Design The overall design from the air appears to resemble a
question mark in shape. The architect,
Graham Dawbarn, (Norman & Dawbarn), drew a question mark on an envelope (now held by the
BBC Written Archives Centre) while thinking about the design of the building, and realised that it would be an ideal shape for the site. An article in
The BBC Quarterly, July 1946, proposed a circular design, several years before Dawbarn drew up his plans. The building features a central circular ring (officially known as the Main Block, but often referred to by BBC staff as the "doughnut"), which comprises a central courtyard around which were studios, offices, engineering areas and the News Centre. The building as opened in 1960 was extended a number of times, notably along the 'spur' towards Wood Lane in line with the original masterplan although the actual implementation was completed over a number of decades and by different architects. Despite a number of extensions, the BBC had to seek accommodation elsewhere, such as the nearby
BBC White City complex comprising White City One, a 25,000 square metre office building, and the adjacent Broadcast and Media Centres.
Helios statue In the central courtyard of the doughnut, raised on a central column, is a gilded
statue designed by
T. B. Huxley-Jones of
Helios, the Greek god of the sun, symbolising the radiation of the light of television around the world. At the foot of the statue are two reclining figures, symbolising
sound and
vision, the components of television. It was originally a fountain, but owing to the building's unique shape it was too noisy for the staff in the overlooking offices, and there were problems with water leakage into the videotape area which for a long time was directly beneath.
Atomic Dots Affectionately known as the
Atomic Dots, the 26 white circular disks attached to the exterior façade of Studio 1 are among the building's most recognisable architectural details, becoming a defining visual element of the BBC and appearing on countless television broadcasts. They form a geometric grid of three rows, which run the span of the large and otherwise unadorned rectangular red brick facade. Conceived as a functional as well as an aesthetic feature, each disk is backlit and clearly illuminated at night. Their colloquial nickname arose due to the
mid-century modern design cues that are evocative of the
atomic age. Designer Arthur Hayes developed the pattern by experimenting with a scale foam model, using drawing pins to explore their placement. Hayes also designed the original lettering positioned above the facade, a typography that was then incorporated across the complex.
John Piper mosaic 's mosaic for the entrance lobby In the main entrance lobby is a large
mosaic mural designed by
John Piper that was installed ahead of the opening of the building in 1960. Piper worked with Dennis M. Williams on its manufacture and installation. Measuring 7.6 metres by 4.2 metres, it extends over the full width of the west wall. Thousands of
glost-fired ceramic tesserae combine to create a multicoloured abstract design that mirrors the
mid-century modern design aesthetic seen elsewhere around the building.
Listed status The development of the
Westfield shopping centre nearby led to a sharp rise in property prices and placed the Television Centre under threat. In February 2008, with an amendment in November,
English Heritage requested listed status for the scenery workshop, the canteen block adjoining the
Blue Peter Garden, and the central building. Previously, under a longstanding deal between the BBC and English Heritage the building was not listed to allow the BBC to make changes necessary in a broadcasting centre. In return, the BBC agreed that if it left, the fabric of the building would be restored to its mid-1960s state, and English Heritage would list notable features. On 17 June 2009 the Central Ring of the building and Studio 1, noting in particular the
John Piper mosaic, central drum with its mosaic tiles, the Huxley-Jones gilded statue of Helios, full-height glazing of the stair and original clock in the Central Ring, received
Grade II listed status from the
Department for Culture, Media and Sport. The 'atomic dots' and name of Studio 1, and the cantilevered porch on its exterior were noted as important architectural features of that building.
