Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

How BBC Wales returned live to 1985

17/02/2025

TVBEurope talks to the team who brought a piece of broadcasting history back to life on BBC Wales last night

By Jenny Priestley

Published: February 14, 2025 Updated: February 17, 2025

TVBEurope talks to the team who brought a piece of broadcasting history back to life on BBC Wales last night

target=_blank title=Share on LinkedIn class=share-linkedin>

Ahead of last night's special episode of EastEnders, BBC Wales took viewers back to 1985 with the return of its Computer Originated World (COW) ident.

The spinning globe was originally created using a piece of equipment called BBC One Symbol Generator Equipment GE6MS/565 which had been sitting in a corner at BBC Wales for the last 10-15 years with a huge label on the front warning that it had failed its PAT test.

Matt Rosser, head of presentation at BBC Wales, came up with the idea of trying to get the COW back up and running for the 40th anniversary and persuaded colleagues David Carnaby, operations engineer, and Mark Davies, senior systems engineer, to give it a go.

We had this kind of vague idea that one day we'd power it up and see if it worked, Rosser tells TVBEurope, but to be honest when people looked at it, they kind of thought, it's not going to run again.

In fact, the COW was almost thrown away when BBC Wales moved from its old Broadcasting House to its new building at Central Square, Cardiff. We had to get rid of huge amounts of old technology, some of it was auctioned off, some of it was disposed of in other ways, but nobody really wanted this COW thing, because it wasn't needed for broadcast and it didn't have any value beyond curiosity, explains Rosser. I brought it to Central Square in the boot of my car and it's been hiding in the basement for the last four or five years.

It's thought the COW hadn't been powered up since the last century, owing to the fault with one of the DC outputs. Unlike most of the BBC's other tech, the power supply design was originally outsourced to a separate entity, while all other parts had been created by BBC R&D. It's testament, I think, to the original design of the equipment that after all those years, the globe just started running almost as soon as the supply was fixed, adds Carnaby.

David Carnaby (left) and Mark Davies The trio were helped by the fact that Davies found the COW's original manual which meant they knew exactly how the globe was supposed to look, but there were still challenges to bringing the COW back to life. The memory EEPROMs in it were only guaranteed for five to 10 years. Once we'd sorted out the power issue and done a bit of dusting off the grime, the thing just sprang to life. It was a real moment, continues Rosser.

The trio faced another problem as the COW was designed for 625 PAL analogue output, and BBC Wales's Cardiff Square is a very modern building. That meant they had to convert the output to SDI. Amazingly, Davies had the piece of kit they needed sitting in his garage at home. I'd bought it as part of a lot and then didn't use it and because I can't throw anything away. I just left it in the garage, so it's been there for about 10 years, he explains.

I brought it in a couple of days ago and left it to come up to temperature. I thought, I hope this works, and luckily, it did. It meant we were able to get the analogue output into a digital format. But then, because Cardiff Square is HD 1080i we needed to put some other equipment on to convert it to 1080i and also to get the picture shape correct because it was a 4:3 device. We were able to change it to 16:9 so that the globe was the correct shape.

As always, there was an immediate reaction on social media with people wanting to know if the COW was live. BBC One England used a file version from an archive recording, meaning BBC Wales was the only channel to run the globe to air directly from the box as it would have been done back in 1985.

For a few glorious seconds, that one device was the entirety of BBC One Wales' output, states Carnaby.

For safety reasons last night we had someone standing right next to the box as it was running, just in case it decided to burst into flames! adds Rosser.

There's also been what the trio describe as a steady stream of people through the electronics workshop at Central Square eager to see it, touch it, watch it and marvel at the fact that it's still alive .

It's possible that last night might not be a one-off return for the COW. Rosser thinks the actual anniversary of the COW's debut is next Tuesday (18th February) which was when BBC One launched both EastEnders and Wogan.

I'm told, there was a rush to get these things built because Michael Grade wanted this to appear on BBC One on that date. The reason it happened last night was more connected with what EastEnders were doing and the fact they were running a flashback programme with their original 1985 titles. I haven't had a proper conversation yet with David and Mark about whether we can run it again.
LINK: https://www.tvbeurope.com/live-production/how-bbc-wales-returned-live-...
See more stories from tvb

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

04/08/2026

Dalet Announces Commercial Availability of Dalia, Bringing Media-Aware Agentic AI to Enterprise Productions

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...

04/07/2026

Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in Dolby Cinemas Across Japan, Presented in Dolby Atmos and Dolby ...

