BBC Cymru Wales

BBC Cymru Wales (an amalgamation of the BBC Wales and the BBC Cymru) is the division of the BBC for Wales. Established in 1964, BBC Cymru Wales is based in Cardiff and directly employs some 1200 people to produce a range of programmes for television, radio and online services in both English and Welsh.

Television
BBC Cymru Wales operates two television services, BBC One Wales and BBC Two Wales, which can opt out of the network feed of these two channels to broadcast additional regional programming. These two channels broadcast a variety of programmes in English, including the flagship news programme BBC Wales Today which broadcasts several bulletins throughout the day in addition to the main evening programme.

In addition to these two channels, BBC Cymru Wales is also required to provide programmes in Welsh, which it supplies to the Welsh channel S4C free of charge using the BBC Cymru brand. These programmes include a Welsh news service Newyddion, covering international, UK and Welsh news, and a soap opera Pobol y Cwm, the longest running television soap opera on the BBC.

Radio
BBC Cymru Wales also operates two radio stations covering the entire country. BBC Radio Wales is the English language network, broadcasting various local programmes for approximately 20 hours a day and simulcasting the BBC World Service during the stations down time. Equally, BBC Radio Cymru broadcasts Welsh programmes for approximately the same time and covering a wide variety of genres: a specifically branded youth section C2 contributes to this by broadcasting songs from the pop and rock genres. While off air, Radio Cymru simulcasts BBC Radio 5 Live's overnight programme.

Online & Interactive
BBC Cymru Wales operates its own mini-site on BBC Online as well as providing news and features for other areas of BBC Online. In addition, news stories are also provided for the BBC Red Button interactive service.

BBC National Orchestra of Wales
BBC Cymru Wales employs a full-time orchestra, the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, who give concerts in Cardiff, Swansea and across Wales. The majority of the orchestra's concerts are recorded for broadcast on BBC Radio 3, BBC Radio Wales and BBC Radio Cymru.

History
The first broadcast in Wales was on 13 February 1923 from the radio station 5WA, later to become part of the BBC Regional Programme and in 1939 the BBC Home Service. During this time, the region was served from a variety of bases around Wales. During World War II, the regional services all ceased and broadcast the Home Service from London, although some Welsh content was included. The BBC's Bangor base played host to the BBC Variety Department during the war, although this fact was never officially announced.

The first television signals in Wales came on 15 August 1952 from the newly constructed Wenvoe transmitter. The transmitter itself broadcast the national BBC Television service. The region would gain some significance when, in 1957, the BBC West region from Bristol was established including a small news bulletin for Wales.

The launch of BBC Cymru Wales on 9 February 1964 however provided a service specific for the country. The new service was heavily promoted through promotions (proclaiming that Wales gets its very own TV service in 1964!) and hand-drawn information films using the sound of Welsh choirs to explain about interference from the mountains. Two years later in 1966, BBC Cymru Wales' new headquarters at Broadcasting House in Cardiff opened and the first colour broadcast for Wales came from there in 1970.

Following the end of World War II, the BBC Home Service continued its regional opt-outs, including an opt-out service for Wales. This opt-out continued after the change from the Home service to BBC Radio 4 and paved the way for the full BBC Radio Wales and BBC Radio Cymru services in 1977.

Prior to 1982, BBC Cymru Wales on television provided programmes in both English and Welsh, with the news programme Heddiw and Pobol y Cwm forming the bulk of the latter programming. However, this changed with the launch of S4C on 1 November 1982 as all Welsh programming on both the BBC and the ITV contractor HTV was transferred to the new channel. Pobol y Cwm made the move to the new channel while Heddiw was relaunched as Newyddion.

As the digital age began in the late 1990s, BBC Cymru Wales also expanded their services. The first web pages for Wales began to appear on BBC Online in 1997, including a variety of features surrounding programming, schedules, community events and other stories. The following year, BBC Wales gained additional air time through the use of a late prime-time to midnight opt-out from new digital channel BBC Choice. This lasted until opt-outs ended on the channel in 2001; subsequently BBC Wales opted out of the BBC Two prime-time schedule on digital platforms to broadcast BBC 2W. This latter service closed on 2 January 2009 – prior to the Digital switchover which would have ceased separate broadcasting on analogue and digital.

In recent years, expansion in the number of drama productions handled by BBC Cymru Wales has resulted in the construction and opening on a new studio centre in Cardiff.

Studios
The current headquarters of BBC Cymru Wales is located within Broadcasting House, Llandaff, Cardiff. The studio centre was built in 1966 and opened the following year as a purpose built location to house the expanding presence of the BBC in Cardiff. The centre contained studios for the news programmes, radio space including that used by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales until 2009, and another studio for drama productions constructed in the mid-1970s.

