This is my BBC
After your view of the transmitter, this is where the BBC started, in Portland Place. Take a closer look at the sculpture above the door - it's of Prosepero and Ariel by Eric Gill who created the font used for the first London Underground Map. (Closer shot on My Other Stuff).
The BBC means something different to each Britton, and I'd like to tell you about my BBC, which has a lot of radio in it. For example, over the last few days, Look Back in Anger, a program about Jazz legend Art Blakey, a program about abortion election issues in Italy, Gospel Music with Beverley Knight (no, I wouldn't normally deliberately listen to this!), and I can't avoid a mention for what must rank as the best London show ever - Robert Elms on Radio London.
I could carry on, but click on a few links and listen to the radio for a change - if you don't enjoy any of it, you can have your money back!
posted by Ham at 00:19 --
Comments here: 9
Comments on "This is my BBC"
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luminlight said ... (00:33) :
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G Fraser said ... (09:54) :
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Ineke said ... (12:08) :
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Mark said ... (16:16) :
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Carlos Lorenzo said ... (22:10) :
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Ham said ... (00:46) :
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Peter said ... (23:04) :
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liits said ... (17:51) :
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James said ... (23:09) :
post a commentWow, I didn't know that Eric Gill was a sculptor; I only for him for this Underground typeface. It was a breakthrough in the history of typography! I suppose the Underground map is the same, too for the history of graphic design.
The BBC is a national institution and one which is much maligned. It wasn't until I'd lived overseas that I realised just how good the BBC was, particularly in terms of quality and balance of news coverage. Keep up the good work!
Ham, my grandfather of 91 says he owns his mental health to the BBC. During WWII he was (literally) underground with an -illegal ofcourse- radio on which he listened to the BBC. And that's what he did for months! My grandmother shoved some food into the hidden closest and out of safetey their own kids (my mother included) didnot know their father was hidden under the floor, so he sat there in absolute solitude.
So yeah.. BBC stands for something different to everyone!
Ham,I try to listen to BBC London radio every day, but for me Danny Baker's show is the best.
Mark
I like your well documented posts and the interesting links you recommend Ham: these pictures always have a good story behind
luminlight - check out his sculptures! he was astonishing. RIBA (which is just up the road from the Beeb) has quie a few of his - This shot of RIBA shows another one of his, I think.
Dutchie - what a wonderful and moving story. Was that in Holland?
mark - everyone has their own BBC :-)
grant, carlos, thanks!
Hi Ham, thanks for this. My grandmother used to work on the telephone switchboard for the BBC here; she was there during the air raids too, working night shifts, and it was none too safe.
For listening I also recommend some of the radio comedy shows. 18:30 UK time on Radio 4 is good but many shows are repeated on Radio 7.
For me, one of the best is a game show called "I'm Sorry I haven't a Clue" - although it may be a very English humour (sorry Grant F - British humor!). If you listen to it they may play "Mornington Cresent" loosly based on the Underground system. It's a game so revered that it has it's own - appreciation society and a number of web sites and news groups to help explain the complex rules ;-)
Are you sure it was Gill who did the font for the underground? The font is called "New Johnston" and was named after Eric Johnston. I think that gill did Gill-sans-serif and, I think Baskerville [but I'm not so sure about the Baskerville]
I have been all over this building, installing fibre optic cables. It was specially built to shield sensitive electronic signals from the studios. It goes 3 floors underground with passages to adjoining buildings and has its own tube station, for emergency use during wartime.