Downing Street Briefing Room

The fact the Covid briefing broadcasting is being done by BBC/Sky/ITN on a pool arrangement would have a significant impact on the cost.

And the Covid briefing room is the State Dining Room, I believe.

Cost £2.6m according to ITV.


Source: https://www.itv.com/news/2021-03-15/exclusive-first-pictures-of-downing-street-white-house-style-media-briefing-room

By the look of the cost, and the pictures, there's probably a production gallery associated. Quite a few Sony BRC HD cameras in those shots, lighting grid, probably 3 or 4 equipment bays, air con in the gallery and equipment room, but 2.6 million still sounds a bit high though.

Megahertz are unlikely to have supplied the podium and room furniture (expect the gallery desk) A photo of the gallery and equipment bays would tell us more.

Brekkie was asking about the covid briefing room - the one currently in use - not this new one.

I found a photo of what it used to look like.

I always found it weird that the centre of our government didn’t have a proper briefing room like this so I’m not mad about it, though the cost is eye watering.

Interesting to see they lowered the ceiling when they put in the lighting rig. I think it all actually looks OK but I would have perhaps retained one or two more original features from the room such as those hanging lights and maybe the wooden government crest which was above that doorway.

When Heritage Renovations Go Horribly Wrong - coming soon to Channel 5.

Well we did have 'briefing rooms' before, just not for television. Lobby briefings have previously taken place in a special room in the Palace of Westminster or a basement room in 10 Downing Street (which used to be part of the kitchens). These were fitted out for non-televised briefings. When the PM has done press conferences (pre-Covid) they were typically done in the Pillared Drawing Room or the State Dining Room (the Covid press conference room).

The problem with Whitehall has always been a space issue, nearly every room is occupied as office space and any room of size has some historical significance and so converting it was always going to raise some objections. The only recent time they could really have built a bespoke briefing room from scratch was during the rebuilding of Downing Street in the early 1960s, but that probably wasn't a priority then as the Downing Street Press Office was in its infancy.

From what I can work out, this new press conference room is in what used to be known as the Privy Council chamber. At roughly 12m x 10.5m, it is slightly larger than the State Dining Room at 12.5m x 7.5m.

Commented on by people who hadn't seen it until just before they were put in front of the camera to talk about it.

I thought this was a revamped set for Judge Rinder's courtroom when I first saw it.

Judge Rinder was actually trending on Twitter when the briefing room was unveiled

Ha - trust me for thinking I’d had an original thought!