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BBC discovery pages

Below is a discovery of all BBC releases for you to list just the area of interest that you may want. It is divided by catagory and then a link of which format I have at least one item.


BBC - Main catalogue

BBC Radio Enterprises Ltd and BBC Enterprises Ltd, predecessors of BBC Worldwide / BBC Worldwide Ltd., the BBC's commercial arm. Formed 1968 and 1979 respectively, they were a subsidiary wholly owned by the BBC and merged into BBC Worldwide in 1995. In that time, there were companies set up within or structured brands as part of the company to deal with separate parts of the business, e.g. BBC Records for recorded audio. Sometimes written as BBC Enterprise Ltd.

The items shown here are from the "main" BBC Records and Tapes library covering a wide secletion of genres from themes, comedy dramas and others, depending on which format you have selected.

BBC - Main catalogueLink to BBC - Main catalogue - singles
Singles
Link to BBC - Main catalogue - 12 inches
12 inches
Link to BBC - Main catalogue - cassingles
Cassingles
Link to BBC - Main catalogue - CD singles
CD singles
Link to BBC - Main catalogue - albums
Albums
Link to BBC - Main catalogue - cassettes
Cassettes
Link to BBC - Main catalogue - CDs
CDs
Link to BBC - Main catalogue - videos
Videos
Link to BBC - Main catalogue - DVDs
DVDs
Link to BBC - Main catalogue - blu-rays
Blu-rays
Link to BBC - Main catalogue - 4K ultra HDs
4k Ultra-HDs
Link to BBC - Main catalogue - books
Books


BBC - BBC Radio Collection and BBC Audio

A selection of archive collections from across the BBC.

BBC - BBC Radio Collection and BBC AudioLink to BBC - BBC Radio Collection and BBC Audio - cassettes
Cassettes
Link to BBC - BBC Radio Collection and BBC Audio - CDs
CDs
BBC - BBC Radio Collection-ISBNLink to BBC - BBC Radio Collection-ISBN - CDs
CDs


BBC - BBC

BBC Enterprises Ltd, predecessor of BBC Worldwide / BBC Worldwide Ltd., the BBC's commercial arm. Formed 1979 was a subsidiary wholly owned by the BBC and merged into BBC Worldwide in 1995. In that time, there were companies set up within or structured brands as part of the company to deal with separate parts of the business, e.g. BBC Records for recorded audio. Sometimes written as BBC Enterprise Ltd. The items shown here are either boxed sets or imports of items from the main BBC Records and Tapes library covering a wide secletion of genres from themes, comedy dramas and others, depending on which format you have selected.

BBC - BBCLink to BBC - BBC - singles
Singles
Link to BBC - BBC - albums
Albums
Link to BBC - BBC - cassettes
Cassettes
Link to BBC - BBC - CDs
CDs


BBC - Super BEEB

BBC sub label for rock/pop music.

BBC - Super BEEBLink to BBC - Super BEEB - singles
Singles


BBC - Super BEEB-BEDP

BBC sub label for rock/pop music.

Much of this one relates to Radio 1 related records.

BBC - Super BEEB-BEDPLink to BBC - Super BEEB-BEDP - albums
Albums
Link to BBC - Super BEEB-BEDP - cassettes
Cassettes


BBC - Super BEEB-BELP

BBC sub label for rock/pop music.

Much of the output will have some links to BBC TV Top of the Pops.

BBC - Super BEEB-BELPLink to BBC - Super BEEB-BELP - albums
Albums
Link to BBC - Super BEEB-BELP - cassettes
Cassettes


BBC - Super BEEB-BEMP

BBC sub label for rock/pop music.

BBC - Super BEEB-BEMPLink to BBC - Super BEEB-BEMP - albums
Albums
Link to BBC - Super BEEB-BEMP - cassettes
Cassettes


BBC - Language-OP

BBC sub label for foreign language records.

This was the first BBC label available to the public to purchase starting in the early 1960's. To start with, you could only purchase these direct from the BBC. There were shows aired where listeners could follow the programme on the Radio (usually foreign language training shows) and then purchase the record and separate book to accompany it. These could be kept afterwards to continue their home learning.

Later the shows were also recorded for television and the records as well as the books became more widely available in the shops.

BBC - Language-OPLink to BBC - Language-OP - singles
Singles
Link to BBC - Language-OP - albums
Albums
Link to BBC - Language-OP - cassettes
Cassettes
Link to BBC - Language-OP - books
Books


BBC - English Traditional songs - English by Radio

Another foreign territories catalogue to help teach them English.

