Anyway, has anybody here ever been on a BBC Television Centre Tour? I am going for one on Saturday April 22nd at 10:40am (see, I'm not completely useless) and I am starting to wonder whether it was worth the money.
So anyone who's been on one before, tell me, is it good?
A lot of it is just luck as to what's on in TVC during the day. I went on one last summer, and were taken into an empty TC8, and the viewing gallery for another studio (I forget which one), which had the set for a pilot for a quiz.
I think they sometimes let tours into N6 - although, of course, it'll be under renovation by then. Maybe TC7, if you're lucky?
You'll also get to go into the viewing area for part of the newsroom, the corridor outside the weather centre, and a little 'studio' set up especially for the tour. And, of course, the BBC Shop.
If you know a fair bit about telly (and given that you're posting on here, you probably do), you might find it a little dumbed down - but it's still rather nice to get a chance to wander around TVC. Even if you do have to pay for it.
When I went on one, We went to Blue Peter, and saw them rehearsing, BBC News Meeting Room + Viewing room in the news centre, walked passed N6, went into BBC Interactive, saw a quiz show set in a viewing gallery, bbc shop, BBC Weather corridoor, and that was it. It was around the time of when CBBC and Cbeebies launched, so I got lumbered with stickers an stuff covered in the branding.
I hope to return to TVC soon, as when I last went, they were referbishing the Main Reception , and news centre outside, so tehre was tempory doors and stuff.
When I went they took us upstairs to the newsroom, or outside of it, where we sat in a briefing/meeting room. We go to see Michael Burke through double glazing. We also go to see how the weather was produced in a corridor with a monitor in the wall. Then, we were taken to one of the main studio gallaries where Dog Eat Dog was being filmed and also a trip to the Blue Peter garden which is really small.
It must be great to be one of the guys who do the tours, just having a nosey around TVC.
Been on like 2 or 3...I think 3...each time quite enjoyable
Basiclly each tour would consisit of the news centre, the foyer, the weather centre and like 2 studios at least.
Its very intersting as there are some details that are not really TV related but are intersting to know, then its great to see the size of the studios when you assume they are massive on air! Then there is seeing all the work being put in ect.
I went around the same time as you went as in 10:40; the studios are genaerlly being set up around then for shows to be done that evening. Interesting to see them being constructed and all then.
Do go on it and do buy merchandice cos some of the stuff in the BBC shop is only and I mean ONLY available in TVC!!
I went on one about this time last year. From what I can remember I got to see:
- The fountain bit in the middle- with Gavin Estler and Sian Williams sitting at the coffee place.
- The viewing gallery of TC1- where there was rehersals for some sort of celebrity boxing match.
- The Weather corridor- including a monitor showing what was happening in the weather studios. Someone was recording the weather for BFBS. There's a gimmicky thing for tourists here. I won't spoil it.
- The viewing gallery of the TOTP studio, which they were broadcasting the lottery from the corner of
- The Strictly Dance Fever set from another viewing gallery
- On one of the lower floors, (possibly the basement?) there was a small room that seemed to be designed for visitors. A sort of faux broadcast was made using people on the tour. There was a news bulletin and then a "guess the theme tune" quiz show.
- I didn't get to see any News stuff on my tour, really. We got to sit in the News conference room, or whatever it is, which has glass walls so you can see into the newsroom. It's fantastic to see the banks of screens monitoring different feeds, just like the simulated background of the national news! Didn't get to see any actual news studios though.
- I believe I also saw John Leslie in a lift. I could have been seeing things, though.
Overall: Yes, it's a bit dumbed down for TVF readers, butI recommend it, as it's ace. The tour guides managed to answer some tediously technical questions I had, and it turns out one of them was a former costume designer for Doctor Who.
I can't remember when exactly I went on a tour of TVC, since it's been a while. But it was sometime after the BBC bomb, as the entrance still had the white surround in the glass bit.
We went to the (now defunct) BBC Experience in the basement of Broadcasting House as well and got to present the weather on a screen thing and play with bodger and badger etc. I wonder what the space is being used for now that they cleared it out?
Since it was so long ago, I can't remember exactly where we went, but we did go to the little room by the elevator where they apparently have a briefing every day, and I saw Michael Buerk at his computer working away. I seem to remember we also walked around a studio and also did the standing outside the weather office watching on the telly cut into the wall with a speaker in the ceiling tile above.
I also seem to remember we sat in a gallery and they did a brief runover of who did what in the gallery. I think we also peered into the studio downstairs, and found a script for some gameshow - the Generation Game I think. We never got to wander through the newsroom though or see N6 - do they do this normally?
There was a BBC Experience thing in Birmingham years ago... maybe 6 or 7.. in an exhibition hall/museum place. I went to that, and you could sit in the booth and present CBBC, News, weather, and you read of this autocue and it then showed on a big screen a few mins later outside. Anyone else remember?
There was a BBC Experience thing in Birmingham years ago... maybe 6 or 7.. in an exhibition hall/museum place. I went to that, and you could sit in the booth and present CBBC, News, weather, and you read of this autocue and it then showed on a big screen a few mins later outside. Anyone else remember?
so a bit like the way the public can present their own midlands today/weather bulletin in the mailbox at any time these days?
I went on one last August. It was a bit dissappointing to be honest. Started off in the room next to the newsroom - saw Jane Hill coming down stairs and Huw Edwards came in to say hi after he saw all of us sitting in the meeting room! Went to the fountain bit outside, saw Blue Peter going out live from the viewing gallery for the studio. Also saw the Little Britain sets being set up in one of the large studios. Then went to the weather corridor and the interactive studio bit, then finished off at BBC shop. Had hoped to see N6 or another news studio, but didn't
I went on one; we saw the filming of Dick and Dom in da Bungalow, the Weather corridor, outside the newsroom and the top of the pops studio - it was quite good!
