100 Years of the BBC

In November of 1922, BBC radio first crackled into the homes of Londoners. Over the next century, the BBC would expand far beyond news and become one of the world’s preeminent forces in arts and cultural programming. It’s now the world’s largest broadcaster, beloved by NPR listeners and carried in countries around the world, where it provides programming in languages from Arabic to Yoruba. Its story is chronicled in the new book, The BBC: A Century On Air, by David Hendy, a media historian and former BBC producer. Hendy joins us for a special hour-long program, 100 Years of the BBC, exploring the history of the BBC. Listeners will hear sound from reporters on the beaches during D-Day, Queen Elizabeth’s coronation, the rise of the Beatles, and popular BBC radio and television programs of the past – as well as a glimpse of the broadcaster behind the scenes. "100 Years of the BBC" is produced by Luke Green and Kate Hinds.