This page indexes the individualyear inBritish television pages. Each year is annotated with a significant event as a reference point.

• 1926 in British television –John Logie Baird demonstrates the world's first television system.
• 1927 in British television – The BBC begins broadcasting as the British Broadcasting Corporation under theroyal charter.
• 1928 in British television – John Logie Baird's Television Development Company demonstrates their model A, B, and C 'televisors' to the general public.
• 1929 in British television –John Logie Baird begins broadcasting 30-minute-long programmes for his mechanically scanned televisions.

• 1930 in British television – John Logie Baird installs a television receiver at the British Prime Minister's residence in London.
• 1931 in British television
• 1932 in British television –BBC Television begins broadcasting a regular channel, which later becomesBBC One.
• 1933 in British television – The first television revue, Looking In, is shown on the BBC
• 1934 in British television – The agreement for joint experimental transmissions by the BBC and John Logie Baird's company comes to an end.
• 1935 in British television – Baird stops broadcasting in September.
• 1936 in British television – Electronically scanned television begins fromAlexandra Palace.
• 1937 in British television – First outside broadcast at the Coronation of KingGeorge VI.
• 1938 in British television – First news bulletin carried by BBC television, in sound only. Previously, the service had aired British Movietone News cinema newsreels.
• 1939 in British television – Television broadcasts are suspended duringWorld War II for fear that the signals would help German bombers.

• 1940 in British television – No television is broadcast during World War II.
• 1941 in British television – No television is broadcast during World War II.
• 1942 in British television – No television is broadcast during World War II.
• 1943 in British television – No television is broadcast during World War II.
• 1944 in British television – No television is broadcast during World War II.
• 1945 in British television – No television is broadcast during World War II.World War II ends on 2 September.
• 1946 in British television – TheBBC resumes broadcasting for the first time since the end ofWorld War II.
• 1947 in British television – TheBBC Television Service broadcasts are temporarily suspended sinceWorld War II due to anational fuel crisis.
• 1948 in British television – TheBBC Television Service resumes broadcasting again and begins its coverage of theOlympic Games inLondon.
• 1949 in British television – TheSutton Coldfield television transmitter is opened in theMidlands, making it the first part of the UK outsideLondon to receiveBBC Television and long-running dancing showCome Dancing launches.

• 1950 in British television – First televised report ofgeneral election results in the UK.
• 1951 in British television – TheHolme Moss transmitter is opened inNorthern England, makingBBC Television available to the region for the first time.
• 1952 in British television – The funeral of KingGeorge VI is televised in the UK.
• 1953 in British television – Thecoronation ofElizabeth II of the United Kingdom sees a vast increase in television set sales.
• 1954 in British television –The Grove Family, regarded as Britain's first soap, begins airing.
• 1955 in British television –ITV launches, resulting in the destruction of theBBC's 23-year-longmonopoly on British television.
• 1956 in British television –Hancock's Half Hour, regarded as the first modernsitcom which began onBBC Radio, is transferred toBBC television. ITV'sGranada andATV regions go on air during weekdays. The weekend franchise in both areas is operated byABC Weekend TV.
• 1957 in British television –The Sky at Night, the longest-running television programme hosted by the same presenter,Patrick Moore, begins on theBBC. ITV'sScottish region goes on air.
• 1958 in British television – ITV'sTWW andSouthern regions go on air andBlue Peter, the world's longest-running children's programme, is first broadcast by theBBC along with long-running various sport showGrandstand.
• 1959 in British television – The firstVienna New Year's Concert to be broadcast on television is aired by the BBC.ITV'sAnglia,Tyne Tees andUlster regions go on air.

