First Broadcast from the House of Commons
26/10/1950
The opening of the rebuilt Commons Chamber is the occasion for this inaugural broadcast.
First Cross-Channel Transmission
27/8/1950
A two-hour programme featuring a fête in Calais marks the first time television images are transmitted across the channel. An 'entente aerial', perhaps?
Andy Pandy's Screen Debut
11/7/1950
The first BBC programme for toddlers features a wooden puppet crafted by a Kent village handyman, an acquaintance of the show's producer. Andy Pandy runs uninterrupted until 1969, and returns again in the 1970s and 2000s.
Korean War
25/6/1950
North Korea crosses the 38th Parallel and invades South Korea, setting the Korean War in motion.
TV Cameras in 10 Downing Street
4/1/1951
Television cameras are allowed inside the PM's residence for the first time, showing Clement Atlee receiving guests for the Commonwealth Conference.
World's First Colour Transmission
25/6/1951
CBS in the US transmits the first colour programme, although colour televisions have yet to be sold to the public.
What's My Line?
16/7/1951
Eamonn Andrews hosts the BBC version of the successful US game show. Subsequent ITV game shows Take Your Pick and Double Your Money are able to offer cash prizes.
King George opens the Festival of Britain
3/5/1951
This event, marking the anniversary of the Great Exhibition of 1851, captures the post-war public's imagination. The Royal Festival Hall is also opened as part of the festivities.
Funeral of King George VI
15/2/1952
Broadcast live on television and radio, it is the first time a monarch's funeral could be shared by the masses, establishing a tradition of Royal television events.
Debut of For Deaf Children
13/6/1952
The first programme for children with impaired hearing, it later becomes Vision On.
Bill and Ben
18/12/1952
The duo pop up for the first time in The Flowerpot Men, from the creators of Andy Pandy. The puppets' nonsensical vernacular provokes complaints from parents concerned about the lack of educational English.
Animal, Vegetable, Mineral?
1/12/1952
Unusually popular considering its learned tone, Animal, Vegetable, Mineral? is one of the BBC's first major panel games. Once a fortnight, a team of three experts tries to identify a succession of objects taken from Britain's museums. The series runs until 1959.
Identity Cards are Abolished
21/2/1952
One of the first acts of the returning Churchill government is to abolish the registration cards introduced at the beginning of the war in 1939.
First Interlude Broadcast
7/2/1952
Vespers music from the Monastery of St Benedict, Ealing becomes the BBC's first Interlude. The vignettes, including The Potter's Wheel and The White Kitten, are used to fill out schedules when live TV broadcasts under-run or break down.
Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II
2/6/1953
Arguably the definitive event in the evolution of British television, the Queen's coronation is the first time that a TV broadcast draws a bigger audience than radio. As neighbours flock to the nearest house with a set, television becomes ingrained in the British public's consciousness.
The Quatermass Experiment
18/7/1953
Another mass event: apparently the streets empty out when it is first shown. The first British science-fiction series paves the way for Doctor Who and The X-Files, and, amazingly, is performed live in front of the cameras each week.
Panorama Opens its Window to the World
11/11/1953
Panorama begins life as more of a cultural review, only adopting its more familiar investigative guise a couple of years later.
DNA Structure
28/2/1953
James Watson and Francis Crick discover the structure of the DNA double helix. Arriving at the Eagle pub in Cambridge, the scientists announce that they have 'found the secret of life'. Their work finally explains the long-standing mystery of genetic inheritance.
First In-Vision Weatherman
11/1/1954
George Cowling of the Met Office instigates the British tradition of cheerfully relaying a forecast of abysmal weather to the public.
First transmission of Newsreel
5/7/1954
Richard Baker anchors Britain's first daily TV news programme. The broadcast consists of still images and headlines accompanied by Baker reading the news stories.
Television Act 1954 Becomes Law
30/7/1954
The introduction of commercial television is given Royal Assent, changing the face of British TV.
The Grove Family
2/4/1954
Named after the BBC's Lime Grove Studios, The Grove Family is Britain's first soap for adults. The initial story shows a couple that has worked hard to build a home for themselves and their family after the war. By the end of 1954, nearly a quarter of the population are watching.
Zoo Quest
20/8/1954
David Attenborough reluctantly becomes a TV star. He was originally the producer of this series and went on to the studio floor only under protest, after the first presenter could not cope with presenting a live programme.
Nigel Kneale's 1984 Courts Controversy
12/12/1954
Questions are asked in the House of Commons about the shocking content of Nigel Kneale's adaptation of Orwell's classic 1984; one woman apparently died while watching it. The controversy had one benefit - the second live broadcast, four days later, attracts even bigger ratings.
Four-Minute Mile
6/5/1954
Roger Bannister beats Australian John Landy to the milestone in just under four minutes. The record has subsequently only been bettered by around 14 seconds.
The Benny Hill Show
12/1/1955
The early episodes pioneer the idea of satirising other TV programmes, long before the show becomes the hugely successful mime and smut-fest of later years.
Independent Television Launched in London
22/9/1955
The BBC's monopoly on British television is over, as ITV begins broadcasting at 7.15pm from the Croydon transmitter. The channel's schedule is made up of different regional and network programmes and it is allowed to host commercial advertisements.
Sunday Night at the London Palladium
25/9/1955
The undisputed highlight of weekend programming during the 1950s and early 60s, Val Parnell's show is ITV's first hit, making stars of Bruce Forsyth, Tommy Trinder and Roy Castle. It achieves the biggest ratings for 1955.
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The Adventures of Robin Hood
4/1/1955
Filmed partly on location, Richard Greene's turn as the Brylcreemed robber of the rich is a huge hit for ITV, chalking up 140 episodes. Its theme song, 'Robin Hood, Robin Hood, riding through the glen,' spends eight weeks in the pop charts in 1956.
Dixon of Dock Green
25/6/1955
PC George Dixon (Jack Warner) is the first British copper to tread the TV beat. The emphasis in the series, which is reassuringly cosy and quaint even for the 1950s, is on small, everyday human experiences, with Dixon a benevolent father figure to the local community.
Kitchen Magic
17/2/1955
Fanny Craddock makes her TV debut on the BBC with Kitchen Magic but is soon poached, with husband Johnny, to present Fanny's Kitchen for ITV. With rationing lifted, British audiences welcome gourmet cooking into their homes. Fanny and Johnny enjoy a successful TV career until the late 1970s.
Montgomery Bus Boycott
1/7/1955
Rosa Parks, a black American, refuses to move from the white section of a public bus in Montgomery, Alabama. The event causes a boycott of local buses by blacks and helps set in motion the US Civil Rights movement.
Ivor Novello Awards
11/3/1956
The first ceremony takes place at BBC Television Centre. The prize is awarded for distinguished songwriting, in honour of the late singing-and-dancing legend.
First TV Ministerial Broadcast
27/4/1956
Sir Anthony Eden presents the first TV ministerial broadcast, giving details of talks he held with visiting Soviet leaders.
First Eurovision Song Contest
24/5/1956
The cornerstone event of the European Broadcasting Union airs for the first time, although the UK does not enter until the following year (thus having a perfectly acceptable reason for scoring 'nul points'). Nonetheless, the BBC covers the ceremony.
This Week
18/12/1956
Former BBC announcer Leslie Mitchell presents ITV's answer to Panorama, offering 'A window on the world behind the headlines'. The programme is renamed TV Eye in 1978, but regains its original title in 1986 until the series is cancelled in 1992.
First European Cup Final
13/6/1956
Real Madrid wins the inaugural European Cup, beating Stade de Reims 4-3 in Paris. The club goes on to win the next four successive competitions.
Hancock's Half Hour
6/7/1956
This BBC series breaks the mould of TV sitcoms, relying less on sketches and more on the day-to-day life of Anthony Aloysius St John Hancock. The series runs until 1960 before becoming simply Hancock, for one last, classic BBC season. Actor Tony Hancock then moves on to ITV for 13 episodes.
First appointment at Emergency Ward 10
19/2/1957
TV's hospital drama paves the way for later medical soap operas; many future stars appear as patients, including Ian Hendry, Joanna Lumley and Albert Finney.
