91-515: Babyfather is a BBC Two television programme which aired in the UK in 2001 and 2002. The show has been described as a "black, male, UK version of Sex and the City ". It ran for two series, and was based on a novel written by Patrick Augustus. The writers of the screenplay include Avril E. Russell, Sharon Foster, and Roy Williams . The show is set around four central characters: This article related to
182-498: A BBC television programme is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC . It is the corporation's second flagship channel, and it covers a wide range of subject matter, incorporating genres such as comedy, drama and documentaries. BBC Two has a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance " in contrast to
273-599: A Site of Borough Importance for Nature Conservation , Grade 1. The nearest railway stations are the Alexandra Palace with Great Northern services from Moorgate and London Underground station Wood Green on the Piccadilly line . Alexandra Palace is also served by London Buses route W3. The "Palace of the People" was conceived by Owen Jones in 1859. The Great Northern Palace Company had been established by 1860, but
364-405: A collection of English pottery and porcelain, comprising some 4,700 items of historic and intrinsic value, was also destroyed. The Palace was quickly rebuilt and reopened on 1 May 1875. The new Alexandra Palace contained a concert hall, art galleries, a museum, lecture hall, library, banqueting room and large theatre. The stage of the theatre incorporated machinery which enabled special effects for
455-460: A couple of hundred. It was intended that the theatre would reopen, but much costly restoration would be required first. It will never again reach a seating capacity of 3,000 (not least because one balcony was removed in the early part of the 20th century as a fire precaution, when films started to be shown there). A major season of the theatre company Complicité was planned for 2005 but the project, which would have included some repair and access work,
546-529: A film on an issue most important to them. BBC2's Community Programme Unit kept this aspect of the channel's tradition alive into the 1990s in the form of Video Diaries and later Video Nation . The Community Programmes Unit was disbanded in 2004. BBC Two has also given various programmes from around the world their first UK broadcasts, and have introduced many more to terrestrial audiences. International shows that have been broadcast on BBC Two include M*A*S*H , The Simpsons , 24 , Family Guy , Buffy
637-609: A fire two weeks after its opening, was rebuilt by Johnson. Intended as "The People's Palace" and often referred to as " Ally Pally ", its purpose was to serve as a public centre of recreation, education and entertainment; North London 's counterpart to the Crystal Palace in South London . At first a private venture, in 1900, the owners planned to sell it and Alexandra Park for development. A group of neighbouring local authorities managed to acquire it. An Act of Parliament created
728-541: A large fireworks display is scheduled there as part of London's Bonfire Night celebrations. The Observer ' s Wildlife Exhibition held here in 1963 was an important early event in highlighting awareness of worldwide endangered species, and it gained a large attendance (46,000). In April 1967, a benefit event took place at the Palace. The 14 Hour Technicolor Dream , organised by the International Times , demonstrated
819-525: A personality. At the time, BBC Two became the first BBC channel to feature a box logo. In 2007, BBC Two debuted the new theme , a "Window on the World", with the 2 numeral providing that view. Introduced on 18 February 2007, the new look also had the channel adopt a teal-coloured box logo, featuring the BBC logo above the word TWO , now in the font Avenir . In 2014, in honour of the channel's 50th anniversary, some of
910-745: A recording of portions of all three shows was released as part of the Dick's Picks series in March 1997. The Campaign for Real Ale held the Great British Beer Festival there from 1977 to 1980 (the 1980 edition taking place in tents outside the fire-damaged Alexandra Palace ). On the afternoon of 10 July 1980 (an accidental) fire destroyed the Great Hall, Banqueting Suite, Dressing Rooms and Ice Rink during contractors routine repairs and maintenance. From 27 July to 5 August 1973, The London Music Festival '73
1001-480: A refugee camp for displaced Belgians, and then later from 1915 to 1919 as an internment camp for German and Austrian civilians. The camp commandant was Lt. Col. R. S. F. Walker until his death in May 1917. The theatre was greatly altered in the early 1920s, with the general manager, W. J. MacQueen-Pope , spending the war reparation money on refurbishing the auditorium. He abandoned the understage machinery that produced
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#17330856552211092-455: A separate schedule of Welsh-produced programming in comparison to the analogue BBC Two Wales. BBC 2W was discontinued in 2008 due to the transition to digital terrestrial television, with the main BBC Two Wales schedule being carried on Freeview thereafter. BBC Two Scotland operated until February 2019, when it was replaced by the national feed. Concurrently, a bespoke BBC Scotland channel
