A Very British Christmas is recording this Christmas Day 2024, for broadcast by BBC Radio 4 during Christmas 2025. It is an Overcoat Media production.
We want to hear from a range of people across the UK about what a modern British Christmas really looks like. Tell us:
- What time is it?
- Where in the UK are you?
- What are you doing?
- What does Christmas Day mean to you?
- How are you feeling?
Send the word ‘Christmas’ and your voice note – between 30 seconds and 5 minutes duration – to the BBC Radio 4 Whatsapp number 03700 100 444.
Please record and send these ON December 25th, 2024. We may get in touch with you if we’d like to know more about what you’ve sent in to us.
When you send in a voice note to A Very British Christmas, we may use your contribution in our programme or content, but we cannot promise to use everything that we receive.
When sending in your contribution we ask that you should at no time put yourself in danger or endanger others, take any unnecessary risks or infringe any laws. We also ask that you do not send us any sensitive information about yourself when using WhatsApp.
When entering via WhatsApp, please note that data charges may apply depending on your mobile or data provider. Use Wi-Fi where possible.
We’re putting the recordings together into a documentary called ‘A Very British Christmas’ which will be broadcast on BBC Radio 4 around Christmas 2025. If we broadcast your contribution, this may include the programme being available online and/or on demand, and your contribution or appearance may be used again in a future broadcast. It may also include use on the BBC’s social media channels. We can’t guarantee your contribution will be used. If after sending your contribution you decide you don’t want us to use it, you can withdraw your consent by emailing sounds@overcoatmedia.com.
What personal data will Overcoat Media collect?
Depending on your interaction with the programme, we may collect and process the following personal data about you:
- Your name
- Contact details (e.g. phone number, email address)
- Location
- Your views, opinions, and any biographical information you choose to share
- A broadcast recording of your voice if you appear on-air
Depending on the nature of your experience and what you choose to share with us, we may also collect the following special category data about you, such as:
- Health information
- Sexual orientation
- Religious or philosophical beliefs
- Race or ethnicity data
- Political opinions
Who is the data controller?
BBC Radio 4 is the data controller.
If you contact us via WhatsApp, you will also be subject to WhatsApp’s Terms of Use. If you live in the UK, please see: Terms of Service – UK (whatsapp.com). If you live in the European Region, please see: Terms of Service (whatsapp.com). If you live outside of the European Region and the UK, please see: Terms of Service (whatsapp.com). Please be aware that WhatsApp may share your data within the Meta Group for a number of different purposes, including for direct marketing purposes.
Lawful basis for processing your personal data
Overcoat Media is making this programme on behalf of the BBC. The legal basis on which we process your personal data is the performance of the BBC’s public task.
The BBC’s role is to act in the public interest and to serve all audiences with content which informs, educates and entertains, and increases audience interaction and participation with our journalistic, artistic and literary material.
If you live in the UK or EU, Overcoat Media processes your special category data (if applicable) on the lawful basis that processing is necessary for reasons of substantial public interest.
These reasons are for statutory and government purposes, specifically for the purposes of journalism, art and literature. As outlined in the BBC’s Royal Charter, the public purpose of the BBC is:
“To show the most creative, highest quality and distinctive output and services: the BBC should provide high-quality output in many different genres and across a range of services and platforms which sets the standard in the United Kingdom and internationally. Its services should be distinctive from those provided elsewhere and should take creative risks, even if not all succeed, in order to develop fresh approaches and innovative content.”
If you live outside of the UK and EU, Overcoat Media processes your special category data (if applicable) with your explicit consent.
Providing a contribution to one of our radio programmes or podcasts is entirely optional. You can withdraw your consent at any time by emailing sounds@overcoatmedia.com.
Sharing your personal data
The BBC is sharing your data with Overcoat Media for the purposes of radio production.
Retaining your personal data
If you or your contribution features in the broadcast or in other content, this will be retained and archived in perpetuity by the BBC and Overcoat Media.
We will retain all other personal data for 18 months, after which time it will be deleted.
Your personal data will be stored in the UK and the European Economic Area (EEA).
Your rights and more information
You have rights under UK data protection law:
- You can request a copy of the personal data Overcoat Media or the BBC stores about you.
- You have the right to request that we rectify any inaccurate or incomplete personal data that we hold about you.
- You have the right to ask for the personal data we collect about you to be deleted, however there are limitations and exceptions to this right which may entitle Overcoat Media to refuse your request.
- In certain circumstances you have the right to restrict the processing of your personal data, or to object to the processing of your personal data.
- You have the right to ask that we transfer the personal data to you or to another organisation, in certain circumstances.
If you have a concern about the way Overcoat Media or the BBC have handled your personal data, you can raise your concern with the supervisory authority in the UK, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) https://ico.org.uk/.