skip to Main Content

Below are some links to some very good websites for those who wish to look a bit further into the history of television outside broadcasts

The MCR21 Project

Follow the restoration of a 1960s BBC TV Mobile Control Room and discover its history

The Museum of the Broadcast Television Camera

A brilliant site for finding out about the cameras used on outside broadcasts.

Golden Age Television

You can hire a 1950s camera or a complete 1970s Outside Broadcast Unit

On The Air

Lots here about renovating a BBC Type-2 Outside Broadcast Unit

TV Studio History

A nearly complete history of Television Studios in London and beyond

VT Old Boys

Includes many photos of TV outside broadcasts

BBC ExComms

You will find Ron Chown’s story here . Working on BBC outside broadcasts from the post war years.

BECG

The Broadcast Engineering Conservation Group has, and is continuing to, restore a number of TV  Mobile Control Rooms – The website contains lots of information about the vehicles and many articles on the history of broadcast television

LPU

The Lightweight Production Unit was designed as a 2-camera recording unit and used by the BBC on dramas in the 1970s and 80s. It is presently under restoration.

Adapt Project

The Royal Holloway, London University is undergoing a three year project, bringing people who worked in broadcast television, back to work on the equipment they used and recording their experience.The latest part of the project involved BBC type 2 OB North 3.

BBC Type 5 OB

John Stevens takes you on a tour inside a 1980s BBC colour mobile control room.

BBC TV OB Photos

John Stevens has put together his collection of photos

Back To Top