BBC Maida Vale Studios

The Story

Built in 1909 as Europe's largest indoor roller skating rink, the building on Delaware Road in Maida Vale was acquired by the BBC in 1934 to house the newly formed BBC Symphony Orchestra. It became one of the most productive studios in English history. Here, The Beatles' BBC Sessions were recorded in the 1960s, as well as the first sessions by Led Zeppelin, David Bowie, Jimi Hendrix, and Pink Floyd for John Peel's Top Gear program in 1967. The famous Peel Sessions, which launched The Clash, Joy Division, The Fall, Radiohead, and hundreds of other bands from punk to indie to metal, also took place here. The Dr. Who theme was created here in 1963 by Delia Derbyshire, considered one of the pioneers of electronic music worldwide. The BBC announced its closure in 2018 and relocation to Stratford, but the process has been slow, and the space is still occasionally used. This is one of the most important studios in 20th-century music history.

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