British and UK Studies

Information about the newspaper, radio, television, and web news collections at the British Library. In addition to British and overseas newspapers dating back to the 17th century, recent television and radio news programs from the UK and elsewhere and the Legal Deposit UK Web Archive can be accessed. The BL also provides news datasets derived from collection metadata.
Includes a link to the British Newspaper Archive, which dates back to the 18th century. It is free to search, but article access requires a subscription or a limited-time “pay as you go” option.

A newsreel archive, 1895-1986, covering “news events, celebrities, sports, music, social history, science, lifestyle and [the] quirky.” Currently available via a YouTube channel, British Movietone also provides “The Archivist Presents,” a weekly series that presents key individual contents, as well as a weekly series designed to add historical context to current events, anniversaries, and birthdays.

News on radio in the UK.

This site offers live-streamed TV news in English, Arabic, Persian, and Urdu from selected UK-based channels.

"A directory of currently published local and national UK newspapers organized by city. Top national newspapers, news sites, TV channels, and Ethnic newspapers are listed."

The United Kingdom section of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) News web site. There are sections on England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, and local news, in addition to sections on the Crown dependencies Guernsey, Jersey, and the Isle of Man. The entire BBC site is searchable.

National daily newspaper published since 1821; until 1959, its title was The Manchester Guardian (and later it sometimes continued to be referred to by that earlier title). Its coverage is UK-wide as well as international; its current political orientation is towards the left.

National daily newspaper published since 1986, since March 2016 available only online. Its coverage is UK-wide as well as international; its political orientation is centrist to left of center.

"The leading progressive political and cultural magazine in the United Kingdom. Founded as a weekly review of politics and literature on 12 April 1913."
Please note: A subscription is required for full access.

Weekly magazine, established in 1828, with contributions on politics and culture from British journalists, authors, critics, and cartoonists. While writers’ political views vary, the publication’s general orientation as of 2023 tends to be conservative.
Please note: A subscription is required for access.

National daily newspaper published since 1855; initially called The Daily Telegraph & Courier, the print version’s title continues to be The Daily Telegraph. Its coverage is UK-wide as well as international; its current political orientation is towards the right.
Please note: A subscription is required for full access.

National daily newspaper published in London since 1785 (since 1788 under its current title), which non-British often call “The Times of London” or “The London Times.” Its coverage is UK-wide as well as international; politically, it tends to be centrist or pro-establishment.
Please note: A subscription is required for full access.

Archive of The Times with content dating back to the first, 1785 issue.
Search and access require a subscription.

Extensive list, with links, of local and regional news sources within northern England (from Lincolnshire and Cheshire up to the Scottish border) and the Isle of Man; includes multiple publications from Liverpool, Manchester, and Newcastle-upon-Tyne, among other cities.

Extensive list, with links, of local and regional news sources within southern England and the Midlands as well as the Channel Islands. Includes numerous publications from London and multiple sources from Birmingham, Bristol, and Northampton, among other cities.

Includes main-page news and sections on Scottish politics, business, and regions.

Live, streamed radio broadcasts, with access to recorded audio programs and podcasts.

Extensive list, with links, of local and regional news websites within Scotland.

A national Scottish newspaper published in Glasgow since 1783; from 1805 to February 1902, its title was The Glasgow Herald. Currently issued in print format and online.

A national Scottish newspaper published in Edinburgh since 1817, as a daily newspaper since 1855. Currently issued in compact print format and online.

Monday-to-Saturday newspaper published in Edinburgh since 1873, with a focus on that city and the Midlothian area. (Sometimes referred to as the Edinburgh News, its website displays “Edinburgh News” in larger font, with “Evening” above “News.”)

Monday-to-Saturday newspaper published in Glasgow since 1876, with a focus on that city and area. Its previous title (until December 2019) was The Evening Times.

Regional newspaper published in Aberdeen since 1748, under various titles, appearing as The Press and Journal since November 1922. Currently issued in print six days per week, its primary focus is on “the north and north-east of Scotland.” The news website header is The P&J.

Includes main-page news and sections on Welsh politics, business, regions, and localities, as well as a link to the BBC News Welsh-language site.

Extensive list, with links, of local and regional news websites within Wales.

Links to websites of Welsh and other Wales-related TV and radio stations and to newspaper websites, as well as links to collective lists of newspapers.

Provides article-level access to Welsh newspapers published 1804 (year of the first newspaper in Wales) through 1919, based on holdings at the National Library of Wales. Both English-language and Welsh-language articles are included. Digital reproductions of original pages are accompanied by plain-text transcriptions.

Website of the newspaper Daily Post, which is issued in Colwyn Bay with a focus on North and North West Wales.

Collective news website for the newspapers Western Mail and Wales on Sunday, national papers published in Cardiff; the South Wales Echo, issued in Cardiff and particularly covering south-central Wales; and the South Wales Evening Post, which covers South West Wales, including Swansea.

List of national, regional, and local news media sources, arranged by geographic scope of primary coverage, with publishing location and codes for media type, subject focus (general interest, agricultural, business, or shopper), and language (predominantly English, with one Irish-language website included as of August 2023).

Includes main-page news relating to Northern Ireland and a section specifically on Northern Ireland politics.

Extensive list, with links, of local and regional news websites within Ireland. The initial section, “The North,” covers Northern Ireland.

Website of daily newspaper with a focus on Northern Ireland, published in Belfast since 1870 (its first title was the Belfast Evening Telegraph). Politically, it has tended to be centrist, with moderate support for unionism, i.e., for Northern Ireland to remain within the UK.

Website of daily newspaper with a focus on Northern Ireland, published in Belfast since 1891. (From 29 August 29 1892 through 24 September 1994, the newspaper title was The Irish News and Belfast Morning News.) Its political orientation has tended to be centrist to center-left, with support by most commentators for Irish nationalism. Its readership includes people in the Republic of Ireland as well as the North.