BBC Television Centre says goodbye -Sunday March 31,2013

Sunday will be the final day for the famous BBC TV Centre in Central London, before it is closed down for good

Here is everything you need to know about the Television Centre before you say farewell.

10. The BBC Television Centre on Wood Lane in Shepherd's Bush, London, officially opened on 29 June 1960. It was originally designed to be 6 acres, but turned out to be over twice as big at 14 acres.
9. It is said that the architect, Graham Dawbarn, drew a question mark on an envelope while thinking about the design of the building, and realised that it would be an ideal shape for the site. But an article in  The BBC Quarterly proposed a circular design for a new television studio several years before Dawbarn drew up his plans. Its distinctive circular main block is affectionately known as the "doughnut" to staff and visitors.
8. In the centre of the main block is a statue designed by T.B. Huxley-Jones, of Helios, the Greek god of the sun, which was meant to symbolise the radiation of television around the world. At the foot of this statue were two reclining figures, symbolising sound and vision, the components of television. The structure was originally a working fountain but it was too noisy for the staff in the overlooking offices, and there were problems with water leaks.
7. This first programme ever broadcast at the centre  in 1960 was  First Night  with David Nixon in Studio Three.
6. Some of the best-known programmes on British television were recorded within its walls: Dad's Army, I Claudius, Fawlty Towers, Top of the Pops, Monty Python's Flying Circus, The Two Ronnies, Blue Peter, classic era Doctor Who and Absolutely Fabulous.
5. In the Blue Peter garden there was a bronze statue of Petra, the Blue Peter dog. Petra made her debut in 1962. She was given her name after a viewers' competition, and she lived, according to the inscription on her plinth, from 1962 - 1977. In fact, she died after just one show. The programme's producers hurriedly found an identical replacement, and the swap remained a secret for many years to avoid upsetting the young audience.
4. On 4 March 2001, a bomb placed outside the news centre of Television Centre exploded, with no fatalities.  It was attributed to the Real IRA and the criminals were eventually caught. The front of the building suffered some damage, but it was soon repaired.
3. On 16 July 2012, the BBC reached an agreement to sell the site to Stanhope PLC for £200 million. The site will be redeveloped to include flats, office space, a cinema and hotels. Studios 1, 2 and 3 will be refurbished and leased to production companies including the BBC from 2014. The BBC's commercial businesses, BBC Worldwide and BBC Studios and Post Production will lease back some office space in the part formerly occupied by BBC News.
2. The ever-popular TV Centre tours ended in February, but demand was so high in the final weeks that there were 18 separate tours running daily.
1. The House of Eliott in 1994 was the last major drama series to be shot at the TV Centre, the last network news bulletin went out on 17 March 2013, and the last live programme broadcast was Madness Live: Goodbye Television Centre on BBC Four on 22 March 2013.