''BBC London'' is the BBC's regional television
news programme for
Greater London
Greater London is an administrative area in England, coterminous with the London region, containing most of the continuous urban area of London. It contains 33 local government districts: the 32 London boroughs, which form a Ceremonial count ...
and its surrounding areas of the
Home Counties.
The bulletin is broadcast seven days a week on
BBC One
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television b ...
in London and the surrounding areas. On weekdays, three-minute updates are aired during ''
BBC Breakfast
''BBC Breakfast'' is a British television breakfast news programme, produced by BBC News and broadcast on BBC One every morning from 6:00am. It is also broadcast on the UK feed of BBC News channel on weekends. The simulcast is presented live, ...
'', a 10-minute bulletin airs at 1:35pm during the ''
BBC News at One'', and a 15-minute bulletin airs after the ''
BBC News at Ten''. The flagship programme airs between 6.30pm and 7pm each weekday after the ''
BBC News at Six
The ''BBC News at Six'' is the BBC's evening news programme on British television channels BBC One and BBC News (British TV channel), BBC News (UK feed), broadcast weeknights at 6:00pm and produced by BBC News. It is normally broadcast for 30 ...
'' and is usually presented by
Riz Lateef. Weekend bulletins are broadcast on Saturday and Sunday evenings. Lateef became the main presenter of the flagship programme in March 2006, when she replaced
Emily Maitlis
Emily Maitlis (born 6 September 1970) is a Canadian-born British journalist and former newsreader for the BBC who was the lead anchor of the BBC Two news and current affairs programme ''Newsnight'' until the end of 2021. She has since been a pre ...
who left to join the
BBC News Channel
The BBC News channel is a British free-to-air public broadcast television news channel owned and operated by the BBC. The channel is based at and broadcasts from Broadcasting House in the West End of London from which it is anchored during ...
and
BBC Two
BBC Two is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's second flagship channel, and it covers a wide range of subject matte ...
's ''
Newsnight
''Newsnight'' is the BBC's news and current affairs programme, providing in-depth investigation and analysis of the stories behind the day's headlines. It is broadcast weeknights at 10:30 on BBC Two and the BBC News channel; it is also avail ...
''.
Weather forecasts are included within bulletins, presented by either Kate Kinsella or Elizabeth Rizzini. The weekday evening weather forecast is usually presented from the roof of the programme's production base at BBC Broadcasting House or at the location of an outside broadcast from earlier in the programme. Other forecasts are presented primarily from within the ''BBC London'' studio or the BBC Weather studio.
Originally broadcast from studios in Marylebone High Street, the programme moved to the newly built Egton Wing of
Broadcasting House
London Broadcasting House is the headquarters of the BBC, in Portland Place and Langham Place, London. The first radio broadcast from the building was made on 15 March 1932, and the building was officially opened two months later, on 15 May. T ...
in January 2013. Egton Wing was subsequently renamed John Peel Wing.
History
The programme launched on 1 October 2001 as BBC LDN after a major reorganisation of the BBC's South East region, with the London area splitting away to form its own separate region. The previous programme, ''
Newsroom South East
''BBC Newsroom South East'' was the BBC's regional news programme aired on BBC One in the South East. It was launched on Tuesday 28 March 1989 as the successor to '' BBC London Plus'', the South East's previous news programme.
In 1992, '' S ...
'', had gradually decreased in its coverage as certain areas were switched to receive other regional news programmes. Following the launch of ''
South East Today'', a brand new programme for the new South East region, ''Newsroom South East'' was effectively broadcasting solely to the London area for a short while before it became ''BBC London News''.
During planning, the programme for London had been named ''London Live'', also at the time the name of the region's
BBC Local Radio station; titles were produced by the
Lambie-Nairn design agency but never shown onscreen.
The eventual title became ''BBC London'', though the programme is always referred to by presenters as ''BBC London News'', while programme titles were originally ''BBC LDN'': an abbreviation of 'London'. However, the programme has long since been called ''BBC London'' both on air and TV guide.