BBC - English Traditional songs - ETSLink to BBC - English Traditional songs - ETS - singles
Singles
Link to BBC - English Traditional songs - ETS - 10 inches
10 inches
BBC - English by radioLink to BBC - English by radio - singles
Singles
Link to BBC - English by radio - 10 inches
10 inches
Link to BBC - English by radio - albums
Albums
Link to BBC - English by radio - books
Books
BBC - Readings from English literature-RFELLink to BBC - Readings from English literature-RFEL - 10 inches
10 inches


BBC - Pickwick-PWKS

You will find all the US Pickwick label versions linked at the parent company Pickwick International, Inc. Pickwick Records quickly established itself as the market leader in budget-price LPs thanks to its innovative business practices. It was the first UK company to put in place exclusive licensing deals with the major record companies (for many years it was the official budget reissue outlet for labels such as RCA - since 1973 - and CBS.)

BBC - Pickwick-PWKSLink to BBC - Pickwick-PWKS - cassettes
Cassettes
Link to BBC - Pickwick-PWKS - CDs
CDs


BBC - Prestige

These releases were released at a time when the BBC labels were in decline. They contain releases from many middle of the road artists.

BBC - Prestige-PRECLink to BBC - Prestige-PREC - albums
Albums
Link to BBC - Prestige-PREC - cassettes
Cassettes
Link to BBC - Prestige-PREC - CDs
CDs


BBC - Prestige-PRIM

These releases were released at a time when the BBC labels were in decline. They contain releases from many middle of the road artists.

BBC - Prestige-PRIMLink to BBC - Prestige-PRIM - albums
Albums
Link to BBC - Prestige-PRIM - cassettes
Cassettes
Link to BBC - Prestige-PRIM - CDs
CDs


BBC - Prestige-PRST

These releases were released at a time when the BBC labels were in decline. They contain releases from many middle of the road artists.

BBC - Prestige-PRSTLink to BBC - Prestige-PRST - albums
Albums
Link to BBC - Prestige-PRST - cassettes
Cassettes
Link to BBC - Prestige-PRST - CDs
CDs


BBC - Roundabout-RBT

A series based on BBC radio and TV broadcasts, covering a range of subject matter including children's programmes, comedy, dialogue and incidental music.

BBC - Roundabout-RBTLink to BBC - Roundabout-RBT - albums
Albums
Link to BBC - Roundabout-RBT - cassettes
Cassettes


BBC - Gold Label-REGL

A subset of records released as the "Gold Label".

BBC - Gold Label-REGLLink to BBC - Gold Label-REGL - albums
Albums


BBC - Study-RESR

A series of LP discs based on BBC Schools Radio Series and general service programmes relevant to work in primary or secondary schools and in colleges.

BBC - Study-RESRLink to BBC - Study-RESR - albums
Albums


BBC Betamax videos-BBCB

Betamax (also called Beta, as in its logo) is a consumer-level analog-recording and cassette format of magnetic tape for video. It was developed by Sony and was released in Japan on May 10, 1975. The first Betamax device introduced in the United States was the LV-1901 console, which included a 19-inch (48 cm) color monitor, and appeared in stores in early November 1975. The cassettes contain 0.50-inch-wide (12.7 mm) videotape in a design similar to that of the earlier, professional 0.75-inch-wide (19 mm), U-matic format. Betamax is obsolete, having lost the videotape format war to VHS. Despite this, Betamax recorders would not be discontinued until 2002, while new Betamax cassettes were available until March 2016, when Sony stopped making and selling them.

BBC Betamax videos-BBCBLink to BBC Betamax videos-BBCB - anything else
Anything else


BBC Cartridges-RCT

The 8-track tape (formally Stereo 8; commonly known as the eight-track cartridge, eight-track tape, or simply eight-track) is a magnetic tape sound-recording technology that was popular in the United States from the mid-1960s to the early 1980s, when the Compact Cassette format took over. The format is regarded as an obsolete technology, and was relatively unknown outside the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, West Germany and Japan. Stereo 8 was created in 1964 by a consortium led by Bill Lear of Lear Jet Corporation, along with Ampex, Ford Motor Company, General Motors, Motorola, and RCA Victor Records (RCA - Radio Corporation of America). It was a further development of the similar Stereo-Pak four-track cartridge introduced by Earl "Madman" Muntz (marketing and television set dealer), which was adapted by Muntz from the Fidelipac cartridge developed by George Eash. A later quadraphonic (four-channel sound as opposed to earlier more widely used stereo/two channel sound) version of the format was announced by RCA in April 1970 and first known as Quad-8, then later changed to just Q8.