• 1960 in British television – ThePilkington Committee on Broadcasting is established to look at the future of broadcasting and paves the way for the establishment of soon to launch channelBBC Two.Coronation Street, Britain's longest-running television soap, debuts onITV.Nan Winton becomes the first national female newsreader on BBC television.
• 1961 in British television –ITV'sWestward,Border andGrampian regions are established.The Avengers andPoints of View debut on British television.
• 1962 in British television –ITV finally arrives in North West Wales and the Channel Islands with the launch ofWales West and North Television andChannel Television and the satirical showThat Was The Week That Was begins to run for only two series.
• 1963 in British television – The science fiction seriesDoctor Who is aired for the first time and the satirical showThat Was The Week That Was comes to an end after series 2.
• 1964 in British television –BBC Two goes on the air and long-running football and music showsTop of the Pops andMatch of the Day are both launched andStingray begins onITV.
• 1965 in British television –Cigarette advertising is banned on British television andITV's Saturday afternoonWorld of Sport programme and popularSupermarionation,Thunderbirds both begin airing.
• 1966 in British television –Cathy Come Home, possibly the best-known play ever to be broadcast on British television, is presented inBBC One'sThe Wednesday Play anthology strand.
• 1967 in British television –BBC Two begins colour broadcasting at theWimbledon Championships andPatrick McGoohan's cult television seriesThe Prisoner debuts on ITV, along withCaptain Scarlet and the Mysterons andNews at Ten is also launched on ITV.
• 1968 in British television – Following franchise changes technical staff atITV stage a strike, leading to ITV management establishing anemergency national service for the duration of the industrial action and popular BBC sitcomDad's Army begins along withJoe 90.
• 1969 in British television – Regularcolour television broadcasting begins onBBC One andITV, and British viewers watches footage of the1969 Moon landing. Popular ground-breaking sketch comedyMonty Python's Flying Circus debuts on BBC One.

• 1970 in British television – TheBBC Nine O'Clock News goes on air for the first time and staff atITV begin athree-month colour strike, making colour television programmes black & white like in previous years, after a dispute with their management over pay from 13 November of this year to February and December of the following year.The Goodies also debuts onBBC Two, as well asThe Adventures of Rupert Bear.
• 1971 in British television – End of ITV's colour strike, Launch of theOld Grey Whistle Test, popular comedy showThe Two Ronnies and the popular seriesUpstairs, Downstairs.
• 1972 in British television – First Community Cable Television Experiment awarded toGreenwich Cablevision. – Debut ofBBC One'sNewsround andITV'sEmmerdale Farm, both of which continue to air to the present day, andRainbow.
• 1973 in British television – Debuts ofThames Television's critically acclaimed documentary seriesThe World at War, andThe Wombles onBBC Two.
• 1974 in British television – TheBBC teletext serviceCeefax first goes on air with 30 pages of information, and the Saturday morning children's entertainment seriesTiswas is launched byATV.
• 1975 in British television – The popular sitcomFawlty Towers first appears along withThe Good Life,Space 1999 andPaddington Bear on British television screens, as well as the police dramaThe Sweeney. 1975 also sees the first transmission of aJames Bond film on British television.
• 1976 in British television – TheMulticoloured Swap Shop opens on theBBC, Punk group theSex Pistols cause a storm of controversy and outrage in the UK by swearing well before thewatershed on the regionalThames Television news programmeToday, hosted byBill Grundy but Grundy, who has goaded them into doing so, is temporarily sacked making the news programmeToday come to an end.
• 1977 in British television – Colour television licenses exceed black & white licenses and repeated black & white programmes for the first time in the UK since ITV's colour strike andJesus of Nazareth, an Anglo-Italiantelevisionminiseries dramatizing thebirth, life,ministry,death, andresurrection ofJesus based on the accounts in the fourNew TestamentGospels debuts on British television. The series starsRobert Powell as Jesus.
• 1978 in British television –Anna Ford becomes the first female news reader onITN and the first ofITV'sAn Audience with is aired, presented byJasper Carrott.
• 1979 in British television – Technicians atThames Television go on strike – the dispute quickly spreads to other regions in theITV network and ITV is off air for eleven weeks from 10 August to 24 October,Ceefax beginssubtitles for some programmes,Robin Day presents the first edition ofQuestion Time andTerry Wogan presents the first edition ofBlankety Blank.

