back to article BBC goes offline in MASSIVE COCKUP: Stephen Fry partly muzzled

The BBC is scrambling to fix what appears to be a number of severe technical glitches on its network, after its website and catch-up TV service were hit by a major outage at the weekend. At the time of writing, Auntie was still carrying a "simplified version" of its BBC website on its homepage. The Corporation said: "We are …

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I spotted the issue on Saturday, it was working again a couple of hours later for me, and last night it was working flawlessly (which is odd for iPlayer).

    1. Tom Chiverton 1

      Still bust here (Manchester)

      1. Grease Monkey Silver badge

        @Tom Chiverton 1 sure it's not just you? Was working for others in Manchester yesterday.

        1. William Towle

          > @Tom Chiverton 1 sure it's not just you? Was working for others in Manchester yesterday.

          I've heard that, but was getting an uninformatively black screen from the app on our STB on Sunday.

          Access to radio programmes has been most notably bad, with some shows "not currently available on BBC iPlayer radio" (normal service mostly resumed for Radio 4* but "Pick of the Pops" on 2 still affected), some that could be started but bombed out (Ross Noble Goes Global wouldn't play for me last night, presently back at "will be available shortly after broadcast"), and some available but not especially promptly ("Laura Solon: Talking and Not Talking").

          * prioritising, perhaps ... although as a devotee I'm biased as to what I'd notice ;)

          1. Intractable Potsherd

            Don't know if it has any relevance (probably not), but I watched the highlights of the German GP on the web version of iPlayer at about 11pm on Sunday night* here in Dundee. The only thing of note was that there were fewer buffering interruptions than usual.

            *After I'd been to see Monty Python (almost) Live at the local cinema.

    2. Stevie

      it was working again

      So, more of a bbccouk-up then?

  2. EddieD

    Could be for the best

    Maybe they'll abandon the currently massively over-engineered scriptfest, and return to the nice, simple, clean version that worked well.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Could be for the best

      The iPlayer page kept prompting for feedback on the new format before it became a mandatory format. I probably wasn't the only one giving them rock bottom scores. I find it no longer fit for purpose. Those enormous pictures really detract from the functionality - but in general it has become almost useless.

      The TV programme page is also very hard to use now. The "Previous/Next" buttons tend to position themselves out of sight when viewing BBC1 to 4 - and vertical scrolling is needed to correct sudden jumps in the displayed area.

      They would probably say that 1024 x 768 monitors are obsolete - but that gives a text size I can read easily. My use of those pages and consequently watching BBC TV programmes has fallen considerably - even when I know there is a programme I want somewhere there. In a way it relieves me of the stress of watching BBC Four documentary programmes that are usually bloated with repetition and other fillers.

      1. Heisenberg

        Re: Could be for the best

        "They would probably say that 1024 x 768 monitors are obsolete - but that gives a text size I can read easily. "

        Have you tried using the so-called "Big Screen" version? I think this is designed for use by Playstations etc. and gives a slightly different view formatted for use on a TV screen.

        http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/bigscreen/

        I just tried it out at the above resolution and it seemed to work quite nicely...

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Could be for the best

          "Have you tried using the so-called "Big Screen" version?"

          Thanks for taking the time to post that tip. Unfortunately that option fills the screen with one big picture for one programme - and you then have to scroll sideways to see what else is on offer one at a time.

          The nice thing about the old format was it took very little effort to scan the small pictures to see what was on offer - and to then add selections to a list of favourites for future viewing. New episodes in a series then became obvious in that favourites list.

          It almost seems like a designer has gone round people like the BBC, Microsoft, Flickr and Yahoo - and said that BIG pictures are what people want. It gives me a feeling of "back to the nursery".

      2. Fibbles

        Re: Could be for the best

        They would probably say that 1024 x 768 monitors are obsolete - but that gives a text size I can read easily.

        You know the size of text rendered on your screen is not dependant on your resolution, right? You could change the DPI setting in your OS. Alternatively, if you only want to alter web pages you could either set you web browser to render all pages zoomed or you could set it to override default font sizes.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Could be for the best

          "You could change the DPI setting in your OS."

          Thanks for the suggestion - but it is already set to "Large 120dpi". I wonder if that might be what causes the BBC TV programmes page to miscalculate where to position the "previous/next" buttons in the margin? Will experiment when I'm in the mood.

