The changing faces of BBC news. Originally the preserve of white men, the broadcaster has come to reflect the nation more accurately. From left to right: Audrey Russell, the first woman war correspondent for the BBC; here in 1945, Moira Stuart, in 1982 the first woman newsreader, and Laura Kuenssberg, the first woman political editor, from 2015 to 2022.

This is Our BBC Video

Posted by Speakeasy News > Thursday 01 September 2022 > Shine Bright Lycée Webpicks


As a standalone activity or an introduction to our resource on the centenary of the BBC, this cleverly edited video provides the BBC's answer to the question, "What is public-service broadcasting?" Or simply an introduction to the variety of programming that it has pioneered. 

If you show pupils the video on the Indy 100 news site from The Independent, you can ask them to focus on the headline the site chose: "BBC releases new advert celebrating 100 years".

You can then ask, "What do you know about the BBC?" (British Broadcasting Corporation / 18th of October 2022 100th anniversary / etc.)

They can then watch the video and find out about the specificities of the BBC, and use the advert to explain the following quotations:

"What is public service broadcasting?"

"a PUBLIC service"

"SERVICES provided by the BBC"

"a service for everyone"

"a bridge between us"

"a reflection of who we are"

"a unique experiment"

This is a transcript of the video. We've started a new line each time a new person starts speaking, since the message is edited together from lots of different footage from BBC drama, news, interviews, comedy and sport.

We're on air in 5, 4…
Standby studio.
BBC one
Well defining the BBC's role involves answering the central question
what is public service broadcasting?
It literally means providing…
Booooring!
Let me, let me rephrase that.
The BBC
Has something
For everyone.
Everyone.
That includes you
Caroline and John from Cornwall
So the question is
What do you want?
How about
A full-throttle tango
Or
A high-ranking corrupt police officer
With a soft centre
Or
Do you require assistance
Thinking about
The square root of 350,000 litres of milk
What about
Banger after
Banger?
But there's more to it than that.
The BBC is
A unique experiment.
There's no angle
There's
No bias vibes
No sponsors.
Interfering with play.
It's a bridge
Between us
Kind of a common ground.
Look a bit closer
It's a reflection
Of who we are.
But here's the thing.
The BBC
Doesn't have to be here.
It only exists
If we really believe
It matters.
We're in it together aren't we?
Let's do this!
Come here!
The BBC
Is something that belongs to all of us.
Every one of us.
Every one of us.



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> 100 Years of the BBC