CINXE.COM

<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN"> <html> <head><script type="text/javascript" src="https://web-static.archive.org/_static/js/bundle-playback.js?v=7YQSqjSh" charset="utf-8"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://web-static.archive.org/_static/js/wombat.js?v=txqj7nKC" charset="utf-8"></script> <script>window.RufflePlayer=window.RufflePlayer||{};window.RufflePlayer.config={"autoplay":"on","unmuteOverlay":"hidden"};</script> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://web-static.archive.org/_static/js/ruffle/ruffle.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript"> __wm.init("https://web.archive.org/web"); __wm.wombat("http://www.bbc.co.uk:80/info/","20080914045648","https://web.archive.org/","web","https://web-static.archive.org/_static/", "1221368208"); </script> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="https://web-static.archive.org/_static/css/banner-styles.css?v=p7PEIJWi" /> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="https://web-static.archive.org/_static/css/iconochive.css?v=3PDvdIFv" />  <title>BBC - About the BBC - Home</title> <meta name="description" content="Corporate information about how the BBC is run and governed. Contains future plans, policies, standards, profiles of channels and information about working with or for the BBC."/> <meta name="keywords" content="corporate, BBC, annual report, licence fee, policies"/> <link rel="schema.dcterms" href="http://purl.org/dc/terms/"/> <meta name="dcterms.created" content="2007-10-11"/> <meta name="dcterms.modified" content="2008-01-23"/> <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=iso-8859-1"/> <style type="text/css">  </style> <style type="text/css"> @import '/web/20080914045648cs_/http://www.bbc.co.uk/includes/bbcpage/v3-0/toolbar.css'; </style>  <script language="JavaScript" type="text/javascript">  </script> <script type="text/javascript">if(typeof BBC == "undefined") {var BBC = {}}; BBC.adverts = {setZone: function(){}, configure: function(){}, write: function(){}, show: function(){}}; </script> <script type="text/javascript" src="/web/20080914045648js_/http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbc.com/script/3/direct_ads.js?v=3.15"></script> <link href="/web/20080914045648cs_/http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbc.com/css/adverts.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"/> <script type="text/javascript"></script> <link rel="StyleSheet" href="/web/20080914045648cs_/http://www.bbc.co.uk/info/includes/about.css" type="text/css"/> <style type="text/css">  </style></head> <body bgcolor="#ffffff" link="#000000" vlink="#000000" alink="#000000" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" topmargin="0" leftmargin="0"> <a name="top" id="top"></a><ul class="bbcpageHide"><li><a href="#startcontent" accesskey="2">Skip to main content</a></li><li><a href="/web/20080914045648/http://www.bbc.co.uk/cgi-bin/education/betsie/parser.pl">Text Only version of this page</a></li><li><a href="/web/20080914045648/http://www.bbc.co.uk/accessibility/accesskeys/keys.shtml" accesskey="0">Access keys help</a></li></ul><div id="toolbarContainer"><table id="bbcpageToolbarTable" width="100%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" lang="en"><tr valign="middle"><td width="200" id="bbcpageBlocks"><font size="2"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080914045648/http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/toolbar/-/home/d/" accesskey="1"><img src="/web/20080914045648im_/http://www.bbc.co.uk/images/bbcpage/v3-0/bbc.gif" width="77" height="22" alt="BBC" border="0" hspace="2" vspace="0"/> Home</a></font></td><td width="295" align="right"><form method="get" action="https://web.archive.org/web/20080914045648/http://www.bbc.co.uk/cgi-bin/search/results.pl" accept-charset="utf-8"><input type="text" id="bbcpageSearch" name="q" style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;" title="BBC Search" accesskey="4"/></td><td width="105"><input type="submit" name="Search" value="Search" id="bbcpageSearchButton"/><input type="hidden" name="uri" value="/info/"/></form></td><td width="170" align="right" class="bbcpageblue"><font size="2" id="bbcpageExplore"><a href="/web/20080914045648/http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/toolbar/-/a-z/">Explore the BBC</a></font></td></tr></table></div><table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0" width="100%" id="bbcpageTableTop"><tr><td