April 2022
·
2 Reads
This chapter introduces the key themes of the book, first by examining the role of the BBC during the COVID-19 pandemic. It shows how the BBC sought to inform, educate, and entertain its audiences during lockdown, and how it became a crucial channel of communication between the government and the nation. It goes on to outline some of the key continuities, and changes, that have marked the hundred years of the BBC’s history. Continuities include the BBC’s intimate connection with the British state and the role it has played in nation-building, in projecting British propaganda and soft power around the globe, and in facing down accusations of political bias. Changes, including a growing commercialization, have been driven by technological innovation and by broader political, social, and cultural transformations.