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Earlier this week, I went to see Charlie Brooker present a hilarious new series of his Radio 4 comedy show So Wrong It's Right, starring some of the UK's finest comedians - for free.

In fact, during my time at the ´óÏó´«Ã½ I've been to Broadcasting House to watch The Now Show being recorded, to Pinewood Studios to watch David Mitchell's team triumphing in a great episode of Would I Lie To You, and to the legendary studios at ´óÏó´«Ã½ Television Centre more times than I can remember to watch great shows like You Have Been Watching, Grownups, The Omid Djalili Show and The Hairy Bikers' Cook Off, and all I had to pay for was my bus fare.

However, don't think for one second that this is a perk of my job. Not at all. In fact, anyone can go and watch a TV or radio show being recorded - as long as, like me, you're prepared to sign up on the website and queue with everyone else. That's right: you too can indulge in your secret passion for David Mitchell, Alexander Armstrong, Sandi Toksvig or even Bruce Forsyth by seeing them live in the flesh for absolutely nothing.

And this isn't just something for Londoners - most of the TV and radio shows might be recorded in big studios near the capital, but there are a plethora of one-off recordings and events held across the whole country. For example, the touring Bang Goes The Theory road show is very popular, and summer wouldn't be the same without the Proms, quite correctly billed as "The world's greatest classical music festival".

What's more, you can even come and have a nosy round our studios. If you want to see what your local ´óÏó´«Ã½ stations are up to and how they work, you can come and look round a whole range of ´óÏó´«Ã½ offices through the Tours website. I've been on the tour of Television Centre with friends and got to see areas of the ´óÏó´«Ã½ even I, as a staff member, don't usually get to see.

So, with all this in mind, I highly recommend giving the ´óÏó´«Ã½'s Shows, Tours & Events site the once-over. Every time I look I find something worth going to, but if your favourite show isn't on there, don't despair: many shows are produced by independent production companies, who use other websites to advertise for audience members. External agencies include SRO Audiences (for shows like The Graham Norton Show, Dancing on Ice, Live At The Apollo and Mock The Week) and Applause Store (for Britain's Got Talent, Top Gear, Never Mind The Buzzcocks and QI).

You might have noticed that some of those programmes aren't aired by the ´óÏó´«Ã½: that's because it's not just the ´óÏó´«Ã½ looking for audience members. Broadcasters like Channel 4, ITV, Sky and more are always looking for people to come and enjoy their shows. You can register your details and apply for tickets for the shows you're interested in. You might not get accepted every time, but you could get to see your favourite programme recorded - without spending a single penny. And it's worth mentioning that the more times you attend the more likely it is that you'll be successful in getting tickets the next time you apply, as all of these ticket-suppliers keep a record of who can be relied upon to turn up.

In the mean time, while you wait for your tickets to come through, that great Radio 4 comedy I went to see being recorded, So Wrong It's Right, starts from tonight (Thursdays at half six) - and I highly recommend it.

As well as working on the WebWise production team, Helen has an interest in short-form video, social media and online marketing.