1183-409: A site that stands on a ridge more than 300 ft (91 m) high, part of Muswell Hill . Alexandra Park was opened to the public on 23 July 1863. The planned building was originally named "The Palace of the People"; it and its park were renamed to honour the popular new Princess of Wales, Alexandra of Denmark , who had married Prince Albert Edward on 10 March 1863. The Palace of the People, or
1274-473: A state of competition since ITV's launch in 1955, and both had aimed for a populist approach in response. The 1962 Pilkington Report on the future of broadcasting noticed this, and that ITV lacked any culturally relevant programming. It therefore decided that Britain's third television station should be awarded to the BBC. Prior to its launch, the new BBC2 was promoted on the BBC Television Service:
1365-662: A £27m refurbishment of the long-abandoned Alexandra Palace theatre and east wing. In 2018, it was announced that the Theatre would open for a BBC Proms performance on 1 September before officially reopening to the public on 1 December 2018 following the completion of the East Wing Restoration Project by the contractor Willmott Dixon . The opening programme included performances from Dylan Moran , Horrible Histories , Gilbert & George , Gareth Malone and an evening of jazz presented by Ronnie Scott's . During
1456-479: A £30 million deficit. It was then reopened to the public in 1988 under a new management team headed by Louis Bizat. Later the council was heavily criticised for the overspend in a report by Project Management International. In 1991, the attorney-general stated that the overspending by the council as trustee was unlawful, and so could not be charged to the charity. The council for some years did not accept this politically embarrassing finding and instead maintained that
1547-597: Is also available on cable and IPTV in the Netherlands , Belgium, Switzerland , Monaco and Liechtenstein . The channel is registered to broadcast within the European Union/EEA through the Luxembourgish Broadcasting Regulator – ALIA. On 27 March 2013, it began being carried by British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) to members of HM Forces and their families around the world, replacing
1638-491: Is now at Crystal Palace in south London. The GLC considered a £20 million proposal in 1977 to redevelop the Alexandra Palace grounds into a multi-sport complex constructed around a shared football ground for North London clubs Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur . The 75,000-seat stadium would have required a new transit connection—either a monorail line or a branch of the Piccadilly line —and private funding. The proposal
1729-470: Is on English Heritage 's Buildings at Risk register. Alexandra Palace became a listed building in 1996, at the instigation of the Hornsey Historical Society. A planned commercial development of the building into a mixed leisure complex including a hotel, replacement ice-skating rink, cinema, ten-pin bowling alley and exhibition centre, encountered opposition from public groups and was blocked by
1820-452: Is to be a mixed-genre channel appealing to a broad adult audience with programmes of depth and substance. It should carry the greatest amount and range of knowledge building programming of any BBC television channel, complemented by distinctive comedy, drama and arts programming. BBC Two's historical scope was arts, culture, some comedy and drama, and appealing to audiences not already served by BBC One or ITV. Over its first thirty or so years
1911-772: The BBC for use as the production and transmission centre for their new BBC Television service. The antenna was designed by Charles Samuel Franklin of the Marconi Company . The world's first public broadcasts of (then) "high-definition" television were made from Alexandra Palace in November 1936, an event which is alluded to by the rays in the modern coat of arms of the London Borough of Haringey . Two competing systems, Marconi-EMI's 405-line system and John Logie Baird 's 240-line system, were installed, each with its own broadcast studio and were transmitted on alternate weeks until
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#17330856552212002-508: The BBC for use as the production and transmission centre for their new television service . In 1936, it became the home of the BBC's first regular public television service. The broadcasting system was 405-line monochrome analogue television – the first fully electronic television system to be used in regular broadcasting. Although other facilities soon superseded it after the Second World War , Alexandra Palace continued to be used by
2093-684: The BBC Red Button , and until 23 October 2012, via the Ceefax teletext service. Alexandra Palace Alexandra Palace is an entertainment and sports venue in North London, situated between Wood Green and Muswell Hill in the London Borough of Haringey . A Grade II listed building, it is built on the site of Tottenham Wood and the later Tottenham Wood Farm. Originally built by John Johnson and Alfred Meeson , it opened in 1873 but following
