This is Engineering: broadcast hero

This resource is an interview with Jahangir - a broadcast hero.

"Jahangir grew up making cardboard cameras and pretending he was behind the scenes. Now he works for the BBC as a Broadcast Engineer, keeping the programmes on air. From music festivals to political debates, Jahangir is there with the action and makes sure everyone watching doesn’t miss a moment.

Growing up, Jahangir liked to break things apart… and then fix them. When he was 10 years old, he fixed the microphones for his school play and was always known as the ‘techie’ one. When thinking about future jobs, Jahangir knew he wanted to get hands on straight away and so did a sponsored degree in broadcast engineering, applying for the BBC Academy scheme. This meant he could earn while he learned, splitting his time between university and doing placements at places like the BBC, ITV and CNN.

As part of his role as a broadcast engineer for the BBC, no two days are the same. He could be working with cameras, lighting, sound, graphics – or even seeing how TV can be made more immersive with Virtual Reality.  A big part of the job is working as a team to bring the shows together successfully and every new show brings a whole new team of different people to learn from.

His training allowed him to travel the country, especially for live events such as BBC’s Big Weekend where he helps build versatile outdoor studios, ready to cope with the weather, the music, and internet difficulties. Sharing backstage access with some of his favourite actors and artists, like Ed Sheeran, is an amazing part of the job! 

Jahangir loves the adrenaline of a live show, knowing that millions of people are watching can be stressful but he thrives under pressure. As a broadcast engineer, Jahangir has to problem-proof the programmes, making sure that if one part fails, the whole show doesn’t collapse.

From designing new TV facilities with the latest technology, to making sure equipment works perfectly, Jahangir loves that engineering is hands-on."

This resource forms part of the This is Engineering campaign.