History of British Television

14/11/1922: First BBC broadcasts from London

01/01/1927: The British Broadcasting Company becomes a Corporation; granted a Royal Charter

20/08/1929: First transmissions of John Logie Baird's 30 line television system

26/01/1926: Demonstration of the first working televsion system by John Logie Baird

28/09/1923: First edition of The Radio Times

02/11/1936: The BBC Television service opens. The first broadcaster in the world to provide a high definition service

05/1932: BBC Television begins broadcasting a regular channel, which later became BBC One; The opening of the Broadcast House

03/06/1931: First television outside broadcast

22/08/1932: BBC take over programme making for the 30 line television service

01/09/1939: Television is suspended in the event of WWII, in fear that the signals would help Germans

02/09/1945: End of WWII

07/06/1946: Television resumes broadcasting after WWII

07/1948: BBC hosts Olympic Games in London

07/10/1946: Introduction of Women's Hour; a dedicated radio programme to the political issues facing women (created by Norman Collins) was discussed

24/04/1937: Children's Television show For The Children, was introduced

10/1949: Children's TV shows were inaugurated after WWII, and one of it's early successes was the show Muffin the Mule (Starring Annette Mills)

01/1948: Introduction of the News in Television service

22/09/1955: Commercial Television begins to broadcast in the London area

29/05/1950: The TV soap opera The Archers is released

09/04/1954: Britian's first TV soap The Grove Family aires

03/06/1953: Coronation of Queen Elizabeth is aired live, which helped boost sales of white TV sets

22/09/1955: Launch of ITV, destructing the 23 year consistency of the BBC as the single channel of British TV

06/07/1956: Televised version of Hancock's Half Hour was released (BBC)

24/04/1957: Launch of The Sky of Night

16/10/1958: Introduction of Blue Peter, engaging young viewers interests

09/12/1960: Britain's longest running soap Coronation Street is launched on ITV

19/06/1960: Nan Winton becomes the first national newsreader on BBC

07/01/1961: Avengers is launched on ITV

02/10/1961: Points of View is aired on BBC

New 23/11/1963: Launch of Doctor Who on BBC

07/01/1967: The Forsyte Saga Television adaptation is released, starring a middle class family that revolutionised costume drama

01/08/1965: Cigarette advertising ban under the Television Act 1964

30/09/1965: Thunderbirds is launched (ATV)

01/07/1967: First colour transmissions on BBC2 began

16/11/1966: Launch of Cathy Come Home, regarded as the best known play to be broacasted in British TV

1969: Colour TV is broadcasted on BBC and ITV

16/07/1969: Moon landing is broadcasted on BBC

14/09/1970: BBC 9'o'clock news launched,

13/02/1972: The first 34 episodes of The Mary Tyler Moore Show was broadcasted on BBC, however dropped on December 29th, 1972

1993: full series of the Mary Tyler Moore Show was repeated on The Family Channel between 1993-96

10/04/1971: Launch of the Comical sitcom The Two Ronnies on BBC

19/09/1975: Fawtly Towers aired on BBC2

15/02/1973: Some Mothers Do Av' Em

09/1975: First transmission of the James Bond Film

10/10/1971: Upstairs, Downstairs was launched on ITV

Man About The House airs on ITV

The Family - ground breaking documentary programme raised awareness on the issues of race, class and attitudes of 70s England

13/02/1978: Anna Ford becomes the first female news reader on ITN

25/09/1979: First broadcast of Question Time

14/04/1969 The Liver Birds launched on BBC

07/05/1974: Happy Ever After

15/01/1955: The Benny Hill show was introduced, the comedy was cancelled in 1989 for it's declining ratings and complaints of sexism

17/01/1983: Launch of the breakfast show

06/01/1980: Family Fortunes

01/02/1980: Play Your Cards Right

14/07/1985 Watchdog

14/08/2000: The Weakest Link

03/01/1983 CITV Launched

19/02/1985: Eastenders Debuts on BBC1

02/11/1982 Introduction of Channel 4, alongside the show Countdown

09/07/2001: The Office

18/03/1985: Debut of Neighbors in 1986

06/09/1986 Casualty: created by young socialists, they wanted to create a "television revolution" that would be feminist, anti-racist, pro-NHS and anti-Conservative

16/09/1981 Postman Pat

01/02/1983: Debut of Good Morning Britain