BBC Television Centre, Wood Lane, London. TVC My Final Tour

I was staff at TVC working from 1978 to 1985. I learned my trade in the recording department in the basement, then ended up as a Videotape Editor and moved to Elstree for 8 years before becoming a freelance video editor in Soho, earning greater rewards. Many years later I returned to Broadcasting House Becoming a trainer for the new systems such as: Qedit, OpenMediia, Davina, Fcpx & Avid. TVC still has five Avid Symphony suites but I haven’t visited since filming this shaky footage on my final walkabout the day before it closed. Keith

[@cinemainsymphony737]

I was a tour guide at TV centre and conducted the last official tour - with staff members from Google in March 2013, once the paying public tours had just ended. Magical days spent within the walls of the heart of the BBC.

[@thedave7760]

At 15:27 I was in that room on that day doing an interview on Sep 11 2001. Didn't take long to realise that the interview I was doing about some media topic would be totally irrelevant to the news that evening so we didn't even start. The whole world changed that day.

[@christopherwaring8285]

I CAN REMEMBER WATCHING RECORD BREAKERS ROY CASTLE TAP DANCING WITH ALL THEM TAP DANCERS ROUND THAT BIG FOUNTAIN THOSE WERE THE DAYS

[@jenniferwhite3258]

What a find! I remember the smell of the lino in the corridors. Great memories of 34 years in BBC-tv Production.

[@calvertphoto]

I went to TVC a number of times in the late 90's. Every time I went there, I always got lost!

[@deltadeltan]

So Sad, when BBC left here it lost its soul.

[@elmanioso4264]

this does bring a tear to my eye

[@horrgakx]

Iconic building!

[@trevorrandom]

The fact the BBC sold this building shows the contempt they have for the licence fee payers. Glad I'm not paying for them anymore.

[@Sensist2002France]

They sold the building to ITV in 2018

[@ppotter]

@@Sensist2002France it was sold to development company Stanhope in 2013, and both the BBC and ITV rent studio space on the site.

[@thedave7760]

A lot of expensive consultants earning hundreds of pounds per hour told them that they would make loads of money that they could "put back into programming" if they sold the land and opened Salford and Bush house. It didn't make them any money it cost them money in the end but I am sure all the consultants bought new yachts.

[@anthonyglee1710]

Thanks for this! My parents both worked and met at TVC in the 70’s and married whilst still working there. My Dad was a Facilities Manager of TVC - he started off aged 15 as runner, my Mum was a BBC trained secretary. She hated Jimmy Saville (way before the scandal) as he’d grope her and the other girls she worked with in the BBC canteen.

[@Sensist2002France]

I worked on that building

[@Sensist2002France]

Now I worked at McDonald's

[@peterceresole3877]

"This is where Top of the Pops used to happen". Very civilised. I remember it from an equivalent position- the lighting gallery in G or H (can't remember at this distance) in Lime Grove. We were making "The Money Programme" in an office nearby, and on TOTP evenings we'd walk across... To what I suspect was a more authentic experience. Well at least, we got the smell; a bazillion dollies dancing and bouncing in a small space, no windows in between. Every Minors perfume mixed in, with megatons of sweat blanketing it all. Armpits agogo. Great stuff.

[@trxbloke]

What do you mean ...."it all started to go wrong in 1988".... that was the year I started in VT. I reckon it started to go wrong when John Birt got the top job.

[@BruceDanton-xw6eg]

Yes in the 1990s I guess so too of course as well.

[@LiamC123321]

Absolutely criminal

[@NeonCoding]

I am very glad I've found this video,this is amazing!

[@garethwilliams5809]

Went there a couple of times for sitcom recordings but always dreamt of working there instead made some of the equipment that ended up there. Still have hopes of working in TV ( mainly OB or studio work) but feel I'm too old and now it's all done on servers and my software skills are lacking. Feel my 45 year dream dream of working in TV is over

[@delphiproductionsmusic]

Great video, was there for a week...very strange experience

[@mrhammadmossop1988ul-haq]

Thanks so much for uploading this video to KZbin

[@adolflenin4973]

You're welxome

[@DominicWade]

That was a fascinating insight into an iconic television factory :)

[@adrielnicholas8104]

i know im randomly asking but does anyone know a trick to get back into an instagram account? I somehow forgot the login password. I would love any tips you can give me

[@landynlondon7474]

@Adriel Nicholas Instablaster ;)

[@Joyousmicor]

@@landynlondon7474 Oh these bots with "Instablaster" scam...