2184-702: The BBC Television executive group and is answerable to the head of that department, and to the BBC Board . On 20 January 2016, Kim Shillinglaw announced that she had decided to leave the BBC as the Controller of BBC Two & BBC Four; as a result of the reorganisation, the posts of Controller of BBC Two and BBC Four were closed. Patrick Holland became Channel Controller of BBC Two in March 2017, following his earlier appointment as Channel Editor in July 2016. BBC Two's remit
2275-762: The BFBS2 TV channel, which already carried a selection of BBC Two programmes. It shares a channel with CBBC , which broadcasts from early morning until the early evening. All feeds of BBC Two in both SD and HD are broadcast unencrypted on the Astra 2E and 2G satellites, allowing viewing across Belgium, the Netherlands, the Republic of Ireland and parts of France, Germany and Spain. The BBC announced in May 2008 that it had achieved its aim for all programming to have subtitles for viewers with hearing difficulties. These are available on
2366-451: The High Court in 2007. The Great Hall and West Hall are typically used for exhibitions, music concerts, and conferences, operated by the trading arm of the charitable trust that owns the building and park on behalf of the public. There is also a pub, ice rink , palm court , and a panoramic view of central London. In 2013, Alexandra Park was declared a local nature reserve and is also
2457-648: The London Racers and now the Haringey Huskies , as well as a figure skating club, the Alexandra Palace Amateur Ice Skating Club. In June 2004, the first performances for about 70 years took place in the theatre, first in its foyer then in July in the theatre itself. Although conditions were far from ideal, the audience was able to see the potential of this very large space – originally seating 3,000, it could not be licensed for more than
2548-638: The Parliament session , political debate programme Politics Live is broadcast on BBC Two. On Wednesdays, due to the Prime Minister's Questions , the programme is broadcast at the earlier time of 11:15am. The programme is not broadcast on Fridays or when Parliament is on a holiday break, so the simulcast of BBC News Now continues until 1:00pm for the BBC News at One on BBC One. At 10:30pm, current affairs programme Newsnight provides reports and analysis of
2639-612: The coronavirus pandemic , Alexandra Palace was used as a food distribution hub by Edible London for local residents. Alexandra Palace has hosted a number of significant events. Recurring events held there include the Great British Beer Festival (1977–1980), the Brit Awards (1993–1995), the PDC World Darts Championship (2008–present) and the Masters snooker tournament (2012–2020 and 2022–2024). In November every year,
2730-399: The death and state funeral respectively of Elizabeth II . In a 2013 BBC Populus poll, BBC Two had the third-highest per-country TV channel quality rating among viewers surveyed in 14 countries, behind BBC One and Brazil's TV Cultura . The 1991 idents featured a sans-serif numeral 2 at the centre of an initially art-related scene; however, the idents moved away from this style as
2821-514: The "Frying Pan" and the "Pan Handle" because of its layout), which was London's only racecourse from 1868 until its closure in 1970, a Japanese village, a switchback ride, a boating lake and a 9-hole pitch-and-putt golf course . Alexandra Park cricket and football clubs have also played within the grounds (in the middle of the old racecourse) since 1888. A Henry Willis organ installed in 1875, vandalised in 1918 and restored and reopened in 1929, survives. In its 1929 restored form, Willis's masterpiece
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2912-495: The 1960s. Like the early Channel 4 , BBC Two also established for itself a reputation as a champion of independent and international cinema, under the Screen 2 brand. The channel has sometimes been judged, increasingly in more recent years, to have moved away from this original role and closer to the mainstream. Since the launch of the digital-only BBC Four , the BBC has been accused in particular of shifting its more highbrow output to
3003-575: The 1990s idents were re-introduced and from 2015, BBC Two Northern Ireland opted to use nearly forty idents from the 1991–2001 set. On 27 September 2018, the 1991–2001 idents were retired once again and BBC Two introduced a new set of idents, based on scenes incorporating a curve motif resembling the number 2. The new branding is designed to reflect BBC Two's "constant evolution, constant eclecticism, [and] constant sense of quality". The new idents are produced by various artists and studios, including Aardman Animations , The Mill and others. The new identity
