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BBC handbooks

BBC handbooks

Collection: BBC Handbooks, Annual Reports and Accounts, 1927-2002    Volumes    BBC handbooks

The BBC's handbooks were published yearly from 1928 to 1987, apart from a two-year break in 1953-1954. Alongside the Annual Report and Accounts, which the BBC is required to submit to Parliament, these handbooks were intended to be a publicly available report of what it did and why. The handbooks' aims have been summarised thus by Sir Ian Jacob, former Director-General (BBC handbook, 1955): "To provide a clear and reliable guide to the workings of the BBC, to survey the year's work in British broadcasting, and to bring together as much information about the BBC as can be assembled within the covers of a small book."With occasional changes of title (from 'Handbook' to 'Yearbook' to 'Annual' and back), but generally following the same format (a review of the year; information on notable programmes; basic factual material, including the names of senior staff and governors; engineering developments; audience trends; accounts; a copy of the BBC's charter), for its last seven years of publication (1981-1987), the handbooks also incorporated the Corporation's statutory annual report and accounts. A useful introduction to this particular reference series is The BBC handbooks : some observations for broadcasting historians by Hugh Chignell, Media School, Bournemouth University.

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Annual report and handbook, 1987

Incorporating the annual report and accounts, 1985-86. (N.B. There appears to have been a two-page lacuna (p.251-252) in printing the original document.)

Collection:BBC Handbooks, Annual Reports and Accounts, 1927-2002
Date:1985-1987
Contributor:BBC Written Archives Centre
Identifier:bbc-1987hand

Annual report and handbook, 1986

Incorporating the annual report and accounts, 1984-85

Collection:BBC Handbooks, Annual Reports and Accounts, 1927-2002
Date:1984-1986
Contributor:BBC Written Archives Centre
Identifier:bbc-1986hand

Annual report and handbook, 1985

Incorporating the annual report and accounts, 1983-84

Collection:BBC Handbooks, Annual Reports and Accounts, 1927-2002
Date:1983-1985
Contributor:BBC Written Archives Centre
Identifier:bbc-1985hand

Annual report and handbook, 1984

Incorporating the annual report and accounts, 1982-83

Collection:BBC Handbooks, Annual Reports and Accounts, 1927-2002
Date:1984-1984
Contributor:BBC Written Archives Centre
Identifier:bbc-1984hand

Annual report and handbook, 1983

Incorporating the annual report and accounts, 1980-81

Collection:BBC Handbooks, Annual Reports and Accounts, 1927-2002
Date:1983-1983
Contributor:BBC Written Archives Centre
Identifier:bbc-1983hand

Annual report and handbook, 1982

Incorporating the annual report and accounts, 1980-81

Collection:BBC Handbooks, Annual Reports and Accounts, 1927-2002
Date:1982-1982
Contributor:BBC Written Archives Centre
Identifier:bbc-1982hand

Annual report and handbook, 1981

Incorporating the annual report and accounts, 1979-80

Collection:BBC Handbooks, Annual Reports and Accounts, 1927-2002
Date:1981-1981
Contributor:BBC Written Archives Centre
Identifier:bbc-1981hand

Handbook, 1980

Incorporating the annual report and accounts, 1978-79

Collection:BBC Handbooks, Annual Reports and Accounts, 1927-2002
Date:1980-1980
Contributor:BBC Written Archives Centre
Identifier:bbc-1980hand
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