• 1980 in British television – Launch ofNewsnight, the first televising ofWatchdog,Family Fortunes andPlay Your Cards Right both debut onITV and the firstBBCChildren in Need telethon.
• 1981 in British television – Viewers watch theWedding of Charles, Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer,Only Fools and Horses andPostman Pat both debut onBBC One.Danger Mouse debuts onITV.ATV,Southern, andWestward go off air after losing their broadcasting franchises – they are replaced on 1 January 1982 byCentral,TVS andTSW respectively.
• 1982 in British television –Channel 4, Britain's fourth terrestrial channel, goes on air, along with the first airing of its first and long running teatime game showCountdown and first animated Christmas specialThe Snowman;S4C, a Welsh-language version is also launched. "The Satellite Channel", the channel which later becameSky One, also goes on air.
• 1983 in British television –BBC One andITV launch their respectivebreakfast television services.Children's ITV is also launched. 1983 also seesBob Holness presenting the first edition ofBlockbusters onITV.
• 1984 in British television –Thames Television goes off the air for one day when technical staff walk out on strike,BBC One airs the first edition ofCrimewatch andThomas the Tank Engine and Friends debuts onITV 12 years before moving to satellite channelsCartoon Network andNick Jr.
• 1985 in British television –EastEnders debuts along withHowards' Way,Bertha andTelly Addicts onBBC One, The 17-hourLive Aid concert takes place in both London andPhiladelphia, The last405-linetransmitters are switched off in the UK andChildren's BBC is also launched.
• 1986 in British television –BBC One begins a full daytime schedule service for the first time with Australian soapNeighbours making its UK debut as part of the schedule, whileYorkshire becomes the firstITV region to begin broadcasting 24 hours a day. 1986 also seesNeighbours make its British television debut along withPingu,Casualty andCatchphrase.
• 1987 in British television –Going for Gold andFireman Sam debut onBBC One; TheTV-am strike begins after members of the technician's union theACTT walk out in a dispute over the station's 'Caring Christmas Campaign.' What is meant to be a 24-hour stoppage continues for several months when staff are locked out by Managing DirectorBruce Gyngell. TV-am is unable to broadcastGood Morning Britain. It is replaced with a skeleton service that sees non-technical staff operating cameras and Gyngell himself directing proceedings, as well as imported shows such asFlipper,Batman andHappy Days being used to fill up the station's airtime. Viewing figures remain high throughout the disruption, which continues well into 1988, although normal programming gradually resumes. The strikers are eventually sacked and replaced with non union staff. ITV stations later follow Gyngell's example. TheITV Schools service move toChannel 4 to allow ITV to develop a fully commercial daytime schedule andThe Old Grey Whistle Test andThe Two Ronnies end as does the original run ofUniversity Challenge. Two separate government studies identify spare frequency space on theUHF band, prompting political debate about the viability of afifth UK terrestrial TV channel.
• 1988 in British television – By the end of 1988, all ITV regions are providing a full 24-hour service, which includes through-the-night news summaries and bulletins fromITN. Also in 1988, the BBC and Channel 4 both start broadcasting into the early hours for the first time.Comic Relief airs its firstRed Nose Day fundraiser onBBC One whileITV broadcastsDeath on the Rock, a hugely controversial episode ofThames Television'sThis Week current affairs strand, investigatingOperation Flavius, which resulted in theSAS killing three members of theIRA inGibraltar. The British government introduces6 years of regulations banning the direct broadcast of people representing elevenIrish republican andUlster loyalist groups.You Bet! appears along withThis Morning and15 to 1. 1988 also sees the end of the long-running soapCrossroads along withPlay School which is replaced byPlaybus. The popularity ofNeighbours sees it moved to an early evening slot on BBC One.
• 1989 in British television –Sky Television plc is launched while the government introduces a controversialBroadcasting Bill that will pave the way for the deregulation of commercial television. Television cameras are allowed into theHouse of Commons for the first time. AlsoA Grand Day Out starringWallace and Gromit debuts first onChannel 4 before moving to the BBCandRed Dwarf debuts onBBC2 and Australian soapHome and Away debuts on ITV.

