1959 in British television

List of years in British television (table)
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This is a list of British television related events from 1959.

Events

January

• 15 January – Tyne Tees Television, the ITV franchise for North East England, goes on air.

February

• No events.

March

• No events.

April

• No events.

May

• No events.

June

• 1 June – Juke Box Jury premieres on the BBC Television Service.

July

• No events.

August

• No events.

September

• No events.

October

• 8–9 October – The BBC and for the first time, ITV broadcast live coverage of the results of the 1959 United Kingdom general election. The BBC kept the overnight coverage but did not keep its broadcast from the following day.
• 27 October – Anglia Television, the ITV franchise for Eastern England, goes on air.
• 31 October – Ulster Television, the ITV franchise for Northern Ireland, goes on air.

November

• No events.

December

• No events.

Debuts

BBC Television Service/BBC TV

• 7 January – The Nightwatchman's Stories (1959)
• 14 January – The Cabin in the Clearing (1959)
• 17 January – The Honey Siege (1959)
• 23 January – The Third Man (1959–1965)
• 30 January – The Last Chronicle of Barset (1959)
• 4 February – Face to Face (1959–1962)
• 9 February – The Scarf (1959)
• 28 February – Garry Halliday (1959–1962)
• 25 March – Morning in the Streets (1959)
• 3 April – Love and Mr Lewisham (1959)
• 4 April – Charlesworth (1959)
• 4 April – Drumbeat (1959)
• 5 April – Great Expectations (1959)
• 8 April – The Two Charleys (1959)
• 14 April – The Offshore Island (1959)
• 22 April – A Soho Story (1959)
• 1 May – Frankly Howerd (1959)
• 15 May – Hilda Lessways (1959)
• 1 June
  • Juke Box Jury (1959–1967, 1979, 1989–1990)
  • The Widow of Bath (1959)
• 3 June – On the Bright Side (1959)
• 12 June – The Adventures of Brigadier Wellington-Bull (1959)
• 26 June – The Eustace Diamonds (1959)
• 5 July – The Golden Spur (1959)
• 13 July – The Naked Lady (1959)
• 25 July – The Ken Dodd Show (1959–1969)
• 10 August – Campion (1959–1960)
• 23 August – The Moonstone (1959)
• 26 August – Call Me Sam (1959)
• 28 August – The History of Mr. Polly (1959)
• 3 September – Spycatcher (1959–1961)
• 11 September – Noggin the Nog (1959–1965; 1982)
• 21 September – A Mask for Alexis (1959)
• 28 September – The Artful Dodger (1959)
• 11 October – Redgauntlet (1959)
• 15 October – Who, Me? (1959)
• 16 October – Bleak House (1959)
• 2 November – The Men from Room 13 (1959–1961)
• 3 November – Ask For King Billy (1959)
• 7 November – Three Golden Nobles (1959)
• 11 December – Para Handy - Master Mariner (1959–1960)
• Unknown
  • Whicker's World (1959–1994)
  • World Theatre (1959)

ITV

• 8 April – Crime Sheet (1959)
• 1 June – Don't Tell Father (1959)
• 14 June – Sunday's Child (1959)
• 2 July – Skyport (1959–1960)
• 6 July – Something in the City (1959)
• 13 July – Nick of the River (1959)
• 10 August – Gert and Daisy (1959)
• 1 September – The Secret of Carrick House (1959)
• 12 September – The Man Who Finally Died (1959)
• 13 September – Interpol Calling (1959–1960)
• 14 September – Probation Officer (1959–1962)
• 16 September – No Hiding Place (1959–1967)
• 17 September – The Four Just Men (1959–1960)
• 23 September – Tell It to the Marines (1959–1960)
• 13 October – Knight Errant Limited (1959–1961)
• 31 October – Epilogue to Capricorn (1959)
• 9 December – 77 Sunset Strip (1958–1964)
• 12 December – The Voodoo Factor (1959–1960)
• 24 December
  • Rawhide (1959–1965)
  • Tales from Dickens (1959–1961)
• 26 December – International Detective (1959–1961)
• 28 December – Ivor the Engine (1959, 1975–1977)
• Unknown
  • Torchy the Battery Boy (1959–1961)
  • Maverick (1957–1962)
  • Glencannon (1959–1960)
  • The Flying Doctor (1959)
  • Foo Foo (1959–1960)

Continuing television shows

1920s

• BBC Wimbledon (1927–1939, 1946–2019, 2021–2024)

1930s

• The Boat Race (1938–1939, 1946–2019)
• BBC Cricket (1939, 1946–1999, 2020–2024)

1940s

• Come Dancing (1949–1998)

1950s

• Andy Pandy (1950–1970, 2002–2005)
• All Your Own (1952–1961)
• Watch with Mother (1952–1975)
• Rag, Tag and Bobtail (1953–1965)
• The Good Old Days (1953–1983)
• Panorama (1953–present)
• The Adventures of Robin Hood (1955–1960)
• Picture Book (1955–1965)
• Sunday Night at the London Palladium (1955–1967, 1973–1974)
• Take Your Pick! (1955–1968, 1992–1998)
• Double Your Money (1955–1968)
• Dixon of Dock Green (1955–1976)
• Crackerjack (1955–1984, 2020–present)
• Hancock's Half Hour (1956–1961)
• Opportunity Knocks (1956–1978, 1987–1990)
• This Week (1956–1978, 1986–1992)
• Armchair Theatre (1956–1974)
• What the Papers Say (1956–2008)
• The Army Game (1957–1961)
• The Sky at Night (1957–present)
• Blue Peter (1958–present)
• Grandstand (1958–2007)

Ending this year

• The Adventures of Twizzle (1957–1959)
• The Adventures of William Tell (1958–1959)
• The Invisible Man (1958–1959)
• Ivanhoe (1958–1959)
• Oh Boy! (1958–1959)
• Our Mutual Friend (1958–1959)
• Quatermass and the Pit (1958–1959)
• Torchy the Battery Boy (1958–1959)

Births

• 30 January – Alex Hyde-White, actor
• 15 February – Adam Boulton, television journalist
• 20 March – Steve McFadden, actor
• 1 April – Joanna Kanska, actress
• 15 April – Emma Thompson, actress, comedian, and screenwriter
• 8 May – Kevin McCloud, designer, author, and television host
• 16 May – Tracy Hyde, actress and model
• 22 May – Jon Sopel, television presenter and BBC correspondent
• 29 May – Adrian Paul, actor
• 11 June – Hugh Laurie, actor, comedian and writer
• 29 June – Richard Vranch, comedian, actor, and TV panel show participant
• 8 July – Pauline Quirke, actress
• 10 September – Helen Pearson, actress
• 7 October – Simon Cowell, music producer and television talent show judge
• 20 October – Niamh Cusack, Irish-born actress
• 2 November – Peter Mullan, actor
• 9 November – Tony Slattery, actor and comedian
• 11 November – David Easter, actor
• 13 November – Caroline Goodall, actress
• 14 November – Paul McGann, British actor
• 24 November – Lucy Meacock, journalist and newsreader
• 30 November – Lorraine Kelly, British presenter and journalist
• 2 December – Gwyneth Strong, British actress
• 3 December – Eamonn Holmes, journalist and television personality
• 11 December – Nigel Pivaro, actor and journalist
• 30 December – Tracey Ullman, English comedian, actress, singer, dancer, screenwriter and author

See also

• 1959 in British music
• 1959 in the United Kingdom
• List of British films of 1959