BBC North Update

The BBC’s move into its new home at MediaCityUK in Salford Quays is now underway. The move is on time and on budget and will employ around 2,300 staff across a wide range of areas including BBC Children’s, Radio 5 live, Sport and BBC Breakfast. The complex move from both London and Manchester is taking place in a phased way and, with the people moving in next week, staff numbers will reach 500 on the new site.

This is the biggest move in the BBC’s history and, as well as bringing the BBC closer to its audiences and licence fee payers across the North, it represents a significant addition to the wider creative sector and will see the BBC working with a wide range of new companies based in the North in the years ahead.

Over the coming months the BBC is leaving Oxford Road in Manchester, its home since 1976, and this Sunday at 5.30pm on BBC One North West there is a special programme celebrating the shows and stars made at BBC Manchester, from the first Top of the Pops to Dragons’ Den and A Question of Sport.

Already some live broadcasting is beginning from MediaCityUK and on Friday 17th June at 7.30pm on BBC Radio 3 you can listen to The BBC Philharmonic Orchestra live from their new studio home - this is the last in a series of special concerts to mark the move to their new base which have been broadcast across the BBC Radio Network to great acclaim.

For more information and updates on BBC North see the website www.bbc.co.uk/bbcnorth or on twitter @bbcnorth