BBC announces 'Digital Revolution' documentary

World wide web inventor Tim Berners-Lee involved in 'Digital Revolution' documentary with BBC and Open University
World wide web inventor Tim Berners-Lee involved in 'Digital Revolution' documentary with BBC and Open University

BBC Two is to mark the 20th anniversary of the world wide web by producing a groundbreaking 'open source' documentary in association with web inventor Sir Tim Berners-Lee.

The project is currently being referred to as "Digital Revolution", and is described as an "ambitious new project that will explore the profound impact of [Berners-Lee's] seminal invention on almost every facet of our lives."

What does sound potentially "ground-breaking" is the fact that the producers are employing an "open source approach" to the production process, giving "web users early access to programme content by making their rushes available online and sharing some of their key arguments, inviting comment, input and story leads from the web community."

Profound societal change

"After 20 years of tumultuous innovation, now feels like the right time for us to take stock of the profound change our society has undergone since the birth of the web," said George Entwistle, Controller at BBC Knowledge Commissioning

"I'm delighted the BBC audience will have the opportunity to play a pivotal role in the creation of this project, and I'm really looking forward to seeing it unfold online in the months leading up to TV transmission."

For more – and to follow the progress of this intriguing-sounding internet documentary - keep your browser pointed towards bbc.co.uk/digitalrevolution.

"The production team is committed to being as open as possible in a way that may have far-reaching consequences for the way that TV is produced in the future," said another BBC rep.

The four-part documentary series will be aired next year on BBC Two and is a co-production with the Open University.

Adam Hartley