Six-Five Special
18/7/1957
Rock 'n' roll hits TV screens with Pete Murray's immortal introduction, 'Welcome aboard the Six-Five Special. We've got almost a hundred cats jumping here, some real cool characters to give us the gas, so just get on with it and have a ball.'
Suez Crisis
9/1/1957
Anthony Eden resigns as Prime Minister following the Suez crisis.
Panorama's 'Spaghetti Harvest'
1/4/1957
The most elaborate and successful hoax in broadcasting since Orson Welles' War of the Worlds scare takes place on April Fool's Day. BBC viewers are conned by a famously fake Panorama report on a bumper 'spaghetti harvest' in southern Switzerland.
Black and White Minstrel Show Begins
14/6/1958
A hugely popular entertainment show in its day, the series runs on the BBC for 21 years.
Monitor
1/9/1958
Huw Weldon's pioneering arts strand runs for seven years and encourages a raft of new talent, including John Schlesinger, Ken Russell and Melvyn Bragg.
ITV screens The Armchair Theatre
28/11/1958
The brainchild of former Canadian broadcaster Sydney Newman, its aim is to present real working-class issues, in contrast to the BBC's more staid and conventional plays.
People in Trouble
2/4/1958
Daniel Farson presents a new type of current-affairs programme for ITV, which focuses on such contemporary social problems as mixed marriages, unmarried mothers, kleptomania and, er, spinsterhood.
First CND Protest
4/4/1958
The first CND protest march heads from London to Aldermaston.
Blue Peter Sets Sail
16/10/1958
Ex-Army officer Christopher Trace and former Miss Great Britain Leila Williams present the BBC show for older children. The programme runs to this day with its original theme tune.
Buddy Holly, Big Bopper and Riche Valens Plane Crash
3/2/1959
The three stars die in a plane crash near Mason City, Iowa, bringing a symbolic end to a more innocent era of rock 'n' roll.
Juke Box Jury Sits on its First Case
1/6/1959
The proceedings last for eight years in its earliest incarnation, and feature such esteemed panels as The Beatles and The Rolling Stones.
Anglo-US TV Debate Makes History
31/8/1959
Historic live television broadcast of British prime minister Harold Macmillan and American president Dwight Eisenhower, from Downing Street.
Whicker's World
21/3/1959
The bespectacled reporter starts his globetrotting investigations on the BBC, opening one of the first windows on the world for British TV viewers.
Coronation Street debuts
9/12/1960
The soap hits the airwaves for the first time and goes on to become Britain's longest-running TV drama series. In the premier episode, Elsie Tanner gives her layabout son Dennis a few home truths while Florrie Lindley takes over the corner shop.
Queen's Christmas Message
25/12/1960
Her Majesty pre-records her seasonal broadcast for the first time. It had previously been transmitted live from the study at Sandringham House.
Kennedy Elected President
9/11/1960
Senator John Fitzgerald Kennedy becomes the 35th president of the United States after beating Richard Nixon by a slim margin. He is the youngest elected president in US history and the first Roman Catholic to hold the office.
The Avengers
18/3/1961
ITV director Sydney Newman decides that the schedules could benefit from a crime thriller and commissions The Avengers. Leather-clad Emma Peel puts in her first appearance four years later and Steed finally hangs up his hat and umbrella in 1969.
Independent Television Goes Regional
29/4/1961
The 'other channel' starts to extend its coverage to the regions, as first the South West (Westward) and then Scotland (Grampian) receive the ITV signal.
Songs of Praise
1/10/1961
The first episode of Songs of Praise is broadcast on BBC TV. Since then more than 12,500 hymns have been sung, 182 presenters have come and gone and 20 different countries have been visited.
Yuri Gagarin Goes Into Space
12/4/1961
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space. His craft, Vostok 1, launches from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan and completes one orbit of the earth before returning home.
Z Cars’ Beat Begins
2/1/1962
The dulcet tones of Brian Blessed are introduced in this BBC series, which presents the police in a grittier light than Dixon of Dock Green. An educational psychologist criticises the first series, complaining that its presentation of 'aberrations' could cause a 'large number of sexual difficulties in teenagers.'
It's University Challenge
24/9/1962
Bamber Gascoigne introduces the very first University Challenge for Granada TV – a showdown between Leeds and Reading.
Marilyn Monroe Found Dead
5/8/1962
Millions mourn the death of everyone's favourite blonde bombshell. The 36-year-old actress' body is discovered in the early hours of this morning by two doctors called to her Brentwood home by a concerned housekeeper.
That Was the Week that Was
24/11/1962
A 23-year-old David Frost presents the groundbreaking series of sketches, songs and spoof news items, which brings the 1960s satire boom to television.
Steptoe and Son
5/1/1962
The comedy series that gave the 'rag and bone' trade a surprise resurgence gets its first broadcast. The series becomes so popular that in 1966 Harold Wilson urges the BBC to change its transmission date in case it affects voter turnout.
ITV launches World in Action
7/1/1963
Ex-Daily Express reporter Tim Hewat helms the long-running current-affairs programme. The first edition highlights the atomic arms race. A year later Hewat devises Seven Up, the first in a series of documentaries following the lives of a group of children around the UK. Interviewer Michael Apted returns to the children every seven years.
Doctor Who Materialises
23/11/1963
William Hartnell steps out of the Tardis for the first time as Doctor Who. Several metamorphoses and numerous Dalek encounters later, the show is cancelled in December 1989. The Doctor returns in 2005 in the form of Christopher Eccleston.
Doctor Who Website
Ready, Steady, Go!
9/8/1963
ITV's live Friday night music show catches the spirit of the British rock and roll boom and features the cream of the day's musical talent including The Rolling Stones, Dusty Springfield, The Who and The Beatles.
JFK Assassinated
22/11/1963
President John F Kennedy is assassinated in Dallas, Texas. The Earl Warren Commission subsequently confirms that a lone gunman, Lee Harvey Oswald, is responsible.
Culloden
15/12/1964
Peter Watkins' drama-documentary re-creates the last battle fought on British soil in the verite style of a contemporary news report with non-actors. The programme's impact is further heightened by its depiction of the brutal atrocities committed by the British government against the Jacobite rebels.
BBC Two Launch
20/4/1964
The opening night of BBC Two is wrecked by a power failure that throws London into chaos and takes down Television Centre. A normal service resumes the following day, however, with Play School becoming the first proper broadcast on the BBC's second channel.
Match of the Day
22/8/1964
Jimmy Hill introduces a new weekly football programme. The first featured game is an encounter between Liverpool and Arsenal, attracting just 20,000 viewers.
Top of the Pops
1/1/1964
Jimmy Saville hosts the first-ever edition from a disused church in Dickenson Road, Manchester. Guests include The Rolling Stones, Dusty Springfield and The Swinging Blue Jeans.
The Likely Lads
16/12/1964
James Bolam and Rodney Bewes play Terry and Bob, working-class friends living in the North-East, in Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais’s much-loved series. In 1973 the pair return in Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?
Nelson Mandela Sentenced
12/6/1964
After nearly a year on the run, Nelson Mandela is sentenced to life imprisonment after being found guilty of high treason. His conviction sparks off protests around the world.
Tomorrow's World
7/7/1965
BBC commentator and ex-Spitfire pilot Raymond Baxter presents the first episode of Tomorrow's World, a showcase for new inventions and technologies. It is finally axed in January 2003 after steadily declining ratings.
Thunderbirds Are Go!
2/10/1965
Children around the UK are mesmerised by the first episode of Thunderbirds. It becomes the most enduringly popular of Gerry Anderson's Supermarionation puppet shows.
Magic Roundabout Starts Spinning
18/10/1965
A fortnight after Thunderbirds premieres, another animated children's programme begins, this time with no strings attached. The Magic Roundabout chronicles the adventures of Brian the snail, Dougal the dog and the mysterious Zebedee.
Kenneth Tynan Swears
12/6/1965
The theatre critic becomes the first person to say the F-word on British television, during a live BBC discussion programme. It sparks a major debate in the press and one MP calls for Tynan to be hung.
