The Newsroom

BBC News Virtual Studio

Behind the scenes (January 2021)

This site closed in March 2021 and is now a read-only archive
DT
DTV
Hatton Cross posted:
That was interesting as the un-VR'ed studio was much larger than I thought, and I always assumed the direct backdrop behind the presenter was all in the computers mind - but still curious as to why with such a large desk, they still computerised the lighting on the front of it? There was space to light it with real lamps and bulbs, exactly in the same look as the computer generated one did.


Well here's a shot of the full set in N6:
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Probably larger in floor area than the 1999-2003 or 2003-2006 sets which were both drastically limited in size by the use of rear-projection. In hindsight it does seem odd to have built such a large set and then hidden most of it behind computer graphics - but the 'virtual' wide shot was wider than could have been managed in-studio and the set was certainly extended to the left in a way that probably couldn't have been achieved physically.

It's also important to note that the studio wasn't actually VR - but somebody else will definitely be able to explain how they did it better than me!
AndrewPSSP, DE88 and Roger Darthwell gave kudos
JK
JKDerry
DTV posted:
According to my notes:
By the early-90s the Six O'Clock News came from N1, the One O'Clock News and Newsround came from N2 and Daytime Summaries and the Nine O'Clock News came from the newsroom set but using N2's gallery. TC2 was home to Breakfast News, Newsnight, On the Record and Breakfast with Frost.

In April 1993, all national news bulletins and Breakfast News moved into N2 (which had two sets - the main national news set and the Business Breakfast set). Newsround moved to TC2.

In October 1993, BBC WSTV News moved into N1 (from a small studio on the 7th floor). N1 had a set based on - but not identical to - the set in N2.

Somewhen in 1997, TC2 programmes moved to TC7 - Breakfast News moved out of N2 in June and came from the same set as Newsnight so I would assume (but am willing to be corrected) that the move took place around then.

Studio N9 (in Stage 5 and formerly part of the Post-Production department) was opened in November 1997 as News 24's studio. News 24 moved to N8 in the newly-opened Stage 6 by early-September 1998. BBC World vacated N1 a month later to move into a refreshed N9. We haven't been able to pinpoint the date exactly, but national news moved to N6 (studio in Stage 5, gallery in Stage 6) around this time.

June 1997 was when the new look BBC Breakfast News launched from Studio TC7 on Monday 2nd June 1997, when the "BBC" title was removed and simply named Breakfast News, using the same set as Newsnight.
AndrewPSSP, Newsroom and Roger Darthwell gave kudos
JK
JKDerry
DTV posted:
Hatton Cross posted:
That was interesting as the un-VR'ed studio was much larger than I thought, and I always assumed the direct backdrop behind the presenter was all in the computers mind - but still curious as to why with such a large desk, they still computerised the lighting on the front of it? There was space to light it with real lamps and bulbs, exactly in the same look as the computer generated one did.


Well here's a shot of the full set in N6:
*

Probably larger in floor area than the 1999-2003 or 2003-2006 sets which were both drastically limited in size by the use of rear-projection. In hindsight it does seem odd to have built such a large set and then hidden most of it behind computer graphics - but the 'virtual' wide shot was wider than could have been managed in-studio and the set was certainly extended to the left in a way that probably couldn't have been achieved physically.

It's also important to note that the studio wasn't actually VR - but somebody else will definitely be able to explain how they did it better than me!

The 1993-1999 era was more "computer generated" rather than "virtual" studio. There is a big difference between the two, as ITV News from 2004 has been virtual, using green screen, but BBC News simply put the newsreader into a computer generated set.
AndrewPSSP, Alfie Mulcahy and Roger Darthwell gave kudos
CH
chris
DTV posted:
According to my notes:
By the early-90s the Six O'Clock News came from N1, the One O'Clock News and Newsround came from N2 and Daytime Summaries and the Nine O'Clock News came from the newsroom set but using N2's gallery. TC2 was home to Breakfast News, Newsnight, On the Record and Breakfast with Frost.

In April 1993, all national news bulletins and Breakfast News moved into N2 (which had two sets - the main national news set and the Business Breakfast set). Newsround moved to TC2.

In October 1993, BBC WSTV News moved into N1 (from a small studio on the 7th floor). N1 had a set based on - but not identical to - the set in N2.

Somewhen in 1997, TC2 programmes moved to TC7 - Breakfast News moved out of N2 in June and came from the same set as Newsnight so I would assume (but am willing to be corrected) that the move took place around then.

