Ian Forrester, a member of the BBC’s R&D Advisory Team, focuses on open innovation and disruptive opportunities, working with startups and early adopters. With a history at the BBC World Service, Ian’s role evolved from traditional news development to anticipating future broadcasting and Internet challenges. His team addresses core issues relevant to public service broadcasters, emphasizing the importance of forward-thinking and exploring new technologies. Known in the digital scene, Ian’s innovative approach and his involvement in projects like BBC’s Micro and Webwise initiatives highlight his commitment to public education and digital advancement.
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I spent a lot of time, well, I first started the BBC in the World Service, which is a news outlet side of the BBC. And it was always a cycle where you go into work, you work on stuff, and I was in the development team. But when it came to four o’clock, there was a massive rush, getting the stories out, getting them out to the right places, is it done, is the editor happy, all that stuff. And I have worked at newspapers as well, so I know that cycle. You don’t have time to sit there and think about, what does this mean in like two, three, four, five years time? That’s what R&D, so that’s what R&D department does. And the advisory team focuses on some of the kind of core issues that are relevant to the future of broadcasting, the future of the BBC and the future of all public entities when it comes to the internet.