• 1990 in British television –British Satellite Broadcasting (BSB) is launched, but later merges withSky Television plc after an unsuccessful run.John Major theChancellor of the Exchequer and eventualPrime Minister of the UK, delivers thefirst budget statement to be televised. TheBroadcasting Bill receives Royal Assent, pop music game showStars in Their Eyes first appears onITV along withYou've Been Framed! andMr. Bean, popularBBC sitcomOne Foot in the Grave also appears andThe Simpsons debut on Sky.
• 1991 in British television – Regular programming is abandoned in order to bring live coverage of theGulf War after Allied Forces launchOperation Desert Storm againstIraq. Over the duration of the war there is extended coverage of events in the Persian Gulf. ITV also broadcasts news and discussion programmes about the war throughout the night. Some broadcasting, particularly in the earlier part of the war, comes fromCNN. Also this year theITVfranchise auction results are announced and take effect starting midnightGMT on 1 January 1993.
• 1992 in British television – The controversial one-off dramaGhostwatch is broadcast onBBC One, a 'live' investigation into a haunted North London house.UK Gold is launched, a joint venture between theBBC andThames Television. TheITC invites bids to run afifth UK television channel but rejects the sole application amid concerns about its business plan and investor commitment to the project. The hugely popular BBC sitcomAbsolutely Fabulous makes its debut, as does the popular Channel 4 morning showThe Big Breakfast. 1992 also seesUniversity Challenge,Thunderbirds,Stingray andCaptain Scarlet and the Mysterons all move fromITV to theBBC. Live coverage of top flight English football transferred from ITV toSky Sports meaning that viewers had to pay a subscription fee to watch the newly formedPremier League.
• 1993 in British television –Carlton Television takes over theITV London Weekday franchise, replacingThames Television after 24 years. Additionally,Meridian Broadcasting takes over the South of England franchise fromTVS,Westcountry Television takes over the South West England franchise fromTSW, andGMTV takes over thebreakfast television franchise fromTV-am. 1993 also seesTeletext Ltd take over theITV andChannel 4 teletext franchises fromORACLE.
• 1994 in British television – The1988–1994 broadcasting ban is lifted when theProvisional IRA declares a ceasefire. Following an earlier attempt to award the broadcasting licence for afifth UK terrestrial television channel, theITC readvertises for bids. After an absence of 7 yearsUniversity Challenge returns along withPlay Your Cards Right,BBC One airs the firstNational Lottery draw andBBC Two celebrates its 30th birthday. 1994 also seesWipeout appear along withPets Win Prizes andSmall Talk.
• 1995 in British television – This year sees the launch of several new satellite TV channels, as well as the firstNational Television Awards, while Channel 5 Broadcasting Ltd is awarded the licence to runChannel 5.Father Ted also debuts onChannel 4. 1995 also sees the beginning of the sport game showThey Think It's All Over.
• 1996 in British television – Launch ofGranada Sky Broadcasting and an unsuccessful rebranding of theITV Tyne Tees region. The acclaimed dramasOur Friends in the North andThis Life are broadcast on BBC2. 1996 also sees the beginning of a new Friday entertainment show towards the new millenniumTFI Friday onChannel 4 while Pauline Quirke stars in the psychological crime thrillerThe Sculptress.
• 1997 in British television – Launch ofChannel 5, Britain's fifth terrestrial channel followed by the first appearance of theTeletubbies onBBC One &BBC Two, TheUKTV network andBBC News 24 are also launched. Programming schedules are abandoned to provide up to date news coverage following thedeath of Diana, Princess of Wales. 1997 also sees the futuristic game showRobot Wars filmed in the latter half of this year and then appears onBBC Two in the early half of the following year.
• 1998 in British television – Digitalsatellite television is launched in the UK, spearheaded bySky. The UK's first two digital only stations,BBC Choice andITV2 are both launched.ITV launchesWho Wants to Be a Millionaire?,Sky Sports News is also launched andCome Dancing the last of the ongoing 1940s debuts leaves the BBC after nearly 50 years. 1998 also seesDon't Try This at Home take over fromYou Bet! atShepperton Studios.
• 1999 in British television – Popular television presenterJill Dando is assassinated outside her home in West London, The murder remains unsolved to the present day,Six TV, Britain's sixth and last terrestrial localised channel launches in bothOxfordshire andSouthampton,ITV axesNews at Ten after a run of 32 years andBBC One broadcasts a marathon28-hour programme to welcome in the new millennium. 1999 also sees the debut ofTweenies onBBC One &BBC Two.