3094-416: The 405-line system was chosen in 1937. After the BBC leased the eastern part of the Palace the theatre was only used for props storage space. The Palace continued as the BBC's main transmitting centre for London until 1956, interrupted only by the Second World War when the transmitter found an alternative use jamming German bombers' navigation systems . In 1944, a German doodlebug exploded just outside
3185-409: The Alexandra Palace and Park Trust. The Act required the trustees to maintain the building and park and make them available for the free use and recreation of the public forever. The present trustee is the London Borough of Haringey, whose coat of arms shows lightning bolts depicting Alexandra Palace's pioneering role in the development of television. In 1935, the trustees leased part of the Palace to
3276-401: The BBC for many years and its radio and television mast is still in use. The original studios 'A' and 'B' still survive in the southeast wing with their producers' galleries and are used for exhibiting original historical television equipment. The original Victorian Alexandra Palace Theatre with its stage machinery also survives and as of 2019, is back in use. The theatre and stage structure
3367-459: The BBC multiplex, at first four, then two weeks ahead of the other four channels. This was required for those relay transmitters that had no current Freeview service giving viewers time to purchase the equipment unless they had already selected a satellite or cable service. The last region for BBC Two to end on analogue terrestrial television was Northern Ireland on 10 October 2012. At the 2012 Edinburgh International Television Festival , BBC Two
3458-520: The Charity Commission's order authorising a 125-year lease of the entire building to Firoka Ltd. In September 2009, Alexandra Palace main hall was allowed 2,000 more occupation, up to 10,250 ("still saddled by a £37 million debt it owes its guardian, Haringey Council"). A masterplan for the future of the site was drawn up in 2012, comprising six 'big ideas' to restore and redevelop the Palace. The first of these to be implemented aims to transform
3549-531: The Coronavirus pandemic, BBC1 aired press conferences from the UK government about major developments from the pandemic and the scheduled BBC One programming during those News Specials was broadcast on BBC Two. However, on 9 April 2021 – the day of the death of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh – BBC Two and BBC One both simulcast BBC News for the whole day. The same would happen on both 8 and 19 September 2022, following
3640-488: The People's Palace, remained as alternative names. In September 1865, construction commenced but to a design by John Johnson and Alfred Meeson rather than the glass structure initially proposed by Jones. In 1871, work started on the Edgware, Highgate and London Railway to connect the site to Highgate station . Work on both the railway and the Palace was completed in 1873 and, on 24 May of that year, Alexandra Palace and Park
3731-727: The Stone Roses performed a concert at Alexandra Palace. Hugh Cornwell played his last performance with the Stranglers at Alexandra Palace in August 1990. This was documented by the Saturday Night, Sunday Morning album and video. Blur performed a major concert at the venue in October 1994 to promote their album Parklife . The recording of the concert was released on video in February 1995 with
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3822-632: The Vampire Slayer , Malcolm in the Middle , American Dad! , The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air , The Ren & Stimpy Show , Moonlighting , The Tracey Ullman Show and Star Trek: Voyager . In January 2013, BBC Two ceased to show children's programmes and replaced the weekday morning schedule with repeats of the previous BBC One daytime schedule, children's programmes was returned in 2017 and 2022 in Saturday morning. It also began showing Sign Zone in
3913-405: The arts strand The Culture Show . Its most popular programme at the moment is Top Gear , which now moved to BBC One. Much of BBC Two's output has previously or subsequently been shown on other channels. Some of these programmes are repeats of popular or flagship programmes from BBC Four in a late-night strand, originally called BBC Four on Two but now unbranded. Other programmes are moved to
4004-440: The brick infills in the colonnade on the south-east face of the building, which the BBC constructed after 1936 to form their television studios within. Following a public consultation and advice from English Heritage, Planning and Listed Building Consent was given for the proposals and in March 2015 HLF awarded Round 2 major grant funding securing a positive future for the historic areas. In 2018, Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios made
4095-650: The channel as a result of their success on BBC Three or Four, so that subsequent series are well received. An example of this is the BBC Three series Torchwood , which was transferred to the channel following the success of the first series. BBC Two is also used as a testing ground for programmes prior to their moving to the flagship BBC One : such examples include Have I Got News for You and popular comedies Absolutely Fabulous and Miranda , which moved to BBC One after success on Two. Also in August 2014, The Great British Bake Off moved to BBC One, due to its success
