History Creator / TheBBC

[[http://www.bbc.co.uk/ The BBC]]'s full name is the British Broadcasting Corporation, [[FunWithAcronyms not]] "Blurring, Buzzing Confusion," or "Best British Cheekbones," or "[[BitingTheHandHumor Burmese Borough Council]]" or "[[Creator/AdamAndJoe Big British Castle]]" or "[[WebAnimation/HomestarRunner Boring Brown Chocolate]]" or indeed "[[StrawmanNewsMedia Bastards Broadcasting Communism]]" or even "[[http://web.archive.org/web/20090720095811/http://teeveepedia.teevee.net/index.php/BBC Blimey, Bollocks, an' Cor!]]". Or indeed, [[BlackIsBiggerInBed any other phrase abbreviated to BBC]]. Until 1955, when Creator/{{ITV}} was established, it broadcast the only TV channel in the United Kingdom. It is the world's largest broadcasting corporation, reaching 274 million households in 200 countries, compared to their closest rival, Creator/{{CNN}}, with 200 million. The BBC Television Service, now BBC One, is one of the oldest television channels in the world, having been established in 1936.

* '''BBC Radio 5 Live''': A news/talk radio station, with an emphasis on sports, often featuring live commentary on UK sports events. Replaced the old Radio 5 that operated from 1990 to 1994; it was basically a "castoff" station full of stuff the other stations either didn't want or have time for, including the sports. The idea also came from when Radio 4's FM frequencies were briefly repurposed into a rolling news service for the duration of the [[UsefulNotes/TheGulfWar first Gulf War]]; they had planned to simply use Radio 4's frequencies again to setup a permnanent rolling news station, only for Radio 4 listeners to protest.

* ''Radio/TheFoundationTrilogy''

* ''Series/TheFall''

* '''BBC Radio 5 Live''': A news/talk radio station, with an emphasis on sports, often featuring live commentary on UK sports events. Replaced the old Radio 5 that operated from 1990 to 1994; it was basically a "castoff" station full of stuff the other stations either didn't want or have time for, including the sports. The idea also came from when Radio 4's FM frequencies were briefly repurposed into a rolling news service for the duration of the [[Usefulotes/TheGulfWar first Gulf War]]; they had planned to simply use Radio 4's frequencies again to setup a permnanent rolling news station, only for Radio 4 listeners to protest.

* ''Series/BronBroen''

* '''BBC Nordic''' (and by extension, its streaming counterpart, '''BBC Nordic +'''): The BBC's channel aimed by viewers from Scandinavian territories, hosting a mix of programs from ''BBC Brit'' and ''BBC Earth''.

* '''BBC One''' -- the world's oldest regular scheduled TV channel (1936–39 [[note]]suspended during UsefulNotes/WorldWarII due to fears that enemy bombers might use television waves to home in on Central London[[/note]] and 1946–present). It is broken down into a number of regions for broadcasting purposes, with each region having some specific local shows (e.g., local news) and the production of national shows being spread across the United Kingdom.[[note]]A bit similar to [[UsefulNotes/GermanTVStations Das Erste]] in Germany, though unlike that channel, the regional BBC channels are ultimately under the central control of the national BBC rather than being independent broadcasters.[[/note]] These are all available on satellite or cable and include the 14 regions of England (BBC One East, East Midlands, Cambridgeshire, Oxfordshire, London, Yorkshire, Yorks & Lincs, West, West Midlands, North West, North East & Cumbria, South, South East, South West), BBC One UsefulNotes/TheChannelIslands, BBC One UsefulNotes/NorthernIreland, BBC One UsefulNotes/{{Scotland}} and BBC One UsefulNotes/{{Wales}}.

