Hermann Hauser, Sophie Wilson and Steve Furber

The revolutionary BBC Micro produced a generation of coders, creatives and entrepreneurs who’ve forged successful careers in Science, Business, the Arts and more. Designed and built to an exacting technical specification and high engineering standard, the BBC Micro was adopted by an unprecedented 85% of the nation’s schools. This achievement is even more remarkable given the circumstances in which the BBC Micro was born. It was delivered by a start-up, Acorn Computers, with little experience in building computers for commercial purposes.

The National Museum of Computing will celebrate this achievement on Tuesday 30th November by reuniting three key players in the BBC Micro's story: Acorn Computers' co-founder Hermann Hauser will be joined by technology architects Sophie Wilson and Steve Furber.

Join us for a discussion and Q&A session that will delve inside the BBC Micro’s history, covering:

• Acorn management’s decision to seize the initiative and chase the prestigious BBC computer contract.

• The challenges faced when building a convincing prototype in five days and shipping in less than a year!

• The fierce competitive pressures from rivals including Sir Clive Sinclair and Apple.

• The engineering chemistry that saw Team Acorn overcome technological difficulties, taking on the industry’s biggest names.

• The road to ARM, an architecture that dominated mobile computing decades later.

This is an onsite and online event. Tickets can be purchased to attend this event onsite at the Museum or online for those who would prefer to interact virtually. Our three experts, Hermann, Sophie and Steve will join us via Zoom. Those who choose to attend the event in person will be invited to arrive at the Museum at any point after 15:30 to take a tour of the Museum and mingle, with refreshments served.