The team behind the BBC Micro computer will be reunited for the first time in over 20 years in an event at the Science Museum on 20 March.
BBC Micro changed the face of computing in Britain from its launch in 1982. It was a unique project between the BBC and Acorn Computers which brought computers into many schools for the first time. As the designated machine of the BBC Computer Literacy Project, it allowed enthusiasts all over Britain to learn how a computer works and use it creatively. The machine was a runaway success, and sold over 1.5 million units before production ceased in 1986.
John Radcliffe and David Allen, from the BBC, and Hermann Hauser and Andy Hopper, from Acorn, were among some of the key people who made the project happen. They brought their skills together to deliver the project, and then went their separate ways. This special meeting of the Computer Conservation Society will bring many of the individuals involved in the project back together again for the first time since the 1980s, when they will discuss the BBC Micro, the Computer Literacy Project and its technological and educational legacy
The Science Museum co-founded and supports the Society and, alongside the National Museum of Computing at Bletchley Park, will be displaying and running several computers from its collections as part of the meeting: a BBC Model B, a gold-plated BBC Micro, an Acorn Atom, Archimedes and Electron and a BBC Domesday System.
Dr Tilly Blyth, Curator of Computing and Information at the Science Museum, is writing a book about the BBC Micro project, to be published by Macmillan in 2009, accompanied by an exhibition at the Museum.
Dr Blyth said: "This is a rare opportunity to hear about the remarkable impact and legacy of the BBC Micro and the Computer Literacy Project. The BBC Micro helped stimulate the imaginations of a generation of children, and inspired them to see computer programming as a career. This period of intense creativity is a major reason why the UK is now the fourth largest producer of computer games in the world and a major player in the global interactive market."
BBC Micro team at the Computer Conservation Society
Where: North Entrance, Science Museum, Exhibition Road, London, SW7 2DD
When: Thursday 20 March 2008, 2.30pm
See: BBC Micro, Acorn Atom, Archimedes and Electron
Interviews: Hermann Hauser and Andy Hopper from Acorn, John Radcliffe and David Allen from BBC. Tilly Blyth, Curator of Computing at the Science Museum
RSVP: Richard Purnell, 020 7942 4357, richard.purnell@sciencemuseum.org.uk
To attend the Computer Conservation Society meeting, or for interviews, please contact Richard Purnell, Science Museum press office, on 020 7942 4357 or email richard.purnell@sciencemuseum.org.uk.
Notes to Editors
The Science Museum is home to more than 12,000 objects and provides a fascinating insight into the worlds of science, technology, medicine and industry. Hands-on galleries, drama characters and science shows bring to life the past, present and future of human scientific ingenuity. See and interact with major scientific advances from the last 300 years, from original working steam engines to the actual Apollo 10 command module, all spread over seven floors on a site ¼ mile long.
A giant IMAX cinema and exhilarating simulator rides make the Science Museum a thrilling day out.
In addition, the Dana Centre, the Science Museum's annex dedicated to discussing contemporary and controversial science, brings live debates, science art installations, experiments and stand-up comedy to everybody over 18 who wants a thought-provoking night out.
The museum was established with the profits from The Great Exhibition of 1851 and is now one of the top visitor attractions in the UK.
The Science Museum is free and open seven days a week.
