Strictly Come Dancing Goes HD

October 2006: Strictly Come Dancing joins the BBC HD trial from Saturday October 28 - the first live studio entertainment show ever to be broadcast in HD in the UK.

Jon Beazley, controller of Entertainment commissioning, said: "Strictly Come Dancing is taking a fantastic lead by launching live HD entertainment in the UK. It's exactly the kind of spectacular show we know audiences would love to see in high definition. For the small but growing HD audience, the BBC's most glamorous Saturday night entertainment show just got bigger and even more exciting."

The Strictly Come Dancing trial broadcasts will be the first time BBC Television Centre's Studio One has been used for a live HD show since it was fully fitted out for HD by BBC Resources.

Richard Philipps, BBC Studios Director said: "We're really excited that our new HD and Dolby 5.1 studio facilities are being used for a prime time BBC ONE entertainment show."

Most of this run's Strictly Come Dancing shows and results will now be included in the trial, which is available to satellite and cable viewers with all the necessary HD equipment.

Seven of the remaining nine Strictly Come Dancing shows will go out on BBC HD, simulcast at the same time as BBC ONE, including the exciting semi-final and final stages. Some results shows will run later than BBC ONE on BBC HD, to allow for uninterrupted showings of Into The West.

More information about the BBC HD trial can be found at bbc.co.uk/hd
 

Notes for editors
BBC Resources Ltd is one of the largest production facilities in the UK. The company consists of four businesses, BBC Studios, BBC Outside Broadcasts, BBC Post Production and BBC Costume + Wig. The size and depth of the company’s resources enables it to handle even the largest-scale projects. Major broadcast events BBC Resources has recently facilitated include The FIFA World Cup, Wimbledon, The Winter Olympics 2006, The Election 2005, Live 8, Glastonbury and Children In Need. With a focus on innovation, BBC Resources continually looks to produce technological ‘firsts’ from ground-breaking cricket stump cameras to virtual reality capability. For more information visit www.bbcresources.com

About BBC Studios
A division of BBC Resources Ltd, BBC Studios provides market leading facilities to suit production needs, from SD to HD, live or recorded, complex or simple, 5 star or functional. With sites at Television Centre and Elstree, BBC Studios works with all areas of the media industry and continually invests in the best equipment and facilities to ensure it can offer the latest techniques, reliability and value.

Further information about BBC Studios can be found at www.bbcresources.com/studios

For further information, please contact:

Georgie Hollett, PR and Communications Manager, BBC Resources
Tel: +44 (0)20 8576 2250
Mobile : +44 (0) 783484 5612
Email : georgie.hollett@bbc.co.uk