April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...

01/06/2026

Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026

January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026 Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...

02/05/2026

Dalet Flex LTS Delivers Smarter Search, Faster Editing, and an AI-Ready Foundation for Modern Media

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...

01/05/2026

NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to Integrate Dolby's Full Suite of Premium Picture and Sound Innovations

January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...

17/04/2026

Microsoft Previews 2026 NAB Show Trends, Plans

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

17/04/2026

2026 NAB Show Exhibitor Insight: LTN

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

17/04/2026

Vizrt To Feature Newly Introduced AI Keyer At 2026 NAB Show

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

17/04/2026

Cobalt Digital and SineSix Media Partner to Transform Acc...

Cobalt Digital and SineSix Media Partner to Transform Accessibility Compliance into a More Engaging Viewer Experience at NAB Show 2026 Collaboration integrates...

17/04/2026

Appear appoints Mike Burk as Vice President of Business D...

Strengthening Appear's North America team with a new Vice President of Business Development Appear ASA (Appear, OSE: APR), a global leader in live producti...

17/04/2026

Wowza Launches Video Intelligence Framework to Turn Live...

New framework helps broadcasters, streaming platforms, and sports organizations apply AI to live video for monetization, metadata, highlights, and downstream wo...

17/04/2026

VisualOn and Cires21 Release Joint Research at NAB 2026 S...

New whitepaper gives broadcasters and OTT operators independent, codec-by-codec evidence that the VisualOn Optimizer transforms viewer quality of experience. V...

17/04/2026

Blackmagic Design Announces New Blackmagic URSA Cine Immersive 100G

Blackmagic Design Announces New Blackmagic URSA Cine Immersive 100G Brie Clayton April 17, 2026 0 Comments World's first immersive cinema camera f...

17/04/2026

NAB 2026: Vubiquity and Eluvio Showcase Streaming Solution that Significantly Reduces Distribution Costs and Time to Market

NAB 2026: Vubiquity and Eluvio Showcase Streaming Solution that Significantly Re...

17/04/2026

What Makes a Good Marathon Running Playlist?

What Makes a Good Marathon Running Playlist? We asked Xander Dawson, an eighth-semester saxophone major at Boston Conservatory running the Boston Marathon thi...

17/04/2026

Wowza Launches Video Intelligence Framework

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

17/04/2026

PTZOptics and Moondream to Demo Visual Reasoning for Live...

At NAB Show 2026, PTZOptics (Booth N1902) will showcase a live sports streaming demo created in collaboration with Moondream, offering a new look at how Visual ...

17/04/2026

Eindhoven University of Technology relies on Lightware T...

The Eindhoven University of Technology is a research university in the Netherlands spanning 25 buildings, specialising in engineering, science and technology. D...

17/04/2026

Documentary Editor - US, Remote

Documentary Editor - US, Remote Brie Clayton April 17, 2026 0 Comments Documentary Editor April 13, 2026Freelance Video Cameraman - Los......

17/04/2026

Blackmagic Design Announces New Blackmagic URSA Cine 12K LF 100G

Blackmagic Design Announces New Blackmagic URSA Cine 12K LF 100G Brie Clayton April 17, 2026 0 Comments Revolutionary digital film camera brings cinem...

17/04/2026

IAB: Digital Ad Revenue Hit Nearly $300 Billion in 2025

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

17/04/2026

PSSI Global Acquires Beagle Networks

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

17/04/2026

FCC Commissioner Gomez to Speak at LPTV Day at 2026 NAB Show

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

17/04/2026

swXtch.io Introduces the swXtch AI Router for Live Media Workflows

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

17/04/2026

Bittree Returns to NAB Show with Diverse Patching Solutions

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

17/04/2026

Weigel Broadcasting Taps OpenAP for Advanced Advertising Tools

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

17/04/2026

Dubformer and Adapt Power Goalcast Expansion into Global...

Dubformer, the AI-powered dubbing platform, and Adapt, a global leader in AI-driven localization and dubbing solutions, have enabled Goalcast, the inspirational...

17/04/2026

New Mavis Studio App for iPad Redefines Mobile Live Produ...

At NAB 2026, Mavis will launch Mavis Studio, a new live production app for iPad that gives creators, broadcasters, and production teams a powerful new way to bu...

17/04/2026

Avid and Google Cloud Announce Partnership to Bring Agent...

Avid and Google Cloud today announced a multi-year strategic partnership to integrate generative and agentic AI into the media and entertainment industry's...

