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 Cover of the 2023 Christmas Double Issue (dated 23 December 2023–5 January 2024), featuringMog | |
| Categories | TV and radio listings magazine |
|---|---|
| Frequency | Weekly |
| Circulation | 497,852 (July–December 2020)[1] |
| First issue | 28 September 1923; 101 years ago (1923-09-28) |
| Company |
|
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Based in | London, England |
| Language |
|
| Website | www |
| ISSN | 0033-8060 |
Radio Times is a British weekly listings magazine devoted to television and radio programme schedules, with other features such as interviews, film reviews and lifestyle items. Founded in September 1923 byJohn Reith, then general manager of theBritish Broadcasting Company, it was the world's first broadcast listings magazine.[2] In September 2023 it became the first broadcast listings magazine to reach and then pass its centenary.[3]
It was published entirely in-house by BBC Magazines from 8 January 1937[4] until 16 August 2011, when the division was merged intoImmediate Media Company.[5][6][7] On 12 January 2017, Immediate Media was bought by the German media groupHubert Burda.[8]
The magazine is published on Tuesdays and carries listings for the week from Saturday to Friday. Originally, listings ran from Sunday to Saturday: the changeover meant 8 October 1960 was listed twice, in successive issues. SinceChristmas 1969, a 14-day double-duration issue has been published each December containing schedules for two weeks of programmes. Originally this covered Christmas Day and New Year's Day, but on some occasions those have each appeared in separate editions due to the two-week period ending just before the New Year.
The Radio Times was first issued on 28 September 1923[9] for the price of 2d, carrying details of programmes for sixBBC wireless stations (2LO,5IT,2ZY, 5NO, 5WA and 5SC);newspapers at the timeboycotted radio listings fearing that increased listenership might decrease their sales.[10] It included amessage to "listeners" by the BBC's chairman,Lord Pease.[11] Initially,The Radio Times was a combined enterprise between theBritish Broadcasting Company and publishersGeorge Newnes Ltd within the latter typeset, printed and distributed the magazine. In 1925, the BBC assumed full editorial control, but printing and distribution could not begin in-house until 1937.[12]The Radio Times established a reputation for using leading writers and illustrators, and the covers from the special editions are now collectable design classics. By 26 September 1926, the narrow columns of BBC's wireless programme schedules were broken up by the insertion of a photograph or two – relevant to or depicting subjects of the broadcasts. On 1 May 1927,The Radio Times produced an experimentalBraille edition under the auspices of theNational Institute for the Blind with its success led to a regular weekly version publication costingone penny. From 15 January 1933, the introduction of a weeklycrossword puzzle heralded as popular as ever within the publication making its first-ever appearance.
From 5 January 1934, the three-column programme pages were expanded to include a fourth column with the BBC's television programmes given a new section layout (on 8 January), andThe Radio Times announced a regular series of "experimental television transmissions by theBaird process" for half an hour every night at 11.00pm. The launch of the first regular405-line television service by the BBC was reflected with television listings inThe Radio Times' London edition of 23 October 1936.[12][13] Thus,Radio Times became the first-ever television listings magazine in the world. Initially, only two pages in each edition were devoted to television, which ran from Monday to Saturday and remained off-air on Sundays.
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After 14 years, from issue 693 (cover date 8 January 1937), thatdefinitive article word "The" was no longer used on the masthead within the magazine, and the publication became simply known asRadio Times; they also published a lavish photogravure supplement in the same issue.[14] Prior to the outbreak ofWorld War II on 1 September 1939, the BBC radio listings provided aNational Programme for the whole of the United Kingdom, and theRegional Programme appeared in seven different versions (London,Midlands,North,West,Wales,Northern Ireland andScotland) each with a combination of various transmitters respectively before the two stations merged into a single service, and included three pages of television listings.
WhenBritain's declaration of war with Germany on 3 September 1939 and the television broadcasting ceased, while radio listings continued with a reduced service. From 23 June 1944, theAllied Expeditionary Forces edition carried details of all the programmes for theHome Service andGeneral Forces Programme. The same year,paper rationing meant editions were only 20 pages of tiny print on thin paper.Radio Times expanded with regional editions introduced from 29 July 1945, and television resumed once again on 7 June 1946. On 4 March 1948, the weekend listing schedules for three BBC radio networks were doubled together with daytime and evening sections in additional four pages a week, as well as weekday billings also used by the same layout which adds 12 extra pages of more articles and detailed programmes bringing up to 40 (or 44 for the television edition) on 1 July 1949.
