Wales Broadcast Archive

The Wales Broadcast Archive is the first national broadcast archive in the UK.

With support from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and the Welsh Government, and in partnership with major broadcasters in Wales and the Wales Millennium Centre, the National Library of Wales has brought together the archives of BBC Wales, ITV Wales and S4C to give access more than a century of television and radio.

This archive of around 550,000 broadcasts includes:

• programmes from the early days of BBC broadcasting in Wales during the 1920s,
• the first commercial broadcast by TWW, the establishment of Harlech Television, the age of HTV Wales and ITV Cymru Wales, and
• the launch of S4C, the first Welsh language tv channel

Where can I access the Wales Broadcast Archive?

You can access the Wales Broadcast Archive at the National Library of Wales building in Aberystwyth.

Once you’ve registered as a reader, you’ll have full access to the Archive at the National Library in Aberystwyth or in Clip Corners throughout Wales. 

The Watch and Listen section of our website features more than 13,000 broadcasts which can be accessed online from anywhere, and you can search the entire collection before visiting the Library in Aberystwyth or your nearest Clip Corner.

What will I be able to do with the Broadcast Archive?

As well as viewing and listening to the vast amount of television and radio material at Broadcast Archive Centres and Clip Corners, there are opportunities to participate in an extensive programme of activities. These include activities based on local history, sharing memories, creative use, education, learning the Welsh language and enhancing information about the Archive.

Please get in touch with us if you’re interested in what the programme has to offer.

For more information on the Wales Broadcast Archive, please contact our Enquiries Service