Adrian Van Klaveren Controller, BBC WW1 Centenary

THE OVERALL SEASON

• 140 new commissions

• 2500 hours of programming

THE AIM

• To tell the story of WW1‘s impact on the UK

• To get to the heart of why people care about WW1

• Ground up – sharing not lecturing; surprising not familiar

THE IDEA • 1400 stories linked to place, told through people • Original stories, creative and diverse treatments

• Partnership with Imperial War Museums and UK university

academics

• Across the BBC: led by BBC English Regions and BBC Learning

• 25-date UK-wide live event tour, with BBC Learning.

HOW WE DID IT

• Organised by regions – each with its own co-ordinator.

• Specialist historians/researchers working alongside broadcast producers

• Radio and web versions of all stories; a selection made into video reports

THE STORIES

WHERE THE STORIES WERE USED

• Every local radio station

• Regional TV news programmes

• Network news and radio

• Dedicated web pages

• “Best of” compilations

• Legacy created for schools and future generations

HOW STORIES WERE USED:LOCATION SEARCH

THE EVENTS

• 228, 068 people visited in diverse locations with ‘hard to reach’ audiences.

• Wide range of ages and strong appeal to C2DEs

DCMS / 1418 Now: ‘Letter to an Unknown Soldier’

FORGING STRONG PARTNERSHIPS

AHRC Academics Local Partners Imperial War Museums

STRONG PARTNERSHIPS

LESSONS LEARNED

• Start early and pilot • Expertise is vital • Release in waves • Think laterally • Don’t be frightened of doing too much –

still a strong appetite to know more

THE STORIES CONTINUE

THE STORIES CONTINUE