From 18 January 1953, the television listing schedules, which had been in the back of the magazine, were placed alongside daily radio schedules. On 17 February 1957 (shortly after the abolition of the "Toddlers' Truce", in which transmissions terminated between 6.00 and 7.00pm), television listings were moved to a separate section at the front with radio listings relegated to the back; a day's listings were sometimes spread over up to three double-page spreads mixed with advertisements, but this format was phased out when independent publishers were allowed to publish television schedules. The new layout was structured thusly:
| Station name | Successor |
|---|---|
|
|
From 8 October 1960, BBC television and radio schedules were re-integrated; the programmes included a new "pick of the week" with a single third page for previews, before each day's listings; these came before the two pages of television and the four pages of radio. A new bolder masthead was designed byAbram Games (who created graphical designs such as the "Festival Star" on the cover of the 1951Festival of Britain and the 1953 "Bat's Wings" ident) and containing the words "BBC TV and Sound" on the left side, was introduced with this revamp; it became one of the shortest-used designs in the magazine's history. On 4 August 1962, whenRadio Times was again revamped, the masthead was replaced with one incorporating the words in theClarendon typeface; while the main change was the reduction of BBC radio schedules for three stations to a double-page spread brought down into size, the magazine now generally had between 60 and 68 pages, as compared to the relaunched format from two years earlier, which contained only 52 pages.
From 30 September 1967,Radio Times introduced the all-new colour pages of the magazine's feature sections, including "star stories",Percy Thrower's gardening,Zena Skinner's cookery, Bill Hartley's motoring andJeffery Boswall'sbirdwatching, as well as "Round and About" with up-to-the-minute stories in both television and radio from around the world. At the same time, the four new BBC radio stations (replacing theHome Service, theLight Programme and theThird Programme) were launched within the schedule listing pages. The layouts of programme page headings have now restyled as well as the three radio pages had been rearranged with schedule billings for Radio 1 and Radio 2 on the first, Radio 3 on the second and Radio 4 on the third. In future weeks, it would boast another revised masthead although the same typeface simply a bold symbol "BBC TV" to the right of the title – within the price, date and regional edition beingoverprinted in letterpress at the top of the front page, but the letters section and thecrossword were placed inside the back page.
On 6 September 1969,Radio Times was given another radical makeover, as they switched thedate format from "month-day-year" to "day-month-year" and ceased carryingcigarette advertisements after 46 years. The new format inside with the first three pages were devoted to an abbreviated listing of all the week's BBC television and radio programmes in a simple condensed form, within major changes were noticeable on the feature pages as well as the colour ones were spread out to accompany rather than the centre page. The look of the magazine initially became far more restrained, with less white space between columns and headings. More significantly, the lifestyle section (which covered motoring, gardening and cookery) and the crossword were completely dropped, and the highlights section was scrapped. The front cover was surrounded by a black border and italicised its masthead (now in theCaslon typeface with swash capitals; this logo remained until April 2001), in an attempt to emphasize the "R" for radio and "T" for television. From 5 July 1975, the magazine was given a refreshed layout which consisted of horizontal black bars from top to bottom with the familiar darker-shaded look; by this time, the BBC's television schedules included a "colour" annotation that was dropped eight years later, as well as programmes inblack and white were never indicated with the exception of feature films originally made for the cinema.
Another major change occurred on 18 November 1978, in response towavelength changes (took place on 23 November) that enabledScotland,Wales andNorthern Ireland to receive their own separate domestic services in addition toRadio 4 (also known as the national "Radio 4 UK" service remained until 29 September 1984), the arrival of these services on the pages forced all BBC radio stations into a six-column grid. On 30 August 1980,Radio Times developed a new double-page spread of Robert Ottaway's highlights from the week ahead, often used for both BBC radio and television programmes. The regular inside back page section for younger listeners and viewers featured content fromNewsround presenterJohn Craven and a selection of new puzzles created by the television producerClive Doig, such as the trackword (which consisted of nine squares in one word), as well as backstage stories and a comic strip ofPeter Lord'sMorph at the bottom of the page.
