BBC Concert Hall Seating

Original seating from the BBC Concert Hall (later Radio Theatre) at Broadcasting House.

Broadcasting House is the headquarters of the BBC. It was the first purpose-built radio centre and opened in 1932. The Concert Hall was the largest of numerous studios and facilities designed for different radio transmissions. Unusually the Hall is designed for a public audience.

The Concert Hall was designed by Val Meyer in keeping with the modernist, now Art Deco, design of the building. Stepped designs with recessed lighting were created in plaster across the walls and ceiling. Twelve bas-reliefs by Gilbert Bayes run along the side walls, classical imagery on the western wall and modern opposite. The design aesthetic was applied across the building. This seat includes the end row plate showing the early BBC logo used across the building, as a floor mosaic in the reception area and in the lifts.

The Concert Hall is a broadcast studio and live performance space for the public. The original capacity was 550, with some removable seating to enable a full size orchestra to perform. The acoustic reverberation of the space is affected by the number of audience members so the chairs were specially designed to mitigate the impact with heavy upholstery to absorb sound.

The first public performance at the Concert Hall was on 15 October 1932. During the Second World War it was used as a shelter and dormitory. Originally intended for the music, the hall has been used to host variety programmes and comedy. The long running shows Just a Minute (1967) and The News Quiz (1977) recorded in the Concert Hall make a feature of the audience reaction with microphones place above the seating. In 1994 the space was renamed the Radio Theatre. It has been refurbished multiple times since opening, removing the original seating but maintaining much of the decorative scheme.