How to get BBC Radio 7

This page has been added at the request of site visitors looking for information on how to receive the BBC digital radio station, BBC Radio 7.

What's on BBC Radio 7?

BBC Radio 7 launched in 2002, under the name BBC7. In October 2008, the Beeb re-branded the station to add the magic word Radio.

BBC Radio 7 is the BBC's digital radio station for comedy, drama and kids. The schedule is very varied. Below is a quick summary of what you can expect:

• Comedy - The station runs classic comedy right across the day. Shows include Hancock's Half Hour, The Goons, Round The Horne, Radio Active, I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue, Just A Minute. More modern radio comedy in the form of shows like Little Britain, Room 101, They Think It's All Over, Goodness Gracious Me, Alan Partridge and The League Of Gentlemen also make up the regular BBC Radio 7 line-up.
  
  
• Drama - In BBC Radio 7's Drama zone recently, you could have caught The French Lieutenant's Woman, This Sporting Life, Earthsearch, Inspector Rebus, Dr Who, plus Stephen King's, Pet Cemetery. Each weekday morning, you can hear bestsellers read by famous actors - recent reading include The Shipping News, Behind The Scenes At The Museum and Notes From A Small Island.
  
  
• Kids - Seven days a week from 4.00pm-6.00pm, there is BBC Radio 7's Big Toe Radio Show, a live, interactive show for nine to 11 year-olds packed with stories, competitions, quizzes, interviews, discussions, games and music. For younger children, there's the Little Toe show.

Receiving BBC Radio 7

BBC Radio 7 is available on Sky TV, Freeview, DAB Digital Radio or over the Internet via the BBC Radio 7 site. This site provides help on getting access to all of these services - see the links on the left.

Here are the main ways to get BBC Radio 7:

Via DAB	Handheld, portable or Hi-Fi DAB DAB stands for Digital Audio Broadcasting, and is the new type of radio service available in the UK. You'll need a special DAB radio to receive Digital Radio - there are a range of DAB radios now available, including kitchen radios, hi-fi tuners, in-car radios and battery-powered portable devices. Pictured here is the Pure ONE, available for under £50. DAB Help: We've been asked a couple of times for the frequency of BBC Radio 7 on DAB. DAB radios tune in by station-name, not by frequency, so frequency is not especially useful. If you're technically-minded, BBC 7 is on the BBC National DAB multiplex (Block 12B) - 225.648MHz Note that on DAB radio, BBC7 is broadcast in mono, to save bandwidth. BBC Radio 7 is broadcast in stereo on digital TV. More on getting a DAB radio, see our Digital Radio page
Via Freeview	Freeview Channel 708 Freeview is a TV and radio service which can be received with a Freeview box via your TV aerial. Freeview is subscription-free, and all you need to do, is buy a set-top box, and plug it in to your TV and your aerial. Boxes are priced from around £20. There's no subscription, no ties, and no contract. You must be an area of Freeview coverage. More on getting Freeview on our Freeview page
Via Satellite	Sky Digital - Channel 0131 If you have, or are considering, increasing your TV and radio channel choice, getting a Sky TV dish and set-top box will give you access to all of the BBC services, including BBC7. For more on Sky, see our Sky Digital
Via Cable	Virgin Media Cable TV - Channel 910 If you live in a part of the UK that's covered cable TV operator Virgin Media, you'll have access to all of the BBC services, including BBC7. To see if cable TV is available in your area, try www.virginmedia.com For more on Virgin Media , see our Cable TV page
Via the Internet	BBC 7 is available over the Internet. Look for the "Listen Live" link on the BBC 7 site at http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio7/ More on Internet Radio. More on Broadband

BBC 7 Questions

Is BBC Radio 7 in stereo or mono?

• BBC Radio 7 is available in stereo on Sky, Freeview, Freesat and Virgin, but it's only available on DAB Digital Radio in mono, due to bandwidth limitations

Got a question on BBC 7? Ask in our radio forum

Add DAB to your Hi-fi! With this tiny add-on, you can add DAB digital stations to your Hi-fi. This small adapter plugs into spare phono inputs on your Hi-fi. Available for £39.99 from Amazon

For more on BBC7, and for the upcoming programme schedule, see the BBC Radio 7 site at www.bbc.co.uk/radio7

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