Churchill Dies
24/1/1965
The wartime leader's funeral is the first simultaneous TV broadcast between the BBC and ITV and the largest outside broadcast ever staged.
The Frost Report is Unleashed
10/3/1966
A mixture of monologue, sketch and music, The Frost Report brings together the comedy talents of John Cleese, Michael Palin, Graham Chapman, Eric Idle and Terry Jones for the first time. Two Ronnies
Cathy Come Home
16/11/1966
Ken Loach's Wednesday Play about a family's struggle against poverty gives a major boost to the launch of the charity Shelter just a few days later.
State Opening of Parliament Broadcast
21/4/1966
The State Opening of Parliament is broadcast from inside the Palace of Westminster for the very first time.
England Win World Cup
30/7/1966
England beat Germany 4-2 at Wembley to win the Eighth World Cup tournament. Bobby Moore accepts the solid-gold Jules Rimet trophy from Queen Elizabeth.
Danger Man Ends
12/6/1967
ITV's successful series Danger Man comes to an end. The programme made a star of its lead, Patrick McGoohan, and presages the 1960s spy-thriller boom.
Do Not Adjust Your Set
26/12/1967
Future Pythons Michael Palin, Terry Jones and Eric Idle team up to produce the surreal children's comedy show.
News At Ten
3/7/1967
At 30 minutes long, the News At Ten is the first extended news programme on ITV. It is also the first British news programme to adopt the US style of two newscasters (in this case, Alastair Burnet and Andrew Gardner).
First Heart Transplant
3/12/1967
South African surgeon Christiaan Barnard performs the world's very first heart transplant on 53-year-old Lewis Washkansky. The operation is a complete success.
The Forsyte Saga
7/1/1967
The 26-part serial, based on John Galsworthy’s novels, is the BBC’s most costly drama to date. The budget pays off as the Forsyte family’s 50-year history grips the nation. Episode six causes much consternation as Soames (Eric Porter) rapes his unfaithful wife Irene (Nyree Dawn Porter).
Magpie
30/7/1968
Thames Television broadcasts the first episode of Magpie, a twice-weekly magazine series for children. Regular features include Mick's Pop Slot and the environmental feature Endangered Species.
Dad's Army Starts Marching
31/7/1968
Jimmy Perry and David Croft put themselves firmly on the comedy map with a new series - Dad's Army - for BBC One. The programme is such a success that it spawns both a film (in 1971) and a stage musical.
Morecambe and Wise Join BBC
2/9/1968
The Morecambe and Wise Show makes its debut on BBC Two, after seven years with ATV. Their guests include Georgia Brown and Los Zafiros.
Students Riot in Paris
3/5/1968
There is rioting on the streets of Paris after students object to the apparent closure of the city's university at Nanterre. By 6 May, hundreds of students have been arrested.
Civilisation
23/2/1969
BBC Two controller David Attenborough commissioned Kenneth Clark's art history series, partly to show off the wonders of colour television. Three years in the making, at a cost of £500,000, the series initially attracts only a million viewers but soon becomes a benchmark of 'quality' television.
Star Trek Boldly Goes…
12/7/1969
Captain Kirk and Mr Spock make their British debut. Inspired by the long-running TV western, creator Gene Roddenberry promises a 'Wagon Train to the stars'.
Monty Python's Flying Circus
5/10/1969
Cleese, Palin, Idle et al start silly walking and wearing women's clothes. The first series airs on Sunday nights and consequently doesn't receive flattering viewing figures.
Man Lands on Moon
20/7/1969
American Neil Armstrong becomes the first man to walk on the Moon as millions watch at home.
Play For Today
15/10/1970
This umbrella strand for a series of one-off plays produces some of the BBC's most challenging and rewarding television. Writers such as Dennis Potter, Alan Bennett and David Mercer and directors like Ken Loach, Alan Clarke and Mike Leigh all contribute significant works.
Doomwatch
9/2/1970
This landmark environmental science-fiction programme on the BBC is so timely in predicting future flashpoints that it prompts debates in Parliament. Labour MP Ray Fletcher proposes that a Doomwatch-style committee be set up.
The Goodies
8/11/1970
The scruffy urchins of BBC comedy, The Goodies never achieve the lasting legacy or critical respect many fans feel they are due. Graeme Garden, Tim Brooke-Taylor and Bill Oddie have all continued to work in television, though.
The Beatles Split
10/4/1970
Millions mourn as the Fab Four decide to call it a day, symbolically ushering in the end of a decade of idealism and social change.
Upstairs Downstairs
10/10/1971
The long-running ITV drama series contrasts the fortunes of masters and servants in an Edwardian townhouse. The first six episodes are filmed in black and white due to industrial action.
The Two Ronnies
10/4/1971
The best comedy writers of the day work on The Two Ronnies (BBC), endowed with two funny-men rather than the usual straight/funny double-act. The old couple are revisiting the series later in 2005.
The Generation Game
2/10/1971
Bruce Forsythe and then-wife Anthea Redfern host the long-running game show which sees family couples compete in bizarre challenges. A 1979 episode is the most watched game show in history as 23.9 million viewers tune into the BBC during the ITV strike.
Britain Goes Decimal
15/1/1971
Shillings disappear as Britons begin multiplying pence by tens and hundreds.
The Old Grey Whistle Test
21/9/1971
‘Whispering’ Bob Harris presents the music show inspired more by the album charts than best-selling singles. Being the final broadcast each Friday night on BBC Two gives the show flexibility: some shows end after 25 minutes while particularly good ones sometimes extend to an hour and a half.
Open University First Broadcast
10/1/1971
A joint production between the BBC and OU, the groundbreaking union provides higher education for the housebound, and a small-hours schedule deeply disturbing to those who have fallen asleep in front of the TV several hours previously.
Emmerdale Farm
16/10/1972
The second-longest-running soap on British TV, Emmerdale (the 'Farm' is dropped in 1989) forms the cornerstone of ITV's new daytime schedule. Its slow pace, wry humour, and refusal to rely on needless misery and disaster (barring the odd plane crash) ensure its continued popularity.
Newsround
4/4/1972
In the first news programme specifically for children, John Craven presents the news in an informal and slightly sanitised manner for many years. The BBC programme continues to this day.
Bloody Sunday
30/1/1972
A peaceful civil-rights march in Derry descends into chaos as British paratroopers open fire, killing 14 Irish civilians. The army contests that the victims are snipers, while the local community claims their innocence. The government inquiry is ongoing.
The Adventures of Black Beauty
17/9/1972
This much-loved horsy drama (ITV) makes glorious use of the Hertfordshire countryside, inspiring children everywhere to venture outdoors. Charles Crichton and Freddie Francis direct some episodes.
That's Life
26/5/1973
Esther Rantzen presents a new series which mixes serious consumer reports with frivolous items such as a dog that barks 'sausages' and amusing stories from local papers. That's Life runs until 1994.
Watergate Trial
8/1/1973
The trial of seven men accused of bugging the Democratic Party HQ in Washington eventually leads to a constitutional crisis and the resignation of President Richard Nixon the following year.
The World at War
31/10/1973
In the days before it becomes hard to avoid documentaries about World War II, the Iandmark ITV series offers the first major examination of the war on television.
Last of the Summer Wine
1/6/1973
A vintage year for TV comedy, 1973 sees the debuts of Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em and Are You Being Served? – but Last of the Summer Wine is the only one still going strong three decades later, something especially remarkable considering it is about the antics of OAPs who are still fit thirty years on.
Ceefax Test Transmission Begins
4/1/1973
The world's first teletext system is devised by BBC technicians, who realised that digital signals could be broadcast with analogue transmissions. The system is still popular despite its dated format, but analogue switch-off in the coming decade will spell its farewell.
Rising Damp
2/2/1974
Arguably ITV's finest sitcom, Rising Damp is essentially a showcase for Leonard Rossiter's comic genius. He raises the bar for TV comedy with his innovative emphasis on physical comedy - a mastery of subtle mannerism that transcends the grander theatrics of the time.