Current studios Currently, and in the later years of the BBC's occupation of the centre, the studio facilities were run by the wholly owned commercial subsidiary
BBC Studioworks. The studios vary in size and all studios were usually abbreviated to initials, such as TC1 (Television Centre 1) for Studio 1. The studios have hosted a wide variety of television programmes covering a diverse range of genres for a range of broadcasters. Notable productions hosted at the centre prior to 2013 include
Strictly Come Dancing, ''
Harry Hill's TV Burp, Match of the Day, Later... with Jools Holland, Miranda, The Alan Titchmarsh Show, The Armstrong & Miller Show, 8 Out of 10 Cats'' as well as big complex live productions such as
Children in Need and
Comic Relief. Classic BBC productions hosted at the site include some of Britain's best known television programmes including
Fawlty Towers, ''
Monty Python's Flying Circus, Blue Peter, Absolutely Fabulous, the original Doctor Who'' series and most of the best known BBC drama series. From the 1980s the use of the complex for such productions declined with the last major drama series to be shot there being
The House of Eliott, which ended in 1994, and the last single drama recorded was
Henry IV, Part 1, in 1995. The reason for the decline was because drama productions (except for soap operas) shifted almost entirely onto film or
single-camera video, and Television Centre was a video-based,
multi-camera production environment. •
Studio 1 – – Opened on 15 April 1964, it was the fourth-largest television studio in Britain, and was one of the four studios to be equipped for
HDTV production (along with TC4, TC6 and TC8). In May 2020,
Loose Women temporarily moved from TC2 into TC1 to allow for
social distancing during the
COVID-19 pandemic in London. In mid-July,
Loose Women returned to TC2. Programmes recorded or transmitted included: •
Sounds Like Friday Night •
The Graham Norton Show • ''
Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway'' •
The Jonathan Ross Show •
The Russell Howard Hour •
Blind Date • ''
BBC Radio 1's Teen Awards'' •
The Last Leg •
Studio 2 – Opened in late 1960, the studio was home to many comedy programmes, among those being
That Was the Week That Was. Initially, it was not converted for colour production, and closed in 1969, with the studio space being used for storage until it reopened in 1981. It was used by
BBC News until they moved in 1997, and has played host to the
Sports and
Children's department. It was the main studio used for
Blue Peter for the 2007 and 2008 series. It was vacated following the move of both departments to
dock10. Studio 2 is currently the home of the ITV programmes
Lorraine,
Loose Women and
Peston (the former two are used until 2025), in addition to Channel 4's
Sunday Brunch. •
Studio 3 – – Opened on 29 June 1960, it was designed as a drama studio and had customised panels and fittings. The walls were slightly thicker to insulate it from noise from the
Circle and
Hammersmith & City lines (then still part of the
Metropolitan line) of the
London Underground. It was the first studio to be completed and was upgraded to colour in 1969. Between 2018 and 2025, Studio 3 broadcasts ITV programmes
Good Morning Britain and
This Morning. It was one of two studios that hosted the
Eurovision Song Contest 1963; the other being Studio 4.
Former studios •
Studio 0 – – Opened in 1989 as a music studio, it would later become a control room as Studio 12. Productions for
UK Play and, later on, virtual reality programmes, were produced here. It was home to
Liquid News between 2000 and 2002 and
CBeebies in vision continuity between 2002 and 2008, with the studio subsequently used by
BBC R&D. •
Studio 4 – – Opened in January 1961, TC4 had a similar layout to TC3, and was designed as a light entertainment studio. It was upgraded for colour production in 1970 and to HDTV and surround sound production in 2008. Programmes such as
Z-Cars,
Top of the Pops,
Strictly Come Dancing, and
Room 101 were recorded in TC4. •
Studio 5 – – Opened in August 1961, it was initially used to broadcast programmes from
BBC Schools, with an adjacent area used for such programming that was linked to the studio. It was converted for colour production in 1973, and was closed in the mid-1980s. Following a two-year refurbishment in 1987, sports programmes such as
Match of the Day,
Football Focus, and
Grandstand were recorded in TC5 until November 2011, when the Sports department moved to
MediaCityUK in
Salford. •
Studio 6 – – Coinciding with
BBC Two's switch to colour, TC6 opened in July 1967. It was the first such studio to be equipped for colour production. The initial plan was to build a split studio with a large, removable wall in the middle, but this idea was abandoned. Children's programmes such as
Live & Kicking and
Dick & Dom in da Bungalow, and
Pointless were recorded in TC6. Later, the control room of the studio was moved in 1993 and was used as the control room for the
Red Button service. It was converted for HDTV production in July 2010, and later became the first 3D-capable studio in Britain. •
Studio 7 – – Opened in 1962, children's programmes such as
Going Live! and
Play School were initially recorded in TC7. Following
BBC News' move to the studio in 1997, news programmes such as
BBC Breakfast and
BBC News at Six were broadcast, with other news programmes transmitted from various studios in the News Centre. BBC Breakfast ended its broadcast in TC7 on 5 April 2012, with production moving to MediaCityUK, and BBC News at Six ended its broadcast on 15 March 2013, with news programming subsequently moving to
Broadcasting House in central London. •
Studio 8 – – Opened in 1967, it was considered, by television producers, the best studio for use, owing to its size. It primarily broadcast comedy programmes, sitcoms and quiz shows such as
Miranda,
Tipping Point and
Five Minutes to a Fortune. It was the first studio to be converted for HDTV production, having done so in January 2007. •
Studio 9 – – Built in 1955 as a foyer of the restaurant block, it was later converted to a store. It was converted to a studio in 1996 for
CBBC, and was cited for its convenience and its roominess. CBBC left the studios in 2004, and all in-vision continuity was moved 2 years later to TC12. Programmes such as ''
Sam & Mark's TMi Friday and SMart'' were recorded from TC9.
Studio 10 111 square metres (1,200 ft2) Opened as
N1 in September 1969, it was used for the
BBC1 daytime news bulletins, and the home of BBC World (previously BBC World Service News) from 1993. Closed in spring 1999 when news bulletins moved to the News Centre section of Television Centre, and renamed as TC10. Used for some programmes by channel
UK Play until the station's closure. Between 2004 and 2006 it was used for in-vision continuity for
CBBC on
BBC One and
BBC Two, before being used by some programming for CBBC such as
Level Up. From 2010 to 2011 it was the home of
CBeebies.
