“The possibilities are almost limitless”: BBC Studios’ Andrew Carley on recent wins – and future opportunities – for BBC Playback

Andrew, it’s always great to catch up. Selfridges launched its BBC Playback range earlier this year. BBC Playback brings the BBC archives to life, drawing on logos and designs from BBC TV channels and radio stations of the 80s and 90s. What made Selfridges a neat fit for what you want to do with Playback?
In terms of profile and visibility, we couldn’t have asked for a better platform to launch Playback. Selfridges has such fantastic connections with brands, music and their in-store execution is unparalleled. The exposure and publicity that is driven from that launch will give us the necessary interest and momentum to build out the brand.

The launch formed part of Selfridges’ ‘Summer of Sound’, with apparel and accessories featuring designs from Radio 1, Radio 2, Top of the Pops, and more – and they look great. Do you see this appealing to those who recognize the brands, as well as those who are simply attracted to the designs?
Exactly – my daughter saw the range and immediately said: “I’d have that”. She’s 21 and has no idea what many of the logos and brands stand for. Not only are we attracting a younger more fashion-savvy audience, we’re also appealing to an age group that grew up with these brands and is looking for nostalgia.

Can you speak to the development of the range, and why certain brands from the archive were selected?
With Selfridges running ‘Summer of Sound’, it helped narrow down the range to music-inspired brands – that included Radio 1, Radio 2, Top of the Pops… The archive is vast, so it was a case of keeping it focused and iconic. Then, as you mention, Selfridges hosted its Summer of Sound event across July and August, with multiple launches and activations across its stores in London, Manchester and Birmingham. So, with brands like Radio 1,Radio 2, Ibiza and Top of the Pops, it’s been a perfect marriage.

How did you sell Selfridges on BBC Playback?
BBC’s archive is both unique and iconic. Thousands of people grew up with the BBC Radio and TV, and this taps into that. Both parties were genuinely excited about the proposition, particularly as it had never been done before. I would love to think that in five years’ time, Playback will be in Urban Outfitters, or Zara, who knows? But I’d love to think that’s indicative of where we could go with it.

We interviewed BBC Studios’ Creative Director David Wilson-Nunn last year about his work with Skew on the BBC Playback style guide here. Does this speak to the power of great creative in unlocking commercial opportunities?
Absolutely. If we didn’t have this creative, this deal wouldn’t have happened. Simple as that. Having David, his team and the relationships he has with creative agencies like Skew has been vital. It’s all very well me thinking ‘We’ve got a lovely archive’ but I’m not a creative; I can’t bring it into life. We need people like David to do that.

Can you talk me through how you decided what makes it into BBC Playback’s wider portfolio of brands? I imagine there are hundreds of contenders!
The archive is vast and goes back 70 odd years, so the key for us is to keep Playback focused right now. We can test different brands, learn, and build out from there. Some of that will come from different buckets within Playback – we’ve got music, we’ve got retro TV brands, we’ve got iconic clips… Ultimately, it’s about identifying elements that connect with an audience, create a point of difference and has commercial appeal.

Currently, we have brands such as Top of the Pops, BBC Weather, Tomorrow’s World, Ceefax, Blue Peter, plus the other music brands I’ve already mentioned. The potential scope of opportunity is enormous.

Before we wrap up, you mentioned earlier that this Selfridges launch is a big milestone for Playback. What can it do for Playback’s wider licensing prospects?
There are two things – the success of Playback will drive new relationships, and this is a proof of concept that we can take to other partners. And you will see us get even more adventurous with what we do with Playback and where we take it – but we need the foundation first. And that comes with this range. I mean, if you take Bluey, we’re already moving that brand into areas you probably wouldn’t imagine a preschool show would exist in. So, the possibilities around Playback are almost limitless.

Terrific. Always a pleasure Andrew, let’s catch up again soon!