Alexandra Park and Palace Charitable Trust has today unveiled BBC TV 90 at Ally Pally, a new autumn season of events celebrating 90 years since BBC television broadcasting began from Alexandra Palace.
On the afternoon of 2 November 1936, presenter Leslie Mitchell welcomed audiences in their homes with the now-famous words, “This is direct television from the studios at Alexandra Palace,” marking the launch of the world’s first regular public high-definition television service. From those early pioneering broadcasts, television would go on to transform the way people experienced news, education and entertainment, becoming one of the defining innovations of the 20th century.
Alexandra Palace became home to the BBC’s television studios in 1935, where engineers, producers, presenters and performers shaped an entirely new medium. Alongside its studios, the Palace housed BBC offices, dressing rooms, scenery stores, and props and technical facilities, while the East Court housed a fleet of BBC broadcast vehicles.
Many of the programme formats we still recognise today, from cookery, gardening, variety and entertainment, news and even election night broadcasting, revolutionised by Grace Wyndham Goldie, have their roots in broadcasting from the BBC at Alexandra Palace.
For more than 150 years, Alexandra Palace has inspired innovation, creativity, culture and entertainment. Through BBC TV 90 at Ally Pally, visitors will discover the people, ideas and ground-breaking ambition in broadcasting history and the pioneers and trailblazers who shaped it.
Running from September to November, the programme will feature talks, screenings, performances and special events, drawing from the Alexandra Palace Television Society archive. Visitors will be able to discover free new public displays in the East Court, explore new digital exhibitions through Google Arts & Culture and see the Palace’s iconic television transmitter mast illuminated throughout the anniversary celebrations.
The talks will also explore themes including children’s television, women pioneers, education, LGBTQIA+ broadcasting and Black representation, bringing together broadcasters, historians, academics and industry professionals to reflect on television’s continuing role in informing, educating and entertaining audiences.
As part of the season, Alexandra Palace’s Creative Learning team will present original productions inspired by the Palace’s broadcasting heritage, created by the Alexandra Palace Young Actors Company (ages 16–28) and the Ally Pally Ensemble (ages 50+) and the Palace’s newest attraction, SUMMIT Ally Pally Roof Top Adventure will dedicate a day to views of the television mast from high above the city.
The celebrations commemorating the people and the place where one of the world’s most significant technological and cultural innovations first entered public life, will culminate on Monday 2 November 2026 with the unveiling of a World Origin Site plaque in the Palace’s East Court, exactly 90 years to the day that the BBC launched the world’s first regular public high-definition television service from Alexandra Palace.
Emma Dagnes OBE, Chief Executive of Alexandra Park and Palace Charitable Trust, says; “Alexandra Palace has always been a place where innovation meets entertainment. 90 years ago, television changed forever, shaping the modern world as we know it today. ‘BBC TV 90 at Ally Pally’ celebrates that pioneering spirit and we’re looking forward to sharing the remarkable people, ideas and creativity that put Alexandra Palace at the heart of one of the greatest innovations of the twentieth century.”
Kirsten Forrest, Curatorial & Interpretation Manager says; “Alexandra Palace holds a place in the hearts and minds of millions of visitors every year. Through ‘BBC TV 90 at Ally Pally’, we’re inviting people to connect with one of the Palace’s most important histories in fresh and engaging ways. From delving into the archives to shed new light on television’s trailblazers, to talks, performances and digital exhibitions, we want to inspire curiosity, spark conversations about the remarkable role that Alexandra Palace played in shaping small screen culture as we know it. As custodians of this extraordinary building and parkland, creating opportunities for people to engage with our heritage is central to our vision for the future.”