• 2000 in British television –Judith Keppel becomes the first contestant to win the £1 million prize onWho Wants to Be a Millionaire. The UK versions ofThe Weakest Link andBig Brother also debut this year.Coronation Street celebrates 40 years on air with alive episode and theITV News Channel launches.Channel 5 outbids ITV for the broadcasting rights toHome and Away.
• 2001 in British television – British viewers witnesses theSeptember 11 terrorist attacks onNew York City andWashington. Some regular programming is suspended in order to bring up to date coverage of events relating to the attacks.Charles Ingram cheats to win the £1 million prize onWho Wants to Be a Millionaire. ITV'sNews at Ten returns after being axed two years previously, theITV Sport Channel launches along withE4 andITV rebrands its English and Welsh services to ITV1. 2001 also sees TV soapCrossroads return after 13 years of absence,Home and Away moves to Channel 5, whileChannel 4 announces it will stop showingSesame Street at the 6am slot to be replaced byThe Hoobs in July, andThe Office debuts onBBC Two.
• 2002 in British television –Will Young is voted winner of the first series ofPop Idol,Harry Hill's TV Burp begins onITV1 withITV2 showing repeats afterwards, along withI'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here andAnt and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway,CBeebies launches to separate fromCBBC,ITV Digital is replaced byFreeview, theITV Sport Channel is defunct, All major television networks cover theDeath and funeral of Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother, which occurs on 30 March and Channel 5 is rebranded asFive. 2002 also seesRaven,The Story of Tracy Beaker,The Basil Brush Show andDick and Dom in Da Bungalow begin onCBBC along withBrainTeaser appearing on Channel 5.
• 2003 in British television –Panorama becomes the first ongoing British television programme to reach its 50th anniversary sinceBBC Wimbledon in 1977,The Boat Race in 1988 andBBC Cricket in 1989 andITV screens the controversialMartin Bashir documentaryLiving with Michael Jackson.
• 2004 in British television –Supernanny launches a year before theLondon Bombings,Strictly Come Dancing sequels to take over fromCome Dancing,Greg Dyke resigns asDirector-General of the BBC in the wake of theHutton Report andNews at Ten axes from ITV for a second time.Peppa Pig also debuts onChannel 5, along withSomething Special onCBeebies and the long-runningITV singing talent showThe X Factor. 2004 also seesTiny Pop launched in the UK to replacePop Plus.
• 2005 in British television – After an absence of 16 yearsDoctor Who returns to British television starting withChristopher Eccleston in the leading role, The quiz showDeal or No Deal is launched along with theCoach Trip andThe Biggest Loser,The Two Ronnies Sketchbook sequels to take over fromThe Two Ronnies,More4 is launched and theITV News Channel is defunct. 2005 also sees the debut ofThe Apprentice onBBC One.
• 2006 in British television –ITV Play and theCITV Channel both launch,Michael Grade is appointed as chief executive ofITV,Richard Hammond is seriously injured while driving a jet-powered car for a piece forTop Gear,Top of the Pops axe weekly episodes before revival by Christmas andStars in Their Eyes is also axed along withThey Think It's All Over and the traditional Saturday morning children's live programmes due to viewer shortages. 2006 also seesThe Slammer begin onCBBC as well asDancing on Ice onITV.
• 2007 in British television – A series ofscandals involving allegations of phone-in segments of television programmes and quiz channels conning viewers, TheBBC launchesBBC iPlayer, The town ofWhitehaven inCumbria becomes the first place in the UK to lose theiranalogue television signals and start thedigital switchover andITV Play is defunct and rebranded as ITV Bingo. 2007 also sees the debuts ofGolden Balls,Benidorm andBritain's Got Talent onITV1 along with theCBBC Halloween-themed game showTrapped!,Shaun the Sheep and thePrank Patrol onCBBC,In the Night Garden... onCBeebies andGavin & Stacey andOutnumbered onBBC One.
• 2008 in British television – Weekly comparison between overweight and underweight people programmeSupersize vs Superskinny appears,Freesat officially launches whileITV HD launches a full service and ITV'sNews at Ten returns for its third run after being axed again four years previously.The Inbetweeners also debuts onE4 along with theBig Brother zombie miniseriesDead Set.Neighbours moves from BBC One to Channel 5 after Channel 5 secures the broadcasting rights to the Australian soap.
• 2009 in British television – This year sees many changes atITV as the company encounters financial troubles and TheCoach Trip returns after 3 years of absence along withThe Biggest Loser. 2009 also seesSix TV in Oxfordshire and Southampton defunct after only 10 years of localized airing andHorrible Histories begins onCBBC,Timmy Time begins onCBeebies andDivided,The Chase andThe Cube all begin onITV1 as well.

