Clubbable

The BBC seems to have swerved making staff even grumpier, by letting the BBC Club move into the mothership of New Broadcasting House. 

Senior management have been ambivalent about the Club since the days of John Birt, and the days of dedicated playing fields and suites of bars are long gone. Membership is optional, and there are still a number of specialist societies - there's a Rifle Club, a Golf Society, a Sub Aqua group, a Snow Sports group, an Orchestra, a narrowboat and two yachts. But the principal benefit of membership has always has been drinking at slightly less than West End prices.  

The current bar/bistro for London members is on ground floor corner of Wogan (formerly Western House), and leads to a basement gym. The BBC wants to vacate the building by the spring of next year - and the Club has just announced it will be moving into the ground floor of Broadcasting House itself, in the ground floor area along Portland Place currently known as The Media Cafe. Whether or not members will be able to take spin classes peering over the newsroom floor remains to be seen.