Porridge
5/9/1974
A sitcom set in a prison: Dick Clement and Ian la Frenais' simple yet brilliant idea spawns an enduring classic that still earns prime-time slots three decades later. Richard Beckinsale manages to divide his time between this and Rising Damp, and Ronnie Barker is never better.
Patty Hearst is Kidnapped
4/2/1974
The Symbionese Liberation Army, a bizarre left-wing terrorist organisation, kidnaps the heir to the William Randolph Hearst fortune, Patty Hearst. Later, she willingly takes part in the gang's terror activities, claiming she had been brainwashed.
The Family
3/4/1974
Paul Watson's 12-part observational documentary series about the Wilkins, a working-class family living in a small flat in Reading, popularises the fly-on-the-wall format. It a frenzy both in the tabloids and with Mary Whitehouse, who wants it banned lest viewers copy the behaviour of this representative family.
Tiswas
5/1/1974
An anarchic precursor to future live 'zoo' TV shows, Tiswas is revolutionary Saturday-morning television. New comics like Lenny Henry appear alongside bands such as The Specials, and students across the land suddenly find a reason to get up early. Chris Tarrant goes on to become a light-entertainment legend.
Parkinson vs Ali
2/12/1974
Parky meets his match in his second interview with Muhammad Ali. The heavyweight champ challenges the host: “You do not have enough wisdom to corner me on television... You are too small minded to tackle me.” After the show Parkinson’s father suggests he should have thumped Ali.
Arena
1/10/1975
BBC Two's innovative arts strand begins with items on David Hockney's sets for A Rake's Progress and a conversation between Kenneth Tynan and Laurence Olivier. Subsequent Arena classics include The Private Life of the Ford Cortina (1982) and Wisconsin Death Trip (2000).
The Naked Civil Servant
17/12/1975
Telling the life-story of persecuted homosexual Quentin Crisp, the programme is a defining moment in television's depiction of gay lifestyles.
The Sweeney
2/1/1975
ITV's cop drama injects a dose of contemporary realism into the genre. This flying squad are as violent, foul-mouthed and unpredictable as the criminals they apprehend, and the British public can't get enough of it - 19 million viewers tune in at its peak.
General Franco Dies
20/11/1975
General Francisco Franco finally succumbs to Parkinson's disease, bringing 35 years of dictatorship to an end and opening the way for his successor, King Juan Carlos, to restore democracy.
Fawlty Towers
19/9/1975
John Cleese plays the beleagured Torquay hotelier who's in contant battle with his wife, staff and customers. Cleese's decision to only make 12 episodes helps preserve the series' monolithic stature.
I, Claudius
19/9/1976
Another 1970s programme that routinely features on TV 'Best of' lists, the BBC's re-creation of ancient Rome features a stellar cast of Shakespearian talent, including Derek Jacobi, John Hurt and Brian Blessed.
The Bill Grundy/Sex Pistols incident
1/12/1976
During an interview with reporter Bill Grundy on ITV, Steve Jones of the nascent punk band The Sex Pistols uses the F-word live on early-evening TV. Grundy is fired for his part in goading Jones, the Pistols are dropped by their record label, and the punk movement gains nationwide publicity.
Jeremy Thorpe Affair
29/1/1976
The trial of Liberal MP Jeremy Thorpe begins after allegations that he had arranged to murder a man with whom he had had a homosexual relationship. He is later acquitted of these charges.
The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin
1/6/1976
Way ahead of its time, Reggie Perrin displays thoroughly modern themes like disillusionment and anti-capitalism while most sitcoms are still relying on cheap smuttiness. Leonard Rossiter again proves his mesmerising versatility in the title role.
The Professionals
30/12/1977
Popular ITV police procedural show, with Martin Shaw and Lewis Collins as the wonderfully named Bodie and Doyle, which revolves around the creation of a criminal investigative division made up of ex-SAS officers.
Roots
8/4/1977
Not to be outdone by Jesus of Nazareth on ITV, the BBC airs its own ambitious TV mini-series, Roots, a US production about the slavery of African-Americans. These sweeping historical dramas are a signature of 1970s television.
Abigail's Party
1/11/1977
One of the most enduring Play for Todays, Mike Leigh's living room drama features a memorable performance from Alison Steadman as the overbearing and pretentious party host Beverly.
Queen's Silver Jubilee
6/6/1977
As punk spirit rages through the streets of Britain, the monarch begins her celebration of 25 years since accession in a typically traditional fashion – a bonfire at Windsor Park.
Jesus of Nazareth
3/4/1977
Purportedly produced after a promise made by Sir Lew Grade to the Pope, the idea is to tell the story of the life of Jesus for every denomination, free of controversy. The five-hour ITV epic is scripted by Anthony Burgess and directed by Franco Zeffirelli.
Six Plays By Alan Bennett
2/12/1978
Alan Bennett's cements his long love affair with British TV with this breakthrough series of plays for ITV. His unique mixture of droll monologues and northern English minutiae lead to an exemplary writing career. Episodes are directed by Stephen Frears and Lindsay Anderson.
Rumpole of the Bailey
3/4/1978
Legendary lawmaker Rumpole first appeared on screen in a Play For Today on the BBC but really makes his mark on ITV when he is given his own series. Leo McKern's memorable turn goes down a storm in the US, where it inspires many law-related TV shows and its repeats still enjoy healthy ratings.
Delia Smith's Cookery Course
3/11/1978
With home cooking in decline as people turn to takeaways, supermarkets and the novelty of ready-meals, Delia decides to run basic TV cookery courses to revive enthusiasm for cooking at home. When her first series for BBC One is broadcast, accompanied by tie-in books, it is an instant success.
Jonestown Massacre
18/11/1978
Over 900 members of Reverend Jim Jones' cult die after a mass suicide/murder at their compound in Guyana, where poisoned juice is distributed, or force-fed, to his followers.
The South Bank Show
4/1/1978
Melvyn Bragg's cultural review begins with features on Paul McCartney and a Surrealist art exhibition. The ITV series remains the longest continuously running arts programme on British television.
Subtitling Begins
2/9/1979
BBC's Ceefax service offers subtitling for programmes for the first time, available on the memorable page number 888.
Life on Earth
16/1/1979
Filmed throughout the world, David Attenborough’s landmark natural history series traces the evolution of the planet from single cell organisms to human beings. The series features Attenborough’s memorable encounter with mountain gorillas in Rwanda.
Margaret Thatcher Wins General Election
3/5/1979
Britain's first female prime minister, the Iron Lady herself, comes to power amid a landslide victory for the Conservative Party. She becomes Britain's longest-serving PM of the 20th century.
Question Time
25/9/1979
This unique forum, where the public can quiz politicians, comes as a revelation for 1979 audiences and remains an institution. Sir Robin Day, Peter Sissons and David Dimbleby have been the programme's only chairmen.
Not the Nine O'Clock News
16/11/1979
Rowan Atkinson, Chris Langham, Pamela Stephenson and Mel Smith offer unhinged interpretations of the world of news and current affairs. Griff Rhys Jones replaces Langham a year later and the shows stars and writers, including Richard Curtis and David Renwick, dominate comedy for the next decade and beyond.
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
10/9/1979
John Le Carre's first adaptation for television is this award-winning spy drama. Alec Guinness wins a Bafta for his idiosyncratic performance.
Women Cops
30/8/1980
Women police officers have been on Britain's streets since 1949, but it isn't until the 1980s that TV really takes notice, with Juliet Bravo on BBC One (1980-85) and Jill Gascoine as DI Maggie Forbes in ITV's The Gentle Touch (1980-84).
Yes Minister
25/2/1980
Debut of Margaret Thatcher's 'truly favourite programme.' In 1984, the PM performs in her own sketch with Nigel Hawthorne and Paul Eddington to mark the 20th anniversary of the National Viewers and Listeners Association.
Children in Need
21/11/1980
Telethons come to the UK for the first time with the BBC's appeal show. Comic Relief and ITV's Telethons both follow in 1988.
First Nuclear Missile Sites Announced
17/6/1980
The government announces that 160 US nuclear cruise missiles will be located at RAF Greenham Common, Berkshire, and the disused RAF Molesworth in Cambridgeshire.