width="100%" valign="top"><div class="BannerMain"> <div> <div class="BannerHomeTop"> <div class="BannerImageLeft"> <img src="/web/20080914045648im_/http://www.bbc.co.uk/info/images/banner_aboutbbc.gif" alt="About the BBC" width="249" height="26" hspace="0" vspace="10" border="0"> </div> <div class="BannerLogo"> <img src="/web/20080914045648im_/http://www.bbc.co.uk/info/images/logo_bbc.gif" alt="BBC" width="103" height="29" border="0" vspace="10"/> </div> </div> <div class="infoNewRow"> <div class="BannerBottom"> <a href="/web/20080914045648/http://www.bbc.co.uk/cgi-bin/education/betsie/parser.pl">Text only</a> | <a href="/web/20080914045648/http://www.bbc.co.uk/accessibility/">Accessibility help</a> | <a href="/web/20080914045648/http://www.bbc.co.uk/">BBC homepage</a> </div> </div> </div> </div> </td></tr></table><a name="startcontent" id="startcontent"></a> <div class="infoMain"> <div> <div class="infoHeadTop"> <img src="/web/20080914045648im_/http://www.bbc.co.uk/info/furniture/info_header_top.jpg" alt="About the BBC home" width="760" height="113" title="About the BBC header"></div> <div class="infoNewRow"> <div class="infoHeadMiddle"> <div class="infoTextLeft"> <h3><a href="/web/20080914045648/http://www.bbc.co.uk/info/purpose/what.shtml">What is the BBC?</a></h3> </div> <div class="infoTextLeft"> <h3><a href="/web/20080914045648/http://www.bbc.co.uk/info/licencefee/">The licence fee</a></h3> </div> <div class="infoTextRight"> <h3><a href="/web/20080914045648/http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/">BBC Press Office</a></h3> </div> </div> </div> <div class="infoNewRow"> <div class="infoHeadBottom"></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="infoMain"> <div> <div class="infoTop"></div> </div> <div class="infoNewRow"> <div class="infoMiddle"> <div class="infoTextLeft"> <h3>New</h3> <div><a href="/web/20080914045648/http://www.bbc.co.uk/annualreport/"><strong>Annual Reports and Accounts 2007/2008</strong></a></div> <h3 class="inpage">About us</h3> <div><a href="/web/20080914045648/http://www.bbc.co.uk/info/running/">How the BBC is run</a></div> <div><a href="/web/20080914045648/http://www.bbc.co.uk/info/purpose/">Mission and values </a></div> <div><a href="/web/20080914045648/http://www.bbc.co.uk/info/policies/charter">Royal Charter and Agreement</a></div> <div><a href="/web/20080914045648/http://www.bbc.co.uk/info/csr/">Corporate responsibility and partnerships </a></div> <div><a href="/web/20080914045648/http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningoverview/">Learning and the BBC</a></div> <div><a href="/web/20080914045648/http://www.bbc.co.uk/info/buildings/">BBC buildings</a></div> <div><a href="/web/20080914045648/http://www.bbc.co.uk/heritage/">History of the BBC</a></div> <div><a href="/web/20080914045648/http://www.bbc.co.uk/foi/">Freedom of Information</a></div> <h3 class="inpage">Reports, policies and guidelines</h3> <div><a href="/web/20080914045648/http://www.bbc.co.uk/annualreport/">Annual Report</a></div> <div><a href="/web/20080914045648/http://www.bbc.co.uk/info/statements2008/">Statements of Programme Policy</a></div> <div><a href="/web/20080914045648/http://www.bbc.co.uk/info/policies/">Full list of reports, policies and guidelines</a> </div> </div> <div class="infoTextLeft"> <h3>What we do</h3> <div><a href="/web/20080914045648/http://www.bbc.co.uk/info/channels/">BBC services on TV, radio and online</a></div> <div><a href="/web/20080914045648/http://www.bbc.co.uk/digital/">Advice on how to go digital</a></div> <div><a href="/web/20080914045648/http://www.bbc.co.uk/reception/">Help receiving BBC TV and radio</a></div> <div><a href="/web/20080914045648/http://www.bbc.co.uk/info/channels/iplayer.shtml">BBC iPlayer</a></div> <div><a href="/web/20080914045648/http://www.bbc.co.uk/info/working/">Commercial businesses</a></div> <h3 class="inpage">Join in</h3> <div><a href="/web/20080914045648/http://www.bbc.co.uk/showsandtours/">Tickets for BBC shows and events</a></div> <div><a href="/web/20080914045648/http://www.bbc.co.uk/showsandtours/">Tours of BBC buildings</a></div> <div><a href="/web/20080914045648/http://www.bbc.co.uk/showsandtours/">Be on a BBC show</a></div> <div><a href="/web/20080914045648/http://www.bbc.co.uk/charityappeals/">Give to a BBC charity appeal</a></div> <div><a href="/web/20080914045648/http://www.bbc.co.uk/showsandtours/newsletters.shtml">Subscribe to an email