          I'm weaning myself off watching TV. Now down to just the occasional BBC Four documentary. Can't watch it via Freeview as the signals from two main transmitters are upset by high buildings. There wasn't any noticeable problem on the old analogue service. Watching BBC via the internet on a 12mbps ADSL I've become accustomed to blocky artefacts, irritating pauses, and speech out of sync.

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Re: Could be for the best

            I am also weaning off TV. My Freeview and Astra are great but I find that everything about every genre of UK TV is now totally unwatchable. From lazy journalism to patronising drama. I hate it all! I used to listen to the radio but that also gets on my nerves now for much the same reasons.

    2. Tom 260

      Re: Could be for the best

      The PS3 version has been giving random errors ever since they updated it (including one at the end of each video), and that's even more of a mess to find things in compared to the old layout.

  3. Nya
    Facepalm

    OK, I maybe misreading but everytime I see @bbccouk I see @bbcockup

    Think I need new glasses!

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      @nya

      No, your sight is perfect ;)

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Too much Gay pr0n is causing severe side effects, stop it at once.

      Is it Ok to say Gay pr0n or is there another more PC phrase.

      1. Grease Monkey Silver badge

        Single gender recorded visual content for sexual stimulation? Doesn't make much of an acronym though.

        1. Khaptain Silver badge

          Agreed the Acronym is a but naff but the phrase sounds great. ( even though it's not by thang)

  4. Zog_but_not_the_first

    C'mon, sort yourselves out

    "Due to technical problems, we are displaying a simplified version of the BBC Homepage." is a message that could have headed the current offering with it's content-free, celebrity-heavy tat.

    "We are working to restore normal service." If only.

    Hear those whispers saying "Privatisation is the answer"? Are they getting louder?

    1. Gordon 10
      FAIL

      Re: C'mon, sort yourselves out

      Awww bless. Someone still dumb enough to think that privatisation fixes anything.

      Newsflash commentard - ***every*** organisation the size and bigger of the BBC is f*cked up - only the vast quantities they pay their managers differs.

    2. Zog_but_not_the_first

      Re: C'mon, sort yourselves out

      Sorry - that could have been clearer. I certainly don't think privatisation fixes things.

      But there are many who would see the BBC dismantled, and the Beeb don't help themselves.

    3. d3vy

      Re: C'mon, sort yourselves out

      Yeah because privatisation of the trains and utilities companies worked soooooo well..

      And if the argument for privatising the BBC is that Sky and Virgin offer the same service then I point you to the fact that the BBC licence fee covers ALL BBC services which is more radio stations than I can keep track of without looking it up, 6-10 TV Channels (two dedicated to children one to news) IPlayer, the BBC web site and a stack of original programs... compared to Skys basic package which gives you a 50% split between adverts and content for twice the price!

      Ive said it before and Im sure Ill say it again, £14 a month is worth every penny - I'd pay it just for Dr Who.

      1. cambsukguy

        Re: C'mon, sort yourselves out

        > I'd pay it just for Dr Who.

        and Sherlock, obviously.

      2. goldcd

        Yes.

        I love the BBC to bits.

        Yes, of course they occasionally screw up (quite massively with moves to the North and Digital Library debacles etc).

        However. The license fee is worth every penny, and I'd happily pay more. It's waking up to Radio 4, rather than this "green and pleasant land" I miss when travelling. The BBC is something I can be proud we own and one of the few things the rest of the world seems to agree with us, is 'good' and 'British'

        Any governmental talk of interference automatically gets my hackles up. Leave It Alone.

  5. Vladimir Plouzhnikov

    All Putin's fault

    He must be called to fix the BBC site immediately and tougher sanctions must be imposed when he doesn't.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: All Putin's fault

      "He must be called to fix the BBC site immediately and tougher sanctions must be imposed when he doesn't."

      Would this fix involve invading the Beeb? The program quality might improve! Perhaps Vlad could team up with Bear Grylls to host an 'unintentionally' homoerotic documentary series bout wrestling large animals while bare-chested and on horseback. Or a new format for The Apprentice wherein the winners get to not have their profitable multinational company seized by the state.

      1. Vladimir Plouzhnikov

        Re: All Putin's fault

        "Would this fix involve invading the Beeb?"

        I don't know, but of late, calling on Putin and sanctions seem to be the magic solution being proposed by and on BBC for every minor and major world problem, so I thought - maybe I should suggest that all-winning move as well?

        1. Vladimir Plouzhnikov

          Re: All Putin's fault

          You see? All this appeasement and soft approach - and he nearly borked the Register already!

