When the BBC’s experimental television service began to take shape in the early 1930s, women were there from the very beginning.

While many continued in established roles across the Corporation, television also created entirely new opportunities. Women worked in production, make-up, wardrobe and as the BBC’s first on-screen announcers, shaping a pivotal moment in broadcasting history. There were also notable trailblazers, including producer Mary Adams, who transferred from radio to television in 1937 and was paid more than all of the newly recruited male producers.

Join Dr Kate Murphy as she uncovers the remarkable stories of the women who helped build British television and explores their lasting contribution to one of the twentieth century’s greatest innovations.

Before beginning her academic career in 2012, Dr Kate Murphy worked at the BBC for 24 years, predominantly on BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour. She is the author of Behind the Wireless: A History of Early Women at the BBC (2016) and co-author, with Michael Carney, of Hilda Matheson: A Life of Secrets and Broadcasting (2023).