Morning all

And there we are !  Congratulations to TVNewsroom for getting first picture of the new Good Morning Britain set. Desk it is...

0910 Sunday update: Or, as this official shot reveals, table top on a desk....

Orange is not the only colour

The proportions applied to the ground floors of major buildings, from principles defined by Euclid, executed by the modern greats from Palladio on, and treasured in British banking halls from the turn of the 20th Century, are reflected in New Broadcasting House. Not just to even up with the original Val Meyer building, but to give an appropriate sense of scale on entering the building.

So Director of News James Harding's insistence on a ground floor  "office" has presented an architectural conundrum. The shell is complete - it's being called "a glass enclosure", but to reach the ceiling means it's taller than it is wide, reminiscent of something that needs filling with water.

To make it look a little less like a fish-tank, swirling orange decals - brighter than most bright things on a breakfast news set - have been applied to the glass. Furniture yet to arrive...

Embryonic

Somewhere hidden in ITV-land, the hosts of Good Morning Britain are up and about doing pilots ahead of next Monday's launch. So expect a dripfeed of pre-publicity photographs and interviews. And, this morning, the revelation of the new logo...

I can sort of imagine the pitch: "It's like a speech bubble for the social media generation, with egg yolk connotations - and a hint of guitar plectrum. It says we'll be connecting with you at breakfast, and plucking at your heart strings with the best human interest stories".

• 0840 update: Alternate take, from @blogmywiki: "It's a sunrise - but an anchored sunrise, a new dawn - with a point to make"

Creative carpets

Life continues to mirror art at the BBC, as we await tonight's first episode of the comedy/documentary, W1A.

A member of staff has complained to staff organ Ariel about garish new carpets on the sixth and seventh floors of New Broadcasting House, replacing those just 18 months old, and the appearance of railings around a kitchen area.

A chief adviser to Danny Cohen (how many advisers does he have ?) replies that the changes are in response to staff feedback that the areas in question "did not feel like creative spaces, and lacked character".

"Once the work is completed in the next month, the sixth floor will have a 'Welcome to Television' theme and the seventh floor will have the feel of an outside street scape. The committee also made the decision to change the flooring to give these areas a unique sense of identity and the previous carpet is being re-used elsewhere in the building. The railings around the hot desking area on the seventh floor will be part of 'Albert Square' with the outside of the meeting room branded as the 'Queen Vic'. We want to make our space feel inspiring and creative - a home for BBC Television that reflects our ambitions as the very best broadcaster and producer in the world."

I remember workshops from more than five years ago when we sort of agreed that the BBC was too territorial and impermeable - staff moving between departments found hostility if they walked through "other people's space". All this set dressing is nonsense - especially trying to enshrine "tv" spaces when the future is, we are told, multi-platform.  I try not to be too rude here, but I suggest people will know that the sixth and seventh floors belong to television because they get busy late, finish early and close at weekends.

Bean juice

It looks like the coffee shops of Great Portland Street will not suffer in trade after the departure of current BBC Trust Director Nicholas Kroll. His successor has just been announced - Jon Zeff, who, like Kroll, comes from the Department of Culture Media and Sport. Indeed Zeff was batting for the Department in the last interminable Charter renewal running from 2004 to 2006, as Kroll lobbied for the BBC.

Mr Zeff has had entertaining times at the DCMS - trying to steer Jezzer Hunt through the tricky and eventually unsuccessful Murdoch/BSkyB bid, where Sky lobbyist Fred Michel was being briefed by Special Assistant Adam Smith who suddenly resigned; it all became of interest to the Leveson inquiry. He's also looked after National Lottery negotiations, and is thought to have been involved in conversations with S4C. More recently, he's led on the pastoral pleasures of rural broadband.

On the coffee front, I was idly browsing the online version of f-b.no, the noted Norwegian interior design organ, and spied Jon and parter Ali taking some java in trendy Islington cafe/furniture shop, 2 & 4.

Invitation to tender

A number of media reporters claim to have found "secret" tender documents, inviting bids to deliver a new exterior set for EastEnders.

Let's be clear - the documents are not secret - that's how public tendering works. It's just that they don't mention the word EastEnders. They are headed "Project E20" - the postcode given to the fictional Walford. But it's obvious what the job is - and the tender is explicit in its estimate that the construction value is over £15m.

The successful Architect must be able to demonstrate it is able to meet all of the BBC's key requirements, but in particular the following: 

1) A proven track record of sourcing specialist products needed for visual replication of the on screen elements, including reclaimed materials for project use, or refurbishment and/or specialist manufacture of individual architectural components. Obtaining samples of all, for testing and end user sign off. 
2) Experience of replication, to the highest level, of the “finish & appearance” of weathered and damaged building/structure facades and backdrops for the purposes of television production. 
3) Previous relevant experience that demonstrates the ability to advise the project in general and the TV set designers in particular on best practice for the new construction, and on when to use “scenic” design & materials or traditional building materials such as reclaimed and purpose made brick.
4) An understanding of the unique detailing of period buildings in particular, their construction methodology in order to replicate as original and where to source the materials whether antique or replica, to the quality and quantity required. Explain how the ageing process takes place on a TV production lot and the constraints this places on the build programme.

Penalty spot

At the National Football Museum.

Fit for a king

The Royal Family are very careful about their brand and how it's exploited - things are different when you're dead but not buried. So we have Richard III Fairtrade chocolate, produced in 100g bars for the souvenir shop in Leicester Cathedral. Packaging describes him as "The King in Leicester". Let's hope they've got additional sticky labels if the the bones go to York....