Who Shot JR?
5/3/1980
The oil tycoon is shot at the end of the second series of US soap Dallas, prompting a national obsession over who pulled the trigger and even a BBC news report. Dallas rules the world of primetime US soaps that includes its spin-off Knots Landing and Dynasty.
Prince Charles and Lady Di Wed
29/7/1981
A worldwide TV audience of 750 million watch the Royal wedding, which features the first Buckingham Palace 'balcony kiss'.
Only Fools and Horses
8/9/1981
Del Boy and Rodney – and their get-rich schemes to escape their Peckham council block – begin a 15-year run. In 2004 the series is voted Britain's Best Sitcom in a BBC poll.
Only Fools and Horses Website
Game for a Laugh
26/9/1981
Part game show, part talent contest and part practical-joke fest, this hugely successful programme ends BBC One's dominance of Saturday-night TV and makes stars of its presenters Jeremy Beadle, Matthew Kelley, Sarah Kennedy and Henry Kelly.
Tenko
22/10/1981
A group of women, who had all lived comfortable lives, find themselves in a remote prison camp following the fall of Singapore to the Japanese in 1941. The series, starring Stephanies Beacham and Cole, Ann Bell and Burt Kwouk, runs until 1984.
Brixton & Toxteth Riots
25/11/1981
Lord Scarman's report following the Brixton race riots leads to the introduction of the Police Complaints Authority and other measures aimed at improving trust between the police and ethnic minority communities. More large-scale riots follow in 1985.
Day of the Triffids
10/9/1981
Acclaimed adaptation of John Wyndham's novel, in which the world wakes up blind, with a few sighted survivors left to work out a future for humanity and see off the threat posed by man-eating Triffid plants.
Brideshead Revisited
12/10/1981
John Mortimer's adaptation of the Evelyn Waugh novel sets the tone for subsequent quality dramas such as The Jewel in the Crown (1984).
Channel 4 Launches
2/11/1982
Word quiz Countdown launches the new channel. Other programmes on the first night include Stephen Frears' Walter, starring Ian McKellan as an institutionalised mental patient. Frears complained that the vogue for heritage dramas 'perpetuated myths about an England that no longer exists.'
Roger Graef and Charles Stewart
Police
4/1/1982
Roger Graef and Charles Stewart's fly-on-the-wall series for the BBC following the Thames Valley Police is broadcast a year after the 1981 race riots. An episode in which three officers dismiss a rape allegation out of hand causes a public outcry and contributes to changes in how the police handle rape cases.
The Young Ones
9/11/1982
The anarchic sitcom not only launches the careers of comics Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmondson, it is also full of topical references to Thatcher's government, police brutality and the Bomb.
The Tube
14/11/1982
Launching during Channel 4's first week on air, Jools Holland and Paula Yates present a mixture of live music (miming was banned) and comedy.
Falklands War
2/4/1982
Argentina invades the Falkland Islands. A ceasefire is agreed in June. The war costs the lives of 655 Argentine and 255 British servicemen.
The Boys from the Blackstuff
10/10/1982
Alan Bleasdale's series about tarmac-layers on the dole in Liverpool presents a grim vision of Thatcher's Britain. Bernard Hill's Yosser becomes one of the most memorable characters in TV history with his plea, 'Gissa job'.
Brookside
2/11/1982
Channel 4 breathes new life into the soap opera with Phil Redmond's series, which is filmed in a real Liverpool cul-de-sac and is the first to have a weekend omnibus. The show's continual use of the word 'pissing' and one instance of 'bollocks' lead the tabloids to dub the new station 'Channel Swore'.
Cartoons Sell Toys
7/7/1983
Children's TV shows have spawned spin-off toys for decades, but in the 1980s the reverse occurs – cartoons that effectively advertise existing products. He-Man (1983-90) and Transformers (1984-87) for boys, My Little Pony (1986-92) and Care Bears (1985-88) for girls, are the most successful.
Breakfast TV Wakes Up
17/1/1983
Frank Bough and Selina Scott present BBC One's Breakfast Time. Within a month TV-am begins on ITV.
Brighton Bomb
12/10/1983
An IRA bomb explodes at the Conservative Party conference in Brighton in a direct attack on the British Government.
Michael Buerk Broadcasts from Ethiopia
25/10/1984
The emotional news reports about the famine in Ethiopia prompts a huge public response and helps inspire Bob Geldof's Live Aid.
Spitting Image
26/2/1984
The satirical puppet show runs for 12 years, poking fun at politicians and the Royal Family. Towards the end of its run, celebrities rather than public figures are more often the target. Many of the show's impressionists go on to become stars, including Steve Coogan, Harry Enfield and Chris Barrie.
Miners' Strike
5/3/1984
The longest industrial dispute in British history begins over proposed pit closures in Yorkshire. Miners return to work in 1985 after national campaigns of support, pitched battles with the police and 10,000 arrests.
Who Dares, Wins...
12/5/1984
Channel 4's sketch show is a hit with viewers and critics, but regularly raises the hackles of clean-up campaigners with its sexual material and language rarely heard on television. Writers Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin cut their teeth on the BBC's Not the Nine O'Clock News and go on to create Drop the Dead Donkey.
The Bill
16/10/1984
First episode of the series that originated as a one-off drama for ITV entitled Woodentop, about PC Jim Carver's (Mark Wingett) first day on the beat at Sun Hill police station. Other notable services dramas of the 1980s are Casualty and London's Burning.
Max Headroom
5/4/1985
Max Headroom starts life as a Channel 4 TV movie, set in a cyberpunk world inspired by William Gibson and Blade Runner. The character later provides links for an MTV-style music-video show.
Blind Date
30/11/1985
Cilla Black begins her reign as the queen of Saturday-night TV. Other popular game shows of the 1980s include The Price is Right (ITV) and Treasure Hunt (Channel 4).
EastEnders
19/2/1985
Seen as a response to the huge success of ITV's Coronation Street, the first episode of the soap airs on BBC One at 7pm. The programme is moved later in the evening after complaints about its often gritty subject matter
EastEnders Website
Snooker Breaks Viewing Record
14/5/1985
The World Snooker Championship Final, between Dennis Taylor and Steve Davis, attracts BBC Two's highest-ever rating of 18 million viewers.
Gorbachev Becomes Soviet Leader
11/3/1985
Mikhail Gorbachev becomes Soviet leader following the death of Konstantin Chernenko. BBC correspondent Tim Sebastian reports that, 'Despite his lively and flexible manner, Gorbachev is still a strict, orthodox Marxist; in no sense has he shown himself to be a liberal.'
Real Lives Causes Political Row with the BBC
15/7/1985
The Home Secretary, Leon Brittan, asks the BBC governors to stop the broadcast of At the Edge of the Union, an edition of Real Lives about extremists in Northern Ireland. The Board, quite exceptionally, views the programme before the planned transmission and demands that changes are made. The programme is eventually broadcast in October.
Edge of Darkness
4/11/1985
Bob Peck plays a dour cop investigating his daughter's death against the backdrop of a vast international nuclear conspiracy. Although first broadcast on BBC Two, the programme is repeated on BBC One just ten days after its initial run.
Casualty Opens its Wards
6/9/1986
Just as The Bill reawakened the public appetite for British cop shows, the BBC's long-running medical series Casualty sparks a similar resurgence in UK hospital dramas. The spin-off series Holby City begins in 1999.
The Singing Detective
16/11/1986
Michael Gambon stars as a hospitalised crime writer remembering his past and imagining scenes from his novel. Often hailed as writer Dennis Potter's masterpiece, this six-part series causes controversy over its frank sex scenes.
Aids – 'Don't Die of Ignorance'
6/6/1986
Five years after the first cases of Aids were discovered, John Hurt narrates the 'Don't Die of Ignorance' campaign, which warns 'There is now a danger that is a threat to us all… Anyone can get it: man or woman.'
Chernobyl
28/4/1986
The accident in the Ukraine remains the world's worst civil nuclear disaster: more than 10,000 people die as a direct result. The Ukrainian government says that 3.5m people, a third of them children, have become ill, and contamination spreads as far as Britain.
