See Hear to be produced by Signpost

The service was established by Tyne Tees Television over twenty years ago…

The BBC has announced that following a competitive tender, Signpost Entertainment has won the contract to produce See Hear, the BBC’s magazine programme aimed primarily at their deaf audience.

The tendering of returning series forms part of the BBC’s contestability requirements and the Beeb’s commitment to commission the best programmes for audiences, regardless of who makes them.

The tender was launched in December 2023 and from the field of shortlisted tenderers, Signpost Entertainment’s bid scored highest against the published criteria. The programme will be produced out of Signpost Entertainment’s base in Gateshead.

The staff of Signpost at TTTV in 1998

Tyne Tees Television, now ITV Tyne Tees, has since the 1980s been at the forefront of providing signed and subtitled programmes including within their magazine evening news programme Northern Life, a weekly news round-up in Tyne Tees Newsweek as well as special signed TTTV idents in the 1990s. The service also provides ITV with signed content including Emmerdale and Coronation Street re-screenings on ITV2.

Signpost continue to operate from the ITV Tyne Tees studios in the North East at the Watermark next to the river Tyne. The contract is awarded for two years commencing with delivery from spring 2025. See Hear is currently produced by BBC Studios from Bristol.

Rob Unsworth, Head of Daytime and Early Peak Commissioning:

“See Hear is one of our longest running Factual programmes and sits at the heart of our commitment to inclusive broadcasting. Signpost Entertainment presented a creatively strong vision for the future which I’m confident will lead to an exciting new chapter for the series and its audience. At the same time, I would like to thank and commend the other shortlisted producers for the quality of the bids they put forward, and also BBC Studios who have so brilliantly looked after See Hear up to now.”