BBC in History

Events in Film & TV

1922-10-18 British Broadcasting Company (BBC) founded, later called British Broadcasting Corporation

Radio Premiere

1922-11-14 BBC begins daily radio broadcasts from the 2LO transmitter at Marconi House

Inventor and Nobel Laureate Guglielmo Marconi

1922-12-24 BBC broadcasts first British radio play "The Truth about Father Christmas"

Radio Premiere

1923-06-06 Edgar Wallace becomes the first British radio sports journalist reporting on The Derby for the British Broadcasting Company (BBC)

1923-12-31 BBC begins using Big Ben chime ID
1924-02-05 The Royal Greenwich Observatory begin broadcasting the hourly time signals known as the Greenwich Time Signal or the "BBC pips".
1930-04-18 BBC news announcer announces "there is no news" at 20:45 news bulletin, plays music instead
1932-08-22 BBC begins experimental regular TV broadcasts
1933-08-23 First televised boxing match — 6-round exhibition at Broadcasting House in London between middleweights Archie Sexton and Lauri Raiteri; aired by BBC-TV
1936-11-02 At 3pm the BBC begins the world's first regular high-definition TV broadcast service from specially constructed studios at Alexandra Palace, North London
1936-11-12 1st ever TV Gardening show "In Your Garden" shown on BBC television
1938-08-14 BBC's 1st feature film on TV (Student of Prague)

De Gaulle Calls for French Resistance

1940-06-18 General Charles de Gaulle makes his first speech on the BBC to the French people, since arriving in London, an appeal to defy Nazi occupiers - regarded as the beginning of French Resistance during WWII

Music History

1941-07-19 BBC World Service begins playing V(ictory) ("...-" in Morse code) (opening of Ludwig van Beethoven's 5th symphony)

1950-08-27 1st transmission of a TV programme from continental Europe shown on BBC

Radio Premiere

1951-05-28 Radio programme "Crazy People" (later titled The Goon Show) premieres on the BBC, created by Spike Milligan

1952-07-01 English architect Michael Ventris says he has solved one of the 20th century's greatest linguistic riddles, by deciphering Linear B in BBC interview. Is an ancient form of Greek on clay tablets from Minoan palace of Knossos. [1]
1954-07-05 The BBC broadcasts its first television news bulletin

Radio Premiere

1957-01-13 "All that Fall", first radio play by Samuel Beckett, aired on BBC Third Programme

All Eyes on Birthplace of British Rock 'n' Roll

1957-11-16 BBC’s 1st pop music show, the "Six-Five Special", is broadcast from the tiny 2i’s Coffee Bar in London

The 2i's coffee bar became a magnet for pop singers, agents and music entrepreneurs

1958-02-11 BBC pioneering series "Your Life in Their Hands" first broadcast presented by Dr. Charles Fletcher, 1st major TV series to deal with medicine

Film & TV History

1962-01-15 Coco the Clown [Nicolai Poliakoff] is the subject of the BBC TV programme "This is Your Life"

1963-06-24 1st demonstration of home video recorder, at BBC Studios, London

Music History

1964-05-18 David Frost interviews Paul McCartney on BBC

Film & TV History

1965-03-04 David Attenborough becomes the new controller of BBC2

1965-11-13 Director Kenneth Tynan says the word "F*ck" on BBC
1966-02-05 BBC opens a relay radio station on Ascension Island
1967-05-20 BBC bans the Beatles' "A Day in the Life" because of drug references
1967-07-01 1st British colour TV broadcast, on BBC 2
1967-07-01 BBC starts its World Radio Club
1967-09-30 BBC starts its own popular music radio station (Radio 1)
1967-11-22 BBC unofficially bans "I Am the Walrus" by Beatles, due to the suggestive lyric “Boy, you've been a naughty girl you let your knickers down."
1967-12-26 BBC broadcasts The Beatles psychedelic travelogue "Magical Mystery Tour"
1968-03-07 The BBC broadcasts the news for the first time in color on television
1968-07-09 BBC-TV broadcasts "Farewell", folk-rock band The Seekers final performance, draws 10 million viewers
1968-07-20 Jane Asher breaks her engagement with Beatle bassist, singer, and songwriter Paul McCartney, live on BBC-TV's "Dee Time" programme
1969-02-23 Groundbreaking TV documentary series "Civilisation" presented by art historian Kenneth Clark premieres on BBC2 in the UK
1969-03-28 Greek poet and Nobel Prize laureate Giorgos Seferis makes a famous statement on the BBC World Service opposing the junta in Greece