Between March and December 1983,Radio Times had severe industrial disputes when theBritish Printing & Communications Corporation and the unionSOGAT 82 joined forces, and production was affected due to printing problems:
On 23 June 1984, the radio listings were redesigned again to improve their legibility and paving the way for a new printing technology. That same year (1 September),web-offset printing was used for the first time, meaning the magazine became brighter and more colourful.Newsprint and sheets of gravure gave way to blackink andwhite paper,Helvetica replacedFranklin Gothic for a larger character style, and the television listings were also redesigned including the new film icon[c] and the "today at a glance" sidebar on the far right of pages were added. Starting from 11 October 1986, the new family viewing policy warned readers thatBBC Televisiondoes not broadcast programmes before 9.00pm which it believed to be unsuitable for children. On 5 September 1987,Radio Times introduces an innovative title called "Upfront This Week" devoting the first three pages of illustrated snippets to provide the latest programme highlights fromall BBC television and radio networks. On 19 November 1988,Radio Times launched a new weekly back page section called "My Kind of Day", which was devoted to the latest star interviews with various special guests.
On 25 March 1989 (duringEaster), a general overhaul of page layout and design took place, with a major makeover for the programme schedules and the channel headings being visible in greater clarity;BBC1 andBBC2 were once again separated, with the return of the late 1950s/early 1960s layout – television at the front and radio at the back. The week'sRadio 1 schedules occupied a single page, followed byRadio 2 (with a facing pair of pages), then several pages ofRadio 3 (five pages) andRadio 4 (six pages), and finally theBBC Local Radio listings; regional features, which had absent from the English editions since the late 1960s, resumed with a localised page. Later on 25 November of that year, the radio schedules were restored to two pages for each day; some of the English editions now had daily editorial features on radio as well.
From 2 June 1990, the entire magazine was published incolour for the first time, and another layout began usage; the day's listings began with a single page of highlights that included "at a glance", followed by the double-page spreads of BBC television channels (BBC1 always occupied the left page and BBC2 for the right page, without advertisements interrupting the listings) andBBC radio stations, now enlivened with colour logos at the top of the pages.[d] This layout only lasted for six months, when a new refreshed format debuted in theChristmas edition (22 December); while the programme listing pages were largely the same, the colour-codeddays of the week were now at the top of the page headings.[e]
On 16 February 1991 (the same date for the debut of the newBBC1 andBBC2 idents), the deregulation of television listings began, andRadio Times started to cover all services that includeITV,Channel 4 and satellite networks, an alphabetical list of the commercial radio stations available with the frequency and a two or three-word summary of that station's output which was added to the local radio page. Full complete listings of the four main channels and satellite began on Friday 1 March.
Prior to deregulation, the five weekly listings magazines were as follows:
Today, both publications carry listings for all major terrestrial, cable and satellite television channels in the United Kingdom and following deregulation, new listings magazines such asMirror Group'sTV First,IPC Media'sWhat's on TV,Bauer Media Group'sTV Quick and Hamfield Publications'TV Plus[m] began to be published; several newspapers were also allowed to print television schedules for the entire forthcoming week on a Saturday (or a Sunday), where previously they had only been able to list each day's programmes in that edition.
