BBC Wales (or BBC Cymru) is the regional branch of the British Broadcasting Corporation for Wales, and is based at Broadcasting House in Cardiff, not to be confused with Broadcasting House in London, which is the headquarters of BBC Radio. The channel debuted in 1964 to much fanfare (snappy, succinct television commercials told the area that "Wales gets its very own TV service in 1964!").

BBC Wales produces television programming in English and Welsh both for the regional opt-out sections of the BBC One and Two network feeds, and for the dedicated Welsh-language channel S4C. Perhaps its best-known Welsh-language programme is the soap opera Pobol y Cwm, which has run since 1974. BBC Wales also runs two radio stations, BBC Radio Wales in English and BBC Radio Cymru which broadcasts in Welsh and is also aimed at a younger audience than Radio Wales. The local television news programme Wales Today has been produced in Cardiff since 1963. BBC Wales also produce the Welsh language news programme (Newyddion) for S4C which combines international and UK news with regional news from Wales.

Another popular locally-screened programme is the drama series Belonging, which as of 2005 has run for six seasons since 1999. An English language programme, Belonging is produced in-house by the BBC Wales drama department and screened on BBC One during a regional opt-out slot from the main national network feed. As with other such opt-outs, however, it is available to viewers elsewhere in the UK via the Sky Digital platform.

As well as providing these dedicated services for Wales, BBC Wales also - in common with other larger BBC regions - provides programming for national consumption on the entire network. It is particularly noted for its drama output, which includes a recent adaptation of Anthony Trollope's He Knew He Was Right and the 2005 revival of the classic science-fiction series Doctor Who.

External link

• BBC Wales