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: All Putin's fault

      This is all the Republicans' fault - they're so determined to prove Obama is incompetent that they've started this narrative that Putin is in charge of everything. It's not like he has to keep different sources of power in Russia in some sort of balance, is it, or that he too has religious and left or right wing fruitcakes stirring things up behind the scenes.

      The idea that he has no more control over the nutters in East Ukraine than John Major had over the Protestant "loyalist" nutters in Northern Ireland seems to be too complicated for Western media. Once upon a time the BBC could provide some objective analysis, but since they were spooked by Campbell and co., they seem pretty supine when it comes to repeating what the Government tells them to say.

  6. Kevin Johnston

    Confused

    So is that a simplified version of the website or a website for simplified people

  7. WibbleMe

    Time to shut the whole Beep down and split it up. It simply no longer offers the quality of service like it used to.

    1. Martin hepworth

      Or get the guys back that ran the technology dept before they outsourced it all to Siemens

      1. Neil Barnes Silver badge

        We warned 'em before we were sold, like barrels of herring on the quayside.

      2. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Is this bit run by Atos, or in house BBC again?

      3. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        The guys who ran the dept weren't special The staff on the ground were though. However they all ran for the hills when the reality of the sale hit home.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Oh come on

      iPlayer has minor issues over a weekend. Worked for me so I didn't really notice (which is a shame as it allowed my three year old to catch up on his Cbeebies). Sure, it's over engineered and more times than most performance is crap, but not sure if that's a reason to "shut the BBC down".

      And less of this whole "Privitisation!" nonsense. Virgin leads a fine example of why this is not always the answer.

      1. Chris 3

        Re: Oh come on

        > Virgin leads a fine example of why this is not always the answer.

        As does ITV Player.

  8. Mystic Megabyte
    Black Helicopters

    Damn those ruskies

    With all the flight MH17 news and comment I think that the BBC has pissed off Putin quite a bit recently . Coincidence? I think not.

  9. James 51

    The podcasts seem to be working okay.

  10. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Perhaps the BBC might want to come clean about the full extent of the problems?

    Pretty much all areas of the BBC website have been up and down all weekend. Lets not pretend it's just iPlayer.

    I have been seeing Bubbles the Clown pretty much 50% of the time.

    1. KPz

      Re: Perhaps the BBC might want to come clean about the full extent of the problems?

      That would be great. There was a very sheepish article linked from the news page with no real description of the issue. Within hours of the outage the main screen ((c) 2009) should have been updated with information. Standard Major Incident management (he says, fingering his ITIL documentation).

      And yes, much of BBC's web output was borked over the weekend.

      Also why was this AC's post downvoted?

      1. Evan Essence

        Re: Perhaps the BBC might want to come clean about the full extent of the problems?

        I think the amount of information given out during and after an outage is inversely proportional to the size of the organisation concerned. Expect nothing from the Beeb, even assuming they know, or will know, the reasons themselves, considering there are practically no in-house techies.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Perhaps the BBC might want to come clean about the full extent of the problems?

          " practically no in-house techies." Er I think they might have recreated the BBC Technology they sold off in 2004 and could have even more employees now!

      2. Gordon 10

        Re: Perhaps the BBC might want to come clean about the full extent of the problems?

        Possibly because it may be an exaggeration? I was on the News site on and off all weekend and nary a problem.

        1. Evan Essence

          Re: Perhaps the BBC might want to come clean about the full extent of the problems?

          The News site was unaffected.

          1. Steve Gill

            Re: Perhaps the BBC might want to come clean about the full extent of the problems?

            It was down when I tried to use it Saturday lunchtime - just the clown instead

    2. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

      Re: Perhaps the BBC might want to come clean about the full extent of the problems?

      >I have been seeing Bubbles the Clown pretty much 50% of the time.

      I think that is a new major piece of real time performance art being trialed on BBC4 as part of a dynamic, brave and exciting new interactive... something... something... wibble.....

  11. Jamie Jones Silver badge
    Facepalm

    Rand averted!

    " nearly 12 hours since Auntie updated its users about the outage."

    I was going to post a rant about 'First World Problems' etc. , but at the last moment, realised you'd written 'outage' not 'outrage'

    Just as well, I'd noticed. It would have been embarrassing if I'd revealed my poor comprehension skills!

  12. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    'The BBC has stayed silent about the continuing glitches. It's been nearly 12 hours since Auntie updated its users about the outage.'

    Good. Hopefully that means they're concentrating on fixing the issue(s) rather than web2.0rrea.

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