The Newsroom

BBC News "Break in"

(March 2017)

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IT
itsrobert Founding member
But wouldn't it have been great if they got lost inside the building?

They probably would have done had it been in TVC!
IT
itsrobert Founding member
I detest the kind of morons who think 'pranks' like this are funny. Absolutely pathetic.


These youtubers will probably earn millions for just posting that video though.


Millions from who?!? Rolling Eyes

To be fair to them, they were let in by security - that's the big issue. Having visited NBH, albeit with a friend who works their, I was amazed that anyone, including freelancers at the lowest level with their 'BBC Pass' can literally check in any guests they want. Not only that, regardless of what department they work in, their pass gives them free reign of the building. I was surprised to be walking across the back of the newsroom peering in and with full access into the various galleries when the person I was with had nothing to do with TV or News.

The thing is, though, that places like BBC News, ITN etc are not exactly high security, top secret sorts of places. They literally have dozens of guests coming in and out all day. All of those paper reviewers, studio guests etc are all visitors. So long as you are signed in by a member of staff then I really don't see the issue. At the end of the day, the employee signing them in is responsible for them and frankly shouldn't be letting in anyone they aren't familiar with. I've visited ITN many times with a friend who works there - once he's signed me in, I wouldn't be able to go roaming round the building on my own. I wouldn't even be able to get off the atrium without him, let alone within all the operational areas which are all swipe access. As a visitor you must be accompanied at all times and rightly so.

And as for an employee being able to get round most of the building - that is usually the case except for certain sensitive areas. That's the scenario in most large organisations.
London Lite, WW Update and eanok gave kudos
EA
eanok
Perfect material for W1A. I wonder how the damage control meeting will go.
MA
Markymark
Give them some credit, at least they shot landscape, and not in numptie portrait
AN
Andrew Founding member
I haven't watched them yet so questions may be answered in the videos, but how did a group of lads who didn't even try to blend in and look authentic (wearing smart clothes or in terms of the London media probably dressing like a hipster) manage to get through security. I think we have better security in the unremarkable nothing to do with TV office that I work in, you have swipe cards to go through every door, and certain passes can't access certain areas, you can't access where they handle cash for example, or the IT infrastructure rooms, and you have to sign in and be collected by the person you are visiting.

I'd expect key broadcast areas to only be accessible by relevant people. I wouldn't even expect say someone who works on Radio 1 to have access BBC News, as they don't work in news so would technically be a visitor to that department.
DK
DanielK
I haven't watched them yet so questions may be answered in the videos, but how did a group of lads who didn't even try to blend in and look authentic (wearing smart clothes or in terms of the London media probably dressing like a hipster) manage to get through security. I think we have better security in the unremarkable nothing to do with TV office that I work in, you have swipe cards to go through every door, and certain passes can't access certain areas, you can't access where they handle cash for example, or the IT infrastructure rooms, and you have to sign in and be collected by the person you are visiting.

I'd expect key broadcast areas to only be accessible by relevant people. I wouldn't even expect say someone who works on Radio 1 to have access BBC News, as they don't work in news so would technically be a visitor to that department.


I wouldn't agree with that, the places I've worked at (as both a contractor, and as staff) have issued me with passes that allowed me access to all of the areas in the buildings I worked in. These were both admin & IT jobs, at global orgs as well as the emergency services. Physical security is not as tight as IT security, I've found.
ST
Stuart
I think we have better security in the unremarkable nothing to do with TV office that I work in, you have swipe cards to go through every door, and certain passes can't access certain areas, you can't access where they handle cash for example, or the IT infrastructure rooms, and you have to sign in and be collected by the person you are visiting.

I'm also surprised by the security at NBH, which seems considerably less stringent than at my workplace, which has no connection to the media.


I work in a government building, where the public have access to some areas through one entrance, and staff/visitors through another.

Staff have swipe cards, but only to areas they are permitted to access, and visitors clearly have passes which identify them as such, so should be challenged if wandering about alone.

We have signs on all floors next to the swipe terminals, which warn of people 'tail-gating'. Theoretically, even if you manage to get out of the public area, or 'escape' from the person sponsoring your visit, you couldn't get beyond the staircases or the lifts.
SC
scottishtv Founding member
I actually can't bring myself to watch as far as them getting to the studio, as I'm cringing too hard - both at the participants "Yo! Yo! Yo!" and at the lack of anyone challenging them.

No doubt the BBC will have multiple policies in place to prevent security breaches (after all tours were cancelled), it's just a shame the procedures were so easily circumvented.

Makes you wonder how vulnerable live broadcast locations - like The One Show outdoors at the plaza, Watchdog in their outdoor tent, and Crimewatch from a car park - really are.

how did a group of lads who didn't even try to blend in and look authentic (wearing smart clothes or in terms of the London media probably dressing like a hipster) manage to get through security.
[...]
I wouldn't even expect say someone who works on Radio 1 to have access BBC News, as they don't work in news so would technically be a visitor to that department.


Heh, ironically it's probably because Radio 1 is in the same building that make it not that unusual for youths in "young peoples' attire" to be visiting and roaming around the building.
SC
scottishtv Founding member
Sorry for double post, but I did manage to watch a bit more. It's so ironic they are too busy filming themselves and staring into their own little cameras that they never actually seem to be bothered looking into any of the real cameras, or have anything amusing to say to the broadcast viewers (had they actually been on air).
UB
UBox
"Yo this is lit"
Enough said
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LL
London Lite Founding member
So that's where BBC Three's audience went?
DK
DanielK
So that's where BBC Three's audience went?

I take offence to that, I was BBC Three's audience and I'm the polar opposite to them.
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