HKCD 306/1
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198
FROM THE MANAGING DIRECTOR
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Mr Fostmian Wall
Ali
Mr Murray
FA W 191,
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PS
M. Mcrey HILD
Info Dept
It Advice please
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RS
BBC
WORLD
SERVICE
BRITISH BROADCASTING CORPORATION
BUSH HOUSE
PO BOX 76, STRAND
LONDON WC2B 4PH
TELEPHONE: 01-257 2057/2618
TELEX: 265781 FAX: 01-379 6841
18th January, 1989
Dien für Geoffer
I know you will be pleased to hear that we have just heard from China Central Television that our TV co-production with their Education Department "Follow Me to Science" has, after many vicissitudes, been scheduled for transmission from 28th February.
Barbara Goldsmid, Head of BBC English (this is a new name for our former English by Radio and Television department), will be going out to Peking for the press conference on 24th February
(via Ulan Bator where, as you may know, the Ambassador reports that "Follow Me" is enjoying a great success and Mongolian TV wants more).
This
You may be interested to have some of the details of how this has come about and in particular, to know more of the exceptional role of the Croucher Foundation of Hong Kong in this In 1984, the extraordinary success in China of "Follow Me" led China Central Television to propose to BBC English a co-production teaching English for science and technology. posed a financial problem for BBC World Service, as the television operation of BBC English has to be self-financing and CCTV could not do more than pay its own costs. Impressed by the impact of "Follow Me", however, Lord Todd, Lord Butterfield and the other trustees of the Croucher Foundation of Hong Kong, with the support of the late Governor, Sir Edward Youde, took a remarkably imaginative and generous decision to provide £600,000 to enable the BBC to participate in the project.
The Croucher Foundation's remit is to support the study of science and technology in Hong Kong and China and encourage collaboration between Hong Kong and the PRC. Its funds are normally devoted to conventional projects - research, scholarships, student exchanges etc.), but they decided a popular educational TV series was an appropriate gesture in the run-up to 1997.
Meanwhile RTHK have produced a Cantonese version of the programmes which will start at the same time. A joint CCTV/RTHK press conference will take place, on 27th February, with PEKING and Hong Kong linked by satellite, to launch the series. BBC English and the Croucher Foundation will be represented at this, both in Peking and Hong Kong.
Cont'd.../
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