BBC Cartridges-RCTLink to BBC Cartridges-RCT - anything else
Anything else


LaserDiscs

LaserDisc (abbreviated as LD) is a home video format and the first commercial optical disc storage medium, initially licensed, sold and marketed as MCA DiscoVision in the United States in 1978. Although the format was capable of offering higher-quality video and audio than its consumer rivals, VHS and Betamax videotape, LaserDisc never managed to gain widespread use in North America, largely due to high costs for the players and video titles themselves and the inability to record TV programs, though it eventually did gain some traction in that region to become somewhat popular in the 1990s. It was not a popular format in Europe and Australasia. By contrast, the format was much more popular in Japan and in the more affluent regions of Southeast Asia, such as Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia, and was the prevalent rental video medium in Hong Kong during the 1990s. Its superior video and audio quality made it a popular choice among videophiles and film enthusiasts during its lifespan. The technologies and concepts behind LaserDisc were the foundation for later optical disc formats including Compact Disc (CD), DVD and Blu-ray (BD).

LaserDiscsLink to LaserDiscs - anything else
Anything else


BBC Video 2000

Video 2000 (also known as V2000, with the tape standard Video Compact Cassette, or VCC) is a consumer videocassette system and analogue recording standard developed by Philips and Grundig to compete with JVC's VHS and Sony's Betamax video technologies. Designed for the PAL colour television standard (some models additionally handled SECAM), distribution of Video 2000 products began in 1979 exclusively in Europe, South Africa and Argentina and ended in 1988. Video 2000 was presented at the International Radio Exhibition in Berlin in 1979 and succeeded Philips's earlier Video Cassette Recording (VCR) format and its derivatives (VCR-LP and Grundig's SVR). Although some early models and advertising featured a mirror-image 'VCR' badge based on the older systems' logo, Video 2000 was an entirely new (and incompatible) format that incorporated many technical innovations. Despite this, the format was not a major success and was eventually discontinued, having lost out to the rival VHS system in the videotape format war.

BBC Video 2000Link to BBC Video 2000 - anything else
Anything else


BBC - Other BBC

Occasionally the BBC released material which didn't follow the normal catalogue number sequences. The few of these which exist are normally one off's never to be repeated! The main exception is the FAME records found in the albums section.

BBC - Other BBCLink to BBC - Other BBC - singles
Singles
Link to BBC - Other BBC - 12 inches
12 inches
Link to BBC - Other BBC - cassingles
Cassingles
Link to BBC - Other BBC - CD singles
CD singles
Link to BBC - Other BBC - albums
Albums
Link to BBC - Other BBC - cassettes
Cassettes
Link to BBC - Other BBC - CDs
CDs
Link to BBC - Other BBC - postcards
Postcards
Link to BBC - Other BBC - posters
Posters
Link to BBC - Other BBC - magazines
Magazines


BBC - Regional radio / TV

This contains the regional radio and TV releases which weren't issued on the BBC Records labels.

BBC - Regional radio / TVLink to BBC - Regional radio / TV - singles
Singles
Link to BBC - Regional radio / TV - albums
Albums


BBC - Sound effects

Never issued to the public, these records were used by the BBC across the land to add sound effects to their TV and Radio programmes. All EC records were recorded in mono.

BBC - Sound effects-ECLink to BBC - Sound effects-EC - singles
Singles


BBC - Sound effects

Never issued to the public, these records were used by the BBC across the land to add sound effects to their TV and Radio programmes. All ECS records were recorded in stereo.

BBC - Sound effects-ECSLink to BBC - Sound effects-ECS - singles
Singles
Link to BBC - Sound effects-ECS - 78s
78s
Link to BBC - Sound effects-ECS - 10 inches
10 inches


BBC - Sound effects-MP

Never issued to the public, these records were used by the BBC across the land to add music and sound effects to their TV and Radio programmes.

BBC - Sound effects-MPLink to BBC - Sound effects-MP - singles
Singles


BBC - Sound effects-NH

Never issued to the public, these records were used by the BBC across the land to add sound effects to their TV and Radio programmes. Some NH records were recorded in mono, while others were recorded in stereo. All the NH records only contained wildlife sound effects.

BBC - Sound effects-NHLink to BBC - Sound effects-NH - singles
Singles


BBC - Sound effects-SFX

These are a series of BBC CD albums which basically digitised the original BBC sound effects albums found in the main BBC cagalogue.