The Clothes Show
13/10/1986
In the era of big shoulder-pads and puffball skirts, Jeff Banks and Selina Scott bring fashion to Sunday tea times on BBC One. Jan Harvey, the star of Howard's Way, is the guest on the first episode.
Daytime TV
27/10/1986
Daytime television launches on BBC One. Aussie soap Neighbours and a phone-in with Eamonn Holmes replace the test card and endless pages of Ceefax.
The Life and Loves of a She-Devil
8/10/1986
The nation is gripped by Fay Weldon's tale of infidelity and impersonation as Ruth (Julie T Wallace) exacts her revenge after discovering that her dull, accountant husband Bobbo (Dennis Waterman) has been having an affair with elegant novelist Mary Fisher (Patricia Hodge).
The New Statesman
13/9/1987
Rik Mayall stars as 'rising star of the New Right', Alan B'Stard MP. The series spans the Thatcher and Major governments and often pre-empts the sex scandals and other embarrassments that plague the Tories in the late 1980s and early 90s.
'Yes' to Female Priests
26/2/1987
The general synod approves women priests in the Church of England. Seven years later the BBC launches The Vicar of Dibley starring Dawn French.
Kilroy
12/10/1987
Former Labour MP Robert Kilroy-Silk presents the BBC's morning discussion show for 17 years. During this time Kilroy has a number of run-ins with the British Standards Council, who brand the programme 'victim entertainment'. Kilroy retorts, saying the BSC's £2m budget would be better spent on the NHS.
Inspector Morse
6/1/1987
John Thaw and Dennis Whately begin their 13-year run investigating Oxfordshire murders. The series is groundbreaking in its use of two-hour episodes and lays the path for later ITV feature-length drama.
Death on the Rock
26/4/1988
The government fails to prevent the broadcast of ITV's investigative documentary about the British Special Forces’ controversial killing of three IRA gunmen in Gibraltar in March 1988. The programme causes outrage in the press, provoking the headlines 'Storm at SAS Telly Trial' in the Sun and 'Slur on the SAS' in the Star.
Government Loses Spycatcher Battle
13/10/1988
The British government tries, and fails, to get extracts from Peter Wright's book Spycatcher banned. Some of his more controversial revelations include the claim that Prime Minister Harold Wilson was the target of an MI5 conspiracy and that ex-chief of MI5, Roger Hollis, was a Soviet mole in the 1960s.
This Morning
15/1/1988
Live from Liverpool's Albert Dock, husband and wife Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan launch what soon becomes Britain's most popular morning show, a frothy combination of lifestyle features and celebrity interviews. Richard and Judy leave ITV for Channel 4 in 2001 to start a successful afternoon show.
Talking Heads
19/4/1988
Alan Bennett's six monologues feature memorable performances by the likes of Thora Hird and Stephanie Cole. The texts are now on the A-Level syllabus.
Desmond's
5/1/1988
Channel 4 helps cement its reputation as the broadcaster most attuned to multicultural Britain with this sitcom set in a Peckham barbershop. The series runs for six years and spawns a spin-off, Porkpie (1995-96).
Satellite Television
5/2/1989
Sky launches the UK's first satellite television service, with four channels: Sky Channel, Eurosport, Sky Movies and Sky News. Sky's rival, the government-backed British Satellite Broadcasting launches in March 1990. Doomed from the start, it merges with Sky in November 1990.
Birds of a Feather
16/10/1989
Childhood friends Pauline Quirke and Linda Robson play sisters Sharon and Tracey, whose husbands both get jailed for armed robbery, in this hit comedy series.
A Very British Coup
19/6/1988
Alistair Campbell is an advisor on Channel 4's political drama that imagines a Labour government winning popular support for such policies as high public spending and the removal of US nuclear bases from British soil. It is broadcast one year after Neil Kinnock's massive defeat at the hands of Margaret Thatcher.
Fall of Berlin Wall
9/11/1989
The Wall comes down five days after the East German government resigned following a massive pro-democracy demonstration. Germany is finally reunited in October 1990.
Alan Clarke's The Firm
26/2/1989
Gary Oldman stars as football hooligan Bex, an estate agent with a young son, in one of director Alan Clarke's final efforts. The Football Association criticises the BBC film for providing 'poor role models' at a time when the FA is trying to improve the image of English football fans.
Blackadder Goes Forth
28/9/1989
The final Blackadder series, set in the First World War trenches, maintains the comic brio of its predecessors, but is more serious in tone as the characters’ live amid the madness of war. The final episode sees Blackadder and Baldrick going ‘over the top’ to their deaths.
Blackadder Website
One Foot in the Grave
4/1/1990
The classic catchphrase 'I don't believe it!' is heard for the first time as Victor Meldrew hits TV screens in One Foot in the Grave on BBC One.
The End of an Era
22/11/1990
Margaret Thatcher tearfully tells her Cabinet that she is stepping down after only narrowly winning a leadership ballot. This result signals the end of an 11-year reign at Number 10, an era that ushered in deregulation, free markets and weakened trade unions.
The Word
1/8/1990
Much wailing and gnashing of teeth accompanies the first transmission of The Word on Channel 4. The programme ushers in a new post-pub TV era of edgy music (Nirvana has its UK premiere here), inane banter and downright offensive set-pieces. It is cancelled in 1995 due to falling ratings.
BSB Launches
29/4/1990
British Satellite Broadcasting (BSB) makes its debut but the company is quickly hit by financial difficulties due to the expense of building and launching its own satellites. BSB subsequently merges with Sky TV on 2 November.
Have I Got News For You
28/9/1990
A new topical quiz show rears its head in the form of BBC Two's Have I Got News For You. The host is Angus Deayton and your team captains are Ian Hislop and Paul Merton.
Bottom
17/9/1991
Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmondson make a natural progression from The Young Ones and Filthy, Rich and Catflap to a new series, Bottom. Madcap comedy and cartoon violence ensue until its cancellation in 1995.
Sex Watch
1/1/1991
The Broadcasting Standards Council (BSC) is set up to monitor sex, violence and bad language on radio and TV. It is scrapped in March and merged with the Broadcasting Complaints Commission to form the Broadcasting Standards Commission.
Gen Norman Schwarzkopf
Operation Desert Storm
17/1/1991
The Gulf War allies send hundreds of planes on bombing raids into Iraq at the start of Operation Desert Storm. The move comes after Iraq refuses to comply with a UN ultimatum for its troops to withdraw from Kuwait by 15 January.
Noel's House Party
23/11/1991
Noel Edmonds joins Mr Blobby for a new kind of Saturday-evening entertainment on BBC One – Noel's House Party. Highlights include Grab a Grand, NTV and the urchin-saturated Wait Til I Get You Home.
The Big Breakfast
28/9/1992
Channel 4 serves The Big Breakfast onto viewers' morning plates, in an attempt to provide an antidote to the 'dry topical chat' that the other channels are offering. The show experiences ratings highs with presenters Chris Evans and Gaby Roslin, and then Johnny Vaughan and Denise Van Outen.
El Dorado
6/7/1992
The BBC's most ambitious soap yet hits UK screens. El Dorado is set in an expatriate community in Spain but fails to bring any sunshine into viewers' lives. It is cancelled on 9 July 1993 due to poor ratings.
Maastrich Treaty Signed
7/2/1992
Previously agreed by EC governments in 1991, the treaty on closer political and economic union between European states is finally signed. It comes into effect in November 1993 with the creation of the European Union.
Cracker
27/9/1993
Jimmy McGovern introduces a new breed of anti-hero with ITV drama series Cracker. Robbie Coltrane plays the hard-drinking, reckless psychologist Fitz, with able support from the likes of Ricky Tomlinson and Christopher Eccleston.
Good Morning TV
1/1/1993
GMTV takes over TV-am's franchise to become the biggest breakfast broadcaster in Europe. It goes on to regularly reach 13 million viewers a week.
Czechoslovakia Ceases to Exist
1/1/1993
After the so-called 'velvet divorce', the old Czechoslovakia is split into two sovereign nations – the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
Shopping Channel
1/10/1993
QVC, based on the successful American QVC channel, becomes Britain's first home shopping channel. Standing for 'Quality, Value and Convenience', it offers retail goods to more than three million Sky subscribers.