Previously, the BBC in Wales had been located in a converted chapel in Broadway, Cardiff and in temporary accommodation at BBC Broadcasting Centre on the banks of the River Taff. While these studios played host to drama, entertainment and regional programmes, the site was still not ideal. The site only held two studios, both located in the church, and the ability to broadcast film was not installed on the site for several years; film played into programmes from a telecine machine in Bristol or London and film processing for news was carried out by a firm called Park Pictures in Cardiff until BBC processing was installed in Stacey Road.

The expansion of BBC Cymru Wales' drama productions in recent years has resulted in investment for new studios. With the large studio at Llandaff being used for Pobol y Cwm, BBC Wales invested into Upper Boat Studios in Pontypridd to house several productions, notable centred around Doctor Who and its sister productions Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures. Despite the investment in Upper Boat, the studio complex soon became too small to house new productions being moved to the BBC Nations. As part of this decision, it was decided in March 2009 that BBC productions Casualty and Crimewatch were to relocate from their former homes at BBC Bristol network production unit to Cardiff.

As a result BBC Wales built a new studio complex, called Roath Lock, in Porth Teigr, Cardiff Bay. Plans were approved in January 2009 and construction of the 170,000 sq ft (15,800 sq m) site began in June 2010 with the building topping out in February 2011. The site was designed to house the productions Doctor Who, The Sarah Jane Adventures, Casualty, Upstairs Downstairs and Pobol y Cwm, however following the death of Sarah Jane actor Elisabeth Sladen in 2011 and the cancellation of Upstairs Downstairs, these two series will cease to be produced. Production began at the site in autumn 2011 and the site was officially opened on 12 March 2012.

In addition to these properties, BBC Cymru Wales also has properties in Aberystwyth, Bangor, Carmarthen, Newtown, Penrhyndeudraeth and Wrexham and at BBC Hoddinott Hall in Cardiff, home to the BBC National Orchestra of Wales.

Productions
BBC Wales also provides programming for the BBC's UK networks. In recent years, its drama output has been particularly successful, including the 2005 revival of the classic science-fiction series Doctor Who and its spin-offs Torchwood (2006) and The Sarah Jane Adventures (2007). In addition, BBC Wales commissions other drama output for the BBC network from independent producers, such as Life on Mars (2006–07).

In-house productions
The following productions were created by BBC Cymru Wales for broadcast in Wales:
 * Wales Today (1962–present)
 * Week In Week Out (1964–present)
 * Pobol y Cwm (1974–present)
 * Ffeil (1995–present)
 * Newyddion (1982–present)
 * Satellite City (1996–1999)
 * Belonging (1999–2009)
 * The Bench (2001–2002)
 * First Degree (2002)
 * High Hopes (2002–2009)
 * Hospital 24/7 (2009–present)
 * Scrum V (1995–present, known as Rugby special Wales 1971–1995)

In addition to the regional programmes, BBC Wales also produces programmes for the network schedules of BBC Television:
 * Grand Slam (1978)
 * The Life and Times of David Lloyd George (1981)
 * Ennal's Point (1982)
 * The District Nurse (1984–1987)
 * Border Cafe
 * He Knew He Was Right (2004)
 * Doctor Who (2005–present)
 * Doctor Who Confidential (2005–2011)
 * The Chatterley Affair (2006)
 * Torchwood (2006–present)
 * Torchwood Declassified (2006–2009)
 * Tribe (2007)
 * The Sarah Jane Adventures (2007–2011)
 * Top Dogs (2009)
 *  Upstairs, Downstairs (2010 revival) (2010–2012)
 * Sarah Jane's Alien Files (2010)
 * Wizards vs Aliens (2012-present)
 * Casualty (2012-present)

Independent commissions
In addition to the in-house commissions, BBC Wales also commissions other independent companies to produce programmes. These include: For Wales:
 * Coal House (2007–2008)
 * The Wright Taste (2008)
 * Crash (2009–present)

For the UK:
 * Shakespeare: The Animated Tales (1992, 1994)
 * Casanova (2005)
 * The Girl in the Café (2005)
 * Life on Mars (2006–2007)
 * Wide Sargasso Sea (2006)
 * This Life + 10 (2007)
 * Ashes to Ashes (2008–2010, spinoff of Life on Mars)
 * Merlin (2008–2012)
 * Being Human (2009–2013)
 * Rhod Gilbert's Work Experience (2009–present)
 * Sherlock (2010–present)
 * Dirk Gently (2010 pilot, 2012 series)