22 Facts About The BBC

1. The BBC uses a total of 60 servers to encode its programmes for iPlayer.

2. The BBC began its own regular television programming from the basement of Broadcasting House, London, on 22 August 1932.

3. The BBC operates several television networks, television stations, and related programming services in the United Kingdom.

4. The BBC has been successful with the overseas syndication of its television programming.

5. The BBC established its second channel in 1964, and it introduced the first regular colour television service in Europe in 1967.

6. The BBC was banned in Burma after their coverage and commentary on anti-government protests there in September 2007.

7. The BBC has faced accusations of holding both anti-Israel and anti-Palestine bias.

8. The BBC is required by its charter to be free from both political and commercial influence and answers only to its viewers and listeners.

9. The BBC is a quasi-autonomous corporation authorised by Royal Charter, making it operationally independent of the government, who have no power to appoint or dismiss its director-general, and required to report impartially.

10. The BBC has long faced accusations of liberal and left-wing bias.

11. The BBC has faced various accusations regarding many topics: the Iraq war, politics, ethics and religion, as well as funding and staffing.

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

13. The BBC is responsible for the United Kingdom coverage of the Eurovision Song Contest, a show with which the broadcaster has been associated for over 60 years.

14. The BBC services in the dependencies are financed from television licence fees which are set at the same level as those payable in the UK, although collected locally.

15. The BBC has ten radio stations serving the whole of the UK, a further six stations in the "national regions", and 40 other local stations serving defined areas of England.

16. The BBC operates several news gathering centres in various locations around the world, which provide news coverage of that region to the national and international news operations.

17. The BBC uses advertising campaigns to inform customers of the requirement to pay the licence fee.

18. The BBC 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.

19. The BBC pursues its licence fee collection and enforcement under the trading name "TV Licensing".

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

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

22. The BBC is established under a Royal Charter and operates under its Agreement with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport.