BBC

==Cultural significance==
[[File:The world's first regular high definition television service was inaugurated here by the BBC 2 November 1936.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|[[Blue plaque]] at [[Alexandra Palace]], commemorating the launch of the world's first high-definition television service, [[BBC Television]], in 1936]]
Until the development, popularisation, and domination of television, radio was the broadcast medium upon which people in the United Kingdom relied. It "reached into every home in the land, and simultaneously united the nation, an important factor during the Second World War".<ref name="Perry">{{cite book |last=Perry |first=George |title=The Life of Python |year=1999 |publisher= Pavilion Books |location= London |isbn= 978-1-85793-441-0 |page=14}}</ref> The BBC introduced the world's first "high-definition" 405-line television service in 1936. It suspended its television service during the Second World War and until 1946, but remained the only television broadcaster in the UK until 1955, when Independent Television (ITV) began operating.<ref name="Perry16">Perry (1999) p16</ref> This heralded the transformation of television into a popular and dominant medium. Nevertheless, "throughout the 1950s radio still remained the dominant source of broadcast comedy".<ref name="Perry16" /> Further, the BBC was the only legal radio broadcaster until 1968 (when [[URY]] obtained its first licence).<ref>{{cite web |url= http://ury.org.uk/about/ |title= URY History |access-date= 21 November 2008 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20081006220201/http://ury.york.ac.uk/about.php| archive-date=6 October 2008 |url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:David Attenborough at Great Barrier Reef.jpg|thumb|left|The nature documentaries of [[David Attenborough]], such as ''[[The Blue Planet]]'', ''[[Planet Earth (2006 TV series)|Planet Earth]]'' and ''[[Life on Earth (TV series)|Life on Earth]]'', are produced by the [[BBC Natural History Unit]], the largest wildlife documentary production house in the world.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iawf.org.uk/directory.aspx?page=5&dcatid=1000 |title=Directory of Production Companies |publisher=The International Association of Wildlife Filmmakers |access-date=6 July 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100829134620/http://www.iawf.org.uk/directory.aspx?page=5&dcatid=1000 |archive-date=29 August 2010 }}</ref>]]
Despite the advent of commercial television and radio, with competition from ITV, Channel 4 and [[British Sky Broadcasting|Sky]], the BBC has remained one of the main elements in British popular culture through its obligation to produce TV and radio programmes for mass audiences.<ref name="Public service">{{cite news |title= Public service broadcasting is 'lynchpin' of British culture, says Joan Bakewell |url= https://www.theguardian.com/media/2009/oct/08/joan-bakewell-psb-james-cameron-lecture |date=8 October 2008 |access-date=25 June 2010 |first=Hugh |last= Muir |newspaper= The Guardian |location= London |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131203185708/http://www.theguardian.com/media/2009/oct/08/joan-bakewell-psb-james-cameron-lecture |archive-date=3 December 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=James Corden: BBC is a cornerstone of everything Britain stands for |url= https://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/may/12/james-corden-bbc-government-white-paper|agency=[[Press Association]] |newspaper=The Guardian |date=12 May 2016 |location= London |access-date=2 September 2019 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20161031155605/https://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/may/12/james-corden-bbc-government-white-paper |archive-date=31 October 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> However, the arrival of BBC2 allowed the BBC also to make programmes for minority interests in drama, documentaries, current affairs, entertainment, and sport. Examples cited include the television series ''[[Civilisation (TV series)|Civilisation]]'', ''[[Doctor Who]]'', ''[[I, Claudius (TV series)|I, Claudius]]'', ''[[Monty Python's Flying Circus]]'', ''[[Pot Black]]'', and ''[[Tonight (1957 TV series)|Tonight]]'', but other examples can be given in each of these fields as shown by the BBC's entries in the [[British Film Institute]]'s 2000 list of the [[100 Greatest British Television Programmes]], with the BBC's 1970s sitcom ''[[Fawlty Towers]]'' (featuring [[John Cleese]] as [[Basil Fawlty]]) topping the list.<ref name="tv100">{{cite web |url= http://www.bfi.org.uk/features/tv/100/list/list.php |title=The BFI TV 100: 1–100 |publisher=[[British Film Institute]] |year= 2000 |access-date= 23 February 2007 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070223104219/http://www.bfi.org.uk/features/tv/100/list/list.php |archive-date=23 February 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref> ''[[Top of the Pops]]'', the world's longest-running weekly music show, first aired in January 1964, The Rolling Stones being the first performers on it.