With another major refresh on 31 August 1991, the four extra pages of satellite television listings and one page of the highlights section were scrapped and replaced by a number of ten satellite networks (with two more includesComedy Channel andCNN International were added) from top to bottom; the daytime schedules forBBC1 andBBC2 flanked the satellite listings on the left, withITV,Channel 4 and "at a glance" on the right; the main evening schedules for terrestrial television channels retained the same layout. On 5 September 1992, the daytime listings were slightly tweaked, ITV's programme schedules were now sandwiched between BBC2 and Channel 4 within the centre pages, and there were now two pages of satellite and cable channels for each category making up six pages of television listings every day:
| Category section | Channels |
|---|---|
| Movies |
|
| Sport | |
| News | |
| Entertainment (unused until 11 September 1993) |
|
| Cable |
During 1993,Radio Times used several layouts were altered throughout the year:
Radio Times' design was refreshed on 3 September 1994, the television listings now had the day's name written vertically, beginning with the daytime section including "today's choices" (which replaced "at a glance" on the left page), followed by the main evening's schedules in an original four-column grid, as well as the highlights section (now occupying the far left page within the satellite listings), and the movie planner is now on the right page. On 22 March 1997, the programme pages in the television section were restyled often include smaller headings and more billing type with several changes in this layout between the narrower columns forChannel 5 schedules (which launches on 30 March) on the right andregional variations on the left page. Yet another major revamp took place on 25 September 1999, where all the pages now proceeded in a particular order, starting with the letters section, followed by film reviews, then the seven-day programme guide with six pages for television (including satellite) and two pages for radio, as well as the single-pagecrossword and local radio listings with frequencies, and finally the "My Kind of Day" for the back page which was preceded byclassified advertisements. The programme page headings were returned to being inside a coloured block,[q] and the primetime television listings went from two narrow columns to one wide column. The warning phrase "contains strong language", used forBBC television programmes from 9.00pm during the hours ofwatershed broadcasting restrictions was also implemented at this time, lasting until 2009. This layout lasted until shortly beforeEaster on 13 April 2001, which saw the new masthead title with the BBC's corporate typefaceGill Sans (used until the end of 2004, being replaced byInterstate in the start of 2005), while the programme pages with eight pages of television listings reverted to having the day running across the top of the page horizontally, and the satellite listings expanded into four pages, while the double-page movie planner section for 18 different film channels was retained.
From 30 October 2004, the programme schedule pages were revamped again, with the regional variations now at the bottom of the daytime section, as well as the same spread on the five main channels;BBC3,BBC4,ITV2,ITV3 (launched on 1 November) andMore4 (from 10 October 2005) now appeared in digital/cable section on the right page, with a children's section in a single page on the left. The category sections for digital, satellite and cable listings also returned after a four-year absence:
| Category section | Digital, satellite and cable channels | |
|---|---|---|
| Entertainment |
| |
| Lifestyle |
| |
| Factual | ||
| Sport |
| |
| Films |
| |
| Kids' TV | ||
On 22 May 2007, two extra pages of television listings per day were added as part of a slight tweak in the publication's format, bringing it up to ten pages of listings per day in total, or five double-page spreads: one page of highlights with daytime listings and regional variations, followed by two pages of evening's terrestrial television listings (with "at a glance" for nine digital channels until 2010), then six pages of listings for digital, satellite and cable channels. Digital radio listings were integrated into the main radio pages, and three new pages of sport, lifestyle and music were added. By 11 April 2009, the digital, satellite and cable schedules were reshuffled (alongside entertainment, factual and children's sections) preceded by "today's choices" on the left side, and the sport section moves to the right side as well as the films section having also started on the left within the centre pages horizontally.
10 April 2010 saw major changes asRadio Times went through an overhaul, with two pages of the latest reviews and highlights ("choices") somewhat akin to theTV Times, while the daytime listings moved onto the evening section having the full day's output for the five main channels on one double-page spread, other changes saw listings start at 5.00pm rather than 6.30pm (sometimes earlier than 5.00pm for weekends,bank holidays,Easter,Christmas andNew Year), the addition ofelectronic program guide numbers into the channel headers, and the inclusion of director and year of production details for films throughout the day. For theLondon 2012 Olympics, the listings for three terrestrial channels (BBC2,ITV andChannel 4) temporarily moved onto the right page andChannel 5 was moved to the next page on the left, as to provide enough space forBBC1 andBBC3/BBC4 as the Olympic broadcasters, which also reminded viewers of using both thered button andonline for BBC channels with additional broadcasts.