• 2010 in British television – A series of US-stylehead-to-head party leaders' debates are broadcast across UK television ahead of the2010 general election, the first such debates to be held in the run up to a UK election.ITV's breakfast television serviceGMTV is axed after seventeen years on air, and replaced byDaybreak.Coronation Street celebrates its 50th year on air with alive episode, whileEastEnders marks its 25th anniversary. The ITV period dramaDownton Abbey makes its television debut.
• 2011 in British television – Viewers watch theWedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton, and the first broadcast ofMrs. Brown's Boys onBBC One,Channel 5 reverts to its original name after almost a decade.Little Mix become the first group to winThe X Factor.BBC Four begins rerunning old editions ofTop of the Pops on Thursday evenings, starting from April 1976.
• 2012 in British television – Spring of this year seesThe Weakest Link come to an end with the 1,693rd edition, whenAnne Robinson retires from the show to concentrate on Brand newer series ofWatchdog,CBeebies celebrates 10 years of being separated fromCBBC, Spring 2012 also seesHarry Hill's TV Burp ending onITV with a huge finale after 10 or 11 years of broadcast, as well as theTeletubbies celebrating their 15th actual anniversary on theBBC. The events of theOlympic Games begin airing with the opening ceremony inLondon as well as the debut ofTipping Point from July of this year. TheDigital Switchover is completed in October as the final analogue transmitters are switched off inNorthern Ireland. In Scotland, the sentencing phase of thetrial of David Gilroy is the first in the United Kingdom to be filmed for broadcast.
• 2013 in British television –BBC Two launches inhigh-definition for the first time2+1⁄2 years afterBBC One did,Panorama becomes the first ongoing British TV programme to reach and celebrate its 60th anniversary sinceBBC Wimbledon in 1987The Boat Race in 1998 andBBC Cricket in 1999,More4 also launches in HD for the first time,CITV will celebrate its 30th anniversary by airing anOld Skool weekend andDoctor Who celebrates its 50th anniversary by airing aspecial episode all across both Britain and the globe. Spring 2013 also sees the BBC Television centre's old building close with all the BBC services in London moving to the new one next door known as theBroadcasting House along with the debut ofGogglebox andPeaky Blinders onChannel 4 andBBC Two.
• 2014 in British television – 50th anniversary of the first edition ofTop of the Pops. Although an edition was aired on New Year's Eve 2013, the anniversary itself goes unmarked by the BBC because of the programme's association with the lateJimmy Savile. The first episode ofChannel 4's controversial documentary seriesBenefits Street attracts several hundred viewer complaints.BBC Two celebrates its 50th anniversary along withMatch of the Day. ITV axes its breakfast television programmeDaybreak after nearly four years on air, replacing it withGood Morning Britain.
• 2015 in British television – 10th anniversary of the2005 relaunch ofDoctor Who, The rebooted series ofTeletubbies will feature voiceovers from names includingJane Horrocks,Jim Broadbent andFearne Cotton, it is revealed, EastEnders concludes the Who Killed Lucy Beale? storyline by revealing her younger brother Bobby Beale as her killer live in a special flashback episode to celebrate the show's 30th anniversary,Thunderbirds celebrates its 50th anniversary with the debut of the CGI animated rebootThunderbirds Are Go,Brian Blessed andDave Lamb. TheCBBC channel will also air a 60-minute programme celebrating thirty years ofThe Broom Cupboard, the studio from whichCBBCcontinuity presentersAndi Peters,Phillip Schofield,Zoë Ball andEdd the Duck,Louisa Johnson becomes the youngest ever contestant to winThe X Factor and launch of YourTV on Freeview and YouView, Fox UK's first free-to-air channel and which is targeted at women. The vintage-film and nostalgia television channelTalking Pictures TV is launched.
• 2016 in British television – The BBC announces a deal withDiscovery Communications that enables it to broadcast coverage of the Summer and Winter Olympics up to and including the2024 Summer Olympic Games, The agreement covers television, radio and online coverage,Channel 5,5* and5USA get a new look on 11 February as their stencil logos for their channels get their very first airing. 5* is also rebranded as 5Star on the same day,BBC Three closes after thirteen years on air to become anonline only channel,Casualty celebrates its 30th anniversary with a special feature-length episode. 2016 also sees the debut of a new 3pm slot game showTenable on ITV after the axing of two other 3pm slot game shows1000 Heartbeats andRebound.
• 2017 in British television – The Saturday eveningNational Lottery Draw stops being shown onBBC One and is now only seen on theBBC iPlayer, the Corporation having taken the decision to stop broadcasting the draw live on BBC One after agreeing a news,Impossible debuts on the same channel,Channel 5, theTeletubbies andRobot Wars all celebrate their 20th anniversaries,In the Night Garden...,Shaun the Sheep andGolden Balls all celebrate their 10th anniversaries. ITV launches its pay-per-view serviceITV Box Office, Wimbledon Tennis celebrates 90 years of coverage on the BBC during Wimbledon Tennis' 140th anniversary andChannel 4,S4C andCountdown all celebrate their 35th anniversaries.
• 2018 in British television – BBC One airs the first of two editions of the latest version ofThe Generation Game, which is presented by Mel and Sue along with airing The Queen's Birthday Party, a concert from London's Royal Albert Hall celebrating the 92nd birthday of QueenElizabeth II. Spring 2018 also seesThe National Lottery results being broadcast on ITV for the first time after more than two decades on the BBC, with the results appearing as a 90-second summary as part of an advert break. September 2018 seesThe Circle debut on Channel 4.Series 11 ofDoctor Who seesJodie Whittaker star as theThirteenth Doctor; she becomes the first woman to play the role ofThe Doctor.
• 2019 in British television – TheDoctor Who seasonal special is moved from Christmas Day to New Year's Day.BBC Two Scotland closes and is replaced by a newBBC Scotland channel.The Jeremy Kyle Show is axed byITV due to the death of a guest. The BBC One current affairs programmeThis Week is shown for the last time after sixteen years on air, and replaced byBrexitcast.Channel 4 opens its new national headquarters in Leeds.

