Pulse8 Broadcast 'On Stage' At Television Centre

Pulse8 Media & Broadcast will provide outside broadcast facilities and technical production for the BBC's historic return to live broadcast from Television Centre, London this Sunday evening, 15 November.

In a collaboration between the BBC, Arts Council England and Battersea Arts Centre, Kirsty Walk will introduce BBC Four's 'On Stage: Live from Television Centre', an evening of live theatre with four 30-minute theatre shorts featuring comedy, dance and drama, which combine in a two-hour live broadcast and brings live performance back to the old BBC TV headquarters for the first time in two years.

The Bedfordshire based Outside Broadcast Company was chosen following extensive discussions and assessments between the BBC's production and technical teams, who recognised that the specific and demanding needs of this live theatre and music production could be securely met using Pulse8 Broadcast's new-to-the-UK market HD02 – a full length double-expanding OB Unit.

In particular, the team were drawn to the Unit's spacious production area layout and its ability to handle the huge number of audio sources on this production through its Studer Vista 8 sound desk, which is built into the OB Units sound production area.

Jason Shepherd, Pulse8's Technical Director, said: "I'm extremely proud to be entrusted with the technical delivery of such a landmark show for the BBC. It's an exciting development in theatre for television and it's a fantastic opportunity for us to bring all our technical expertise and resources to ensure a great outcome for a production that is so diverse that it leads to a musical finale featuring a choir, brass band and dancing biscuits – and all the technical challenges that brings."

Paul Musselle, Pulse8's Managing Director, added: "It's a major achievement for us to be chosen to deliver this exciting live theatrical, music and entertainment broadcast, especially to do so from the iconic BBC television centre. As a relatively new provider in the UK market, we're honoured to have such a prestigious organisation as the BBC acknowledge that our facilities and team can deliver such a complex live broadcast and series of pre-records."

Cassian Harrison, Channel Editor of BBC Four, commented: "This project will see live television happening at Television Centre for the first time since the building was decommissioned in 2013. It's going to be surprising, moving and a lot of fun, as BBC Four opens up the airwaves to a range of voices in our society, and new approaches to making performance, that haven't had the benefit of a primetime TV showcase ever before."

Image: Interior of Pulse8's HD02 unit showing production area in foreground and sound production in the rear.

www.pulse8broadcast.co.uk

(JP)