Film & TV History

1969-05-23 BBC orders 13 episodes of Monty Python's Flying Circus

1969-10-05 Monty Python's Flying Circus begins airing on BBC TV

Music History

1970-06-03 Ray Davies of The Kinks travels round trip NY-London to change 1 word in "Lola," (Coca-Cola to Cherry Cola) because of BBC commercial reference ban

1970-11-09 Comedy troupe "The Goodies" make their television debut on the BBC
1971-02-09 5 men are killed near a BBC transmitter on Brougher Mountain, County Tyrone, in a landmine attack carried out by the Irish Republican Army

Television Debut

1971-02-19 British TV chat show "Parkinson" debuts on BBC1 presented by Michael Parkinson

1971-08-01 CBS presents the first episode of BBC production "The Six Wives of Henry VIII", continuing weekly until September 5th
1972-02-10 BBC bans "Give Ireland Back to the Irish" by Wings
1972-11-30 BBC bans Wings' "Hi, Hi, Hi"
1973-01-14 Dancer Roy Castle is measured at 1,440 taps/min on BBC TV

Television Finale

1973-01-18 John Cleese's final episode on "Monty Python's Flying Circus" on BBC TV

1974-09-23 BBC Ceefax begins 1st teletext service
1974-12-05 Final episode of Monty Python's Flying Circus airs on BBC TV
1975-04-04 British sitcom "The Good Life" starring Richard Briers, Felicity Kendal, Paul Eddington and Penelope Keith debuts on BBC One
1975-09-19 "Fawlty Towers" starring John Cleese, Prunella Scales and Andrew Sachs premieres on BBC2 in the UK

Television Debut

1978-01-08 TV series "All Creatures Great and Small" debuts on BBC TV, based on the books by James Herriot, starring Robert hardy and Christopher Timothy

Music History

1978-07-13 BBC bans Sex Pistols "No One is Innocent"

1979-01-16 BBC landmark nature series "Life on Earth" presented by David Attenborough first shown on BBC One

TV Show Appearance

1979-06-30 British punk rocker johnny rotten and British actress Joan Collins appear together on BBC TV's "Juke Box Jury"

Film & TV History

1979-10-16 Comedy sketch show "Not the Nine O'Clock News" debuts starring Rowan Atkinson, Chris Langham, Pamela Stephenson and Mel Smith on BBC 2

1980-02-25 British political comedy "Yes Minister" written by Antony Jay and Jonathan Lynn, starring Paul Eddington, Nigel Hawthorne and Derek Fowlds premieres on BBC Two

Cricket History

1980-09-02 Australian cricket batsman Kim Hughes becomes 3rd player to bat on all 5 days of a Test match as the rain affected Centenary Test peters out to a draw at Lord's; BBC's John Arlott calls his final match

1981-09-08 British TV comedy "Only Fools and Horses" created by John Sullivan, starring David Jason, Nicholas Lyndhurst and Lennard Pearce premieres on BBC One
1982-05-23 BBC warns Britain will bomb Argentina
1983-06-15 "Black Adder" TV comedy premieres starring Rowan Atkinson and Tony Robinson and written by Richard Curtis and Rowan Atkinson on BBC1
1984-10-23 NBC airs BBC footage of Ethiopian famine
1985-02-19 British soap opera "Eastenders" premieres on the BBC
1985-11-04 "Edge of Darkness" first airs on BBC Two, featuring Bob Peck and Joanne Whalley

