Elections and Political Broadcasting

Image: Broadcasting House in central London prepares for its special Election Night outside broadcast in May 2015.

The BBC pioneered the broadcasting of General Elections, first on radio and then on television. Despite resistance from some quarters, how did the BBC bring the mysterious world of Parliament and politicians into homes across the nation, and what does the future hold?

This Elections and Political Broadcasting collection examines first hand testimony from the radio and television pioneers who brought the excitement of election night to our screens and developed the interview and presentation styles that we are all familiar with today.

Curated by Emeritus Professor David Hendy and Dr Alban Webb, University of Sussex.

Invention: 1922-1950
Tuning into the General Election results has become a national democratic tradition, but one that was very much a 20th century invention.
Invention: 1951-1959
The popularisation of television makes its mark on election night.
Invention: Into the future
How politicians realised their television image could make or break their campaigns.
Party Political Broadcasts
First heard on radio in 1924, how have these broadcasts evolved and influenced the public's perception of politicians?
The Interview
How early obsequiousness gave way to hard-hitting face offs
Behind the scenes
The potential pitfalls of a UK-wide outside broadcast wasn't lost on BBC election producers. How did they pull it off?
Broadcasting Parliament
As the TV studio became the crucible of national debate, where did this leave Parliament?
What did we think of it all?
The BBC pioneered the live broadcasting of election nights - but what did the public watching and listening at home think?
Election Timeline videos: 1950-2024
See how election night evolved over the years in our timeline of every post war TV election broadcast.
Who was Grace Wyndeham Goldie?
Quixotic and sharp-witted, Grace Wyndham Goldie pioneered revolutionary TV news formats which are still with us today.
Man and Machine
Expert election analysis, humans V computers – the race begins.
Election Time
Smethick : The racist election.
The Radio Times and the election
Features, listings and analysis - UK elections covered in the Radio Times since 1922.
Picture gallery
Take a peek behind the scenes of past election broadcasts with historic photos from the BBC Photographic Library.
Share your memories
Do you the excitement of election night? Were you featured on any election broadcasts? Share your memories with the Voices of the BBC project.
Background to the project
Frank Gillard founder of the original BBC Oral History Collection explores its beginnings, and Emeritus Professor David Hendy of the University of Sussex explains how it is used in the Voices of the BBC project.

Editorial Note

Elections and Political Broadcasting contains excerpts and programmes from BBC services at specific moments in time. The material should be viewed in this context and with the understanding that it reflects the attitudes and standards of its time – not those of today.

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Elections and Political Broadcasting

Invention: 1922-1950

Invention: 1951-1959

Invention: Into the future

Party Political Broadcasts

The Interview

Behind the scenes

Broadcasting Parliament

What did we think of it all?

Election Timeline videos: 1950-2024

Who was Grace Wyndeham Goldie?

Man and Machine

Election Time

The Radio Times and the election

Picture gallery

Share your memories

Background to the project

Editorial Note

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Rebuild Page

Useful links

Theme toggler