newsletter</a></div> </div> <div class="infoTextRight"> <h3>Working with us</h3> <div><a href="/web/20080914045648/http://www.bbc.co.uk/jobs/">Jobs and work experience </a></div> <div><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080914045648/http://www.bbctraining.com/">Training courses</a></div> <div><a href="/web/20080914045648/http://www.bbc.co.uk/talent/">BBC New Talent </a></div> <div><a href="/web/20080914045648/http://www.bbc.co.uk/commissioning/">Commissioning and programme ideas</a></div> <div><a href="/web/20080914045648/http://www.bbc.co.uk/supplying/">Supplying the BBC </a></div> <h3 class="inpage">Talking to us</h3> <div><a href="/web/20080914045648/http://www.bbc.co.uk/consumer/tv_and_radio/points_of_view/">Points of View </a></div> <div><a href="/web/20080914045648/http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/factual/feedback.shtml">BBC Radio 4's Feedback </a></div> <div><a href="/web/20080914045648/http://www.bbc.co.uk/messageboards/newguide/index.shtml">BBC message boards </a></div> <div><a href="/web/20080914045648/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/">BBC Blog Network</a></div> <div><a href="/web/20080914045648/http://www.bbc.co.uk/info/contactus/">Contact us </a></div> <div><a href="/web/20080914045648/http://www.bbc.co.uk/complaints/">Complaints</a></div> <h3 class="inpage">All topics</h3> <div><a href="/web/20080914045648/http://www.bbc.co.uk/info/sitemap/">A-Z index </a></div> </div> </div> <div> <div class="infoBottom"></div> </div> </div> <div class="infoNewRow">    <div> <div class="footerTop"></div> </div> <div class="infoNewRow"> <div class="footerAdd"> <a href="/web/20080914045648/http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/promo/click/aboutthebbc/LNPROM38/-/proms"><img alt="BBC Proms, watch and listen again." border="0" width="234" height="60" src="/web/20080914045648im_/http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/promo/display/aboutthebbc/LNPROM38/-/promo/2008/wk38/proms_banner.gif"/></a> </div> <div> <h4>BBC links</h4> </div> <div class="footerLinkLeft"> <ul class="footerbullet"> <li><div class="bullet"><a href="/web/20080914045648/http://www.bbc.co.uk/whatson/">TV and radio listings</a></div></li> <li><div class="bullet"><a href="/web/20080914045648/http://www.bbc.co.uk/a-z/">A-Z of BBC websites</a></div></li> <li><div class="bullet"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080914045648/http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbctrust/">BBC Trust</a></div></li> </ul> </div> <div class="footerLinkLeft"> <ul class="footerbullet"> <li><div class="bullet"><a href="/web/20080914045648/http://www.bbc.co.uk/foi/">Freedom of Information</a></div></li> <li><div class="bullet"><a href="/web/20080914045648/http://www.bbc.co.uk/digital/">How to go digital</a></div></li> <li><div class="bullet"><a href="/web/20080914045648/http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/">Press Office</a></div></li> </ul> </div> <div class="footerLinkLeft"> <ul class="footerbullet"> <li><div class="bullet"><a href="/web/20080914045648/http://www.bbc.co.uk/thefuture/">The future of public service broadcasting</a></div></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>  </div> </div> <br clear="all"/><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" lang="en" id="bbcpageTableFooter"><tr><td class="bbcpageFooter" width="770" align="center"><img src="/web/20080914045648im_/http://www.bbc.co.uk/f/t.gif" width="770" height="1" alt=""/><br/><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif" size="1"><a class="bbcpageFooter" href="/web/20080914045648/http://www.bbc.co.uk/info/">About the BBC</a> | <a class="bbcpageFooter" href="/web/20080914045648/http://www.bbc.co.uk/help/">Help</a> | <a class="bbcpageFooter" href="/web/20080914045648/http://www.bbc.co.uk/terms/">Terms of Use</a> | <a class="bbcpageFooter" href="/web/20080914045648/http://www.bbc.co.uk/privacy/">Privacy & Cookies Policy</a><br/><a class="bbcpageFooter" href="/web/20080914045648/http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbc.com/furtherinformation/">Advertise with us</a><br/> </font></td></tr></table><br clear="all"/><script src="/web/20080914045648js_/http://www.bbc.co.uk/includes/linktrack.js?2" type="text/javascript"></script><script type="text/javascript" src="/web/20080914045648js_/http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbc.com/script/analytics/vs/vs.js"></script> </body> </html>