A ‘public service’ archive? The BBC’s Written Archives Centre, Caversham

Abstract

The BBC’s Written Archives Centre (WAC) is home to a vast collection of correspondence, staff files, policy documents, newspaper clippings, and scripts dating back to the broadcaster’s foundation in 1922. This is a huge archive, comprising 250,000 correspondence files and 21,000 microfilm reels, as well as thousands of books and other publications. For more than half a century, its collections have been used by academics, graduate and undergraduate students, as well as commercial researchers and members of the public. Recent events, however, have called into question the archive’s future availability to researchers. In this Archive Report, I explore the history of how the WAC was formed, and how subsequently the principle of enabling access to the corporation’s archives was enshrined as a core component of the BBC’s ‘public service’ function. I then highlight several areas where access to the BBC’s written archives may enhance and complement recent historiographical developments in the field of modern British history, as well as reflecting on the detrimental impact that current or future restrictions to the WAC are likely to have.