From the first radio microphones to colour TV, to on-demand video and streaming, the ‘Switched On’ exhibition at the Science and Media Museum explores how and why the world of broadcasting has changed over time.

Natasha Kitcher, current doctoral researcher with Loughborough University, has played a very important role in this project, which is part of ‘Broadcast 100’ – the museum’s year-long series of exhibitions in collaboration with BBC that aim to celebrate 100 years of broadcasting, as well as the 40^th anniversary of Channel 4.

She contributed to the exhibition as part of her placement at the museum and took on the role of a freelance curator, which involved researching content for the exhibition, writing online stories, and helping with the digitisation of the BBC Heritage Collection.

Digitising the collection involved photographing diverse broadcasting devices, researching them, checking their condition, and uploading information and pictures to the internet so anyone can access them. Natasha’s involvement included researching and writing information about a significant amount of these objects – a few examples are the Hexacopter (the first drone used by BBC News) and costumes from the early 2000 children’s TV programme, the Fimbles.

Natasha comments on the experience: “It was great for me to be able to get some real-world museum experience and I was lucky that it happened to be on such a big project that enabled me to learn about writing online content and how objects get made available online, as well as how an exhibition goes from an idea to a reality.”

Switched On is open to the public until January 2023. The exhibition is highly interactive, allowing participants to try their hand at subtitling, or even work together to create their own community radio station. Additionally, there are many opportunities to experiment with retro equipment and celebrate iconic moments in broadcasting history.

David Attenborough introduced the exhibition, addressing viewers: “Perhaps some of you will be part of the future of this technology that will help us to get the latest news, transport us to another world, or explore the wonders of our planet in way I can’t even imagine.”

Alongside the physical exhibition, there is also a collection of digital content created for ‘Broadcast 100’. One such article is “Women in Broadcasting”, written by Natasha Kitcher for International Women’s Day. Other pieces include: Television and Radio in the Second World War and Tuning into Childhood.

Switched On is taking place at the Bradford site of the Science Museum Group, the Science and Media Museum, and tickets are free, working on a first come, first served basis. More information can be found on the dedicated webpage.