Nations and Regions

This material is held atBBC Written Archives Centre

  • Reference
    • GB 898 BBC/NR
  • Dates of Creation
    • From 1922
  • Physical Description
    • c6000 linear feet of files (plus additional microfilm production documentation)

Scope and Content

These records consist of papers originating from the BBC’s administrative centres outside of London, known within the Corporation as the ‘Nations and Regions’. The sites include Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow for Scotland; Cardiff for Wales; Belfast for Northern Ireland; Manchester for the North of England; Birmingham for the Midlands; Bristol for the West; and other smaller centres for the South East and South West. Each regional centre would create and store records independently to the BBC’s central filing system in London, so regional papers are arranged separately within the archive.

Records include production documentation for radio and television programmes produced and broadcast from these localities – programme files; contributor files and contracts; scripts; Programmes-as-Broadcast; some publicity. Also includes administrative files related to the running of the region – policy and planning; staff; premises; advisory committees; finance.

Records relating to the governance and strategy for Nations and Regions that were centrally created in London appear in the Corporate sub-fonds.

Arrangement

This sub-fonds is arranged into nine sub-sub-fonds; Local Radio, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, West, North, Midlands, South East and South West. The sub-sub-fonds reflect the nation or region of the UK from which the records originate.