Interview with Dennis Potter
5/4/1994
In this Without Walls special (Channel 4), writer Dennis Potter talks candidly to Melvyn Bragg about his life and work, and about the fatal cancer that has left him with only a few weeks to live.
The Day Today
19/1/1994
Chris Morris and Armando Iannucci are just two of the writers behind this bizarre BBC comedy series, which takes a somewhat skewed look at current-affairs TV. With characters like Alan Partridge and Peter O'Hanrahahanrahan, the staid format of the news show has never taken such a battering.
Alan Partridge Website
New Leader for North Korea
8/7/1994
Kim Jong-Il becomes leader of the North Korean people following the death of his father. He is prevented from taking the title of president, however, as Kim Il-Sung is seen as both 'Great Leader' and 'Eternal President'.
Gaytime TV
29/6/1995
This Rhona Cameron-fronted show becomes the BBC's first magazine-style programme for gays and lesbians.
Shopping For Mr Right
12/10/1995
A thirtysomething professional and all-round 'Bridget Jones waiting to happen', Sharon Lloyd tries to find a man in New York in this intriguing documentary. Part of Channel 4's successful Short Stories series.
OJ Simpson Found Not Guilty
3/10/1995
Ex-American footballer and sometime actor OJ Simpson is acquitted of the murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown and her friend, Ronald Goldman. The jury takes less than four hours to reach a unanimous decision in the trial that has gripped America for almost a year.
Pride and Prejudice
24/9/1995
Andrew Davies' six-part adaptation of the Jane Austen classic makes a heartthrob of Colin ‘Mr Darcy’ Firth and sparks resurgence in big budget costume dramas.
Behind the Scenes Website
Father Ted
21/4/1995
Father Ted (Dermot Morgan) oversees the surreal Craggy Island parish, the antithesis of the relatively cosy world depicted in The Vicar of Dibley, and home to dim-witted Father Dougal and foul-mouthed, drunk Father Jack.
The Death of Yugoslavia
3/9/1995
The award-winning series uses interviews with all the major participants and archive footage to trace how Yugoslavia disintegrated, from the rise of Milosevic to the US brokered pact between Croatian and Bosnian Muslims.
Bugs
1/4/1995
Craig McLachlan, Jesse Birdsall and Jaye Griffiths star in a 10-part drama series set in the cutthroat world of hi-tech crimes. In fact, the series is so popular that the BBC commissions a further three series.
Changing Rooms
4/9/1996
The BBC premieres a show that allows households to swap homes and then make over one room in each other's houses. An overnight success, it boosts an apparent DIY craze and a rash of similar lifestyle programmes.
The Simpsons Arrive at the BBC
23/11/1996
The Simpson family introduce themselves to a whole new audience with their first broadcast on terrestrial TV. It took a while, though: American viewers, and those with Sky, were first treated to the yellow ones' antics back in 1990.
First GM Food Goes on Sale
4/2/1996
Supermarkets begin selling cans of genetically modified tomato puree. The tomatoes in question are designed to ripen slower and survive bruising better than your average tomato.
Hillsborough
5/11/1996
Jimmy McGovern's docu-dramatisation of the 1989 Hillsborough football stadium disaster is broadcast on ITV. It sets out to debunk some of the 'drunken yob' myths that circulated shortly after the tragedy and is instrumental in introducing a new inquiry, set up in 1997.
Our Friends in the North
16/1/1996
Daniel Craig, Christopher Eccleston and Gina McKee star in this BBC drama that follows four Tyneside friends from the early 1960s to the mid-90s. Nine of the ten episodes are set in election years, with the final episode broadcast the year before Labour's landslide victory.
Labour Wins Landslide Election Victory
1/5/1997
Tony Blair leads Labour to its greatest victory, making him the youngest man to become Prime Minister since 1812.
Driving School
10/6/1997
More than 12 million viewers watch BBC One’s fly-on-the-wall series about incompetent drivers. Maureen Rees, a 55-year-old cleaner from Cardiff, becomes queen of the docu-soaps, releasing a single (a cover of Driving in My Car) and appearing on This is Your Life. She passes her test on the eighth attempt.
Teletubbies
31/3/1997
Learning by repetition is the order of the day as Tinky Winky, Dipsy, Laa Laa and Po pop out of their burrow for the first time. By the end of 2001, the Teletubbies are so popular that their words have been translated into at least 45 languages.
News 24 Launches
9/11/1997
Gavin Esler and Sarah Montague present the very first bulletin of the BBC's 24-hour dedicated news channel. It is the corporation's first new domestic channel since the launch of BBC Two in 1964.
Channel 5 Launches
30/3/1997
With a rendition of the song The Power of Five, performed by the Spice Girls, Channel 5 hits the airwaves – the first new terrestrial channel in 15 years.
The Birth of ITV2
7/12/1998
ITV launches its first new channel since its own launch in 1955. It is a free-to-air channel with a cornucopia of soaps, sport and quiz shows aimed at a younger audience.
The Jerry Springer Show
23/3/1998
ITV gives Jerry and his controversial US chat show its first airing on British network television. The programme has already gained quite a following on satellite and cable channels.
The Royle Family
14/9/1998
The BBC sitcom about a Mancunian family that rarely leaves its sofa reinvigorates the genre with its spot-on characterisations, cringe-making dialogue, pathos, and, in an age of technical wizardry, minimalist direction.
Westminster Women
4/1/1998
ITV screens a three-part series about the wave of women MPs that have arrived with the advent of Tony Blair's Labour government.
Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?
4/9/1998
Chris Tarrant presents the ITV quiz show in which the players' intelligence and nerve are tested over consecutive rounds as they try to win ever-larger sums of money. It brings such phrases as 'Is that your final answer?' into the lexicon and goes on to become a ratings winner both in Britain and in the US.
Viagra Goes on Sale
27/3/1998
Men across Britain get a new lease of life as the British-based firm Pfizer releases a new treatment for impotence. Approved by the US Food and Drug Administration, it goes on to become the world's fastest-selling drug.
House of Commons Televised
2/11/1999
Television cameras are allowed into the House of Commons for the first time on an experimental basis. Approval for full coverage is granted in 1990.
Last Transmission of ITV's News At Ten
5/3/1999
The classic News At Ten slot on ITV is replaced by two news bulletins, at 6.30pm and 11.00pm. This decision would turn out to be short-lived, though, as the channel soon becomes embroiled in a legal battle with the ITC.
Total Eclipse
11/8/1999
Millions of people down tools, don protective eye-wear and look up to witness the first total eclipse over mainland Britain since 1927. The next will be in 2090.
Rab C Nesbitt
18/6/1999
Drunken wastrel Rab C Nesbitt downs his last pint as the BBC cancel his show after eight series of six episodes. He remains a Scots comedy icon.
Walking With Dinosaurs
21/9/1999
Natural history meets computer-generated animation as BBC Science's most costly series ever attempts to give viewers a glimpse into the prehistoric world. The techniques are later used on Walking with Beasts and Walking with Cavemen.
Walking with Dinosaurs Website
The Sopranos
6/7/1999
Channel 4 airs the HBO-produced Mafia drama. The show is a hit with viewers and critics, sparking a debate over whether American television is better than British. Channel 4 follows this success with other HBO series such as Six Feet Under and Sex and the City.
Queer as Folk
23/2/1999
Channel 4 broadcasts the first episode of Queer As Folk, a drama series about four gay men living in Manchester. It is the first series on British TV to deal exclusively with gay storylines and receives a number of complaints for its explicit sex scenes.
A History of Britain
30/9/2000
Simon Schama's ambitious series begins on BBC Two. The historian sets out to cover British history from 3100BC to the present day with a mixture of re-enactment and location shots at historical sites.
A History of Britain Website
Big Brother
18/7/2000
Big Brother's beady eye descends upon an unfortunate group of adults for the first time. Craig Phillips is finally declared winner on 15 September, and within months he releases a Christmas single and becomes the resident handyman on BBC One's daytime show Housecall.
