Finding a studio audience and contributors

The BBC Shows, Tours and Events website can market a show and help production teams find contestants and volunteers as well as musicians, dancers, actors or other performers. If a site with this information already exists it can be linked to from the homepage.

BBC Studio Audiences also provide the following services:

Research and audience invitation.

Design, print and distribution of tickets.

Ensure audiences are looked after on their visit.

Market the show on the Shows, Tours and Events website and through an email database of people who have previously expressed interest.

Phone: 020 8756 1514

Email: BBC Studio Audiences

Please note, there is specific editorial guidance and BBC policies related to the use of contributors or contestants in BBC Programmes. See the audience interactivity section further down this page for information.

There is specific guidance around using children and young people in BBC programmes. Go to the Working with children section for more information.

The BBC Aacademy has produced a BAME talent database to provide expert voices for productions. Visit the Academy site to find out more.

Find out about the BBC ticketing and stewarding code of practice on the policies page.

BBC studios and post production facilities

BBC Studios and Post Production Ltd provide a range of HD TV studios, post production facilities and Digital Media Services to both BBC programme makers and the external market.

Visit the BBC Studios and Post Production website

Phone: 020 3327 7400

studiosandpostproduction@bbc.co.uk

Audiences website

The BBC Audiences website provides online access to audience data for programmes which have aired on linear TV after 1 January 2018. Data is available for network drama, comedy, entertainment, factual and daytime programmes including Nations opt-out programmes.

The site allows independent production companies and BBC Studios teams access to audience information for all the programmes made by their company together with a growing selection of insightful research articles from the BBC Audiences team.

Access to the site is triggered by the transmission of a programme, whether that is a first transmission or a repeat, with new data added after each subsequent episode transmission.

Children’s programmes

Performance data for children’s titles is not currently available on the BBC Audiences website and companies producing children’s programmes for the BBC should get in touch with their BBC commissioning contact for this information instead. However, research articles are available on the portal for companies producing children’s content. Please follow the process below to request an account.

New company accounts

To request a new account please email AudiencesPortal2@bbc.co.uk with the following information:

The company name and ‘NEW’ in the subject line

The name and email address of the nominated company administrator

The individual email addresses and mobile numbers of those requiring access (please note, these must be for the company in question only, individual email addresses for multiple companies cannot be processed)

The name of the programme(s)

The programme UID (as noted in the delivery pack)





Adding new users to an account

New indie users (with or without a BBC Login)

To request access please email AudiencesPortal2@bbc.co.uk with the following information:

Your company name

Your email address and mobile number





New BBC Studio users (with a BBC Login)

To request access please email AudiencesPortal2@bbc.co.uk with the following information:

Your email address

Important: access requests are dealt with on a weekly basis. Instructions on how to access the site and user guides will be sent by the end of the day on the Friday following the first transmission of a programme.

Companies with existing access to the portal can organise individual logins via the company’s nominated portal administrator.

Audience interactivity

If a programme includes voting, competitions, awards, charity services or contestant lines the production must discuss their plans with the Interactive Technical Advice and Contracts Unit (ITACU) to ensure the programme complies with BBC, Ofcom, PhonepayPlus and other regulations.

Read the applicable BBC policy for audience interactivity on the Policies and guidelines page.

In-house production teams can find further information and contacts related to audience interactivity and ITACU on the Gateway website.

Action lines and audience support

Occasionally a programme will raise difficult issues which may require support, advice and additional information for the audience beyond the linear transmission. In these cases the BBC Audience Services team can provide a range of support options including:

Contacting relevant organisations who can provide a range of information and advice.

Drafting online information for the programme website to publish (for Commissioner sign off).

Ensuring the BBC Actionline website points to this for a defined period.

Providing recorded information on a dedicated phone line.

The on-air slide and continuity announcement will normally tell the audience how to go online for the information, or to hear recorded information as the second option. BBC Audience Services arrange this in consultation with the production for the transmission and any scheduled repeats.

