During Britain's post-war period, Television Centre was conceived and
built as the new headquarters for the BBC. Bold and ambitious, its
design made it the largest 'factory for television' of its kind in the
world.
Television Centre became the home of some of Britain's most beloved
personalities and programming--including Doctor Who, Only Fools &
Horses, Monty Python's Flying Circus, Top of the Pops, and Blue
Peter-- and its iconic Grade II listed circular Helios building ('the
doughnut') and atomic wall dots made it a beloved architectural and
cultural icon.
With its closure, Stirling Prize-winning architectural practice Allford
Hall Monaghan Morris (AHMM) was asked by the project's developer,
Stanhope, to masterplan the expansive West London site, to restore
Television Centre's famous spaces as well as opening it up to the public
for the first time in its history.
Thinking Outside the Box tells the story of this reimagining: the
transformation of Television Centre from a sacred site in the national
psyche to a new London destination for living and working, broadcasting
and entertainment