Child of Our Time
23/2/2000
Professor Robert Winston kicks off the new millennium with a long-term study of nature versus nurture. This ambitious BBC project tracks the development of a group of carefully selected babies from birth to adulthood over 20 years.
Child of our Time Website
The Weakest Link
14/8/2000
The quiz-show format gets an injection of venom with the BBC's first transmission of The Weakest Link, hosted by Anne Robinson. The ex-Watchdog presenter's career gets a new lease of life as she combines quick-fire questions with intimidating put-downs.
The Weakest Link Website
ITN News Channel Launched
1/8/2000
ITV gives BBC News 24 a run for its money with the launch of the ITN News Channel. A joint venture with NTL, the channel becomes available on TV and radio, online and via mobile phones, making it the world's first fully divergent news service.
George W Bush is Declared President-elect
13/11/2000
Texas governor George Bush Jr is finally elected president after a protracted legal battle that lasts nearly six weeks. Democrat candidate Al Gore concedes after the Supreme Court imposes a deadline for recounts in Florida, automatically discounting thousands of potential votes.
US Terror Attacks
11/9/2001
At approximately 8.43am EDT, the first of two planes crashes into the World Trade Center towers, beginning a day of terrorist attacks on US soil. In the aftermath, thousands have been killed and an iconic part of New York's skyline lies in ruins.
Pop Idol
6/10/2001
Simon Cowell's well-groomed profile gets a raise thanks to Saturday-night series Pop Idol. Alongside fellow judges Nicki Chapman, Pete Waterman and Neil Fox, the pop guru puts a selection of wannabes through their paces to find the next pop sensation.
Brass Eye Special
26/7/2001
Chris Morris presents a one-off episode of the spoof current-affairs show, satirising the media's attitudes to, and portrayal of, paedophiles. The programme receives an almost unprecedented number of complaints and Channel 4 is asked to apologise for causing 'gratuitous offence'.
Othello
23/12/2001
A Christmas treat from ITV, this update of Shakespeare's Othello is set in the cutthroat world of a modern-day police force. John Othello (Eamonn Walker) becomes the first black police commissioner – but he doesn't bank on his old friend and mentor, Ben Jago (Christopher Eccleston) plotting against him.
The Office
9/7/2001
Ricky Gervais' comedy series The Office gets its first airing and goes on to become one of Britain's most successful television exports. The show would go on to win two awards at the Golden Globes in January 2004.
The Office Website
The Blue Planet
12/9/2001
David Attenborough returns with one of his most popular series ever. Using breakthrough production techniques, the programme explores the planet's oceans to show species that had never been filmed before.
Interactive Wimbledon
14/6/2001
Tennis fans are given an extra treat in 2001 with the advent of interactive television on the BBC. For the first time, viewers aren't restricted to merely one featured match but have a choice of five, each with their own live commentaries.
Live Autopsy
20/11/2002
Anatomist Gunther Von Hagens conducts the first public autopsy to be carried out in Britain since the 1830s, in front of a live audience on Channel 4.
Footballers' Wives
8/1/2002
Gillian Taylforth and Gary Lucy star in ITV's drama series about the private lives of professional football players. Cue drama, million-dollar deals and buckets of sleaze.
BBC Four Launches
2/3/2002
The BBC launches a free-to-air digital channel aimed at 'people who want more from television'. The nation delights to series including the award-winning Alan Clark Diaries and The National Trust.
© Mo Mowlam champions Churchill
Great Britons
20/10/2002
Anne Robinson reveals the results of the BBC's search for the most influential and iconic Briton of all time. Winston Churchill eventually runs away with the prize and the series is praised for engaging large audiences in serious subjects. Its success leads to such 'event' series as The Big Read and Restoration.
17th Football World Cup Begins
31/5/2002
The 2002 World Cup opens with a crash, bang and somewhat of a wallop in Seoul, South Korea, as Cup-holders France are beaten by Senegal in their opening game. Brazil go on to win the tournament by beating Germany 2-0 in the final in Yokohama, Japan.
American Missiles Hit Baghdad
20/3/2003
After giving Saddam Hussein and his sons 48 hours to leave Iraq, US president George W Bush orders the firing of missiles on the country's capital, marking the start of a US-led campaign to topple the Iraqi leader.
State of Play
18/5/2003
After a slew of political drama in the 1980s and early 90s, little was heard from TV writers following Tony Blair's first election win. This all changes after his re-election in 2002, as dramatists start to tackle New Labour. State of Play, looks at the surprising links between the government and the oil industry.
The Salon
12/1/2003
The reality-TV craze continues with Channel 4's The Salon, exploring the day-to-day goings on in a South London hairdressers and beauty spa.
Wife Swap
7/1/2003
A four-part series begins on Channel 4 in which women from very different families swap lives, including husbands, children and homes. The programme is such a success that it spawns a further four series.
Little Britain
16/9/2003
Matt Lucas and David Walliams bring their surreal Radio 4 series to digital channel BBC Three where it becomes an instant ratings winner. Its characters catchphrases are soon heard in offices and playgrounds throughout the country.
Little Britain Website
Asian Tsunami Kills Hundreds of Thousands
26/12/2004
An underwater earthquake at the northwest tip of Sumatra, Indonesia sends massive waves across the ocean hitting Sri Lanka, India, Thailand, Burma, Malaysia and the Maldives without warning. There are more than 100,000 dead in Indonesia alone and many missing persons unlikely to ever be found.
Strictly Come Dancing
15/5/2004
A group of erstwhile celebrities are paired with professional dancers to perform for a panel of judges in this ballroom dancing show, which proves to be a surprise hit for the BBC. After newsreader Natasha Kaplinsky floats away as winner in the first series, a second series is quickly commissioned.
Strictly Come Dancing Homepage
Hutton Report Published
28/1/2004
In May 2003, Radio 4's Andrew Gilligan claims that an unnamed source (Dr David Kelly) told him that the government's document on Iraq's WMDs had been 'sexed up'. After Kelly's suicide, the Hutton Report concludes that the BBC's allegations were 'unfounded'. The BBC chairman and director-general resign.
Hell's Kitchen
23/5/2004
Gordon Ramsay and his own gaggle of celebrities step into the reality-TV ring against the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing. Their job? To train under Ramsay's tutelage and become gourmet chefs.
The Secret Policeman
21/9/2004
Investigative reporter Mark Daly goes undercover in the Greater Manchester police force for this revelatory one-off BBC documentary. He finds evidence of institutionalised racism within the force, leading to four trainee officers being suspended.
Garth Marenghi's Darkplace
29/1/2004
2004 gets off to a surreal start with Channel 4's spoof horror series set inside a mysterious hospital. Highlights include the hospital staff turning into sprouts, the birth of a giant eye-baby and the advance of the phantom Highland warriors.
Britain's Best Sitcom
27/3/2004
Following on from such series as The Big Read and Great Britons, the BBC proves it has more than a penchant for event TV with the finale to the search for Britain's Best Sitcom. Celebrity guests present the case for their chosen sitcoms but Only Fools and Horses finally wins through after a public vote.
Britain's Best Sitcom Website
Auschwitz: The Nazis and the Final Solution
11/1/2005
On the eve of the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, Laurence Rees (The Nazis: A Warning from History) presents a BBC series looking at the building of the site, how it was run and who were the people responsible.
Auschwitz Website
Jerry Springer: The Opera
8/1/2005
BBC Two broadcasts the award-winning West End musical, Jerry Springer: The Opera, despite thousands of complaints over taste and decency. Christian groups in particular object to the portrayal of Christ in the play's second act.
Desperate Housewives
5/1/2005
The show that has been dubbed 'the new Sex and the City' arrives on Channel 4, introducing the suburban antics of Susan, Lynette, Gabrielle, et al. It receives the highest-ever audience share for a US series when it is first broadcast, peaking at 4.8 million viewers.
Iraq Elections
30/1/2005
An estimated eight million people vote in elections for a Transitional National Assembly, the first multi-party elections in Iraq since 1953. The Shia United Iraqi Alliance wins a majority of assembly seats. Kurdish parties come second in the poll.
