BBC stars look back at 35 years of broadcasting in Manchester
As the BBC begins to move into its new home at MediaCity, famous faces of TV and radio have been taking a nostalgic look back at decades of broadcasting in Manchester.
Since it opened on 18 June 1976, New Broadcasting House on Oxford Road has produced some of the corporation's best loved programmes.
TV highlights include It's a Knockout, Top of the Pops, Mrs Merton, Life on Mars, Question of Sport, Mastermind, Songs of Praise and Dragons' Den.
BBC Manchester has also produced radio favourites such as Women's Hour, Mark & Lard, File on Four and BBC Radio Manchester.
The 800 staff working at BBC Manchester move to the BBC's new northern base in Salford Quays this year.
Sir Jimmy Savile: Top of the Pops"The BBC had a studio in Manchester [on Dickenson Road] which was a disused church and, anything they didn't want to do in London, they slung up into this old church. And, of course, they didn't want anything to do with pop music so that was our place. And it was marvellous until the figures for Top of the Pops go so enormous that the BBC couldn't have anywhere else but London.
"What happened with the early TOTP - nobody thought it was going to be important. It was 'a pain in the neck' it was something that had to be tolerated, all these people with long hair, so the idea of recording it for posterity... which is why they didn't bother to record the early days. Now, of course, the early days would be worth £1m an ounce."
Stuart Hall: Look North/ It's a Knockout"I came to BBC North when it was on the floor with 100,000 viewers and, in desperation, the BBC turned to be me and said: 'Can you present it?' And I said: 'Yes, but only in my own style. I'm a storyteller, I'm not a journalist - I don't deal with hard news. I've got to give the people in the North West stuff that will entertain them; I want to do cooking on television, I want a revolution, I want to start things nobody has done before'.
"It's a Knockout had 15 million viewers every week - and it was produced in a shed. In a shed! We had all the set designers and we'd say: 'Let's have a castle.' And they'd say: "OK lads, we're building a castle.' And everybody got on with their job and it was fantastic. It was such a privilege to work in that environment. I think It's a Knockout today would be a fantastic crowd-puller but health and safety in this country has savaged the life out of everything.
Bbc Life On Mars - News
Yesterday morning, the most surreal story in memory obliged millions of radio listeners, having apparently woken in 1973, to ask the question posed by John Simm at the start of Life On Mars. Am I mad, in a coma, or back in time?
TV highlights include It's a Knockout, Top of the Pops, Mrs Merton, Life on Mars, Question of Sport, Mastermind, Songs of Praise and Dragons' Den. BBC Manchester has also produced radio favourites such as Women's Hour, Mark & Lard, File on Four and BBC
tom's midnight garden though has always been one of my favourites, so vivid - the idea of intruding on an old lady's dream is simultaneously sweet and intensely creepy. the BBC's 'Life on Mars' took this time travelling concept and RUINED IT.
This compelling three-part psychological thriller (recently shown on BBC) isn't exactly a barrel of laughs, but you can't go wrong with John Simm and Jim Broadbent in lead roles! John Simm ('Life On Mars', 'Dr. Who') plays washed up journalist Tom
Europe's orbital freighter has undocked from the space station in readiness for its fiery dive to Earth. Astronauts have filled ATV-Johannes Kepler with about 1.3 tonnes of rubbish that it will
Life on Mars returns on February 13th
RR
Can't wait to see it come back. I was disappointed that the story wasn't wrapped up by the end of the first series. Glad to see they'll finish after two though. I don't want to see a "Lost" style thing where they stretch it out (very thin) to 6 or 7 seasons. It would just end up being "another cop show" that just happens to be set in the past, with only a couple of minutes each episode dedicated to the ultimate goal of telling the story.
Funny vdo of Philip Glenister at BBC Manc reception as Tufty the squirrel, during Life on Mars shoot (strong language!) 
RT : No more BBC Oxford Rd, Manchester. The home of LIFE ON MARS. Properly, properly sad about this.
I have yet to see any US adoption of BBC properties/ideas that aren't shit, except Life on Mars.
RT : No more BBC Oxford Rd, Manchester. The home of LIFE ON MARS. Properly, properly sad about this.
RT : No more BBC Oxford Rd, Manchester. The home of LIFE ON MARS. Properly, properly sad about this.Bbc Life On Mars - Bookshelf
Television dramatic dialogue, a sociolinguistic study
This chapter focuses on a British-made show first broadcast on the BBC (Life on Mars, BBC 2006–2008), and the next focuses on an American series (House, ...Life on Mars?: Shmoop Music Guide
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The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror 21
At the end of the disappointing second season of the BBC's Life on Mars sequel, Ashes to Ashes, Alex Drake (Keeley Hawes) apparently returned to 2008 after ...Day-to-day Note Directory
BBC - Drama - Life On Mars
The official website for the BBC Drama Life On Mars. Get the inside story on the show's production, find out who's who, play the 1970s quizzes, and ...
BBC America - Life On Mars
BBCA on Twitter. Top Gear on Facebook. Top Gear on Twitter. Anglophenia on Twitter ... accept the terms and conditions. © 2010 BBC Worldwide Americas Inc. ...
Life on Mars (TV series) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Life on Mars is a British science fiction/police procedural drama television series. It was first broadcast on BBC One between January 2006 and ...
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Scientists have found "intriguing" new evidence that may indicate there is life on Mars. ... Photosynthesis is the starting point for nearly all life on Earth ...
BBC - Drama - Life On Mars - series 2
Life On Mars has concluded and finally the mystery of Sam's time-travelling has been revealed! ... Tuesday 13th Febuary 2007, 9pm, BBC ONE. Despite eerie visions of 2006, ...