BBC - Sound effects-SFXLink to BBC - Sound effects-SFX - CDs
CDs


BBC - Transcription Service - CN

BBC Transcription Services (before BBC Transcription Service (no "s"), later BBC Transcription and today BBC Radio International) discs were only made available to overseas radio stations for broadcast purposes and were not made available for sale to the general public. However, in the early 90s many international BBC libraries sold their stocks to the public. Limitation: "Typically BBC Transcription Services pressed 100 copies of each disc only with instructions to the overseas radio network to destroy the disc at the end of the licence period."

Note that the genre of shows available via this label is as wide as the main BBC labels available to view here.

Also, records have been issued home and abroad for many years (the oldest I have has a date of 1949 but they have been issued for much longer!) Unlike most catalogues of records, each side of the BBC Transcription disc has it's own catalogue number - side two normally is one number higher than side one!

BBC - Transcription Service - CNLink to BBC - Transcription Service - CN - singles
Singles
Link to BBC - Transcription Service - CN - albums
Albums
Link to BBC - Transcription Service - CN - CDs
CDs
BBC - Radioplay Music - SRP / TSRPLink to BBC - Radioplay Music - SRP / TSRP - albums
Albums
BBC - Radioplay Music - TAIRLink to BBC - Radioplay Music - TAIR - albums
Albums
Link to BBC - Radioplay Music - TAIR - CDs
CDs
BBC - Radioplay Music (Best of Radioplay) - RPLALink to BBC - Radioplay Music (Best of Radioplay) - RPLA - albums
Albums
BBC - Radioplay Music (Sigs and Sessions) - SNSLink to BBC - Radioplay Music (Sigs and Sessions) - SNS - albums
Albums
BBC recorded programs permanent libraryLink to BBC recorded programs permanent library - 78s
78s
Link to BBC recorded programs permanent library - 10 inches
10 inches
Link to BBC recorded programs permanent library - albums
Albums
BBC - Transcription Service - OthersLink to BBC - Transcription Service - Others - 10 inches
10 inches
Link to BBC - Transcription Service - Others - 16 inches
16 inches
Link to BBC - Transcription Service - Others - albums
Albums
Link to BBC - Transcription Service - Others - CDs
CDs


BBC - Engineering Division

BBC Engineering records were not released to the public.

BBC - Engineering DivisionLink to BBC - Engineering Division - singles
Singles


BBC - Australian

BBC records released to the Australian public. The labels and catalogue numbers are mostly different to the UK versions.

BBC - AustralianLink to BBC - Australian - singles
Singles
Link to BBC - Australian - CD singles
CD singles
Link to BBC - Australian - albums
Albums


BBC - Canadian

BBC records released to the Canadian public. The labels are the same as the UK releases and catalogue numbers are different to the UK versions.

BBC - CanadianLink to BBC - Canadian - albums
Albums


BBC - Dutch

BBC records released to the Dutch public. The labels and catalogue numbers are usually the same as UK versions.

BBC - DutchLink to BBC - Dutch - singles
Singles
Link to BBC - Dutch - albums
Albums
Link to BBC - Dutch - CDs
CDs


BBC - French

International releases of BBC records.

BBC - FrenchLink to BBC - French - albums
Albums


BBC - German

BBC records released to the German public. The labels and catalogue numbers are different to the UK versions.

BBC - GermanLink to BBC - German - singles
Singles
Link to BBC - German - 12 inches
12 inches
Link to BBC - German - albums
Albums
Link to BBC - German - CDs
CDs


BBC - Irish

BBC records released to the Irish public. The labels are different to the UK versions.

BBC - IrishLink to BBC - Irish - singles
Singles


BBC - New Zealand

BBC records released to the New Zealand public. The labels and catalogue numbers are usually the same as the UK versions.

BBC - New ZealandLink to BBC - New Zealand - singles
Singles
Link to BBC - New Zealand - albums
Albums


BBC - Polish

BBC records released to the Polish public. The labels and catalogue numbers are different to the UK versions.

BBC - PolishLink to BBC - Polish - singles
Singles


BBC - Portuguese

BBC records released to the Portuguese public. The labels and catalogue numbers are different to the UK versions.

BBC - PortugueseLink to BBC - Portuguese - singles
Singles


BBC - South African

International releases of BBC records.

BBC - South AfricanLink to BBC - South African - albums
Albums


BBC - Spanish

BBC records released to the Spanish public. The labels and catalogue numbers are different to the UK versions.

BBC - SpanishLink to BBC - Spanish - singles
Singles
Link to BBC - Spanish - albums
Albums
Link to BBC - Spanish - CDs
CDs


BBC - US

BBC records released to the US public. The labels are the same as the UK releases and catalogue numbers are different to the UK versions.

BBC - USLink to BBC - US - singles
Singles
Link to BBC - US - albums
Albums