Some days ago I went with a party on a tour of the most famous TV Headquarters in the world.
The tour lasted about 2 hours in which time we had the opportunity of glimpsing what went on
in various studios and newsrooms. Among the numerous statistics thrown at us we learned
that, for instance, 8000 people were employed in the vast complex that makes up the BBC Television
Centre at Shepherd's Bush. We were also told that the BBC News is the largest news gathering
service in the world. The people who read the news work in shifts of about 10 hours so have much
more to do than just being in front of camera
There are 8 BBC Television Channels which includes BBC News 24 (voted the News Channel of
the Year), and has been on air continuously for the past six years without a break. The most
remembered item of the week, though, was when viewers to the
Newsnight programme caught
sight of a Ghanaian lady, Nan Amoatin, drifting by in the background, with a tea tray balanced
on her head. It improves her posture, but it also brings star status to a former nonentity.