4186-572: The channel developed a reputation for screening highly praised and prestigious drama series, among these Boys from the Blackstuff (1982), 1991's highly successful The Men's Room , the costume drama Middlemarch (1994) or 1996's critically acclaimed Our Friends in the North . The channel's "highbrow" profile is also in part attributable to a long history of demanding documentaries of all types, beginning with Civilisation and The Ascent of Man in
4277-475: The channel in March 2014 and until Kim Shillinglaw began as the new permanent occupant of the post. From 2013, the Controller of BBC Two was given the expanded title Controller of BBC Two and BBC Four , with ultimate oversight of the BBC Four service added to their duties (a BBC Four "Channel Editor", reporting up to this Controller, was allocated day-to-day operational control of Four). The channel forms part of
4368-469: The channel. The launch schedule, postponed from the night before, was then successfully shown that evening, albeit with minor changes. In reference to the power cut, the transmission opened with a shot of a lit candle which was then sarcastically blown out by presenter Denis Tuohy . To establish the new channel's identity and draw viewers to it, the BBC decided that a widely promoted, lavish series would be essential in its earliest days. The production chosen
4459-527: The charity "owed" the council £30 million, charged compound interest on what it termed a "debt" (which eventually rose to a claim of some £60 million), and to recoup it tried to offer the whole palace for sale. An ice rink was installed at Alexandra Palace in 1990. Primarily intended for public skating, it has also housed ice hockey teams including the Harringay Racers , the Haringey Greyhounds ,
4550-576: The derelict eastern end of the Palace, making accessible the Victorian theatre and historic BBC Studios. In 2013 the Heritage Lottery Fund awarded a Round 1 pass to develop the proposals, creating a new entrance in the restored East Court, re-establishing the theatre as a flexible performance space and re-opening the BBC Studios as a visitor attraction. There was controversy regarding plans to demolish
4641-548: The early 1960s, an outside broadcast was made from the top of the tower, in which the first passage of a satellite across the London sky was watched and described. It continued to be used for BBC News broadcasts until 1969, and for the Open University until 1981. The antenna mast still stands and is used for local terrestrial television transmission, local commercial radio and DAB broadcasts. The main London television transmitter
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#17330856552214732-403: The early hours; prior to 2013, this had been broadcast by BBC One. This was the only channel that broadcast Sign Zone in the early hours until the relaunch of BBC Three as a television channel in 2022. From October 2013, BBC Two has shown classic programmes like Bergerac , Cagney and Lacey , The Rockford Files , 'Allo 'Allo! , and Are You Being Served? on weekday afternoons, with
4823-399: The effects necessary in Victorian melodrama; some of the machinery is preserved, and there is a project to restore some of it to working order. After these changes, the theatre was leased by Archie Pitt , then husband of Gracie Fields , who appeared in the theatre. Fields also drew an audience of 5,000 people to the hall for a charity event. In 1935, the trustees leased part of the Palace to
4914-489: The funeral service of the Labour MP Bernie Grant took place at the Palace. An estimated 3,000 people attended. The fourth Mind Sports Olympiad was held at Alexandra Palace in August 2000, with more than 4,000 competitors from around the world taking part in mind sports. In December 2002, The Miss World 2002 pageant was staged at the venue. In June 2007, a Hackday event was hosted at Alexandra Palace by
5005-654: The importance of the quickly developing Underground scene. Although venues such as the UFO Club were hosting counter-cultural bands, this was certainly the largest indoor event at the time. Performers included headlining act Pink Floyd as well as the Pretty Things , Savoy Brown , the Crazy World of Arthur Brown , Soft Machine , The Purple Gang , The Move and Sam Gopal's Dream (featuring Sam Gopal, Mick Hutchinson and Pete Sears ). John Lennon attended, and Yoko Ono (who
5096-551: The more mainstream and popular BBC One . Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio channels, it is funded by the television licence , and is therefore free of commercial advertising. It is a comparatively well-funded public-service channel, regularly attaining a much higher audience share than most public-service channels worldwide. Originally styled BBC2 , it was the third British television station to be launched (starting on 21 April 1964), and from 1 July 1967, Europe's first television channel to broadcast regularly in colour. It
