Episode details
Available for over a year
The first in a series marking one hundred years of the BBC through the riches to be found in the corporation's broadcast archive. In each programme two leading figures in their field select material that illustrates the unique value of this written, audio and audio-visual record of Britain over the past century. Today veteran broadcaster and news presenter James Naughtie and editor and journalist Helen Lewis demonstrate what the archive can tell us about the gathering and delivering of breaking news, from the careful patrician announcements of the 20s and 30s to the fizzing pace and punchy headlines of instant digital delivery. Their choices include the foibles of an age of deference and the mixed merits of news delivered at speed as opposed to news of momentous events distilled and delivered in tranquillity. It's the story of the way Britain has received its news as a narrow field of broadcasters expanded to the plethora of outlets and the rise of social media that defines our online age. There's space for humour and human stories, and an attempt to make sense of the impact sound and moving images have had on the way we understand our recent history. Producer: Tom Alban
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