The confectionery is packaged up by The Meaningful Chocolate Company, based in Warrington, who've had to learn a bit about branding themselves. This year, their chocolate "faith-based" advent calendar is largely red - last year's was purple, but through their legal team, they've been advised that Cadbury "own" purple packaging of chocolate in the UK.

Helical rules

Just what Broadcasting House needs - more inane notices. This is a letter to BBC House Organ Ariel.

Could we instigate a KEEP LEFT policy on the spiral staircases in NBH? This might stop the tsks, tuts, sighs, harrumphs and awkward apologies usually seen on the stairways when people attempt to pass. Or make them UP only and fit slides for going down, like the installation in the Tate Modern Turbine Hall a few years ago.

Barnaby Perkins, stills library, BBC Technology, Distribution and Archives (November 6, 2013)

Disco night

Build it big and they will come. The BBC's Election Night philosophy on tv has been all about size rather than quality (at least in terms of set design) since the 1970s. Thanks to the Guardian, we learn that the hub for 2015 is likely to be on the huge sound stage at Elstree, which currently accommodates Strictly Come Dancing. Someone, somewhere is sketching swathes of scaffolding supporting workstations which are supposed demonstrate the awesome firepower of the BBC's journalism, as a background to Dimbleby, Paxman, Vine, Edwards, Maitlis, Husain - whichever combo gets to sit at the big desks.

Madness - perfectly good big studio at the redeveloped Broadcasting House, and plenty of space there on the night - because there is no other story.

Yet the BBC will spend thousands wiring Elstree like crazy, and shipping everyone there for "rehearsals" as cameras swing around on jibs as if we were at some political version of Glastonbury. Value ?

TV design 2

Huw at B & Q...

TV design

No 1 in an occasional series of alternative distracting backgrounds for BBC News bulletins. This features Gina Lollobrigida as Sheba, in a steamy dance scene from King Vidor's 1959 oeuvre, Solomon and Sheba, which I saw twice at the Plaza in Bangor, aged 9. Stayed with me....

Autumn leaves

An acknowledgement last night from Paxo on Newsnight that the "conservatory" set for the previous edition might not have been an unalloyed success.

"If you were watching last night - if you could see through the rain forest which our Australian director imagines to be what a conservatory looks like...."  (11.16 in on iPlayer)

By design

Lord Hall of Birkenhead has clearly developed an interest in interior design, as he progresses round the orange Belisha beacons that mark out the upper floors of Broadcasting House. He's to be a guest judge in this year's awards organised by the Society of British and International Design, championing the work of interior architects and designers, from the UK and around the world.

He'll sit alongside a panel including property developer Nicholas Candy, Theo Williams (head of design at John Lewis) and David Lewis, of luxury yacht brokers, Sunseeker. The awards will be dished out in two ceremonies - one at the House of Lords, and another at the Dorchester.

Last year's overall "contract" winner was Bentley's new head office reception area, by FutureBrand - the sexiest thing to hit Crewe for some time. Will Lord Hall have to declare an interest if HOK enter their BBC work ? Will his own new office feature ?

The way we were

For smartphone users with radio nostalgia - two intrinsically useless products that will encase the monster.

Double glazing news

The original

Contrary to my expectations, Lord Hall starts the new term at BBC Broadcasting House in a modified version of the Entwistle Crystal Maze - and not in the oak-panelled recesses at the prow of the original building.

Various layers of glass now set the "inner" team apart from the "outer team" - an emotional and symbolic setting that McKinsey might recommend for "complexity reduction".  Sages tell me they sometimes pulled in different directions during the darkest days of George's 54-day tenancy as Director General.

Quartered

Bush House no more - the old home of the BBC World Service is to be renamed "The Aldwych Quarter". Japanese owner Kato Kagaku is clearly anticipating a mixture of tenants for the redeveloped 300,000 square feet of offices, and has let a contract worth some £52m to ISG to carry out the works. All four buildings will get a new roof, external clean-up and dedicated receptions. 14 lifts will be replaced - and one new one added. Unsurprisingly, there'll be new toilets.

The portico, main entrance, marble staircases and lobbies will be repaired, cleaned and preserved.

The site was hit by a fire last month on one roof, as workers were carrying out a soft-strip of the buildings ahead of the main contract starting.

What a day !

In the great days of dancing to popular music recordings, Top Rank Suites, like all iconic performing institutions, would save their best lighting effects until the end of the evening.

So it was for the news on BBC1, on its first day of HD output from Broadcasting House. At 10, blue lights played on the enormous pillars of the two storey news-space, and the giant lampshade of NEWS pulsed, as the camera swooped down to Disco Huw at the wheels of steel newsdesk.  I suspect the blue light caused a little flaring on tvs with less than 1080 lines, but then, that's progress - isn't it ?

Higher and higher

Have no fear, meine kleinen Lieblinge. The new BBC News studio is not on hydraulic jacks. Mr Huw Edwards is broadcasting from a subterranean studio at 5pm on the News Channel, with the newsroom backdrop added on a screen rather than through glass. Part of the unfailing contract of honesty with the viewer.  Back to reality at 6pm, I'm sure...

A-team

Some old favourites have re-appeared as presenters on the BBC News Channel this week, covering shifts as the A-team get to practice in their new studio at Broadcasting House, ahead of the on-air move next Monday. Here are some of them prowling round the set-that-looks-like-a-circle but is really in a rectangular box...