The fabric of the building was also falling apart at the seams, the sense of magic ebbing away with the physical as much as the moral dilapidation. We both felt a little uncomfortable at the tour of the ‘celebrity’ dressing rooms, knowing that they were the settings for sexual abuse: our visit coincided with a 12-month period in which horrific historical examples of abuse at the BBC were being recalled almost daily on the front pages of newspapers. This aspect was far more interesting to both of us than the celebrity anecdotes, tour of the Match of the Day set, or inevitable visit to the gift shop. We were lucky enough to secure a place on one of the final tours of the building and were fascinated to get an understanding of the mechanics of production of TV shows (and especially news programmes). I last visited Television Centre with Wendy, a few months before it closed. It seems ironic that two-thirds of the studios in a location so closely associated with the BBC are to become the new standing home of iconic ITV programmes like This Morning any day now. After the BBC moved off the site in 2013, it has been closed for restoration and redevelopment, with luxury apartments the order of the day-albeit with three television studios remaining. I think for most British people of my age, Television Centre is the home of Going Live, Live & Kicking, Blue Peter, Ed the Duck, Otis the Aardvark, and Philip Schofield and Andi Peters’s broom cupboard. I’m gazing up at the newly restored statue of Helios and watching the repaired fountains dance as they never have on any previous visit. I’m writing this in the courtyard of Television Centre in West London, which I happened to be passing today. Television Centre is an incredibly exciting and vibrant destination and this is a significant milestone for the company as we enter our next phase of growth and develop our business internationally.625 words posted by Simon on 1 April 2019 Mary Homer, CEO of The White Company, said: "We are delighted to confirm that our new Head Office is due to open next month at 2 Television Centre. This is not just a housing development, we are doing something very different here to create a vibrant new neighbourhood in White City.” The White Company’s decision to move its head office to Television Centre, neighbouring major brands like Yoox Net-A-Porter and the Royal College of Art at White City Place further confirms White City as a destination of choice for some of the most interesting and vibrant businesses.Īlistair Shaw, Managing Director of Television Centre, said: “We are delighted that once closed off, Television Centre has been reinvented as an attractive space to live, work and visit, and as a hub for creativity and technological innovation. In 2017 the BBC returned to three refurbished studios and in 2015 BBC Worldwide moved into office space at White City and they have been joined by ITV. Soho House have announced that they will be opening White City House their new private members' club and hotel at Television Centre in April. Visitors and residents will be able to enjoy a fantastic mix of dining and leisure experiences, with pizza-experts Homeslice, Contemporary Indian kitchen Kricket and landmark London restaurant Bluebird. Huxley Jones to symbolise the radiation of television around the world continues to be the centrepiece of Television Centre, framed still by the characters of vision and sound, the components of television. Iconic features of the former BBC Headquarters that have been refurbished and renovated include the “doughnut” and façade, Studio 1, the atomic dot wall, the John Piper mural and the old Stage Door, the forecourt and frontage on to Wood Lane. It includes the unique question mark design, conceived by architect Graham Dawbarn, for the world’s first purpose-built television centre. Television Centre, opened to the public for the first time since its launch as the headquarters of BBC Television in June 1960.
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