Following the closure of the BBC3 channel on 20 February 2016,Radio Times started to include BBC4 in the main channels section, with Channel 5 being relegated to the Freeview section. On 24 March 2020, to coincide with the launch ofDisney+,Radio Times introduced two new sections forpodcasts and six pages devoted tostreaming and variouscatch-up services. That same year (8 September), the rearrangement ofFreeview channel listings withSky Arts moves to the second page, also the three columns in the satellite and cable pages now have on the left side with children's television section, as well as the six film services were also included. During theTokyo Olympics (which was delayed due to globalCOVID-19 pandemic) on 20 July 2021,Radio Times declared its special bumper issue with 212 pages that include 16-day listings of the BBC's coverage and a comprehensive easy-to-use guide preceded by two pages with "pick of the action" chosen by variouspundits, although this layout becoming slightly different whether listings started on the left page with two columns forBBC1 as a dedicated Olympic broadcaster (includingBBC Red Button occupies at the bottom) andBBC2 in the single column, as well asITV,Channel 4 andBBC4 schedules placed on the right page. From 25 January 2022, theFreeview schedules have altered once again starting with the return ofBBC3 (launches on 1 February after six years since the television channel hasmoved online), whetherITV2's listings now occupies at the bottom, as well as the seven remaining services were also placed in the second and third pages respectively.
From 4 October 2022 (three weeks before the BBC's 100th anniversary celebrations),Radio Times refreshed its format:
On 4 April 2023, the radio pages had a major refresh to provide listings by adding three services (Boom Radio,Greatest Hits Radio, andTimes Radio), as well as a restyled podcasts section to improve pick of the bestaudio on demand.
On 26 November 2002,NTL andBBC Worldwide announced a major new agreement that would offer an exclusive, tailored edition ofRadio Times to every NTL customer across the United Kingdom every week, to be delivered directly to subscribers' homes. The special NTL edition ofRadio Times replaced the monthlyCable Guide magazine, which had been published from September 1986 to December 2002. It contained programme information for channels carried by NTL, including all terrestrial services.Front Row'spay-per-view movies and events were also included. Subscribers were offered the first four weekly issues of the new title for the same price as the existing monthly magazine, delivered free to homes in time for the first programme week of 4 January 2003; both companies actively and jointly marketed the new edition.
In 1934,Radio Times achieved a circulation of two million and its net profit in that year was more than one quarter of the total BBC licence income. By the 1950s,Radio Times had grown to be the magazine with the largest circulation inEurope, with an average sale of 8.8 million in 1955.[16] Following the 1969 relaunch, circulation indeed dropped by about a quarter of a million, it would take several years to recover but the magazine remained ahead of glossier lifestyle-led competitor,TV Times. In the mid-1970s, it was just over four million; but in 2013 it was just over one million.
Between January and June 1990,Radio Times had its audited circulation of 2.8 million andTV Times of 2.7 million within a year before thederegulation of television listings as they both had exclusivity of the future BBC and othercommercial broadcasters respectively.
During a major revamp in April 2010,Radio Times was the third-biggest-selling magazine in the United Kingdom. However, according to theAudit Bureau of Circulations, the magazine experienced about 2.2% year-on-year decrease to an average weekly sale of 1,648,000 in the second half of 2009. It averaged a circulation per issue of 497,852 between July and December 2020,[17] versus 1,041,826 forTV Choice[s][18] and 690,617 forWhat's on TV.[19]
Between April and November 1990,Radio Times included a four-page advertising feature featuring previews ofBritish Satellite Broadcasting programmes for its five channels -Sports Channel,Movie Channel,Now,Galaxy andPower Station.