Studio 11 186 square metres (2,000 ft2) Opened as
N2 in September 1969, and the same size as N1, it was used for the
BBC2 daytime news bulletins. Extended in 1985 to include props store and adjacent lobby, it became home to the ''
Six O'Clock and Nine O'Clock News. In spring 1999, following the completion of the News Centre spur of Television Centre, the news moved out and it was renamed TC11. In 2002 it became home to Liquid News and later to the other BBC Three news programmes 60 Seconds and The 7 O'Clock News. It briefly played host to the domestic BBC News bulletins while their studios were refurbished in 2006, before becoming general purpose. It was home to Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two'' until 15 December 2011, after which the studio was closed.
Studio 12 56 square metres (600 ft2) Originally built as a
control room for the
music studio originally located in Studio 0. Studio 12 was converted into an
ad-hoc studio in 2004 for
CBBC programmes. It was also used for
Sportsround for some years, but was eventually converted into a presentation studio in 2006. It was used for in-vision continuity for CBBC and changed into an in-vision continuity studio in summer 2007. The set was transferred to a mini studio in the East Tower. It was used by
BBC Research.
Pres A 65 square metres (704 ft2) Opened in 1960, designed for in-vision continuity for
BBC 1, but was used as such for only three years. Became
weather studio prior to the move to the BBC Weather Centre in 1990 (also in Television Centre), following which it was used by
Children's BBC to supplement presentation from the 'Broom Cupboard', and was used for slots such as birthdays and public holidays. It became full-time home of Children's BBC in 1994 following the vacation of the 'Broom Cupboard'. It closed following CBBC's move to TC9 and was converted into additional presentation control rooms. The substantially thick wall between Pres A and B was removed and a mezzanine floor constructed to house a larger presentation control area for interactive and children's channels CBBC and
CBeebies.
Pres B 65 square metres (704 ft2) Opened in 1964, Pres B was designed for in-vision continuity for
BBC 2, but that channel did not use in-vision continuity for more than a few months after launch. Became a general purpose studio housing small productions such as
Points of View, the
Film series with
Barry Norman and
The Old Grey Whistle Test. It closed in 1996 and initially remained disused until it was converted (along with Pres A) into additional presentation control rooms. The substantially thick wall between Pres A and B was removed and a mezzanine floor constructed to house a larger presentation control area for interactive and children's channels CBBC and CBeebies.
News studios In addition to these studios,
BBC News used a number of studios for the frequent news bulletins. These studios have a different naming system owing to their permanent usage and were not included on most studio lists, as they were unavailable for hire. •
N1 – Previously
BBC One daytime bulletins. Became
TC10 •
N2 – Previously
BBC Two daytime bulletins. Became
TC11 •
N3 – Small studio off main newsroom, before being made part of newsroom, separated by glass panels. •
N4 – Studio, became part of the BBC Club bar •
N5 – Originally studio for
BBC Arabic Television service, which closed in 1996. It was a storeroom until 2001 when it was used for the
BBCi service, then from 2007 as a home for
Click prior to its move to Broadcasting House in 2012. •
N6 – Formerly home to
BBC News at One,
BBC News at Ten and the
BBC News channel. •
N8 – Home to
BBC World News prior to its move to Broadcasting House in 2013, and by the
BBC News channel from 1999 to 2008. BBC News channel still used the studio to allow the
BBC News at Ten to rehearse in N6 until 2013 •
N9 – Home to
BBC World News until 2008 and BBC News 24 from 1997 to 1999, used as a contingency when N6/N8 unavailable due to technical work and for election coverage •
N10 – Formerly used by
BBC Three to produce
60 Seconds These studios were located in Stage 5 & Stage 6, commonly known as the BBC News Centre. BBC News moved out of Stage 6 in 2013 to the new BBC News Centre at New Broadcasting House in Central London. After redevelopment, Stage 6 became the new home to the commercial arm of the BBC,
BBC Studios. There was no N7, to avoid confusion with
TC7, which housed 'big' news programmes such as
BBC Breakfast,
Working Lunch, and
Newsnight.
Infrastructure In February 1996, the electricity and heating were transferred to a
European Gas Turbines (EGT) 4.9MWe Typhoon
gas turbine combined heating, power and cooling unit. It included a 6MW
Thermax air conditioning (cooling)
vapour absorption machine (VAM). The £6million
HVAC system reduced energy costs by 35%, and paid for itself within three years. A second turbine was added, without a second chimney. However, in 2008 the BBC admitted that the energy system was being used for emergency purposes only as it had become cost-ineffective to use full-time. Excess electricity produced at night has not been returned to the
National Grid, as originally planned. In November 2003, the turbine's chimneys caught fire, bringing TV output to a halt. After the fire the turbines were no longer used regularly. ==Recent productions==