Built at a cost of £1 billion , New Broadcasting House is the jewel in the crown of the BBC and the setting for its self-mocking satire W1A . But in a development that could have come straight out of the sitcom , it has been revealed that the Corporation is paying tens of thousands of pounds of taxpayers ' money to book meetings in nearby buildings because the headquarters lacks space . New Broadcasting House in Central London covers half a million square feet , took a decade to build and was opened by the Queen in 2013 – four years behind schedule and at least £55 million over budget . Scroll down for video . The BBC has admitted it 'occasionally ' runs out of meeting rooms in its £1billion New Broadcasting House . The huge steel-and-glass building has specially designed 'huddle zones ' and a 'meeting tower ' on stilts in the atrium . One of the running jokes in W1A is that its fictional meeting rooms are named after popular entertainers – Hugh Bonneville 's character Ian Fletcher , the BBC 's 'Head of Values ' , frequently meets colleagues 'inside Frankie Howerd ' . Now , in response to a freedom of information request , the BBC has admitted it 'occasionally ' runs out of meeting rooms and spent £47,198 on booking external spaces nearby during the last financial year . Corporation insiders say these venues include De Vere 's West One business centre and the luxury Langham Hotel – both just across the street from New Broadcasting House – and that meetings have included 'leadership breakfasts ' . The huge building has specially designed 'huddle zones ' and a 'meeting tower ' on stilts in the atrium . One source said : 'The leadership breakfasts at De Vere are renowned for the lavish catering . The BBC is cutting jobs but can still afford to cater for breakfast meetings for senior managers . ' Another said : 'It 's bonkers to hold meetings across the street . ' The BBC has been criticised by spending watchdog the National Audit Office ( NAO ) over the running costs of New Broadcasting House , which are almost double that of comparable buildings in Central London . A BBC spokesman said : 'It is occasionally necessary to book nearby venues , especially for larger meetings . Value for money is always taken into account . ' But Jonathan Isaby , chief executive of the TaxPayers ' Alliance , said licence fee-payers would be furious over spiralling costs . New Broadcasting House is home to three 24-hour news channels , nine radio networks and 6,000 staff .
New Broadcasting House in central London took 2013 to build . It was opened by the Queen in a decade at least £55million over budget . But the BBC has now admitted it 'occasionally ' runs out of meeting rooms .