The Science Museum Group is celebrating a century of broadcasting with a major new programme of exhibitions, special displays, public events and digital content.
‘Broadcast 100’ will mark the 100th anniversary of the BBC and the 40th anniversary of Channel 4 with a year of offerings at the National Science and Media Museum in Bradford, Science and Industry Museum in Manchester and Science Museum in London.
Sir Ian Blatchford, director and chief executive of the Science Museum Group, said the Broadcast 100 programme will reveal “how broadcast is constantly changing the way we connect with one another and our understanding of the world around us”.
The Science and Industry Museum is celebrating 100 years of the BBC in Manchester with a new display, opened on 12 April, that showcases the city as a centre of innovation in broadcasting.
Opening on 23 July at the National Science and Media Museum in Bradford is a major temporary exhibition called ‘Switched On’. The attraction will explore everything from the first BBC radio programmes to TV and streaming services.
1,000 BBC objects digitised
It will also showcase what media technologies and broadcasting could look like in the future through immersive and interactive offerings.
Jo Quinton-Tulloch, director of the National Science and Media Museum, said the ‘Switched On’ exhibition and Broadcast 100 programme will look at “the exciting possibilities of broadcast technologies in the future”.
In London, a new display at the Science Museum will celebrate 100 years of the BBC. Opening on 27 July, it will cover radio, television and digital programming. Highlights include a ‘Cyberman’ costume from Doctor Who.
Additionally, the Science Museum Group has digitised 1,000 BBC objects for the first time, which will feature in online stories on the National Science and Media Museum’s website.
The digitisation project will enable “audiences across the globe to discover the incredible innovations in broadcast technology over the last century that helped make the BBC a world-leading broadcaster”, Blatchford said.
Earlier this year, the BBC launched three online exhibitions – 100 Objects, 100 Faces and 100 Voices – to mark its 100th birthday.
Images: BBC Photo Archive
