BBC NI launches Rewind online portal
October 19, 2020
A new website opening up access to footage from BBC Northern Ireland’s archive is now live. Rewind currently hosts a collection of more than 13,000 clips including news reports, documentaries and lifestyle programmes from the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s. Work is also underway to open up more of the archive from the 1980s and 1990s
This initiative will make a large and diverse cross-section of the BBC’s archive publicly accessible for the first time. It is intended to be accessed as an academic and research tool and may also appeal to those who wish to catch a glimpse of what life was like in Northern Ireland, as captured by BBC NI, throughout these decades.
At present, Rewind enables users to view content from the 1950s-1970s – much of it unavailable since original broadcast. The archive includes many of the news reports reflecting the Troubles in Northern Ireland during that period and uncovers a number of forgotten stories from the past. The portal also features some famous faces from Northern Ireland’s history including George Best, Gloria Hunniford and Martin O’Neill.
Rewind users can search through the clips by location, by date or by subject, potentially unearthing stories from their own area, relating to their families or about their own subject of interest.
Peter Johnston, Director BBC NI, said: “This evolving archive resource has relevance for many people, providing fresh insights, forgotten stories and the documentation of Northern Ireland’s past. The teams involved have created an important academic resource that combines the power of new technology and the richness of the BBC’s archive for all those interested in finding out more about Northern Ireland throughout the decades.”