BBC Choice (PatrZDZ's vision)

**BBC Choice** is a British free-to-air television channel which is operated under a joint venture between the BBC and Flextech and was launched on 23 September 1998. It was the first British TV channel to broadcast exclusively in digital format. BBC Choice mainly exists to supplement existing programming on BBC One and Two, with some low-profile original programming of its own. It broadcasts every day from 19:00 to around 04:00, timesharing with CBBC (which starts at 07:00).

## History

When BBC Choice launched, no digital TV receivers were available to the general public as Sky Digital and ONdigital had not yet launched. Instead, the launch programme was broadcast over the internet, with the first day's schedule including a Tomorrow's World guide to digital television and repeats of the very first episodes of EastEnders and Monty Python's Flying Circus.

BBC Choice initially broadcast from 5 pm daily; this later switched to 7 pm.

### Children's programming

BBC Choice also aired children's programmes; this duty transferred to CBBC Channel and CBeebies when they launched on 11 February 2002.

For the first year of BBC Choice, children's programming would air on weekend afternoons as CBBC Choice, and included strands like 'Dog & Dinosaur', 'The Crew Room', 'L&K Replay' and 'Re:Peter'. From 29 November 1999, this was supplanted with a daily CBBC on Choice strand, running from 6 am to 7 pm every day, for programmes aimed at pre-school children, with presentation links pre-recorded by a CBBC presenter. It included repeats of archive shows rarely seen on the main channels, such as the first few series of Bodger & Badger (aka the ones with the full length theme tune), Mr Benn, Paddington, Simon and the Witch, Ivor the Engine, Jonny Briggs, Pigeon Street, and Bitsa. This continued until February 2002, when the CBBC and CBeebies channels launched, with the CBBC channel taking up BBC Choice's daytime broadcast bandwidth, but occupying a separate EPG position.

## BBC Choice HD

A high-definition version of BBC Choice launched on 10 December 2013 along with high-definition versions of BBC Knowledge, BBC News 24, CBBC and CBeebies.

## Programming

The main format of the channel is a mix of BBC One and Two programming as well as original programming such as Backstage, broadcast live each weeknight, which takes viewers behind the scenes of different parts of the BBC. The channel also provides exclusive coverage of music festivals such as Glastonbury and extended live coverage of sport, when either BBC One or Two have to end their coverage early or their schedules are unable to provide live sport action.

BBC Choice also introduced an innovative programme format known as 'Hotlink', which expanded on popular shows. Examples include Watchdog Extra, where viewers can contact the show by phone or e-mail with either questions or feedback on the issues discussed. Crimewatch Extra provides follow-up detail on the cases involved in the main programme, and Row Z is a football discussion forum that airs after Match of the Day finished on BBC One.

### Regional variations

BBC Choice has a seperate regional opt-out for Wales, which is broadcast in place of the network BBC Choice service from 10 pm to circa midnight nightly. The regional variations of Choice in Scotland and Northern Ireland were discontinued in 2016.