Newsroom South East was the name of the BBC's regional news programme for southeastern England. It was launched in March 1989 as the successor to London Plus, the South East's previous news programme. The programme was in turn replaced by BBC South Today in the Oxford area from October 2000, BBC London News in the Crystal Palace coverage area from October 2001 and BBC South East Today in the remaining area, from September 2001.
For all but the last two months, the programme was broadcast from the BBC's Elstree Studios, near Borehamwood in Hertsmere, Hertfordshire. In August 2001 the future home of the successor BBC London News programme - a new and purpose built broadcast centre on the Marylebone High Street - was used alongside radio station BBC London Live. To provide continuity to staff prior to the launch of BBC London News, the Elstree set was temporarily placed in the Marleybone Road studios for these few weeks, although the smaller space meant that there was only space for one presenter. For the last month the programme covered the 'London' area only, and Newsroom South East broadcast alongside the new South East Today.
Following the 1999 BBC News relaunch, the main bulletin aired between 18:30 and 18:55 after the BBC Six O'Clock News. Other bulletins followed the BBC One O'Clock News and the BBC Ten O'Clock News. Main presenters included Mike Embley, Gwenan Edwards, Gargy Patel, Gillian Joseph, Tim Donovan, Heather Lima and sports presenter Rob Curling. Unlike other BBC regions, the South East never had a dedicated weather forecaster; instead the weather came from whichever national forecaster was presenting that particular day.
Famous quotes containing the words south and/or east:
“The South Wind is a baker.”
—Vachel Lindsay (1879–1931)
“At length, having come up fifty rods off, he uttered one of those prolonged howls, as if calling on the god of loons to aid him, and immediately there came a wind from the east and rippled the surface, and filled the whole air with misty rain, and I was impressed as if it were the prayer of the loon answered, and his god was angry with me; and so I left him disappearing far away on the tumultuous surface.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)