5187-524: The new channel, which, until the end of the UK's digital TV switchover in October 2012, a minority (7.5% in the final quarter of 2010) of viewers did not receive. BBC Four's remit is very similar to the earlier remit of BBC2, and contains many documentaries and arts programmes. It has been perceived by some that this strategy is to allow BBC Two to show more popular programmes and to secure higher ratings. Since 2004 there have been some signs of an attempt to return closer to parts of BBC Two's earlier output with
5278-623: The organ end of the Great Hall and the Rose Window was blown in, leaving the organ exposed to the elements. In 1947 some of the pieces of the shattered rose window were incorporated in a new design by architect E.T. Spashett during renovation of bomb-damaged public buildings by the Ministry of Works . During the 1940s and 1950s the Palace also housed a public roller-skating rink and the Alexandra Palace Roller Skating Club . In
5369-476: The outer walls survived and the eastern parts, including the theatre and the BBC Television studios and aerial mast, were saved. Parts of the famous organ were destroyed, though it had been dismantled for repairs so some parts (including nearly all the pipework) were away from the building in store. Some of the damage to the Palace was repaired immediately but Haringey council overspent on the restoration, creating
5460-428: The pantomimes and melodramas then popular – artists could disappear, reappear and be propelled into the air. The theatre was also used for political meetings. An open-air swimming pool was constructed at the base of the hill in the surrounding park; it is long since closed and little trace remains except some reeds. The grounds included a horse racing course with grandstand (named Alexandra Park Racecourse and nicknamed
5551-476: The people of London. A committee was formed by Burt and the consortium managed to raise enough money to purchase them just in time. By the Alexandra Park and Palace (Public Purposes) Act 1900 ( 63 & 64 Vict. c. cclix), a charitable trust was created; representatives of the purchasing local authorities became the trustees with the duty to keep both building and park "available for the free use and recreation of
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#17330856552215642-461: The previous year on BBC Two. In 2017, Bake Off moved from BBC One to Channel 4 . Another founding part of BBC Two was to provide educational and community programming on the BBC, as part of its public service remit. The educational section of this commitment saw BBC2 broadcast a large amount of programming for the Open University , who co-produced programming with the corporation, and saw the channel broadcast BBC Schools programmes from 1983 until
5733-461: The programmes were transferred to the BBC Learning Zone in 2010. As a result of the channel's commitment to community broadcasting, the channel produced the symbolic Open Space series, a strand developed in the early 1970s in which members of the public would be allotted half an hour of television time, and given a level of editorial and technical training in order to produce for themselves
5824-541: The public forever". In 1921 a plaque was erected at the entrance of the south terrace in honour of Burt. The Palace passed into the hands of the Greater London Council in 1967, with the proviso that it should be used entirely for charitable purposes, and their trusteeship was transferred to Haringey council in 1980. During the First World War the park was closed; the Palace and grounds were firstly used as
5915-420: The retro logos from 1970s and 1980s, between the current programmes. In October 2014, Russell Howard's Good News and Backchat moved to BBC Two from BBC Three. In 2014, BBC Two commissioned Britain's first transgender sitcom, Boy Meets Girl , which follows the developing relationship between Leo, a 26-year-old man, and Judy, a 40-year-old transgender woman. From 7 April 2015, the morning Sign Zone
6006-421: The soon-to-be-renamed BBC1 . The animated adverts featured the campaign mascots "Hullabaloo", a mother kangaroo , and "Custard", her joey . Prior to, and several years after, the channel's formal launch, the channel broadcast " Trade Test Transmissions ", short films made externally by companies such as Shell and BP , which served to enable engineers to test reception, but became cult viewing. The channel
6097-482: The station's adoption of the first computer-generated channel identification (ident) in Britain, with its use of the double striped, orange '2' logo , heralded the start of computer-generated logos. The ident, created in-house by BBC engineers, lasted until March 1986. As the switch to digital-only terrestrial transmission progressed, BBC Two was (in each region in turn) the first analogue TV channel to be replaced with
6188-415: The station's style changed. Although highly praised, this expansive set of idents was ended in November 2001. The BBC corporate logo was updated within the idents in October 1997, though the idents moved away from the original viridian colour scheme in these latter years. The subsequent presentation style was introduced on 19 November 2001 and kept the same figure 2 , but in a yellow background and given
