in the UK; there are 125,000 deaf adults in the UK who use BSL plus an estimated 20,000 children. The language makes use of space and involves movement of the hands,...
and is broadcast
Broadcasting
Broadcasting is the distribution of audio and video content to a dispersed audience via any audio visual medium. Receiving parties may include the general public or a relatively large subset of thereof...
with voice-over
Voice-over
Voice-over is a production technique where a voice which is not part of the narrative is used in a radio, television production, filmmaking, theatre, or other presentations...
and subtitles in English throughout the programme.
1980s
See Hear was launched on BBC2 on 11 October 1981. It was broadcast with open subtitles, and was presented in sign by Martin Colville, a hearing CODAChild of deaf adult
A child of a deaf adult, often known by the acronym "CODA", is a person who was raised by a deaf parent or guardian. Many CODAs identify with both deaf and hearing cultures...
, and a Deaf presenter
Presenter
A presenter, or host , is a person or organization responsible for running an event. A museum or university, for example, may be the presenter or host of an exhibit. Likewise, a master of ceremonies is a person that hosts or presents a show...
Maggie Woolley. The programme was originally broadcast on Sunday afternoons during lunchtime. As the series went from strength to strength different topics, such as discussions, chat shows, and special editions focussing on technology and education for Deaf people were added that ran alongside the original magazine.
Over the years See Hear's appeal within the Deaf community increased, and with it the involvement of Clive Mason
Clive Mason
Clive Mason is a Deaf British television presenter born in Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom. He was the first person to use British Sign Language on television. It was not until 2003 that BSL was recognised by the government as a language in its own right.-Early life:Mason was born deaf, and at...
, the series' longest serving presenter who joined in 1984. Clive was prominently involved with the See Hear Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
and pantomime
Pantomime
Pantomime — not to be confused with a mime artist, a theatrical performer of mime—is a musical-comedy theatrical production traditionally found in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Jamaica, South Africa, India, Ireland, Gibraltar and Malta, and is mostly performed during the...
specials written by Terry Ruane
Terry Ruane
Terry Ruane is an English actor and director who became profoundly deaf as a result of meningitis at the age of five...
and the late Dorothy Miles, two deaf people with strong backgrounds in Theatre. By the late 1980s the show was focussed on the important issues and concerns of members of the Deaf community. As the show's popularity grew more Deaf staff were recruited to work on the show, both behind the scenes as well as in front of the camera. As the show neared its 10th anniversary, 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...
, along with other Deaf organisations felt that it needed a change to keep it fresh.
See Hear took a brief hiatus
Hiatus (television)
In television scheduling, a hiatus refers to a break of at least several weeks in the normal schedule of a broadcast programming. It can occur during a season of a television program, or can be between television seasons .- Planned hiatus :Many times television stations will implement a hiatus...
from broadcast, while the format of the show was revamped. The new format had a broader scope than the previous one, because the producers felt that Deaf people were interested in different activities and experiences outside of their own community. When See Hear was broadcast following the new format the audience almost doubled. The new format was a success, and with this the BBC recognised BSL as a language.
1990s
During the 1990s See Hear was moved from the Sunday lunchtime slot to the Saturday morning slot. At this time the show was once again revamped, with new titles and music created for it. The show was also moved to the Light House in WolverhamptonWolverhampton
Wolverhampton is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands, England. For Eurostat purposes Walsall and Wolverhampton is a NUTS 3 region and is one of five boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "West Midlands" NUTS 2 region...
and new presenter Lara Crooks joined the staff. It was renamed See Hear on Saturday. Since the time of this revamp, the show has constantly upgraded itself to keep up with the changes within the deaf community.
2000s
In 2001, See Hear celebrated its 20th anniversary, by launching three new projects, Switch, a drama series dealing with the lives and relationships of people within the wider deaf community, The House on the Hill, for young Deaf children, was written by viewer Amy Possart, and presented by Lesley McGilp and Julian Peedle-CallooJulian Peedle-Calloo
Julian Peedle-Calloo is a Deaf British television presenter. He is a former presenter on deaf magazine programme See Hear.Peedle-Calloo has been deaf since birth. With a hearing aid he can hear a little, but most of the time he cannot be bothered to wear it. He does not identify his deafness as a...
, and Hay's Way, involving Deaf academic and historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
John Hay visiting a city in the UK and delving into its past and discovering what it is like today.
See Hear celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2006. This time it included a segment which took a retrospective
Retrospective
Retrospective generally means to take a look back at events that already have taken place. For example, the term is used in medicine, describing a look back at a patient's medical history or lifestyle.-Music:...
look at the best bits of the show over its 25 year history. Coinciding with the 25th anniversary, in October 2006 See Hear switched from open subtitles, which had been used since the programme's inception, to closed subtitles that must be specially activated in order to appear.
At the end of the 2006-2007 series, it was announced that See Hear would move from its usual broadcast day of Saturday at 12pm to Wednesday, although the time of broadcast will remain unchanged.
See Hear now airs on BBC2 every Wednesday at 1pm.
On September 18, 2009, the BBC announced that the programme will be recommissioned until March 2011.