The ‘Beeb’, as the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), is affectionately known, has been part of life in the UK since the 1920s. By 2019 the BBC was reaching an average global audience of 426 millions users per week. Given the BBC’s huge influence, it’s not surprising that many BBC references have entered the English language. Here are just a few.
BBC references in English language
Reithian
‘Reithian’ is an adjective used to describe policies that encourage so-called “high-culture” among the general public. The word comes from the name of the BBC’s first boss (1922-1938), a Scottish engineer called John Reith. While in charge, Reith established three clear principles for what he believed the BBC should do: inform, educate, entertain... in that order! One technique Reith used for educating public taste was to arrange the radio and TV schedules so that popular programmes would be mixed up with more challenging programmes, like documentaries. His approach was praised by some people, while others saw it as patronising. Reith died in 1971, but the adjective “Reithian” remains in the language. One of Reith’s most Reithian statements was: “Give the public slightly better than it thinks it likes.”
Auntie
In the 1950s, a new commercial TV station called ITV started broadcasting in the UK, and brought with it a radical alternative to Reithian programming. ITV focused on entertainment: quiz shows, comedy, and soap operas, all paid for by regular advertising breaks. It was at this point that the BBC got its nickname “Auntie” because it suddenly seemed a bit like an old aunt: familiar, responsible and more interested in education than fun. The nickname led to the expression “Auntie knows best.”
The pips
In 1924, Reith introduced the Greenwich Time Signal to BBC radio. This signal, more commonly known as “the pips”, is a series of six beeps that sounds just before the hour. In the days of analogue clocks, the pips helped people check that they had the correct time. Even now, when satellites take care of our timekeeping, the pips are still played regularly on BBC radio and many listeners find them strangely comforting. It’s forbidden to play the pips in a radio broadcast except on the hour. And radio presenters must be careful never to “mash the pips,” which means talking or playing music at the same time.
Cultural diplomacy
In 1927, the BBC came up with the aspirational motto: “Nation shall speak peace unto Nation.” Reith believed that broadcasting could and should be used to build understanding between cultures. In 1938, the BBC made its first broadcast in Arabic, and programming in the major European languages followed soon after. In 1965, the international section of the BBC was named BBC World Service. Despite funding cuts in recent years, BBC World Service still broadcasts in forty languages and is the largest radio broadcaster in the world. In the lobby of Broadcasting House, the BBC’s central London headquarters, the motto is still on display.