10 Facts About BBC UK

1. From its "starchy" beginnings, the BBC UK has become more inclusive, and now attempts to accommodate the interests of all strata of society and all minorities, because they all pay the licence fee.

2. The BBC UK introduced the world's first "high-definition" 405-line television service in 1936.

3. The BBC UK developed several computers throughout the 1980s, most notably the BBC Micro, which ran alongside the corporation's educational aims and programming.

4. The BBC UK carries out surveillance on properties (under the auspices of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000) and may conduct searches of a property using a search warrant.

5. Thus, the BBC UK is a major prosecuting authority in England and Wales and an investigating authority in the UK as a whole.

6. In October 1985, the BBC UK announced that it would stop the vetting process, except for a few people in top roles, as well as those in charge of Wartime Broadcasting Service emergency broadcasting and staff in the BBC World Service.

7. In January 2007, the BBC UK released minutes of the board meeting which led to Greg Dyke's resignation.

8. The BBC UK moved much of its radio operations out of London, initially to Bristol, and then to Bedford.

9. Thus the BBC UK was granted sufficient leeway to pursue the Government's objectives largely in a manner of its own choosing.

10. The BBC UK was banned from presenting news bulletins before 19.00 and was required to source all news from external wire services.