During thederegulation of television listings, there was strong criticism from other magazines thatRadio Times was advertised on the BBC (as well as on commercial broadcasting channels), saying that it gave unfair advantage to a publication and includes the tagline: "If it's on, it's in". The case went to court, but the outcome was that, as theRadio Times had close connections with the BBC, it would be allowed to be advertised by the BBC; however, from 1992 until 2004, it had to depict a static picture of the cover, and show a clear disclaimer reading "Other television listings magazines are available", leading to the phrase entering common public usage for a time.[citation needed] By the early 2000s, advertisements for the publication had become sparse on the BBC.[citation needed]Radio Times has not been promoted onBBC television and radio channels since 2005, following complaints by rival publications that the promotions were unfair competition.[20]
For various reasons,Radio Times had suffered printing disputes and other operational difficulties have also led to the magazine appearing in a different formats to the standard, as well as some issues were not printed.[21] These include:
| Issue No. | Issue date | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| 138 | 14 May 1926 | Unpublished due togeneral strike |
| 1221 | 21 February 1947 | Unpublished due tofuel crisis |
| 28 February 1947 | ||
| 1342 | 1 July 1949 | London edition printed byThe Daily Graphic |
| 1404 | 8 September 1950 | Unpublished due to printing dispute |
| 15 September 1950 | Nine-day issue, northern edition printed as atabloid | |
| 1408 | 13 October 1950 | Unpublished due to printing dispute |
| 20 October 1950 | ||
| 27 October 1950 | ||
| 3 November 1950 | Nine-day issue, northern edition printed as a tabloid | |
| 1685 | 24 February 1956 | Printed as abroadsheet inParis |
| 1686 | 2 March 1956 | |
| 1687 | 9 March 1956 | |
| 1688 | 16 March 1956 | |
| 1689 | 23 March 1956 | |
| 1690 | 30 March 1956 | |
| 2870 | 11 November 1978 | Cover printed inmonochrome |
| 2871 | 18 November 1978 | |
| 2872 | 25 November 1978 | |
| 2951 | 31 May 1980 | |
| 3012 | 1 August 1981 | Unpublished due to printing dispute |
| 3099 | 2 April 1983 | |
| 3100 | 9 April 1983 | |
| 3134 | 3 December 1983 |
Anannual was published three times: in 1954,[22] 1955[22] and 1956.[23]
TheRadio Times Film & Video Guide by the magazine's film and video editor Derek Winnert was first published in 1994, featuring more than 18,000 films and an introduction byBarry Norman, former presenter of the BBC'sFilm programme.[24] A second edition was published the following year. In 2000, a completely newRadio Times Guide to Films was published byBBC Worldwide, edited by Kilmey Fane-Saunders, featuring more than 21,000 film titles. The last edition ofRadio Times Guide to Films was published in 2018. In September 2023,Radio Times publishes its own 180-page film guide dedicated to reviews and trivia over 1,000 titles with five different star rating systems which include 250 favourites from the beginning of cinema in 1902 to the present day.
There are also similar publications, theRadio Times Guide to TV Comedy byMark Lewisohn and theRadio Times Guide to Science-Fiction.
When the magazine was a BBC publication, the covers had a BBC bias (in 2005, 31 of the 51 issues had BBC-related covers) and consisting of a single side ofglossy paper, however the magazine often uses double or triple-width covers that open out for several large group photographs.
While the major events (such asRemembrance Day,Crufts,the Oscars/BAFTAs,Eurovision Song Contest,Wimbledon Championships,Glastonbury Festival andthe Proms) or new series programmes are marked by producing different covers were actually used for other collectors:
Each year,Radio Times celebrates those individuals and programmes that are featured at the Covers Party, where framed oversized versions of the covers are presented.[27]Radio Times had several sporting events with more than one of theHome Nations (such as theSix Nations,UEFA European Championship,Commonwealth Games and theRugby World Cup) taking part are often marked with different covers for each nation, showing their own team.
To mark the 90th anniversary of its publication, theMuseum of London hosted an exhibition lasting several months in 2013, which showed various covers as part of the magazine's history.
Doctor Who is the most represented programme on the cover, appearing on 29 issues (with 35 separate covers due to multiples) in the 49 years sincethe programme began on 23 November 1963.[28]
On 30 April 2005, a double-width cover was used to commemorate the return of theDaleks toDoctor Who and the forthcominggeneral election.[29] This cover recreated a scene from the 1964 serialThe Dalek Invasion of Earth in which the Daleks were seen crossingWestminster Bridge with theHouses of Parliament andBig Ben in the background, and also the cover text read "VOTE DALEK!". On 29 September 2008, in a contest sponsored by thePeriodical Publishers Association, this cover was voted the best British magazine cover of all time.[30] Five years later (on 17 April 2010) before thenext general election, three special covers depicting the Daleks invading the capital once more within showing their colours of red, blue and yellow as one of severalBritain's political parties forLabour,Conservative andLiberal Democrats were used individually.