A Bit of Fry and Laurie

1989-01-13 British comedy sketch show series "A Bit of Fry and Laurie" starring Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie debuts on BBC1

1989-11-02 "Blackadder Goes Forth" final episode "Goodbyeee" airs on BBC-TV starring Rowan Atkinson and Tony Robinson, written by Richard Curtis and Ben Elton
1989-11-08 "Byker Grove" begins broadcasting on the BBC
1990-02-25 On a BBC taped interview, rock star Stevie Nicks breaks down, saying that she will never have children & no man can stand her for long

Television Premiere

1991-11-14 Michael Jackson's "Black or White" music video with groundbreaking morphing effects premieres simultaneously in 27 countries on MTV, Fox TV and BBC's Top of the Pops

1992-11-12 British TV comedy "Absolutely Fabulous" written by Jennifer Saunders, starring Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley first appears on the BBC

Television Debut

1995-09-24 TV adaptation of Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice", starring Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth debuts on BBC One

1997-11-03 British TV comedy "I'm Alan Partridge" starring Steve Coogan premieres on BBC Two
1998-09-14 British TV show "The Royle Family" written and starring Caroline Adherne and Craig Cash, also starring Ricky Tomlinson and Sue Johnston premieres on BBC Two

Film & TV History

2000-04-13 "When Louis Met..." documentary by Louis Theroux premieres on BBC2 in the UK featuring Jimmy Saville

2001-03-04 IRA detonates a bomb in front of the BBC Television Centre in London, injuring 11 people

Film Premiere

2001-07-09 "The Office" mockumentary created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, starring Ricky Gervais and Martin Freeman premieres on BBC Two in the UK

Television Premiere

2002-10-20 Motoring TV series "Top Gear premieres on the BBC, starring Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and Jason Dawe (replaced after the first season by James May)

Film & TV History

2005-02-16 The UK version of "The Apprentice" with British business magnate Alan Sugar premieres on the BBC

Television Debut

2005-03-26 "Doctor Who" returns to BBC TV after 16 years with the debut of Christopher Eccleston as the Ninth Doctor and Billie Piper as Rose

2005-05-19 TV political comedy "The Thick of It" created by Armando Iannucci, starring Peter Capaldi and Chris Langham premieres on BBC 4

Film & TV History

2005-06-18 David Tennant's first appearance as the Tenth Doctor in BBC "Doctor Who" episode "The Parting of the Ways"

2006-03-05 Nature documentary "Planet Earth" narrated by David Attenborough premieres on the BBC
2006-07-30 World's longest running music show "Top of the Pops" is broadcast for the last time on BBC Two. The show aired for 42 years.

Music History

2008-03-11 Plácido Domingo named "The King of Singers" in BBC Music Magazine, based on voting by 16 renowned opera critics for the April 2008 issue

Television Premiere

2009-11-09 TV comedy "Miranda" written by and starring Miranda Hart and Tom Ellis premieres on BBC Two in the UK

2010-04-03 Matt Smith's first appearance as the 11th Doctor in BBC program "Doctor Who" during "The Eleventh Hour" episode
2012-06-26 Police procedural drama "Line of Duty" debuts on BBC 2 in the UK
2013-11-23 "The Day of the Doctor" 50th anniversary episode of "Doctor Who" screens on BBC One, 1st episode to feature 12th Doctor Peter Capaldi

Roger the Ripped Kangaroo

2015-11-18 "Kangaroo Dundee" wildlife TV series premieres featuring Brolga and Roger the ripped Kangaroo on BBC Two

2017-07-16 BBC announces first ever female Doctor Who will be played by Jodie Whittaker
2017-07-19 BBC publishes salaries of its top-earning journalists and presenters, two-thirds male, Chris Evans highest at over £2.2 million
2017-11-10 BBC removes drama from Christmas line-up after one of its stars, Ed Westwick, accused of rape by two women

Music History

2018-07-18 Cliff Richard wins privacy case against the BBC, for reporting he was being investigated over historic child sexual assaults

