Election broadcast archive

This archive contains television and radio output for all British general elections from 1974 onwards, including the 1975 referendum.

The tapes are kept in store, so please tell Kasia Drozdziak or Emilia Vinci exactly what you want to view at least three days in advance so we can have them ready for you.

There are VHS video players and an audiocassette player on level 8 of the Edward Boyle Library. The Library unfortunately has no playback facilities for the reel-to-reel material.

Conditions of use

The following regulations are based on an agreement drawn up between the University of Leeds, the Social Science Research Council, the BBC, the ITA and the ITCA. They must be strictly observed.

• These recordings are kept for the purpose of study and research only by students within the fields of the political and social sciences and history. They are not for general educational purposes.
• The recordings are not to be moved from the Library either physically or by any other means.
• The recordings will only be made available on production of written authorisation by any one of the following: The Registrar, the Chairman of the School of History, the Librarian, the Director of Television, or the Director of the Centre for Television Research, or in their absence, their deputies.
  To obtain written authorisation from any of the officers named above, applicants must be vouched for by a relevant senior member of University staff or by the relevant head of department of another academic institution.

Archive contents

Event	TV coverage		TV recordings	Radio coverage	Radio recordings
1974  General Election	BBC1	ITV	59 Philips video cartridges; 190 reel-to-reel videotapes	BBC Radio 4	37 audiocassettes
1975 Referendum	BBC1	ITV	72 VHS videos	BBC Radio 4	57 audiocassettes
1979 General Election	BBC1 BBC2	ITV	126 VHS videos	BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 3	39 reel-to-reel audiotapes
1983 General Election	BBC1 BBC2	ITV C4	118 VHS videos	BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 4	48 reel-to-reel audiotapes
1987 General Election	BBC1 BBC2	ITV C4	227 VHS videos
1992 General Election	BBC1 BBC2	ITV C4 Sky News	301 VHS videos	BBC Radio 4	9 audiocassettes
1997 General Election	BBC1 BBC2	ITV C4 C5 Sky News	442 VHS videos
2001 General Election	BBC1 BBC2	ITV C4 C5	108 VHS videos
2005 General Election	BBC1 BBC2 BBC News 24	ITV C4 C5 Sky	71 VHS videos

If you would like more information, contact Kasia Drozdziak or Emilia Vinci.