Throughout the decades,Radio Times had covers for various television specials and anniversary editions:
The cover of the 'Christmas Number' (as this issue came to be called) dating from the time when it contained just a single week's listings, usually features a generic festive artwork, atypical for the magazine, which since the 1970s has almost exclusively used photographic covers. In recent years,[when?]Radio Times has published and sold packs of reproductions of some of these covers of the magazine asChristmas cards.[citation needed]
The 1988 Christmas double issue (dated 17–30 December) had apanto-themed cover illustration by Lynda Gray, with its popularity climaxed when the publication sold an astounding 11,220,666 copies, and theGuinness Book of Records certified it as the biggest-selling edition of any British magazine in history.
Over the past years,Radio Times published special majestic covers (often marked as a 'souvenir' issue) dedicated to royalty which reflects themonarchy of the United Kingdom, as well as other significant events include birthdays,coronations, jubilees,royal weddings,state funerals and various celebrations across the decades.
Between February 1952 and September 2022,Radio Times focuses aboutQueen Elizabeth II was the nation's longest-serving monarch which represented over eight decades during its 70-year reign:
From the first edition of 2023, the regional editions inEngland were merged into a single edition which includes the times and titles of all of the BBC's local radio stations with any non-newsvariations of adjoining areas for television and radio contained in the listings. Local channelLondon Live is also featured in theFreeview section, with a note stating that it is a regional network. The stations carried were as follows:
| Region | Television | Radio |
|---|---|---|
| England(includesChannel Islands) |
| BBC Local Radio(40 stations) |
| Wales | ||
| Scotland/Border | ||
| Northern Ireland |
The number of regional editions has been altered over the years within gradually being reduced over time due to there being fewer variations in the programme schedules:
Since its began on 28 September 1923 (during theinterwar period), there was just a single national edition to cover all theBBC wireless services includingrelay stations from 1924:
| Station ID | City | First appearance |
|---|---|---|
| 2LO | London | 28 September 1923 |
| 2ZY | Manchester | |
| 5IT | Birmingham | |
| 5NO | Newcastle | |
| 5WA | Cardiff | |
| 5SC | Glasgow | |
| 2BD | Aberdeen | 10 October 1923 |
| 6BM | Bournemouth | 17 October 1923 |
| 6FL(relay) | Sheffield | 24 February 1924 |
| 5PY(relay) | Plymouth | 28 March 1924 |
| 2EH(relay) | Edinburgh | 1 May 1924 |
| 6LV(relay) | Liverpool | 11 June 1924 |
| 2LS(relay) | Leeds/Bradford | 8 July 1924 |
| 6KH(relay) | Hull | 15 August 1924 |
| 2BE | Belfast | 15 September 1924 |
| 5NG(relay) | Nottingham | 16 September 1924 |
| 6ST(relay) | Stoke | 21 October 1924 |
| 2DE(relay) | Dundee | 12 November 1924 |
| 5SX(relay) | Swansea | 12 December 1924 |
| 5XX(high-power) | Chelmsford (replaced byDaventry on 27 July 1925) | 15 December 1924 |
From 10 October 1926, the two separate regions – 'Northern' and 'Southern' – were published beforeRadio Times reverted to one edition and covering all the local stations once again on 7 January 1934:
| Region | Main station | Relay station |
|---|---|---|
| Northern |
| |
| Southern |
|
Between 1930 and 1935, many of the original 21 BBC local stations eventually reduced to six regional services (includingWales from 1937) as well as fivenational variations with the exceptions ofPlymouth,Bournemouth,Aberdeen and Stagshaw were remained until 1939 before theoutbreak of World War II:
| Region | Former BBC local station | Service date |
|---|---|---|
| Basic (London region until 5 July 1931) | 9 March 1930 | |
| Midland |
| |
| North |
| |
| Scottish |
| |
| West (includesWelsh service until 31 January 1937) |
|
|
| Northern Ireland | Belfast | 6 January 1935 |
After theend of World War II in Europe, the seven local variations were resumed on 29 July 1945 which also used byBBC Home Service as they referred similar to its pre-warRegional Programme during the 1930s.