<ref>{{cite press release |title=BBC says fond farewell to Top of the Pops |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2006/06_june/20/totp.shtml |date=20 June 2006 |access-date=25 September 2019 |publisher=BBC Press Office |archive-date=24 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200924161925/http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2006/6_june/20/totp.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref> On air since 22 August 1964, ''[[Match of the Day]]'' is broadcast on Saturday nights during the [[Premier League]] season.<ref>{{cite news |title=BBC's Match of the Day marks 50 years as an institution of English football |url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2014/aug/16/bbc-match-of-the-day-marks-50-years-institution-english-football |date=16 August 2014 |access-date=12 November 2021 |work=The Guardian |location=London |archive-date=12 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211112234258/https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2014/aug/16/bbc-match-of-the-day-marks-50-years-institution-english-football |url-status=live }}</ref> Some BBC shows have had a direct impact on society. For example, ''[[The Great British Bake Off]]'' is credited with reinvigorating interest in baking throughout the UK, with stores reporting sharp rises in sales of baking ingredients and accessories.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/foodanddrinknews/9530119/Great-British-Bake-Off-sees-sales-of-baking-goods-soar.html |title=Great British Bake Off sees sales of baking goods soar |first=Roya |last=Nikkhah |date=9 September 2012 |access-date=22 July 2019 |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |location= London |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190722175026/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/foodanddrinknews/9530119/Great-British-Bake-Off-sees-sales-of-baking-goods-soar.html |archive-date=22 July 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref> The export of BBC programmes through services like the [[BBC World Service]] and [[BBC World News]], as well as through the channels operated by [[BBC Studios]], means that audiences can consume BBC productions worldwide. Long-running BBC shows include: ''[[Desert Island Discs]]'', broadcast on radio since 1942; ''[[Panorama (British TV programme)|Panorama]]'', broadcast on BBC television since 1953 it is the world's longest-running news television programme.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2006/07_july/18/panorama.shtml|title=Panorama returns to peak time on BBC ONE|website=BBC|access-date=28 June 2022|archive-date=29 June 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220629101449/https://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2006/07_july/18/panorama.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:BAFTA Mask and BBC Logo (2008).jpg|thumb|upright|[[British Academy of Film and Television Arts|BAFTA]] (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) mask and the BBC logo. The BBC broadcasts BAFTA's [[British Academy Film Awards|film]] and [[British Academy Television Awards|television]] award ceremonies.]]
The [[British Academy Film Awards]] (BAFTAs) was first broadcast on the BBC in 1956, with [[Vivien Leigh]] as the host.<ref>{{cite news |title=Switched On: Television joins the fold |url=https://heritage.bafta.org/moment/1958/switched-on-television-joins-the-fold/41 |access-date=5 January 2022 |agency=BAFTA.org |archive-date=6 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220106162846/https://heritage.bafta.org/moment/1958/switched-on-television-joins-the-fold/41 |url-status=live }}</ref> The television equivalent, the [[British Academy Television Awards]], has been screened exclusively on the BBC since a [[2007 British Academy Television Awards|2007 awards ceremony]] that included wins for [[Jim Broadbent]] (Best actor) and [[Ricky Gervais]] (Best comedy performance).<ref>{{cite news |title=Bafta TV Awards 2007: The winners |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6543947.stm |access-date=5 January 2022 |agency=BBC |archive-date=23 January 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090123172757/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6543947.stm |url-status=live }}</ref>