The area created for the BBC London programme to broadcast to now covers a much more tightly defined area, chiefly Greater London but still including parts of
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire (; abbreviated ''Beds'') is a Ceremonial County, ceremonial county in the East of England. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Hertfordshire to the south and the south-east, and Buckin ...
,
Essex
Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...
and
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and one of the home counties. It borders Bedfordshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Essex to the east, Greater London to the ...
in the
East of England
East is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sunrise, Sun rises on the Earth.
Etymology
As in other languages, the word is formed from the fact ...
region and parts of
Berkshire
Berkshire ( ; abbreviated ), officially the Royal County of Berkshire, is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Oxfordshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the north-east, Greater London ...
,
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire (, abbreviated ''Bucks'') is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-east, Hertfordshir ...
,
Hampshire
Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ...
,
Kent
Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...
,
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire ( ; abbreviated ''Oxon'') is a ceremonial county in South East England. The county is bordered by Northamptonshire and Warwickshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the east, Berkshire to the south, and Wiltshire and Glouceste ...
,
Surrey
Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...
and
West Sussex
West Sussex is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Surrey to the north, East Sussex to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Hampshire to the west. The largest settlement is Cr ...
in the
South East England
South East England is one of the nine official regions of England, regions of England that are in the ITL 1 statistical regions of England, top level category for Statistics, statistical purposes. It consists of the nine counties of england, ...
region. There is also some overlap with the editorial areas of other BBC regions in this part of England. Most of
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire ( ; abbreviated ''Oxon'') is a ceremonial county in South East England. The county is bordered by Northamptonshire and Warwickshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the east, Berkshire to the south, and Wiltshire and Glouceste ...
and parts of
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire (, abbreviated ''Bucks'') is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-east, Hertfordshir ...
,
Wiltshire
Wiltshire (; abbreviated to Wilts) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It borders Gloucestershire to the north, Oxfordshire to the north-east, Berkshire to the east, Hampshire to the south-east, Dorset to the south, and Somerset to ...
,
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire ( ; abbreviated Northants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Leicestershire, Rutland and Lincolnshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshi ...
,
Berkshire
Berkshire ( ; abbreviated ), officially the Royal County of Berkshire, is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Oxfordshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the north-east, Greater London ...
and
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire ( , ; abbreviated Glos.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Herefordshire to the north-west, Worcestershire to the north, Warwickshire to the north-east, Oxfordshire ...
now take an opt-out of ''
South Today
''BBC South Today'' is the BBC's regional television news service for the south of England, covering Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Berkshire, Oxfordshire, West Sussex, much of Dorset and parts of Surrey and Wiltshire. The service is produced and bro ...
'', while most of Kent and
East Sussex
East Sussex is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Kent to the north-east, West Sussex to the west, Surrey to the north-west, and the English Channel to the south. The largest settlement ...
has (since 2001) been covered by the BBC South East region based in
Tunbridge Wells
Royal Tunbridge Wells (formerly, until 1909, and still commonly Tunbridge Wells) is a town in Kent, England, southeast of Central London. It lies close to the border with East Sussex on the northern edge of the High Weald, whose sandstone ...
, which produces ''South East Today''.
Areas that get ''BBC London News'' can also receive overlaps from neighbouring regional programmes which are also well covered-by them such as:
*
Luton
Luton () is a town and borough in Bedfordshire, England. The borough had a population of 225,262 at the 2021 census.
Luton is on the River Lea, about north-west of London. The town's foundation dates to the sixth century as a Saxon settleme ...
,
Stevenage
Stevenage ( ) is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, about north of London. Stevenage is east of junctions 7 and 8 of the A1(M), between Letchworth Garden City to the north and Welwyn Garden City to the south. In 1946, Stevenage w ...
,
Chelmsford
Chelmsford () is a city in the City of Chelmsford district in the county of Essex, England. It is the county town of Essex and one of three cities in the county, along with Colchester and Southend-on-Sea. It is located north-east of London ...
and
Southend
Southend-on-Sea (), commonly referred to as Southend (), is a coastal city and unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in south-eastern Essex, England. It lies on the nor ...
can receive ''
Look East''.
