A look behind the scenes: over the past century, Berlin has often been at the centre of attention of BBC reportage. From Dietrich to Bowie and Weimar to the GDR, Berlin has captured the attention and imagination of people around the world. The students of the Centre for British Studies at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin will host an event on Friday, the 2nd of June 2023 at 16:00. The event, Sound and Vision: 100 Years of the BBC in Berlin, will connect Berlin’s past and present through the lens of radio and reportage of the BBC.

In celebration of the BBC’s centenary, the Centre for British Studies invites you on an exploration of historic events of Berlin’s last 100 years, as depicted in the BBC coverage. The event will include the screening of the short documentary “Berlin though the Lens of the BBC: A Century of Reporting and Reflection”, a panel discussion, an exhibition, a podcast “GBZ Rundfunk Retrospective”, and more.

The panel discussion will feature four scholars who research and specialise in the history of the BBC’s influence on radio and music in Berlin: Dr. Will Studdert (University of Hamburg), Dr. Emily Oliver (Magdalen College School, Oxford), Dr. Sydney Hutchinson (Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin), and Professor Kate Lacey (University of Sussex). With their help, the students from the Centre will guide the visitors on the BBC’s coverage of Berlin during the interwar period, the war years, and the Cold War through the eyes and insights of scholars, politicians, journalists, and ordinary Berliners with lived experience of the city’s history.

The event will run in a hybrid format and be live-streamed to virtual attendees at 16:00. Attendees are welcome to join the live Q&A session at the end of the event. Please use this link to register for the event. When registering please state if you wish to attend in person or via Zoom.