BBC Tours permanent closure.

[eyeTV]

On the subject of tours there has been no update on the future for the ITV Daytime Studios Tour at TV Centre. So no idea if they will ever resume either.

[BBC TV Centre]

It's a shame they've all been canned "because Covid".

I have been fortunate enough to be on both the public paid-for tours when I was younger, and ones that I have been taken on by staff as I have known them personally. I got to sit in on a WS radio news bulletin, walk through and take in the newsroom, explore some radio studios, have tea at Radio 1 on the 8th floor and chat to some of my friend's colleagues etc which the public tours don't get to, for obvious reasons.

Who here remembers the BBC Experience in the basement of OBH? I was fairly young when I went to it as part of a school outing, but I do remember they had Bodger and Badger you could play with, and a cool video wall that played some promo video for the BBC with a Fatboy Slim soundtrack. You could also browse the BBC website (!).

[James2001]

Yes, I did that Broadcasting House experience back in 2001!

[DeMarkay]

Honestly, having worked in NBH, it's just a cascade of identical offices throughout and a large newsroom. Then again, I was only in Peel Wing.

[PD]

It's a shame they've all been canned "because Covid".

I have been fortunate enough to be on both the public paid-for tours when I was younger, and ones that I have been taken on by staff as I have known them personally. I got to sit in on a WS radio news bulletin, walk through and take in the newsroom, explore

Who here remembers the BBC Experience in the basement of OBH? I was fairly young when I went to it as part of a school outing, but I do remember they had Bodger and Badger you could play with, and a cool video wall that played some promo video for the BBC with a Fatboy Slim soundtrack. You could also browse the BBC website (!).

Yeah! I'm sure it was 1999 when I visited. The young TV Geek in me loved it, but looking back the TV Centre tour I went on a couple years later was far superior, if far less polished. Just found a report on The Experiences closure... https://www.theguardian.com/media/2001/m...adcasting2

[nwtv2003]

I remember they brought the BBC Experience (if not something very similar to it) to the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester back in 2000. I got to visit the exhibit, but as it was too busy during the peak of the summer holidays, I didn’t get to use all of the exhibits.

I never did any of the BBC Tours, but I’ve found if you’re really interested in seeing any of the behind the scenes stuff, you’re probably best just getting a ticket for a show to be recorded. I got to visit Granada Studios a few times and that was an experience on its own, I saw a lot more than I ever expected. Also been fortunate to visit MediaCity/The Studios and although not as interesting as an older facility, it certainly felt more polished by comparison.

[Steve in Pudsey]

I noticed ITV are advertising an Emmerdale behind the scenes experience at the moment.

[James2001]

That's been running for years- though I think they use mockups/old sets in the pre-2011 studio, though I think they do visit the actual outdoor set.

[CantGetIn]

I went on the tour on the last days of TVC and then later maybe a year later NBH. I must say the TVC one was far more exciting. The NBH tour was extremely poor and you had the bizarre meet at media cafe, get security checked, go back outside to OBH, take part in a radio performance or something like that, go and see the one show studio (yet another outside and back in) (at the time BBC London) and then go back into NBH to go on a virtual set. You hardly got to see anything of the new NBH, except looking over the newsroom. Better than nothing but in comparison to TVC very poor.

Incidentally I have also been on the ITV tour of TVC and was ok although much smaller.

[Brekkie]

On a similar theme both the BBC and ITV have pulled out of the planned London Resort theme park.

https://www.kentonline.co.uk/dartford/ne...rt-263186/

[Thistle]

Although they have no restarted yet - I would highly recommended coming and checking out PQ in Glasgow.

[TVNerd]

Although they have no restarted yet - I would highly recommended coming and checking out PQ in Glasgow.

I must agree, I went on the public tour in pre-covid times and got to see a lot of the building, not just offices. It was a hive of activity too, with two network productions in both Studio A and B that day.