* '''BBC One''' -- the world's oldest regular scheduled TV channel (1936–39 [[note]]suspended during UsefulNotes/WorldWarII due to fears that enemy bombers might use television waves as a homing signal for Central London[[/note]] and 1946–present). It is broken down into a number of regions for broadcasting purposes, with each region having some specific local shows (e.g., local news) and the production of national shows being spread across the United Kingdom.[[note]]A bit similar to [[UsefulNotes/GermanTVStations Das Erste]] in Germany, though unlike that channel, the regional BBC channels are ultimately under the central control of the national BBC rather than being independent broadcasters.[[/note]] These are all available on satellite or cable and include the 14 regions of England (BBC One East, East Midlands, Cambridgeshire, Oxfordshire, London, Yorkshire, Yorks & Lincs, West, West Midlands, North West, North East & Cumbria, South, South East, South West), BBC One UsefulNotes/TheChannelIslands, BBC One UsefulNotes/NorthernIreland, BBC One UsefulNotes/{{Scotland}} and BBC One UsefulNotes/{{Wales}}.

* '''BBC One''' -- the world's oldest regular scheduled TV channel (1936–39 and 1946–present). It is broken down into a number of regions for broadcasting purposes, with each region having some specific local shows (e.g., local news) and the production of national shows being spread across the United Kingdom.[[note]]A bit similar to [[UsefulNotes/GermanTVStations Das Erste]] in Germany, though unlike that channel, the regional BBC channels are ultimately under the central control of the national BBC rather than being independent broadcasters.[[/note]] These are all available on satellite or cable and include the 14 regions of England (BBC One East, East Midlands, Cambridgeshire, Oxfordshire, London, Yorkshire, Yorks & Lincs, West, West Midlands, North West, North East & Cumbria, South, South East, South West), BBC One UsefulNotes/TheChannelIslands, BBC One UsefulNotes/NorthernIreland, BBC One UsefulNotes/{{Scotland}} and BBC One UsefulNotes/{{Wales}}.

* ''Series/{{Chockablock''

* '''BBC Radio 1:''' The youth station, playing primarily chart music (many are quick to point out that "chart music" doesn't simply mean generic pop music as in the United States, but also encompasses various other genres including hip-hop, indie rock and blues) during the day, and more obscure genres get airplay in the evening and into the night. Live performances in the Radio 1 booth are often considered a rite of passage for popular musicians, to the point where many will, with the Beeb's permission, release these "BBC sessions", especially with famed DJ Creator/JohnPeel (dubbed "Peel Sessions"), as official entries in their discographies.

Criticisms of BBC programmes will often call them "a waste of the licence fee". Praise will often include the phrase "worth the licence fee alone" ([[Series/RedDwarf Craig Charles]]' 6 Music ''Funk and Soul Show'' uses this as a catchphrase). Having just mentioned ''Top Gear'', anyone saying either of that about TG is missing the point as the show is now self-supporting via TheMerch and sales of international rights. UsefulNotes/RupertMurdoch-owned papers often attack it, for reasons that [[BlatantLies are totally not related to its status as a serious contender with his own]] Creator/{{Sky}} network.[[note]]Since 2018, Sky now operates under the control of Comcast.[[/note]]

* '''BBC Three''' (aka '''BBC [[XtremeKoolLetterz II]][[ExcitedShowTitle !]]''') - A channel dedicated to comedy, teen dramas, the occasional film and repeats. Started off showcasing some new stuff like ''Nighty Night'' and ''Series/LittleBritain'', in addition to stuff like ''Series/TwoPintsOfLagerAndAPacketOfCrisps'', [[NetworkDecay but dove head first into the 16-24 demographic]] with shows like ''Series/TheWrongDoor'', ''Series/{{Being Human|UK}}'' and various pilots for comedies, effectively getting revamped as a platform for this age group's creative works - possibly a more youthful SpiritualSuccessor to Creator/ChannelFour's ''Comedy Lab'' as well as potential rival to T4. These have [[Series/SpooksCode9 not all been successful]]. BBC Three was also available on broadcast television until its [[NetworkDeath closure]] on 15 February 2016 due to budget cuts and increased interest in internet-exclusive programming, giving CBBC two extra broadcasting hours. However, the channel was revived at the start of 2022, which reverted CBBC back to its original hours, with the pre-watershed hours focusing on content for ages 13+.

* ''Series/MagpieMurders''

* ''Series/BigBreak''