BBC Handbooks, Annual Reports and Accounts, 1927-2002

The British Broadcasting Company became the British Broadcasting Corporation on 1 January 1927 and quickly became an iconic and central part of British culture and life. The BBC firmly established its reputation as an indispensable broadcaster and has since held an influential role in broadcasting worldwide, becoming the oldest and largest local and global broadcaster. Funding for the BBC primarily comes from taxation, which has led to increased public scrutiny on its spending and objectives. In order to answer these questions, the BBC deemed it necessary to publish a yearly report explaining what it does and why. These handbooks are included in this collection and they provide an insight into the internal workings of the BBC.

This collection also contains annual reports and accounts published by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) between 1927 and 2002. In addition, the collection includes a review of each year’s public service broadcasting, with detailed schedules, audience research, performance and objective tables, commentaries, and editorials. Together, these documents provide students and scholars with a unique opportunity to examine the social and cultural forces that shaped Britain in the twentieth century.

(The BBC word mark and logo are trade marks of the British Broadcasting Corporation and are used under licence. BBC Logo © BBC 1996.)

To understand this unique institution is to go some considerable way to understand the wider society and culture; from changing ideas about class and the monarchy to the declining influence of the church and the rise of celebrity.

Professor Hugh Chignell, Bournemouth University

Insights

The BBC’s handbooks often follow the same template and include: a review of the year, notable programmes, names of senior staff/governors, engineering developments, audience trends, accounts, and the BBC’s charter.

The BBC has been primarily funded through taxation. This has increased the security that the BBC faces and they have often felt the need to justify their existence, as well as their aims and benefits to the public.

The BBC handbooks are illustrated and contain original artwork from important illustrators such as Heath Robinson, Aubrey Hammond, and Arthur Watts.

Often used as a PR document, the BBC handbooks sometimes feel like a defence of its existence and do not critically engage with its actions. Some statistics are carefully selected in order to fit the narrative being pushed by the BBC. For instance, the categorisation of shows can be brought into question.

The Second World War helped to solidify the credible reputation of the BBC. News reports from the BBC at the time were relied upon for their accuracy and independence, helped by journalists such as Frank Gillard, Wynford Vaughan Thomas, and Richard Dimbleby. The handbooks from the Second World War are included in this collection.