[@adolflenin4973]

@@landynlondon7474 Thanks Mate

[@cecilliatavares6839]

That is pretty cool!

[@nemo4733]

Woow this building like amaze😀

[@derekhorne8076]

The sale and destruction of television centre was a crime. Maida Vale is next. How long before they do the same to Broadcasting House itself???? Dreadful

[@claptonpond9451]

When do you film this? I guess 2013 as my desk is still in thehub

[@andrewtorres765]

Cool video. But at 2:45 the audio is from the Carol Burnett Show at CBS in Hollywood. Bit confused.

[@alexosbornedve]

What a fantastic video! How long did you work at TVC and do you still work for the BBC?

[@136miles]

I think props and scenery were in the basement wish they had gone there

[@cliveevans9795]

Never seen so many stairs

[@paulwalker6297]

And THEY destroyed all of this. Criminal !

[@UKArchiveTV]

What's the show being recorded at 3:00, sounds like everyone's laughing but the audience looks a bit restless....

[@andrewtorres765]

Carol Burnett Show, which is American so I'm not sure why it was chosen

[@Joyousmicor]

3:41 No, this is not Telecine area. It was acommodation for Central Apparatus Room (or Central Communications Area). Former Telecine area was one floor down, converted to network control rooms. (2nd Floor)

[@Joyousmicor]

P.S. I am forgot, that Telecine was also at 1st floor, and it was converted into CDTA (Commercial Digital Transmission Area)

[@ttd3084]

ن

[@rty1955]

TR-70? no Ampex equipment?

[@cliveevans9795]

Canteen,?

[@mikewhiles4635]

Is the site empty now ? Have all the buildings gone ?

[@steeviebops]

A lot of it was demolished but studios TC1, 2 and 3 were kept, as well as the doughnut. ITV use TC2 and TC3 now. The rest was converted into flats that most people can’t afford, and a hotel that you need to be in a members club to stay at. 🙄

[@BruceDanton-xw6eg]

I have not been there at all but this really is such a shame to see and watch of course. If only the bbc management had seen differently as well too. Interesting of course though thank you too.

[@Joyousmicor]

23:41 Is someone making photo for Flickr?

[@tortysoft]

'It all started going wrong in 1988' - that is about when I left :-) Sorry !

[@GeorgeSmith1066]

Looks more like a hospital - then again, several sick people stayed there.

[@chriswaring5565]

🎉AYE THE SICKEST WAS SAVILE AND GARY GLITTER

[@chriswaring5565]

B.B.C BRING. BACK. COMEDY

[@Ellie-ym9et]

Where were the archive tapes held in TVC?

[@homevideotransfer-vhstodvd9744]

Hello Ellie, I think tapes were stored in the basement under TC studio 1 which is now used for Good Morning Britain. TC1 also had a swimming pool that was never used under it. The tape store was a good place to take a sneaky sleep during those 12 hour shifts, or being stranded there over night. Under the basement was the sub basement which had little headroom but would have been a good place to be in the event of a nuclear war.

[@user-ov4ok4ms6x]

met the guys who transferred shows for archive there away from everywhere else, didn't get a job though

[@Woffy.]

​@@homevideotransfer-vhstodvd9744 The Doughnut was a strange place easy to get lost especialy in the sub which was a tad wet when the fountain was on. I think the telecine was down there.. The BBC made good use of the Bulk eraser and prosecuted Bob Monkhouse for copying tapes only later to beg the family for his library when they realised the value. So much good kit just scraped same at Lime Grove, plenty of interest on ebay for that kit. Sadly Aunty is not the girl she was. I hope the Sargent got a good pension.

[@lizhumphries9100]

Was Bllake"s 7 made there

[@homevideotransfer-vhstodvd9744]

Yes, in TC7

[@rafakananowicz8968]

#bbc news

[@rafakananowicz8968]

🏠🚘🍟🍗🥪🐠🐟🧠💓💋😍😀😀🤣❤️🤣😂😭🤩🥳🥰📼🎮📸📷🎀🎂🥅⚽🍭🍬🍫🍕🍌💪👍💌😀😃 2/2

[@rafakananowicz8968]

rururu

[@jacksugden8190]

That complex was such an eye saw, too bad Stanhope didn’t demolish the whole lot when they bought it from the BBC.

[@liamgreen447]

You're a liar

[@jacksugden8190]

Liam Green - it’s had it now, as totally shagged out.

[@Althekeys]

Iconic building but more important than anything is what was produced there over the years

[@jacksugden8190]

@@Althekeys It’s now water under the BBC bridge, a bridge of troubled water, for the BBC now has big troubles.