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Up and Coming - Privacy Notice

This Privacy Notice was updated in January 2026

Your trust is very important to us. This means the BBC is committed to protecting the privacy and security of your personal data. It is important that you read this notice so that you are aware of how and why we are using such information. This privacy notice describes how we collect and use personal data about you during and after your relationship with us, in accordance with data protection law.

Why are we doing this and how can you participate?

Up and Coming is a BBC platform designed to help identify and develop new presenter talent across BBC radio networks. It was originally created by BBC Radio 1 in 2021 and is now used by Radio 1, Radio 1 Dance, Radio 1 Anthems and Asian Network, and can be used by the full range of BBC networks. We use your personal data to:

  • Create and manage your Up and Coming profile
  • Allow you to upload presenter demos
  • Allow BBC producers to review your demos
  • Contact you about your submissions or opportunities related to your uploads
  • Support talent development across BBC radio networks
  • Maintain the security and integrity of the platform

All demos are reviewed manually by BBC producers. We do not use automated scoring, filtering or moderation.

We will only contact you for marketing purposes where you have expressly consented for us to do so and you can unsubscribe at any time via your Profile Overview (by selecting ‘No, thanks’ under the heading ‘Be the first with email updates’). Please note however that we may still contact you with service updates and other service information related to your BBC Account.

For information in relation to how the BBC will process your personal data where you are providing contributions to our programmes, please see our Privacy Notice for Contributors here. 

What will BBC collect and how will we use it?

The BBC will collect and process the personal data that you provide when you create a profile or upload a demo to the Up and Coming platform. We do not typically collect special category personal data.

Personal data

The BBC will collect and process the following personal data about you:

  • BBC Account email
  • Presenter name
  • Presenter phone number
  • Presenter postcode
  • Your contact email (if different from your BBC Account email)
  • Biography
  • Social media accounts (Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok)
  • Demo upload(s)
  • Demo name
  • Notes you choose to upload
  • Upload timestamps
  • Profile “last active” date (we do not store a full activity history)
  • Identity of the BBC staff member who uploads a demo on your behalf (e.g., via Peel
  • “Your favourite show” or similar preference information
  • Any analytics or tracking data beyond standard BBC ATI Piano page view analytics
  • Automated scoring, filtering or moderation data

Who is the Data Controller?

The BBC is the “data controller” of your personal data. This means that the BBC decides what your personal data is used for, and the ways in which it is processed. As the data controller, the BBC has the responsibility to comply, and to demonstrate compliance with, data protection law.

Lawful basis for processing your personal data

The lawful basis on which the BBC processes the personal data and special category data is the performance of its public task. The additional basis on which the BBC processes your special category data is substantial public interest relating to ‘journalism, academia, art and literature’. The BBC’s role is to act in the public interest and to serve all audiences with content which informs, educates and entertains.

This is consistent with the BBC’s wider public purposes under its Royal Charter which requires the BBC to “show the most creative, highest quality and distinctive output and services: the BBC should provide high-quality output in many different genres and across a range of services and platforms which sets the standard in the United Kingdom and internationally.”

Sharing your information

The BBC works with approved third party providers who help us to provide some of our services. These partners only use your personal data on behalf of the BBC and not independently of the BBC.

We may share your information with:

  • BBC radio networks using the platform
  • Carefully selected third parties used for software development and platform maintenance

We do not share your personal data with external organisations for their own purposes.

All Up and Coming data is stored securely in the EEA. Your data is not transferred outside the UK or EEA.

Retaining your data

The BBC will retain your Up and Coming profile and uploads for 7 years from the date you last updated your profile or uploaded a demo.

This time period does not apply where you have requested the deletion of your profile or where we have retained your information for archiving purposes in the public interest (see below).

You can choose to delete your Up and Coming profile at any point.

You can delete your profile from within the platform using the ‘Delete’ button in your Profile Overview. You will be prompted to confirm your request.
If you are unable to access the platform, you can email presentersearch[at]bbc[dot]co[dot]uk with “DELETION REQUEST” and your presenter name in the subject line. You may be asked to verify that you are the account holder.

Deleting your Up and Coming profile does not delete your BBC Account. If you delete your BBC Account, an automatic Up and Coming deletion request will be generated.

If one of your demos has been broadcast on BBC radio or featured on a BBC platform, we will retain limited information for archiving purposes in the public interest. This may include:

  • Presenter name
  • Biography
  • Demo upload history
  • When your profile was last accessed
  • When your profile was last updated
  • If you have deleted your profile, the date of deletion and deletion reason

This information is accessible only to a small number of authorised BBC staff.

Your rights and more information

You have rights under data protection law.

You can request a copy of the personal data BBC stores about you.

You have the right to request that we rectify any inaccurate or incomplete personal data that we hold about you.

You have the right to ask for the personal data we collect about you to be deleted however there are limitations and exceptions to this right which may entitle the BBC to refuse your request.

In certain circumstances, you have the right to restrict the processing of your personal data or to object to the processing of your personal data.

You can contact our Data Protection Officer if you have questions or wish to find out more details about your rights, please visit the BBC’s Privacy and Cookies Policy at http://www.bbc.co.uk/privacy.

If you have a concern about the way the BBC has handled your personal data, you can raise your concern with the supervisory authority in the UK, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) https://ico.org.uk/.

Updating this privacy notice

We will revise the privacy notice if there are significant changes to how we use your personal data.