[interestednovice]

I have no idea if it would have worked or not, but I imagine both BBC World News and Breakfast could have used Studio B on the same day. In addition, of course, to Newsnight and Andrew Marr.

The only thing that would have proved a problem would have been the Victoria Derbyshire programme, as there would not have been an obvious way to “fit it in” to existing studios.

Probably the initial decision not to have two newsroom studios, as you say, was not to do with this and more to do with cost. That was also the reasoning for scaling back the plans to have galleries and studios not “paired” to each other. Of course, nowadays, with IP-controlled galleries, it would be easier to do that - whereas in those days it would have been too complicated.

The other thing, as you allude to, was that Working Lunch was axed. I imagine that B was initially designed with that programme in mind, and it ended up being vacant at that time of day instead.

A happy co-incidence that it then worked so well for WN, although Studio C when brand new was also stunning.

As was E, to be honest, although I remember the circle desks being sometimes slightly small-feeling for double-headed presentation compared to the older desks at TVC which had a longer and shorter side, even if they remained rounded.