As of 30th April 2016, the BBC no longer offers tours of the Broadcasting House.
However, the BBC Shop and Media Cafe' is still open to the public. The cafe' overlooks the BBC Newsroom which means you can still see where all the action happens!
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If you are in London for a couple of days and like to do something different, how about visiting the BBC? The British Broadcasting Corporation – better known as the BBC – is the world’s oldest national broadcasting organisation, having been founded in October of 1922. Their base in London is Broadcasting House, where they’ve been operating since March of 1932. Firstly, this was where all BBC Radio was recorded and broadcast, but was extended in 2005 and now also houses a newsroom where BBC news has broadcast live onto millions of televisions since 2013.
The building itself is a beautiful Art Deco building, with a modern wing attached at the back (this was the section added in 2005). Sitting on the top of Upper Regent Street, it is built entirely of Portland Stone and is now a grade II listed building. Londoners in their thousands walk, drive, or ride past Broadcasting House, but not many of them have actually ever been inside. However, it’s possible to make a trip to the BBC part of your holiday here in London!
How can I visit?
The BBC has just recently begun offering tours of their base at Broadcasting House. They promise to take visitors into the exciting world of broadcasting, as well as giving guests a ‘peek behind the scenes’ to see and hear how the BBC operates. The tours are run by live guides who are experts in media broadcasting and who will take groups directly into some of the studios here, in addition to providing an entertaining rhetoric on the history of the BBC.
Visitors will even have the opportunity to try reading the news and weather themselves. The tour also provides occasional glimpses into radio recording studios as well as giving groups an attempt to create their own radio play!
Visitor Information:
Booking: Tours MUST be pre-booked in advance
Dates: 7 Days a Week
Times: 10:00am – 4:30pm
Ticket Prices: Adult £13.75 / Children 9 – 15: £9.25 / Students: £10.25 / Families: £40.00
Nearest Underground Station: Oxford Circus Station or Regents Park Station
Bus Routes: C2, 88, 453
NOTE: Babies and children under the age of 9 are not allowed onto the tour.
Website: BBC Tours
