[2] When it opened in June 1960, the Director of BBC television was Gerald Beadle, and the first programme broadcast was First Night with David Nixon in Studio Three.

At the heart of the evening was Goodbye Television Centre, a two-hour history presented by former BBC1 controller and BBC chairman Michael Grade.

In March 2013, the BBC and Stanhope formed a joint venture, Television Centre Developments, to manage the redevelopment of the 14-acre site.

[26] This decision was in direct contradiction of the BBC's promise in 2007 that the sale of TVC was a "full-scale disposal" and that it would not be leasing back any part of the building.

[31] The first programme to transmit live from the newly refurbished studios was Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two on BBC Two on Monday 25 September 2017.

[37] An article in The BBC Quarterly, July 1946, proposed a circular design, several years before Dawbarn drew up his plans.

In the centre of the main block was a statue designed by T. B. Huxley-Jones of Helios, the Greek god of the sun, to symbolise the radiation of television around the world.

It was originally a fountain, but owing to the building's unique shape it was too noisy for the staff in the overlooking offices, and there were problems with water leakage into the videotape area which for a long time was directly beneath.

[38] Arthur Hayes worked on the building from 1956 to 1970 and was responsible for the creation of the original 'BBC Television Centre' lettering on the façade of Studio 1.

Demands from Broadcasting House meant that Hayes had less time than he had thought to design a decor for the façade, leading to him puncturing a scale foam model of the wall with drawing pins, and thus the birth of the iconic 'Atomic Dots'[clarify]: there are 26 across the façade of Studio 1, each one backlit and clearly visible at night.

In February 2008, with an amendment in November, English Heritage requested listed status for the scenery workshop, the canteen block adjoining the Blue Peter Garden, and the central building.

[citation needed] In return, the BBC agreed that if it left, the fabric of the building would be restored to its mid-1960s state, and English Heritage would list notable features.

[43] The 'atomic dots' and name of Studio 1, and the cantilevered porch on its exterior were noted as important architectural features of that building.

[44] The department did not consider the other buildings, including all other studios, scenery block and canteen of sufficient special interest to warrant listing.

[44][45] Making the protection announcement, the architecture minister Barbara Follett noted that it was where Doctor Who, Fawlty Towers and Blue Peter were made: "It has been a torture chamber for politicians, and an endless source of first-class entertainment for the nation—sometimes both at the same time.

Notable productions hosted at the centre prior to 2013 include Strictly Come Dancing, Harry Hill's TV Burp, Match of the Day, Later... with Jools Holland, Miranda, The Alan Titchmarsh Show, The Armstrong & Miller Show, 8 Out of 10 Cats as well as big complex live productions such as Children in Need and Comic Relief.

Classic BBC productions hosted at the site include some of Britain's best known television programmes including Fawlty Towers, Monty Python's Flying Circus, Blue Peter, Absolutely Fabulous, the original Doctor Who series and most of the best known BBC drama series.

It briefly played host to the domestic BBC News bulletins while their studios were refurbished in 2006, before becoming general purpose.

The substantially thick wall between Pres A and B was removed and a mezzanine floor constructed to house a larger presentation control area for interactive and children's channels CBBC and CBeebies.

Became a general purpose studio housing small productions such as Points of View, the Film series with Barry Norman and The Old Grey Whistle Test.

The substantially thick wall between Pres A and B was removed and a mezzanine floor constructed to house a larger presentation control area for interactive and children's channels CBBC and CBeebies.

There was no N7, to avoid confusion with TC7, which housed 'big' news programmes such as BBC Breakfast, Working Lunch, and Newsnight.

Television Centre has suffered from power cuts that affected normal broadcasting, but these were not seen as a systemic problem.

[citation needed] One such power cut caused the launch night of BBC2, on 20 April 1964, to be cancelled; programmes began the next day.

The Six O'Clock News suffered severe lighting problems and had to be cancelled halfway through, and the BBC's backup generator caught fire.

Eventually many programmes returned, from different locations: Newsnight was presented from the main news studio with intermittent technical problems.

In 1988, a group of lesbian protestors campaigning against Section 28 of the Local Government Act 1988 gained access to the studio of the Six O'Clock News during a live broadcast.

[66] Newsreader Sue Lawley continued with the broadcast, while co-presenter Nicholas Witchell tackled the intruders off-camera.

[67] On 20 May 2006, during the live broadcast of National Lottery: Jet Set the studio was invaded by members of the Fathers 4 Justice campaign group, causing the show to go briefly off air while the protesters were removed.

[70] On 9 August 2021, a number of anti-vaccine protestors upset with BBC News for "promoting Covid-19 vaccines" attempted to gain access to Television Centre.