I do work for the most excellent BBC R&D and for the longest time, this was the home of BBC R&D, kingswood warren. When the BBC decided to shut it down and move all the researchers, engineers, etc elsewhere there was a massive backlash. I do understand why, I mean this was not just a location for R&D but also the spiritual home of R&D. Freeview, FreeviewHD, Freesat, Canvas (now youview), Dirac, BBC Redux, DAB, etc, etc came from here.
However things had to change… The notion of a R&D lab stuck over a hour away from the rest of the BBC in the middle of a super prime plot of land was never going to fly in 2010. I can’t tell you the amount of times I lost the way to Kingswood Warren!
Sort of emblematic Kingswood was of the shift in R&D as a whole towards much more public engagement I feel.