*
Guildford
Guildford () is a town in west Surrey, England, around south-west of central London. As of the 2011 census, the town has a population of about 77,000 and is the seat of the wider Borough of Guildford, which had around inhabitants in . The nam ...
,
Farnham
Farnham is a market town and civil parish in Surrey, England, around southwest of London. It is in the Borough of Waverley, close to the county border with Hampshire. The town is on the north branch of the River Wey, a tributary of the ...
,
Godalming
Godalming ( ) is a market town and civil parish in southwest Surrey, England, around southwest of central London. It is in the Borough of Waverley, at the confluence of the Rivers Wey and Ock. The civil parish covers and includes the settl ...
,
Henley and
Aldershot
Aldershot ( ) is a town in the Rushmoor district, Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme north-east corner of the county, south-west of London. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Farnborough/Aldershot built-up are ...
can receive ''
South Today
''BBC South Today'' is the BBC's regional television news service for the south of England, covering Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Berkshire, Oxfordshire, West Sussex, much of Dorset and parts of Surrey and Wiltshire. The service is produced and bro ...
''.
*
Crawley
Crawley () is a town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in West Sussex, England. It is south of London, north of Brighton and Hove, and north-east of the county town of Chichester. Crawley covers an area of and had a populat ...
,
Dartford
Dartford is the principal town in the Borough of Dartford, Kent, England. It is located south-east of Central London and
is situated adjacent to the London Borough of Bexley to its west. To its north, across the Thames Estuary, is Thurrock in ...
,
Gravesend
Gravesend is a town in northwest Kent, England, situated 21 miles (35 km) east-southeast of Charing Cross (central London) on the Bank (geography), south bank of the River Thames, opposite Tilbury in Essex. Located in the diocese of Roche ...
, and
Sevenoaks
Sevenoaks is a town in Kent with a population of 29,506, situated south-east of London, England. Also classified as a civil parishes in England, civil parish, Sevenoaks is served by a commuter South Eastern Main Line, main line railway into Lo ...
can receive ''
South East Today''.
In 2020, the weekday lunchtime bulletin of BBC London merged with that of South East Today to join forces with the latest on COVID-19 as
BBC London and South East, hosted by the South East Today team in Tunbridge Wells. All other bulletins remain separate between the two regions.
On 18 October 2022, BBC London merged production teams with BBC News at 6 and 10 teams. This resulted in them moving to Studio B in Broadcasting House for those programs. Breakfast, lunchtime, and weekend bulletins continue to produce in a redesigned Studio D of the said building.
Satellite broadcast
The programme can be viewed throughout the UK and Europe on
digital satellite channel 974 on the
BBC UK regional TV on satellite service.
Presenters
News Presenters
Weather
*
Georgina Burnett
*Katerina Christodoulou
*Kate Kinsella
*
Matt Taylor
*
John Hammond
*Elizabeth Rizzini
*Kawser Quamer
Former Presenters
*
Emily Maitlis
Emily Maitlis (born 6 September 1970) is a Canadian-born British journalist and former newsreader for the BBC who was the lead anchor of the BBC Two news and current affairs programme ''Newsnight'' until the end of 2021. She has since been a pre ...
(1 October 2001- 24 March 2006)
*Mike Ramsden (2001–2011)
*
Nina Hossain
Nina Hossain is a British journalist and presenter employed by ITN as the lead presenter of the '' ITV Lunchtime News''.
Background
Hossain was born in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England to a Bangladeshi father and an English mother. Her f ...
(2001–2004)
*
Gillian Joseph
Gillian Angela Joseph (born 20 July 1969) is a British newscaster currently working for Sky News. Joseph is the anchor of weekend editions of '' Sky News at Ten''.
Early life
Joseph was born in 1969 in Coventry, England. Her parents originated ...
(2001–2004)
*
Matt Barbet (2003–2006)
Travel
*Katie Allen
See also
*
BBC News
BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...
*
BBC London
*
BBC London and South East
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bbc London News
BBC Regional News shows
2010s British television series
2020s British television series
2001 British television series debuts
Television news in London
British English-language television shows