A moderately happy birthday to the BBC World Service

The BBC World Service (formerly, when I was working there full time, the World and External Services) was celebrating its 80th birthday yesterday. The video shows some of the amazing features of Bush House, its home since 1940, which they will be leaving this summer, to relocate in Broadcasting House, whence they had been driven by a German bomb.

The move from Bush House has been discussed for years, if not decades. It makes a great deal of sense both from financial and technical point of view. Still, it is a sad thought when one thinks of the historic events that took place in that building and the many broadcasts that went out from there at so many historic moments. I have many personal memories of the place but am looking forward to seeing the new equipment in the new Broadcasting House that is never going to be as attractive but may be more useful.

Needless to say, it being the BBC, there was a row about the birthday celebrations with the highly regarded former managing director John Tusa protesting at what he saw as the ridiculously wrong decisions taken about the invitation list.