2018-10-07 Jodie Whittaker debuts in her first full episode as the 13th and first female Doctor Who on BBC television
2018-11-05 BBC opens its largest news bureau outside the UK in Nairobi, Kenya with 300 journalists
2019-02-18 Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei says ""There's no way the US can crush us" in interview with BBC, saying his daughter's arrest politically motivated
2019-11-16 Britain's Prince Andrew refutes claims he had sex with 17 year-old connected to sex offender and friend Jeffery Epstein in BBC interview
2021-05-19 BBC investigation finds their 1995 Princess Dianna interview was secured through 'deceitful behavior' by journalist Martin Bashir [1]

Birthdays in Film & TV

David Attenborough (96 years old)

1926-05-08 English naturalist, TV producer and host (BBC "Life" and "Our Planet" series), born in London, England

1926-10-13 Tommy Whittle, British jazz tenor saxophonist (Ted Heath; BBC Show Band), and bandleader, born in Grangemouth, Scotland (d. 2013)
1927-08-11 Raymond Leppard, British-American harpsichordist, conductor (Indianapolis Symphony, 1987-2001; BBC Northern Symphony, 1973-80), and composer (Lord Of The Flies), born in London, England
1928-04-29 Heinz Wolff, German-born British scientist and presenter (BBC series "The Great Egg Race"), born in Berlin, Germany (d. 2017)
1928-11-12 Bob Holness, South African English radio and television presenter (BBC), (d. 2012), born in Natal, South Africa (d. 2012)
1929-04-15 Jocelyn Barrow, British race relations campaigner (Card) and 1st black female governor of the BBC, born in Port of Spain, Trinidad (d. 2020)
1930-05-04 Ronald "Ron" Pickering, British athletics coach and BBC sports commentator, born in Hackney, England (d. 1991)
1930-08-23 Jack Bannister, English cricket commentator (BBC; Talksport radio) and bowler (Warwickshire 1,198 wickets), born in Wolverhampton, West Midlands (d. 2016)

Richie Benaud (1930-2015)

1930-10-06 Australian cricket all-rounder and captain (62 Tests, 3 x 100s, 248 wickets; NSW CA) and broadcaster (9 Network, BBC), born in Penrith, Australia

Weddings in Film & TV

2005-12-15 "Eastenders" actress Elaine Lordan (39) weds BBC manager Peter Manuel at Islington Town Hall in London

Deaths in Film & TV

1932-11-23 Percy Pitt, English composer (BBC), dies at 63
1941-03-11 Walford Davies, British organist, composer, educator, and broadcaster (BBC), dies at 71
1942-05-13 Hyam Greenbaum, British violinist, composer and conductor of the 1st TV orchestra (BBC), dies of alcohol-related problems at 41
1956-10-18 Harry Parry, Welsh jazz clarinetist and bandleader (BBC's Radio Rhythm Club), dies at 44
1963-07-10 Teddy Wakelam, English sports broadcaster (BBC) and rugby union player (captain Harlequin RFC), dies at 70
1966-06-22 Roger Blunt MBE, New Zealand cricket all-rounder and broadcaster (9 Tests; BBC), dies at 65
1971-06-16 John Reith, Scottish broadcast executive (General Manager of the BBC), dies at 81
1974-08-22 Jacob Bronowski, Polish-born British mathematician and science writer best known as the presenter of the BBC television series, The Ascent of Man, dies of a heart attack at 66
1978-01-15 Jack Jackson, British trumpeter, dance band leader, and influential BBC disc jockey, dies at 71
1984-09-12 Geoffrey Lloyd, British politician and Governor of the BBC, dies at 82
1986-03-14 Huw Wheldon, Welsh broadcaster (BBC), dies at 69
1989-10-28 Henry Hall, British bandleader (BBC Dance Orchestra), dies at 91
1990-01-19 (Alberto) Semprini, British pianist and radio broadcaster (BBC's Semprini Serenade), dies at 81
1991-02-13 Ronald "Ron" Pickering, British athletics coach and BBC sports commentator, dies after a heart bypass operation at 60
1991-12-14 John Arlott, British cricket commentator & writer (BBC), dies of emphysema at 77
1993-02-09 David Willis, British journalist (BBC World Service), dies at 54

