How the BBC Began

2022 - 2024

Accident and Opportunity

22nd October 2022

Episode 1

The eyewitnesses and participants in the BBC’s early history recount some of the triumphs and disasters as new frontiers of broadcasting were mapped out – often by accident rather than design.

Building the Audience

29th October 2022

Episode 2

BBC TV’s first female newsreader, Nan Winton, tells the story of how she was sacked, and staff from the BBC’s monitoring service explain the role they played in defusing the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Shooting the Rapids

3rd March 2024

Episode 3

The story of how the BBC struggled to be impartial at critical moments in British history and how it handled social changes in Britain after the Second World War.

Top Cast

Joanna Scanlan•David Attenborough•David Dimbleby

Writer

John Bridcut

Documentary

The often-hilarious stories of the BBC's first 50 years. The corporation's pioneers describe its evolution – which was often by accident rather than design.

Watch Providers 🇬🇧

BBC iPlayer

Production Companies

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Full Cast

Joanna Scanlan

Self - Narrator (voice)

David Attenborough

Self

David Dimbleby

Self

Joan Bakewell

Self

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June Spencer

Self

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Richard Baker

Self

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Sylvia Peters

Self

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Humphrey Burton

Self

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Monica Sims

Self

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John Grist

Self

Full Crew

John Bridcut

Writer

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Magnus Temple

Executive Producer

John Bridcut

Producer

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Riaz Meer

Editor

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