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BBC's latest app is a home for its VR experiments
The BBC is forever playing around with new forms of storytelling, but its many experimental projects can be hard to keep track of. A 360-degree video might be published on YouTube and Facebook, for example, while an animated VR tale might launch first on the Oculus Rift before being ported into a standalone mobile app. Bookmarking the BBC Taster website is one way to keep tabs on what's new, but now the broadcaster has launched an iOS and Android app to make its projects more visible and easily accessible on smartphones.
BBC trials a way to explain complex backstories in its shows
Most of the BBC's programming is only available for 30 days on iPlayer, so trying to keep up with long-running and complicated TV shows can be a pain. Want to remember how River Song fits into the Doctor Who universe, but don't have the DVD box sets to hand? Your best option is normally to browse Wikipedia or some Whovian fan sites. To tackle the problem, the BBC is experimenting with a site format called "Story Explorer," which could explain storylines and characters for some of its most popular shows. Today, the broadcaster is launching a version for its Home Front radio drama with custom illustrations, text descriptions and audio snippets. More importantly, the key events are laid out as simple, vertical timelines so that you can easily track the show's wartime chronology.
The BBC wants you to help decide which of its experiments should make the cut
The BBC is getting a little experimental. Or rather, it wants to show people more of the crazy, forward-thinking ideas that it normally cooks up behind closed doors, and which often never see the light of day. To solve this, the broadcaster is launching a new platform called Taster, where it'll be releasing a steady stream of shows and features that challenge its traditional output. Anyone can access the site online and the BBC is keen for people to get hands-on, whether that means signing up for a new version of iPlayer, or watching some of its creative show formats. You'll then be able to submit feedback, and the BBC will use it to decide which ideas are worth developing for primetime public consumption.