Studio N9 (in Stage 5 and formerly part of the Post-Production department) was opened in November 1997 as News 24's studio. News 24 moved to N8 in the newly-opened Stage 6 by early-September 1998. BBC World vacated N1 a month later to move into a refreshed N9. We haven't been able to pinpoint the date exactly, but national news moved to N6 (studio in Stage 5, gallery in Stage 6) around this time.


Great info!

Did we ever find N9 or the old N1 / N2 on Google Street View? Where was the old newsroom and what moved into that space?
Ittr and Roger Darthwell gave kudos
SP
Steve in Pudsey
I'm sure the old newsroom showed up on one of the documentaries when TC closed.

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IT
itsrobert Founding member
This thread from last summer might be of interest, from about page 25 onwards: https://www.tvforum.co.uk/forums/post1237314#post-1237314
DJ
DJ Dave
Didn't CBBC Move into TC10 or 11 when the CBBC Channel Launched and took over Studio 9? I did like that BBC News set, but I think the revamp was well over due when the new look came in.
IT
itsrobert Founding member
chris posted:
DTV posted:
According to my notes:
By the early-90s the Six O'Clock News came from N1, the One O'Clock News and Newsround came from N2 and Daytime Summaries and the Nine O'Clock News came from the newsroom set but using N2's gallery. TC2 was home to Breakfast News, Newsnight, On the Record and Breakfast with Frost.

In April 1993, all national news bulletins and Breakfast News moved into N2 (which had two sets - the main national news set and the Business Breakfast set). Newsround moved to TC2.

In October 1993, BBC WSTV News moved into N1 (from a small studio on the 7th floor). N1 had a set based on - but not identical to - the set in N2.

Somewhen in 1997, TC2 programmes moved to TC7 - Breakfast News moved out of N2 in June and came from the same set as Newsnight so I would assume (but am willing to be corrected) that the move took place around then.

Studio N9 (in Stage 5 and formerly part of the Post-Production department) was opened in November 1997 as News 24's studio. News 24 moved to N8 in the newly-opened Stage 6 by early-September 1998. BBC World vacated N1 a month later to move into a refreshed N9. We haven't been able to pinpoint the date exactly, but national news moved to N6 (studio in Stage 5, gallery in Stage 6) around this time.


Great info!

Did we ever find N9 or the old N1 / N2 on Google Street View? Where was the old newsroom and what moved into that space?

I don't think they are on Street View. I happened to be visiting TVC the day the Google Street View cameraman was walking around taking those images. I remember passing him several times. It was in February 2013. I remember N9 was completely locked up so that probably explains why it wasn't captured. And I did go into TC10 (N1) which was set up for one of the Charlie Brooker programmes if I recall correctly. TC11 (N2) was stacked full of junk as I recall.
DE88, Ittr and Roger Darthwell gave kudos
IT
itsrobert Founding member
Yes, here are the photos I took of N1/TC10 that day:

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And this was the old N2/TC11 gallery:

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The window to the left looked into the N2/TC11 studio, as I recall.
DE
deejay
DJ Dave posted:
Didn't CBBC Move into TC10 or 11 when the CBBC Channel Launched and took over Studio 9? I did like that BBC News set, but I think the revamp was well over due when the new look came in.

Initially CBBC moved into TC2 and for a while used TC2 and 9 for CBBC Channel and CBBC on One and Two. Much later (2004) TC10 replaced TC9 for CBBC and later was used for CBeebies links recordings. TC11 was used for Liquid News and 60 Seconds, then Strictly It Takes Two.
Both closed in 2012 although TC10 was used, empty, as the four wall set for Screen Wipe in 2013.

More in the very useful table at the bottom of this page http://www.tvstudiohistory.co.uk/tv%20centre%20history.htm#programmes
DE88, DJ Dave and Roger Darthwell gave kudos
JO
Jonwo
I wonder if we might see this replace green screen studios in the next few years:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ufp8weYYDE8
DT
DTV
chris posted:
Did we ever find N9 or the old N1 / N2 on Google Street View? Where was the old newsroom and what moved into that space?


Unfortunately the only non-main studio that made it onto Street View was N8 and very little of the Spur is on there - a shame really.

I've always assumed that this was the main newsroom in the pre-News Centre days, but am willing to be corrected.
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Also I've been able to pull some screencaps from library footage of the old BBC newsroom and the newsroom set.

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