1964 in television

List of years in television       (table)
... 1954 .  1955 .  1956 .  1957  . 1958  . 1959  . 1960 ... 1961 1962 1963 -1964- 1965 1966 1967 ... 1968 .  1969 .  1970 .  1971  . 1972  . 1973  . 1974 ...        In radio: 1961 1962 1963 -1964- 1965 1966 1967                In film: 1961 1962 1963 -1964- 1965 1966 1967
Art . Archaeology . Architecture . Literature . Music . Philosophy . Science +...

The year 1964 in television involved some significant events. Below is a list of television-related events in 1964.

For the American TV schedule, see: 1964-65 American network television schedule.

Events

• Most of NBC's programs are now broadcast in color.
• January 1 – The first Top of the Pops airs on BBC Television.
• January 3 – Footage of the Beatles performing a concert in Bournemouth, England is shown on The Jack Paar Show.
• January 4 – TV Tokyo launched in Japan.
• February 9, 16 and 23 – The Beatles appear on The Ed Sullivan Show, breaking television ratings records.
• April 20 – BBC2 starts broadcasting in the UK; the existing BBC channel is renamed BBC1. A power failure prevents the planned opening night's schedule from happening, meaning the first programme shown is Play School the following morning.
• April 30 – Television sets manufactured as of this date are required to receive UHF channels.
• May 5 – The documentary film Seven Up! is broadcast on ITV in the UK, showing the lives of fourteen school children. Subsequent films in the series have seen them interviewed every seven years since.
• June 6 - The Rolling Stones make their American TV debut on The Hollywood Palace.
• August 1 – The official launch of Melbourne's third commercial television station ATV-0, signalling the beginning of what is now Network Ten.
• October 10 – The 1964 Summer Olympics opening ceremony at Tokyo, Japan, with first time of live Olympic telecast program by geostationary communication satellite Syncom 3.
• October 18 – Jackie Mason appears on The Ed Sullivan Show and is subsequently banned after he seemingly gives Ed "the finger" on the air.
• October 25 - The Rolling Stones make their first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show. The next day, Mr. Sullivan insists that he'll never have them back.
• November 26 – PTV airs the first television broadcasts in Pakistan.
• December 6 – NBC debuts the Christmas special Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer. It will become a holiday tradition, moving to CBS in 1972.

Debuts

• January 1 – Top of the Pops premieres on BBC television (1964–2006).
• January 4 - The Hollywood Palace premieres on ABC (1964–1970).
• January 10 - That Was The Week That Was (TW3) premieres on NBC-TV (9:30-10:00 ET) as a half-hour satirical revue broadcast live from New York after a successful hour-long special on November 10, 1963. The show, based on the BBC program of the same name, ran through May 4, 1965. It was revived as a one-time ABC special in 1985, and as a segment on ABC's Primetime Live ca. 2004-05.
• March 30 – The game show Jeopardy! debuts on NBC daytime TV (1964–1975, 1978–1979 1984–present).
• May 4 – The American soap opera Another World debuts on NBC at 3:00 p.m. Eastern time, as a half-hour show (1964–1999).
• September 14 – Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea premieres on ABC (1964–1968).
• September 15 – Peyton Place premieres on ABC (1964–1969).
• September 16 – Shindig! premieres on ABC (1964–1966).
• September 17 – Bewitched premieres on ABC (1964–1972).
• September 18 – The Addams Family premieres on ABC (1964–1966).
• September 18 – Jonny Quest premieres on ABC (1964–1965).
• September 19 – Flipper premieres on NBC (1964–1967).
• September 22 – The Man from U.N.C.L.E. premieres on NBC (1964–1968).
• September 24 – Daniel Boone premieres on NBC (1964–1970).
• September 24 – The Munsters premieres on CBS (1964–1966).
• September 25 – Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. premieres on CBS (1964–1970).
• September 26 – Gilligan's Island premieres on CBS (1964–1967).
• October 4 – This Hour Has Seven Days premieres on CBC in Canada (1964–1966).
• October 13 – Danger Man returns to ITV after being cancelled in 1961. It would later air on CBS as Secret Agent (1960–1961, 1964–1966).
• October 28 – The Wednesday Play premieres on BBC1 (1964–1970).
• November 2 – Crossroads premieres on ITV (1964–1988, 2001–2003).
• The Mavis Bramston Show premieres on ATN-7 in Australia (1964–1968).