17/04/2026

LucidLink brings the most complete file streaming platfor...

At NAB Show, LucidLink will showcase how its platform brings content, people and workflows closer together than ever before, with newly available capabilities a...

17/04/2026

Beth Morrison and Moses Pendleton to be Honored at Boston Conservatory at Berklee's Commencement Ceremony

Beth Morrison and Moses Pendleton to be Honored at Boston Conservatory at Berkle...

17/04/2026

Jacob Collier, Jill Scott, and Vinnie Colaiuta to Receive Honorary Doctorates at Berklee College of Music's 2026 Commencement

Jacob Collier, Jill Scott, and Vinnie Colaiuta to Receive Honorary Doctorates at...

16/04/2026

NAB 2026: Appear Announces X5 General Availability, XM Management Tool, and SIx300 Module

Appear ASA (OSE: APR) will announce three additions to its X Platform at NAB Sho...

16/04/2026

CentralCast Deploys Harmonic XOS Media Processor for Public Broadcasting

Harmonic has announced that CentralCast, a centralized master control facility for U.S. public media, has deployed Harmonic's XOS Advanced Media Processor t...

16/04/2026

NAB 2026: Encompass Digital Media Integrates Interra Systems BATON into Cloud-Based Altitude Flow Platform

Interra Systems has announced that Encompass Digital Media has integrated its BA...

16/04/2026

NAB 2026: Grass Valley to Showcase Expanded Media Infrastructure Capabilities

Grass Valley will demonstrate its Media Infrastructure capabilities at NAB Show 2026 (Booth C2408, Central Hall), bringing routing, signal processing, and orche...

16/04/2026

Verizon Readies Robust Network Infrastructure Plans for FIFA World Cup 2026

As preparations ramp up for the FIFA World Cup 2026, Verizon has outlined a sweeping connectivity and infrastructure initiative that will underpin broadcast ope...

16/04/2026

Advanced Image Robotics Joins 2026 MLS Innovation Lab

Advanced Image Robotics (AIR) has announced its selection for the 2026 MLS Innovation Lab. AIR will work with MLS clubs, players, and executives on automated vi...

16/04/2026

NAB 2026: JWX Acquires True Anthem, Adding AI-Powered Social Publishing to Publisher Platform

JWX has announced the acquisition of True Anthem, an AI-powered social publishin...

16/04/2026

Jomboy Media and Fubo Launch 24/7 Creator-Led Channel

Jomboy Media and FuboTV Inc. have launched the Jomboy Media Channel, a 24/7 channel available to FuboTV base plan subscribers. The channel, timed to the start o...

16/04/2026

NAB 2026: Wave Central and EVS Announce SMPTE ST 2110 Interoperability Validation

Wave Central, a Domo Broadcast Company (Booth C2820), and EVS Broadcast Equipmen...

16/04/2026

Tata Communications and Formula 1 Release Race Before the Race, First Film in New Content Series

Tata Communications and Formula 1 have released Race Before the Race, the firs...

16/04/2026

NAB 2026: DPA Microphones N-Series Firmware Update Adds Duplex Gap and Guard Band Access for North American Users

DPA Microphones has released a firmware update for its N-Series Digital Wireless...

16/04/2026

NAB 2026: See Sony's Live Stage Presentations at NAB Show 2026

Sony's Live Stage at NAB Show 2026 is the place to hear directly from the content creators, end users, and technology experts who are pushing boundaries in ...

16/04/2026

Perfect Game and Youth Prospects Announce Broadcast Rights and Content Partnership

Perfect Game and Youth Prospects have announced a partnership covering broadcast...

16/04/2026

National Collegiate Rugby Partners with All Womens Sports Network for 2026 National 7s Championships

National Collegiate Rugby (NCR) has announced a media rights partnership with Al...

16/04/2026

NAB 2026: Audio-Technica Introduces BP350ST-UB and BP350ST-UL Mid-Side Stereo Broadcast Microphones

Audio-Technica has announced two new mid-side (MS) stereo broadcast microphones:...

16/04/2026

NAB 2026: PSSI Global Services Acquires Beagle Networks

PSSI Global Services has announced the acquisition of Beagle Networks, a provider of IT infrastructure and onsite technical support for media and enterprise cus...

16/04/2026

NAB 2026: Blackmagic Design Releases Blackmagic Camera for iOS 3.3

Blackmagic Design has released Blackmagic Camera for iOS 3.3, a free update available now from the Apple App Store. The update will be demonstrated at NAB Show ...