BBC Parliament - Tenth Anniversary

Evenings 4-5 oOctober

The channel is marking the anniversary with two evenings of landmark debates from the last ten years:

Saturday 4 October

6.00 to 10.00pm – BBC Parliament celebrates its 10th anniversary with a look back over the highlights from the Scottish Parliament, Welsh Assembly and Northern Assembly

Welsh Assembly:
Royal Opening of the Senned, 1 March 2006

Scottish Parliament:
First ever FMQs with Donald Dewar
The nomination of Alex Salmond for First Minister

Northern Ireland Assembly:
Trimble and Mallon FMQs and Deputy FMQs, standing side by side, 24 January 2000
Ian Paisley nominating Peter Robinson as FM, Gerry Adams nominating Martin McGuinness

Sunday 5 October

6.00pm – BBC Parliament's 10th Anniversary – Iraq War Debate
Recorded coverage of the seminal debate in the House of Commons from 18 March 2003 on whether military action should be taken on Iraq

8.45pm – BBC Parliament's 10th Anniversary – Tony Blair's last Prime Minister's Questions
Tony Blair's final question session as Prime Minister from 27 June 2007 where Leader of the Opposition David Cameron and then Liberal Democrat leader Sir Menzies Campbell paid tribute to the PM before he left to a standing ovation from MPs

9.20pm – BBC Parliament's 10th Anniversary – Lords Reform Debate
Recorded coverage of the key debate in the Lords on the second reading of the House of Lords Bill from 29 and 30 March 1999 which removed the majority of hereditary peers from the chamber.

(BBC Press Release)

Maybe they will get more than the 15 viewers they usually get, by reviewing the mistakes of the Labour Party. What a way to celebrate a parliamentary channel's anniversary by replaying a debate which went on to cost lives.

I remember it replaced The Parliamentary Channel on Cable TV, but BBC Parliament started quietly and didn't even broadcast full time to start with.

There is the odd good gem in there (usually an MP going on about Broadcasting I find interesting ) but I guess it's a good public service and useful to those in the know.

Started quietly and still going very quietly. And that's the problem - only those in the know are interested in it. I wonder if even the MPs who can't be arsed turning up to debates bother to tune in to watch them?

I've watched it from time to time and I've found it interesting.

I'd say BBC Parliament is a more than worthy channel. It's good to get an insight into what MPs are actually doing outside of the more 'newsworthy' debates.

The highlights for me personally though, are the occasions where archive programming is shown -- particularly past General Elections; as although you already know of the result, the interesting thing is seeing the whole thing may unfold and develop, reliving the atmosphere - and of course, taking a look at the graphics of the time and comparing it to present day.

The old Parliamentary Channel used to be run by Flextech, now part of Virgin, but was actually owned by a consortium of cable operators.

Interestingly, when the idea for BBC involvement was tooted back in 1997 they were more concerned with duplication:



Flextech later gave up the service, an American company wanted to run the service and eventually it fell through to the BBC. They said in 1998, "The BBC is forecasting that a channel [what turned out to be BBC Parliament] carried on all three digital platforms will be available to 75 per cent of the population by 2008."

Channel wise, there's some good stuff on it. Cheap to run, pretty decent graphics package, on occasion something interesting.

Though AIUI, in pence per viewer hour, it is the most expensive BBC channel they run... (That doesn't mean it costs a lot, just that it has tiny audiences!)

1964 General Election re-run on Friday 3rd too.

Nice comment "Thank You Son", RICHARD Dimbleby (in Studio) to DAVID Dimbleby (at the Exeter count)

BBC Parliament does have some great programming. In particular the Mayor of London's Question Time is a great comedy routine!

Proving it's worth today isn't it - Cabinet reshuffle, global economic crisis and US Presidential debates - and what are BBC Parliament showing - election coverage from 44 years ago.

Completely pointless.