The End of the (Oxford) Road.

I worked for ten happy years at the BBC in Manchester, at the regional centre on Oxford Road. At various times, I was involved in regional television news, for Radio Manchester, (later GMR) and for BBC2’s Travel Show.

 

These days, I’m accustomed to being asked back only for social reasons, such as the retirement or landmark birthday of a former colleague. Last week, though, I was invited in to say a few words for a series of short pieces to be broadcast in North West Tonight, just before the building closes for good.

 

For many years, Oxford Road served five related inhabitants; network TV, network radio, regional TV, local radio, and the BBC Philharmonic. Regional TV has been the last to leave, rejoining its former neighbours in Media City in Salford. The site has been sold for £10m, and the building is likely to be demolished.

 

I doubt anyone will mind – it’s an ugly pig of a thing, with no redeeming architectural features. Legend has it that the BBC had massively over-spent on Pebble Mill, its regional centre in Birmingham, leaving a cash shortage for completing and fitting out its Manchester counterpart.

 

But I digress. My final visit was really quite saddening. The BBC’s North West flagship had become a rusting hulk, with a skeleton crew taking care of her before the inevitable trip to dry dock for scrapping. I encountered a few scavengers, too – a team of engineers from BBC Plymouth were looking around, listing items they thought they’d like to have. It was like a bring-and-buy sale of broadcast gear, except no-one was bringing, and few were buying. Apparently, a lot of serviceable equipment will go in a skip, because it isn’t valuable enough to bear the cost of PAT testing. Without a certificate, it can’t be sold. Health & Safety strikes again.

 

But what was saddening was the absence of people. The old joke went, “Oxford Road has closed, with the loss of 400 jobs, and 800 employees,” but it seems less funny now. There had been a buzz about the place, and it sometimes felt like a sort of cultural holiday, with occasional breaks to do some work, but in reality the place had a lot of dedicated, hard-working people, taking justifiable pride in their work. It really was a pleasure and a privilege to be part of that. I wish them all well in their new home.

 

Phil Sayer