6279-497: The stories behind the day's headlines. BBC Two does not broadcast any news and current affairs programming at the weekend. From 2017 until 2019, it broadcast the UK selection show for the Eurovision Song Contest , Eurovision: You Decide . The channel stopped broadcasting the show after the 2019 edition due to the fact that the BBC opted for an internal selection in collaboration with BMG Rights Management . In 2020, it
6370-458: The time. In 1974, BBC2's widely acclaimed singer-songwriter series, In Concert , was lauded by The Guardian as the only British music television program that "produced television ideas". Unlike BBC1 and ITV, BBC2 was broadcast only on the 625-line UHF system, so was not available to viewers still using sets only capable of receiving the 405-line VHF system. This created a market for dual standard receivers which could switch between
6461-486: The title Showtime and used as the basis for the video for the band's song " End of a Century ". From 1993 to 1995, the Brit Awards were hosted at Alexandra Palace. In November 1996 it was the venue for the annual MTV Europe Music Awards . In 1996, the Palace hosted the inaugural London Model Engineering Exhibition which continued each year until 2021 when it was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic . In April 2000,
6552-451: The two systems. Set manufacturers increased production of UHF sets in anticipation of a large market demand for the new BBC2, but the market did not materialise. . The early technical problems, which included being unable to transmit US-recorded videotapes due to a lack of system conversion from the US NTSC system, were resolved by a committee headed by James Redmond , although this problem
6643-594: The two-hour-long gig and were uniquely made available from specific Harlequin Record Shops within Central London. In 1973, the Divine Light Mission held a "Festival of Love" there. Also in 1973, British rock band Wishbone Ash played a Christmas concert at the Palace, billed as "Christmas at the Palace". The American band Grateful Dead played a series of three shows there between 9 and 11 September 1974;
6734-406: Was The Forsyte Saga (1967), a no-expense-spared adaptation of the novels by John Galsworthy , featuring well-established actors Kenneth More and Eric Porter . Critically for the future of the fledgling channel, the BBC's gamble was hugely successful, with an average of six million viewers per episode: a feat made more prominent by the fact that only 9 million were able to receive the channel at
6825-413: Was able to continue broadcasting via its facilities at Alexandra Palace , but all attempts to show the scheduled programmes on the new channel failed. Associated-Rediffusion , the London weekday ITV franchise-holder, offered to transmit on the BBC's behalf, but their gesture was rejected. At 22:00 programming was officially postponed until the following morning. As the BBC's news centre at Alexandra Palace
6916-466: Was cancelled due to higher-than-anticipated costs. Plans by the current trustees, Haringey Council, to replace all the charitable uses by commercial ones by a commercial lease of the entire building, including a casino, encountered considerable public and legal opposition, and on 5 October 2007, in the High Court, Mr. Justice Sullivan granted an application by Jacob O'Callaghan, a London resident, to quash
7007-537: Was declared by Marcel Dupré to be the finest concert organ in Europe. In 1900, the owners of Alexandra Palace and Park were threatening to sell them for redevelopment, but a consortium of public-spirited men in the district, headed by Mr. Henry Burt JP , a member of the Middlesex County Council and of Hornsey District Council, at once embraced the opportunity of securing the Palace and the beautiful grounds for
7098-468: Was developed by BBC Creative and Superunion. BBC Two also has regional variations in Wales and Northern Ireland , which occasionally opt out of the national BBC Two feed to air programmes of local interest. In November 2001, BBC Wales introduced a special opt-out service known as BBC 2W , which aired weekdays from 8.30 p.m. to 10 p.m. in the BBC Two Wales channel space on digital television, and carried
7189-625: Was envisaged as a home for less mainstream and more ambitious programming, and while this tendency has continued to date, most special-interest programmes of a kind previously broadcast on BBC Two, for example the BBC Proms , now tend to appear on BBC Four instead. British television at the time of BBC2's launch consisted of two channels: the BBC Television Service and the ITV network made up of smaller regional companies. Both channels had existed in
7280-540: Was held here. After the fire, the burnt-out shell of the great hall of Alexandra Palace was used as Victory Square in Michael Radford 's 1984 film adaptation of George Orwell 's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four . The Sinclair C5 battery electric vehicle was launched at the Palace in January 1985, one week after the closure of the 405-line television system that was inaugurated there 49 years earlier. In November 1989,