2008-10-08 Bob Friend, British newscaster (BBC, 1969-89; Sky News, 1989-2003), dies from a brain tumor at 70
2009-01-11 David Vine, British sports broadcaster (BBC Match of the Day, World Snooker C'ships, Olympics coverage), dies of a heart attack at 74
2009-01-29 Bill Frindall, English cricket scorer and statistician (BBC, "the Bearded Wonder"), dies from Legionnaires' disease at 69
2009-06-22 Steve Race, British composer, jazz pianist and radio and television presenter (BBC's "My Music", 1967-94), dies at 88
2009-10-12 Ian Wallace, British buffo bass-baritone opera and concert singer ("Gendarmes' Duet"), and broadcaster (BBC's My Music, 1964-97), dies at 90
2011-02-10 Trevor Bailey, English cricket all-rounder, writer and broadcaster (61 Tests, 1 x 100, 10 x 50, HS 134no, 132 wickets; BBC), dies in a fire in his retirement flat at 87
2011-05-01 Ted Lowe, English snooker commentator (Pot Black, BBC), dies at 90
2012-08-11 Sid Waddell, English darts commentator (the 'Voice of Darts'; Granada, BBC, Sky Sports), dies from bowel cancer at 72
2012-12-14 Kenneth Kendall, British broadcaster (BBC News, Treasure Hunt), dies from a stroke at 88
2013-10-13 Tommy Whittle, British jazz tenor saxophonist (Ted Heath; BBC Show Band), and bandleader, dies of pneumonia on his 87th birthday
2013-12-21 David Coleman, British sports commentator (BBC 1954-2000), dies at 87

Richie Benaud (1930-2015)

2015-04-10 Australian cricket all-rounder and captain (62 Tests, 3 x 100s, 248 wickets; NSW CA) and broadcaster (9 Network, BBC), dies from skin cancer at 84

2016-01-23 Jack Bannister, English cricket commentator (BBC; Talksport radio) and bowler (Warwickshire 1,198 wickets), dies at 85
2017-12-15 Heinz Wolff, German-born British scientist and TV/ radio presenter (BBC series "The Great Egg Race"), dies from heart failure at 89
2019-10-01 Peter Sissons, British newsreader (BBC, ITV, Question Time), dies at 77
2020-03-22 Julie Felix, American-born British-based folk-rock singer-songwriter, and BBC presenter (The Frost Report; Once More With Felix), dies at 81
2020-04-09 Jocelyn Barrow, British race relations campaigner (Card) and 1st black female governor of the BBC, dies at 90
2020-06-23 Margarita Pracatan [Figueroa], Cuban-American novelty singer (BBC's Saturday Night Clive), dies at 89
2020-12-05 Peter Alliss, English golfer (Ryder Cup 1957 GB winners) and author, course designer and television presenter, commentator (BBC, ESPN, ABC Sports), dies at 89
2021-02-08 David Egerton, English rugby union #8 (7 caps; Bath Rugby) and broadcaster (BBC), dies from COVID-19 at 59
2021-03-13 Murray Walker, English motorsport commentator and journalist (Formula 1: BBC 1976-96, ITV 1997-2001), dies at 97
2021-12-25 Janice Long (née Chegwin), British radio host (Crash FM; BBC), dies of pneumonia at 66
2022-03-23 Jimmy Lindley, English jockey (2,000 Guineas 1963, 66; St Leger 1964) and broadcaster (BBC), dies at 86
2022-09-15 Eddie Butler, Welsh rugby union #8 (16 caps; Cambridge University RFC, Pontypool RFC), journalist (The Observer Sport, The Guardian) and broadcaster (BBC), dies at 65
2023-02-23 John Motson, British football broadcaster (10 x FIFA World Cups; 10 x UEFA European C'ships; 29 x FA Cup finals; BBC, Talksport), dies at 77