The BBC: A People’s History – David Hendy

On Wednesday 29th June, David Hendy will be in conversation with Simon Shaps at St Mary’s, Primrose Hill, discussing the past, present, and future of the BBC – see here for details and to buy tickets.

David Hendy is a writer, broadcaster and Emeritus professor of Media and Cultural History at the University of Sussex.

In his latest work The BBC: A People’s History, published to mark its centenary, he tells the dramatic story of the people who built and developed the BBC, and traces the evolution of a global broadcasting company against the background of the enormous transformation of British society over the past century.

The result is a fascinating account of its maverick beginnings, the wartime years, the creation of television, changing public taste, austerity and the huge challenges posed by competing television channels, the internet and streaming services. Above all, it is a lively popular history of a much loved and admired institution, full of characters, stories and incident.