• 2020 in British television – Many popular TV shows, such asThrough the Keyhole andTake Me Out are axed. The production of many TV shows is halted due to theCOVID-19 pandemic. ITV announces that the 2020 series ofI'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! will be staged atGwrych Castle in North Wales due to travel restrictions imposed because of COVID. After the UK government axes funding for free television licences for over-75s the BBC are forced to start charging for them again from 1 August. Channel 4'sAlternative Christmas Message causes controversy after it is delivered by adeepfake version ofThe Queen and airs at the same time as the realChristmas Message.Brexitcast ends on TV two days prior to it ending on the radio. TheCrown Court (Recording and Broadcasting) Order 2020 paves the way for television cameras to be allowed to film the sentencing phase of criminal trials inEngland and Wales.
• 2021 in British television – All major television networks cover theDeath and funeral of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, which occurs on 9 April, with the BBC receiving a record number of complaints (109,741) after it clears its schedule to provide rolling news coverage.GB News launches in June, withNigel Farage joining as one of its presenters. The recording and release of many TV programmes are delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! takes place in Wales for a second year, but is forced off air for a number of days without a clear winner until 12 December following damage caused byStorm Arwen;Talking Pictures TV launches theTPTV Encore catch-up service. 2021 also sees two new game shows onBBC Two calledLightning andUnbeatable after the axing of BBC One'sImpossible.
• 2022 in British television – The recording and release of some TV programmes are expected to be delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.BBC Three is relaunched as a television channel, six years after becoming anonline service.News UK launches thetalkTV news channel.GB News begins a daily broadcast of thenational anthem, 25 years after it was last aired daily by BBC television.BBC One hospital dramaHolby City comes to an end after 23 years, whileChannel 5 announces it will stop showingNeighbours, with the soap'sfinal episode airing in July;Amazon Studios then picks up the series, announcing it will return in 2023. ThePlatinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II is celebrated on television, including BBC One soapEastEnders, where thePrince of Wales andDuchess of Cornwall make a cameo appearance. On 8 September, thedeath of Queen Elizabeth II is announced. All major television networks provide coverage of events following her death, while her funeral is broadcast by over 50 UK television channels and watched by a cumulative audience of 28 million. Theproclamation of accession of Charles III also becomes the first such ceremony to be televised. TheOld Bailey trials ofBen Oliver andJemma Mitchell become the first criminal cases in England and Wales to have their sentencing phase broadcast on television after theShoreditch Crown Court (Recording and Broadcasting) Order 2020 is enacted.
• 2023 in British television – The BBC merges its UK and international news channels into a single global, but with opt-outs for UK viewers. The government confirms Channel 4 has been saved from privatisation. TheCoronation of Charles III is celebrated on television. GB News suspends presentersLaurence Fox andDan Wootton over "totally unacceptable" misogynistic comments about a female journalist made on an edition ofDan Wootton Tonight; Ofcom also launches an investigation after receiving 7,300 complaints about the incident.Phillip Schofield quits ITV'sThis Morning following a controversy;Holly Willoughby also leaves the programme later in the year.
• 2024 in British television – FormerChancellor of the ExchequerNadhim Zahawi makes a guest appearance in theITV dramaMr Bates vs The Post Office as himself, questioningPost Office chief executivePaula Vennells in a 2015House of Commons committee inquiry into theHorizon computer system and Repeats ofPostman Pat have been pulled fromCBeebies and the BBC entirely because of thePost Office Scandal. Repeats ofGuess with Jess have also been pulled at the same time for the same reason.Gladiators returns for a third run on British television, this time on BBC One.Ben Shephard andCat Deeley become the new regular presenters ofThis Morning.Piers Morgan moves hisPiers Morgan Uncensored show fromTalkTV toYouTube; Talk subsequently switches from being a television to an online streaming service. BBC One's daytime soapDoctors will end alongsideClassic Doctors after nearly 5,000 episodes and nearly 25 years on air.
• 2025 in British television –The Simpsons after over 20 years onChannel 4 moves toE4,Gary Lineker is announced to present his last regular edition ofMatch of the Day, he will continue to host FA Cup & the 2026 FIFA World Cup for the BBC in the 2025–26 season before leaving the BBC,Eurosport will close in the UK and Ireland after 36 years when TNT Sports incorporates the coverage previously shown on Eurosport. This includes theOlympic Games, cycling (including theTour de France), snooker, tennis (including three of the four majors) and winter sports and AllWWE wrestling programmes move toNetflix after many years on their linear TV channels includingTNT Sports, with theWWE Network closing down coincidentally.
• 2026 in British television –ITV1 airsCorriedale, acrossover episode featuring characters fromCoronation Street andEmmerdale and ITV confirms that filming forLove Island: All Stars has been postponed for a number of days until 15 January after the villa used for the series is evacuated due to wildfires. The Number of episodes ofLove Island: All Stars may therefore decrease to 33, 34 or 35.