Television shows

1940s

• Meet the Press (1947–present)
• Candid Camera (1948–present)
• The Ed Sullivan Show (1948–1971)
• Bozo the Clown (1949–present).
• Come Dancing (UK) (1949–1995).

1950s

• The Jack Benny Show (1950–1965)
• Truth or Consequences (1950–1988)
• What's My Line (1950–1967)
• Love of Life (1951–1980)
• Search for Tomorrow (1951–1986)
• Hallmark Hall of Fame (1951–present).
• The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet (1952–1966)
• American Bandstand (1952–1989)
• Death Valley Days (1952–1975)
• The Guiding Light (1952–present)
• Hockey Night in Canada (1952–present)
• The Today Show (1952–present)
• The Good Old Days (UK) (1953–1983)
• Panorama (UK) (1953–present)
• Face the Nation (1954–present)
• The Milton Berle Show (1954–1967)
• The Secret Storm (1954–1974)
• The Tonight Show (1954–present)
• Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color (1954–present; 1961–1969 with this title)
• Captain Kangaroo (1955–1984)
• Dixon of Dock Green (UK) (1955–1976)
• Gunsmoke (1955–1975)
• The Lawrence Welk Show (1955–1982)
• This Is Your Life (UK) (1955–2003)
• Armchair Theatre (UK) (1956–1968)
• As the World Turns (1956–present)
• Opportunity Knocks (UK) (1956–1978)
• The Edge of Night (1956–1984)
• The Price Is Right (1956–1965)
• What the Papers Say (UK) (1956–present)
• The Sky at Night (UK) (1957–present)
• Blue Peter (UK) (1958–present)
• Grandstand (UK) (1958–2007)
• The Donna Reed Show (1958–1966)
• Bonanza (1959–1973)
• Juke Box Jury (1959–1967, 1979, 1989–1990)
• The Bell Telephone Hour (1959–1968)

1960s

• The Andy Griffith Show (1960–1968)
• Coronation Street, UK (1960–present)
• The Flintstones (1960–1966)
• My Three Sons (1960–1972)
• The Avengers, UK (1961–1969)
• Ben Casey (1961–1966)
• The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961–1966)
• Four Corners, Australia (1961–present).
• The Fulton Sheen Program (1961–1968)
• It's Academic (1961–present)
• The Mike Douglas Show (1961–1981)
• Mister Ed (1961–1966)
• Wide World of Sports (1961–1997)
• The Beverly Hillbillies (1962–1971)
• Combat! (1962–1967)
• The Late Late Show, Ireland (1962–present)
• The Lucy Show (1962–1968)
• Match Game (1962–1969, 1973–1984, 1990–1991, 1998–1999)
• The Saint, UK (1962–1969)
• The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962–1992)
• Z-Cars, UK (1962–1978)
• Doctor Who, UK (1963–1989, 1996, 2005–present)
• The Doctors (1963–1982)
• General Hospital (1963–present)
• The Patty Duke Show (1963–1966)
• Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom (1963–1988, 2002–present)
• Petticoat Junction (1963–1970)
• Ready Steady Go! (1963–1966)

Ending this year

• March 29 – The Judy Garland Show (1963–1964).
• June 19 – The Twilight Zone (1959–1964). The show was revived in 1985–1988, and then for one season in 2002.
• Zoo Quest (UK) (1954–1964).
• To Tell the Truth (1962–1964). (Canadian version only)
• Mack & Myer for Hire (1963–1964)
• Sing Along with Mitch (1961–1964) and Hootenanny (1963–1964), both victims of drastically changing musical tastes.

Births

• January 1 – Clare Holman, British actress
• February 15 – Chris Farley, actor and comedian (d. 1997).
• February 20 – French Stewart, actor, 3rd Rock from the Sun
• April 7 – Russell Crowe, New Zealander actor
• April 25 – Hank Azaria, actor and voice actor.
• June 15 – Courteney Cox, actress.
• June 23 – Joss Whedon, creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
• July 3 – Yeardley Smith, voice actress, The Simpsons (Lisa Simpson).
• July 22 – John Leguizamo, Columbian born-American actor
• July 22 – David Spade, Actor and comedian
• September 2 – Keanu Reeves, actor.
• November 4 - Kurt Krakowian, actor.
• November 11 – Calista Flockhart, actress.
• November 21 – Liza Tarbuck, English actress and television presenter.
• December 8 – Teri Hatcher, actress.
• December 18 – Stone Cold Steve Austin, Pro wrestler

Deaths

• August 28 – Gracie Allen, 69, actress, comedienne.