BBC Wales (Welsh: BBC Cymru) is a division of the British Broadcasting Corporation for Wales. Based at Broadcasting House in the Llandaff area of Cardiff (not to be confused with Broadcasting House in London which is the headquarters of BBC Radio), it directly employs around 1100 people, and produces a broad range of television, radio and online services. Outside London, BBC Wales is the largest BBC television producer in the UK, partly due to its slate of Welsh language programmes. BBC Wales television services debuted on 1 February 1964 to much fanfare (short television commercials proclaimed: "Wales gets its very own TV service in 1964!"). Prior to 1964, the BBC had no dedicated television production centre in Wales, although it did broadcast from the area.
Overview
BBC Wales produces television programming in English and Welsh both for the regional opt-out sections of the BBC One and Two network feeds, and for the dedicated Welsh-language channel S4C. Perhaps its best-known Welsh-language programme is the soap opera Pobol y Cwm, which has run since 1974. BBC Wales also operates two radio stations: BBC Radio Wales in English and BBC Radio Cymru, which broadcasts in Welsh and is aimed at a younger audience. The local television news programme Wales Today has been produced in Cardiff since 1963. BBC Wales also produces the Welsh language news programme Newyddion for S4C, which combines international and UK news with regional news from Wales.
Another popular locally-screened programme is the drama series Belonging, which as of 2005 has run for six seasons since 1999. An English language programme, Belonging is produced in-house by the BBC Wales drama department and screened on BBC One during a regional opt-out slot from the main national network feed. As with other such opt-outs, however, it is available to viewers elsewhere in the UK via the digital satellite platform.
As well as providing these dedicated services for Wales, BBC Wales also provides programming for the BBC's UK networks. In recent years, its drama output has been particularly successful, including the 2005 revival of the classic science-fiction series Doctor Who and its spin-off Torchwood (2006). In addition, BBC Wales commissions other drama output for the BBC network from independent producers, such as Life on Mars (2006�07). The BBC National Orchestra of Wales is currently based at Broadcasting House in Cardiff, though there are plans to move it to the Wales Millennium Centre, and performs regularly throughout Wales and internationally.
Programming
Produced in-house by BBC Wales for Wales: - Wales Today (1963�present)
- Week In, Week Out (1964�present)
- Pobol y Cwm (1974�present)
- Belonging (1999�present)
- First Degree (2002)
- High Hopes (2002�present)
Produced in-house by BBC Wales for the UK - The District Nurse (1984�1987)
- Border Cafe
- He Knew He Was Right (2004)
- Doctor Who (2005�present)
- Doctor Who Confidential (2005�present)
- The Chatterley Affair (2006)
- Torchwood (2006)
Commissioned from independent producers by BBC Wales for the UK:
- Shakespeare: The Animated Tales (1992, 1994)
- Casanova (2005)
- The Girl in the Caf� (2005)
- Life on Mars (2006�2007)
- Wide Sargasso Sea (2006)
- This Life + 10 (2007)
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