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  • Timeline of Anglia Television
  • Timeline of ATV
  • Timeline of Border Television
  • Timeline of Carlton Television
  • Timeline of Central Independent Television
  • Timeline of Channel Television
  • Timeline of Grampian Television
  • Timeline of Granada Television
  • Timeline of HTV West
  • Timeline of London Weekend Television
  • Timeline of Meridian Broadcasting
  • Timeline of Scottish Television
  • Timeline of Southern Television
  • Timeline of Thames Television and Associated-Rediffusion
  • Timeline of TSW and Westward
  • Timeline of TV-am
  • Timeline of TVS
  • Timeline of Tyne Tees Television
  • Timeline of Ulster Television
  • Timeline of Westcountry Television
  • Timeline of Yorkshire Television
• Timeline of Channel 4
• Timeline of Channel 5
• Timeline of Sky Limited
• Timeline of UKTV

• Timeline of children's television on the BBC
• Timeline of children's television on ITV
• Timeline of children's television on other British TV channels

• Timeline of BBC Sport
• Timeline of ITV Sport
• Timeline of sport on Channel 4
• Timeline of sport on Channel 5

• Timeline of ITV in Wales
• Timeline of television in Northern Ireland
• Timeline of television in Scotland
• Timeline of television in Wales

• Timeline of television in London

• List of years in television

• Television timelines
• Television in the United Kingdom by year
• Year lists in television by country

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata