Every year, Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Tours give thousands of people the chance to look behind the scenes of our studios at the Mailbox in Birmingham. It’s striking just how much interest there is in how our programmes, from Midlands Today to The Archers, are made. But we know that for everyone able to join an in-person Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Tour, there are many more who would love to know more about how their favourite programmes are brought to air.
Which is why we came up with the idea of Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Birmingham Access All Areas, which is part of . Think of it as a virtual tour, open to anyone, all day on Monday, March 16th. From first thing in the morning until last thing at night, we’ll be using our as the entry point to a digital, online, journey across everything the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ does in this great city.
You’ll be able to watch as well as listen to two of Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ WM’s popular daily radio shows – in the morning (9am-noon) and (2pm-4pm) - get a director’s eye view of Midlands Today being broadcast from 1830-1900 in the production gallery, our TV Mission Control, and see - like the one below about the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Birmingham Drama Village - taking you to the heart of our programme-making teams. So you’ll discover the radio magic that conjures up the sounds of Ambridge from studios in the heart of Birmingham, find out what a news presenter does when not in the studio, and take a tour of the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Birmingham Drama Village – home of popular shows including , , and.
Behind the scenes at the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ's Drama Village in Birmingham.
We hope you’ll learn something new along the way. Like how Radio 4’s four-year World War One drama series, , found its home in Birmingham, how the second city is the technology hub for all our broadcasting to English Regions, and how the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Academy, widely regarded as the world’s greatest broadcast training organisation, is on the move to its new home here. Through the day on our online Local Live service, and on social media, there’ll be regular updates and pictures reflecting what’s happening in the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ across Birmingham
The idea for Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Birmingham Access All Areas was born among our regional broadcasting teams – the people behind and Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ WM 95.6 – as a way of using online platforms to tell the world more about what the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ is doing in Birmingham right now.
My colleagues are rightly proud of what we produce here, and have been working long and hard over the past few weeks to prepare the way for Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Birmingham Access All Areas. Those of us with the privilege of working for the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ hugely value the audience’s interest in and enjoyment of our programmes and online services. This is our way of bringing you a little closer to those programmes, and having the opportunity to see what goes on in our Mailbox studios and at the Drama Village in Selly Oak.
So please do step inside Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Birmingham, online, on Monday, March 16th. It really is 'access all areas', and we hope you find it both interesting and entertaining.
And do let us know what you think.
David Jennings is Head of Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ West Midlands
- Follow Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Birmingham behind the scenes on the page
- Read more about Birmingham’s first Digital Week on the .