7371-520: Was initially unable to raise financing for the construction of the Palace. Construction materials were acquired and recycled from the large 1862 International Exhibition building in South Kensington after it was demolished: the Government had declined to take it over. In 1863 Alexandra Park Co. Ltd. acquired the land of Tottenham Wood Farm for conversion to a park and to build the People's Palace, on
7462-558: Was launched, which simulcasts the BBC Two schedule with opt-outs for local programming from 7:00 p.m. to midnight nightly, and occasionally during the afternoon for news and sports programmes. The Northern Irish version of BBC Two is widely available in the Republic of Ireland on satellite and cable , as well as being received directly in areas bordering Northern Ireland , or in coastal areas from Wales . The national version of BBC Two
7553-454: Was named "Terrestrial Channel of the Year". A high-definition simulcast of BBC Two began broadcasting on 26 March 2013, replacing the standalone BBC HD channel. As of 29 November 2018 , there are three variations of BBC Two HD (Wales, Northern Ireland, and England). The channel controllers have been: Adam Barker served as Acting Controller of the channel after Janice Hadlow left
7644-748: Was not unique to BBC2. On 1 July 1967, during the Wimbledon Championships , BBC2 became the first channel in Europe to begin regular broadcasts in colour, using the PAL system. The thirteen-part series Civilisation (1969) was created as a celebration of two millennia of western art and culture to showpiece the new colour technology. BBC1 and ITV later joined BBC2 on 625-line UHF band but continued to simulcast on 405-line VHF until 1985. BBC1 and ITV simultaneously introduced PAL colour on UHF on 15 November 1969, although they both had broadcast some programmes in colour "unofficially" since September 1969. In 1979,
7735-532: Was opened. The structure covers some 7.5 acres (3.0 ha). The Palace was built by Kelk and Lucas , who also built the Royal Albert Hall in South Kensington at around the same time. Sims Reeves sang on the opening day before an audience of 102,000. Only 16 days later, Alexandra Palace was destroyed by a fire which also killed three members of staff. Only the outer walls survived; a loan exhibition of
7826-461: Was rejected by the GLC after local opposition cited the potential for hooliganism in the area. Early in 1980, Haringey council took over the trusteeship of Alexandra Palace from the GLC, insuring it for £31 million, intending to refurbish the building but just six months later, during Capital Radio 's Jazz Festival, a fire started under the organ and quickly spread. It destroyed half the building. Again
7917-467: Was reported that the programme Victoria Derbyshire would end, owing to the BBC's £80m cuts. Since the beginning of the Coronavirus pandemic , Victoria Derbyshire has been presenting the first hour of BBC News, which continues until 13:00. BBC Two is also known for broadcasting some BBC One programmes in a change to the schedules when that channel is broadcasting a BBC News Special. For example; during
8008-471: Was scheduled to begin at 19:20 on 20 April 1964, showing an evening of light entertainment, starting with the comedy show The Alberts , a performance from Soviet comedian Arkady Raikin , and a production of Cole Porter 's Kiss Me, Kate , culminating with a fireworks display. However, at around 18:45 a huge power failure, originating from a fire at Battersea Power Station , caused Television Centre , and indeed much of west London, to lose all power. BBC1
8099-638: Was shown before Victoria Derbyshire 8:00am-9:00 am including See Hear on Wednesday morning. BBC Two is also known for broadcasting some news and current affairs programmes. It broadcasts BBC News updates every morning at 9 am, simulcasting the BBC News channel after it stops simulcasting BBC Breakfast on BBC1. This includes an edition of BBC Business Today at 11:30 and Sportsday at 11:45, then fifteen minutes of BBC News Now , this had previously been between 2006-2010 an edition of World News Today and 2010-2011 GMT . At 12:15 pm during
8190-459: Was soon to become Lennon's new romantic partner) presented her performance work "Cut Piece". In 1970, Italian director Lucio Fulci filmed an important segment of his giallo film A Lizard in a Woman's Skin here. Alexandra Palace posed as a disused church. The rock band Led Zeppelin played at Alexandra Palace's Grand Hall in two sell out performances on the evenings of the 22/23 December 1972. Their concert tickets were priced at £1 each for
8281-442: Was unaffected, they did in fact broadcast brief bulletins on BBC2 that evening, beginning with an announcement by the newsreader Gerald Priestland at around 19:25. There was believed to be no recording made of this bulletin, but a videotape was discovered in early 2003. By 11:00 on 21 April 1964, power had been restored to the studios and programming began, thus making Play School the first programme to be shown officially on
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