Sufficient lead time is needed to organise this support. Commissioning executives will help productions contact the Audiences Services team. This is normally required at least 10 days before the programme transmission.

Audience appreciations, comments and complaints are also handled centrally by Audience Services and collated for reporting overnight on the daily audience logs. These are available via commissioning executives.



Find out more about BBC programme websites on the Online content page.

BBC archives

Please see the Archive, rights and clearances page for information about using BBC Archive.

Pronunciation unit

The BBC Pronunciation unit is staffed by professional linguists who research and provide advice about pronunciations in any language. This advice is free of charge and is available exclusively to BBC staff, programme makers and independent production companies producing content for the BBC.

Pronunciation advice can be given over the phone and via email. When contacting the unit, programme makers are asked to provide programme details, context and to specify their deadline. Scripts should be sent with the required pronunciations clearly marked.

In exceptional circumstances (eg if child actors are involved) the unit may be able to supply spoken pronunciations as digital sound files.

Written pronunciations can be provided in either of two in-house respelling systems:

BBC Modified Spelling (for BBC-internal use, requires a special BBC font)

BBC Text Spelling (plain text, no special font required)

Telephone: 020 361 44700 (for the exclusive use of BBC staff, programme makers and independent production companies producing BBC content)

Email: pronunciation@bbc.co.uk

Please note: if you have a comment or complaint about a BBC programme please visit the dedicated BBC Complaints website.

Access services

The Access Services team provide disability related assistance, advice and support to employees and line managers. Find out more on the Disability section of the BBC Diversity website.

Visit the TV contacts page for contacts in Access Services.

Audience complaints

The BBC's programme complaints process is designed by the BBC Trust to make it easy for audiences to send complaints directly to the BBC. Full details of the procedures are available on the BBC Trust website. If complaints are not made centrally a response is not guaranteed.

Independent producers may also receive complaints directly from viewers and therefore need to be aware of the process.

If the compliant is sent centrally to the BBC the normal practise is for Audience Services to respond to the complainant first. They'll typically consult the independent production company about the response if guidance is needed. If a complaint is made directly to the independent production company they should inform the BBC commissioning contact and provide a copy. The BBC should be informed of all complaints (rather than simply comments or suggestions).

If an independent production company responds the complaint should be answered by a senior figure involved in the production within 10 working days of receipt, in consultation with the BBC commissioner. The commissioner will forward it to be logged within the BBC. Keeping track of a complaint is vital to ensure it is answered within the required 10 working days and that complaints are learnt from and feed through into editorial processes.

Stages for handling editorial complaints

There are three levels of handling editorial complaints:

Stage one: Handling at point of initial contact (normally by BBC Audience Services when it is centrally submitted).

Stage two: The complainant can appeal to higher management or the Editorial Complaints Unit, which is independent of the commissioning/programme making areas.

The complainant can appeal to higher management or the Editorial Complaints Unit, which is independent of the commissioning/programme making areas. Stage three: The complainant may be able to appeal to the BBC Trust Editorial Standards Committee.

Complaints should always try to be resolved at Stage One. However, after two exchanges of correspondence advice should be sought from the commissioner about the next stage in the process.

Fairness and privacy complaints

In fairness and privacy case where individuals retain all supporting material and documentation (including rushes etc) for at least 90 days after responding to the initial enquiry. Should the complainant subsequently take their case to OFCOM, the regulator can therefore request all relevant recordings and other supporting material from the broadcaster to assist their own investigations.

Note: 'fairness' covers any alleged unfair treatment of, or to, contributors in programmes. 'Infringement of privacy' covers the 'obtaining of material included in programmes' and can extend to when the relevant material is re-used in further programmes, in addition to the one for which it was originally obtained.

Fairness or privacy complaints can be made by any person or organisation affected by the programme, or by a third party authorised to make the complaint on behalf of the person or organisation affected.

Find out more about how to handle complaints about Commissioning on the Who we are and how we do business page.