The term "BBC English" was used as an alternative name for [[Received Pronunciation]], and the ''English Pronouncing Dictionary'' uses the term "BBC Pronunciation" to label its recommendations.<ref>{{cite book |last= Roach |first= Peter |author-link= Peter Roach (phonetician) |title= English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th edition |url= http://www.cambridge.org/gb/elt/catalogue/subject/project/item6669814/Cambridge-English-Pronouncing-Dictionary-18th-Edition/?site_locale=en_GB |access-date= 6 January 2013 |year= 2011 |publisher= Cambridge University Press |page= vi |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130120031518/http://www.cambridge.org/gb/elt/catalogue/subject/project/item6669814/Cambridge-English-Pronouncing-Dictionary-18th-Edition/?site_locale=en_GB |archive-date= 20 January 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref> However, the BBC itself now makes more use of [[Regional accents of English speakers|regional accents]] in order to reflect the diversity of the UK, while continuing to expect clarity and fluency of its presenters.<ref name="accents">{{cite news|url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/289882.stm|title= Speaking out for regional accents |access-date= 26 January 2009 |work= BBC News |date= 3 March 1999 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090930002512/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/289882.stm |archive-date=30 September 2009 |url-status=live}}</ref> From its "starchy" beginnings, the BBC has also become more inclusive, and now attempts to accommodate the interests of all strata of society and all minorities, because they all pay the licence fee.<ref name="diversityPolicy">{{cite web |url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/info/policies/diversity.shtml |publisher=BBC |title= Diversity Policy |access-date=26 January 2009 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090207222149/http://www.bbc.co.uk/info/policies/diversity.shtml |archive-date=7 February 2009 |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Colloquial terms===
Older domestic UK audiences often refer to the BBC as "the Beeb", a nickname originally coined by [[Peter Sellers]] on ''[[The Goon Show]]'' in the 1950s, when he referred to the "Beeb Beeb Ceeb". It was then borrowed, shortened and popularised by radio DJ [[Kenny Everett]].<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.radiorewind.co.uk/kenny_everett_page.htm |title=Radio Rewind: Kenny Everett |last=Davies |first=Alan |work=Radio Rewind |access-date=10 May 2007 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070501114549/http://www.radiorewind.co.uk/kenny_everett_page.htm |archive-date=1 May 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref> [[David Bowie]]'s recording sessions at the BBC were released as ''[[Bowie at the Beeb]]'', while [[Queen (band)|Queen]]'s recording sessions with the BBC were released as ''[[At the Beeb (Queen album)|At the Beeb]]''.<ref>{{cite magazine |url= https://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/queen/albumguide |title=Queen: Album Guide |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |location=New York |access-date=30 March 2018 |date=n.d. |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120427175109/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/queen/albumguide |archive-date=27 April 2012 |url-status=live}}</ref> Another nickname, now less commonly used, is "Auntie", said to originate from the old-fashioned "Auntie knows best" attitude, or the idea of aunties and uncles who are present in the background of one's life (but possibly a reference to the "aunties" and "uncles" who presented children's programmes in the early days)<ref>{{cite press release |title=Mark Thompson celebrates the official opening of a new state-of-the art BBC building in Hull |url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2004/10_october/21/hull.shtml |date=21 October 2004 |publisher=BBC Press Office |access-date= 6 July 2006 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20060628183705/http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2004/10_october/21/hull.shtml |archive-date= 28 June 2006 |url-status=live}}</ref> in the days when John Reith, the BBC's first director general, was in charge. The term "Auntie" for the BBC is often credited to radio disc-jockey [[Jack Jackson (radio personality)|Jack Jackson]].<ref name="Jackson"/> To celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the BBC the song "[[Auntie (song)|Auntie]]" was released in 1972.<ref>{{cite magazine |date=30 June 1973| title=Hits of the World |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |location=New York |volume=85 |issue=26 |page=57 |issn=0006-2510}}</ref> The two nicknames have also been used together as "Auntie Beeb".<ref>{{cite news |title= Auntie Beeb suffers a relapse |url= http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/media/article400120.ece |date=7 December 2004 |access-date=12 February 2007 |location= London |newspaper=The Times |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110814012018/http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/media/article400120.ece |archive-date=14 August 2011 |url-status= live}}</ref>