Maida Vale

The original Maida Vale Roller Skating Palace and Club, from which BBC Maida Vale was later created, seated 2,650 people and was proud possessor of its own orchestra balcony.

The Palace only lasted three months however, and for the rest of the decade the building was occupied by a variety of companies. In the 1930s not only was it home to the BBC Symphony Orchestra, but its temporary status as a standby centre of the BBC radio news service during the Second World War made it a target in the blitz. The site had to be completely renovated after taking a direct hit during a raid.

Broadcast highlights

BBC Maida Vale held more than 150 musicians, a choir of over 100 and an audience of 220. Overall, the building housed a total of seven music and radio drama studios.

Outside its classical music remit, it was famously home to John Peel's BBC Radio 1 Peel Sessions, and the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, famed for its realisation of the Doctor Who theme tune. 

A new state-of-the-art studio facility in Stratford east London is replacing it. The original building has been sold to a partnership that includes the Oscar-winning composer Hans Zimmer and film producers Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner.