ABSTRACT
To understand the role of the BBC in cultural matters and how this is affected by its relationship with the State, it is first necessary to appreciate its constitutional position, its size and the scale of the operation. This chapter devotes to this question, and, incidentally, tries to clarify what 'the State' and 'cultural' seem to imply in relation to the BBC. It discusses some examples are given of the many hundreds of ways in which the BBC contributes to the cultural life of the country and how the output originates. The working of a system such as the relationship between the BBC and its School Broadcasting Councils can perhaps best be seen in operation when matters of high controversy are involved. The essential elements of the independent tradition of BBC broadcasts to schools nevertheless continue with an annual assessment of needs and priorities across the curriculum involving the active participation of the Educational Broadcasting Council and its programme committees.
