S2E9 Art & Culture: Elaine Bedell on the Southbank Centre

Our enjoyment of an event is heightened simply by sharing it with others. It’s the reason we love gigs, cinemas, theatres - you name it! Indeed, our love of shared experiences is what brings five million visitors a year to London’s Southbank Centre. The centre comprises three main performance venues, the Royal Festival Hall, the Queen Elizabeth Hall and the Purcell Room. Sadly recent global events have put a pause on its programme of music, dance and literature. Elaine Bedell, CEO of the Southbank Centre, tells us how it’s coping in the midst of lockdown and the pandemic. She brings us an insight into how the centre’s offering has changed to cater for an online audience, and how the move to digital has actually increased its audience. In this episode, learn how the emotional attachments we hold for places change with time and circumstance, find out why it’s important to establish a community around your work, and discover why we should never say “but we’ve always done it this way”. Also in the episode we shout out Paul Kerensa’s podcast ‘The British Broadcasting Century’ - listen here.