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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, 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 more than 400,000 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
A woman wearing headphones in the Wales Broadcast Archive

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 be able to view or listen to the broadcasts at the Library’s Broadcast Archive Centre. There are 315,000 broadcasts now available, and this number will increase to 400,000 by 2026.

You can also access the Archive at other locations throughout Wales too. The National Library has opened new sites called ‘Clip Corners’ in other regions of Wales, and will continue to do so in 2024-25. 

If you'd like to search the Archive from home, you can do so through CLIP Cymru. Although you will not be able to watch or listen to the entire collection from home due to rights restrictions, you will be able to search the records and see what's available. 

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

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