November 1967 saw the introduction ofBBC Local Radio whether these regional areas subdivided with individual editions for eachEnglish county (exceptIsle of Man), as well as the national regions and several opt-out services were also used. This continued between February 1981 and January 1983 until each regional edition began to cover three local stations which was previously used by regional news and opt-out programming onRadio 4, apart from theSouth West (including theChannel Islands) as this is now the only part ofEngland still without any BBC local station. During the mid-1980s and early 1990s, a number of 13 new BBC local stations were added to covering the whole areas throughout the United Kingdom:
| Region | BBC local station |
|---|---|
| London & South East |
|
| Midlands/East Anglia |
|
| South/West (includesChannel Islands) |
|
| Wales |
|
| North |
|
| Scotland |
|
| Northern Ireland |
|
In November 1936,Radio Times launches its first television service in theLondon area only before they closed down on 1 September 1939 bythe duration of war for over six years and finally resumed on 7 June 1946. When the second channel began in 1964, there were a number of areas where only certain parts of a region could get receive this service until 1966:
| BBC TV (laterBBC1) | BBC2 |
|---|---|
|
|
From 1 March 1991,Radio Times started carryingITV andChannel 4 listings to begin they cover the 14 regional editions (which later reduced to ten areas) include several local television stations used individually as well as the neighbouring countries outsideGreat Britain where available:
| Region | BBC TV (BBC1/BBC2) | ITV | Variations |
|---|---|---|---|
| London |
|
| |
| East Anglia | BBC East | Anglia Television |
|
| Midlands |
| Central Television |
|
| South |
|
|
|
| South West | BBC South West |
|
|
| West/Wales (31 August 1991) | HTV |
| |
| North West | BBC North West | Granada Television |
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| Yorkshire/North East (25 September 1993) |
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| Scotland (6 July 1991) | BBC Scotland |
| |
| Northern Ireland | BBC Northern Ireland | UTV |
Between April 2005 and August 2007, the regional editions were reduced from ten to six during a number of several television networks have been diminished even further than before as they now covers every local station in this area consisting of15 BBC regional services and13 ITV companies were also used:
| Region | BBC TV | ITV | Variations |
|---|---|---|---|
| London/Anglia/Midlands (25 August 2007) |
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| |
| South/West/South West (16 April 2005) |
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| Wales |
| ITV Wales |
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| North West/Yorkshire/North East (7 April 2007) |
| ||
| Scotland/Border |
|
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| Northern Ireland | UTV |
From 7 January 2023, regional editions in England ended. This saw everyBBC Local Radio station included, along with London's local television channelLondon Live, which had always been included in the 'London/Anglia/Midlands' edition withRadio Times stating that it is a regional network and that other local services air onFreeview channels 7 and 8 in other parts of the country.
TheRadio Times website was launched in June 1997, primarily as a listings service. As from 18 August 2011, it relaunches an offering diverse editorial product to accompany its schedules for television, radio and film recommendations.
In December 2012, the BBC completed a digitisation exercise, scanning the listings of all programmes from an entire run of about 4,500 copies of the magazine from 1923 (the first issue) to 2009, theBBC Genome Project, with a view to creating an online database of its output.[31] They identified around five million programmes, involving 8.5 million actors, presenters, writers and technical staff.[31]
The results were made public on 15 October 2014,[32][33] Corrections to OCR errors and changes to advertised schedules are beingcrowdsourced.[32] Digitised editions of entire magazines (including front covers, prose articles, advertisements and other non-listings content) were added:
Several addresses,telephone numbers andemail addresses have been removed, to prevent readers from attempting to donate to charity appeals that have closed.[citation needed] Some names andtrademark terms have been removed for legal reasons.[citation needed]
On 28 September 2020,Radio Times launched its online puzzle site usingbrainteasers from their archive. Puzzles include those based on television and radio programmes such asEggheads,Only Connect,Pointless,Channel 4'sCountdown andBBC Radio 2'sPopMaster.[citation needed]
On 8 September 2021,Radio Times introduced a 40-minutepodcast show hosted byJane Garvey and Rhianna Dhillon that includes interviews with television celebrities.
There have been 20 editors ofRadio Times to date (including one uncredited and one returning) since the magazine began publication:[34][35][36]
