1964 in British television

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This is a list of British television related events from 1964.

Events

January

• 1 January – The first Top of the Pops airs on BBC TV.
• 4 January – Test transmissions begin for BBC2.

February

• 9 February – Launch of BBC Wales TV.

March

• 30 March – Tyne Tees Television's regional news magazine North East Roundabout is relaunched as North East Newsview.

April

• 1 April – The Bressay transmitting station in the Shetland Islands comes into service, making the islands the last area of the United Kingdom to get a television transmitter.
• 6 April – Associated-Rediffusion changes its name to Rediffusion, London.
• 20 April – BBC Two starts broadcasting, the existing BBC TV channel is renamed BBC1.
• 30 April – Television sets manufactured as of this date are required to receive UHF channels.

May

• 5 May – The documentary film Seven Up! is broadcast on ITV, showing the lives of fourteen school children. Subsequent films in the series have seen them interviewed every seven years since.
• 30 May – The 26-part documentary series The Great War covering events in World War I begins airing on the BBC.

June

• No events.

July

• July – Associated Television's series Emergency – Ward 10 shows the first kiss on television between black and white actors, Joan Hooley playing surgeon Louise Mahler and John White playing Dr. Giles Farmer.

August

• 22 August – The first Match of the Day airs on BBC2. The following episodes moved to BBC1.

September

• 18 September – Doctor Who goes to air on NZBC in New Zealand making it the first country outside of Great Britain to broadcast the long running science fiction series. It will first air in the region of Christchurch from 18 September to 11 December 1964, then in Auckland from 30 October 1964 to 29 January 1965, Wellington from 6 November 1964 to 5 February 1965 and Dunedin from 5 March to 28 May 1965.
• 28 September – In the Midlands, BBC One airs the first edition of its local news programme, Midlands Today.

October

• 10 October – The 1964 Summer Olympics opening ceremony at Tokyo, Japan, with first time of live Olympic telecast program by geostationary communication satellite.
• 13 October – Danger Man (US: Secret Agent) returns to ITV in longer episodes after being cancelled in 1961.
• 28 October – The Wednesday Play premieres on BBC1.
• October – Southern launches a weekly news magazine for the south east called ‘’Friday at Ten’’.

November

• 2 November – Crossroads premieres on ITV.

December

• 6 December — BBC2 goes on air in the Midlands and East Anglia, because the Sutton Coldfield transmitter initially could not relay BBC2 beyond an area reception to the Midlands region, resulting in a staggered signal.
• 15 December – Peter Watkins' docudrama Culloden is shown on BBC1.

Debuts

BBC Television Service/BBC TV/BBC1

• 1 January – Top of the Pops (1964–2006)
• 28 September – Midlands Today (1964–present)
• 28 October – The Wednesday Play (1964–1970)
• 13 November – Not So Much a Programme, More a Way of Life (1964–1965)
• 4 December – The Likely Lads (1964–1966)

BBC2

• 21 April – Play School (1964–1988)
• 2 May – Theatre 625 (1964–1968)
• July – The Beat Room (1964–1965)
• 22 August – Match of the Day (1964–present)

ITV

• Unknown –
  • Mr. and Mrs. (1964–1999, 2008–2010, 2012–present)
  • The Jetsons (1962–1963, 1985–1987)
• 5 May – Seven Up! (1964–present)
• 4 October – Stingray (1964–1965)
• 10 October – Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1964–1968)
• 17 October – Redcap (1964–1966)
• 2 November – Crossroads (1964–1988, 2001–2003)

Television shows

Returning this year after a break of one year or longer

• 13 October – Danger Man (1960–1961, 1964–1968)

Continuing television shows

1920s

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

1930s

• BBC Cricket (1939, 1946–1999, 2021–2024)

1940s

• Watch with Mother (1946–1973)
• Come Dancing (1949–1998)

1950s

• Andy Pandy (1950–1970, 2002–2005)
• Rag, Tag and Bobtail (1953–1965)
• The Good Old Days (1953–1983)
• Panorama (1953–present)
• 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)
• Opportunity Knocks (1956–1978, 1987–1990)
• This Week (1956–1978, 1986–1992)
• Armchair Theatre (1956–1974)
• What the Papers Say (1956–2008)
• The Sky at Night (1957–present)
• Picture Book (1958–1965)
• Blue Peter (1958–present)
• Grandstand (1958–2007)
• Noggin the Nog (1959–1965, 1970, 1979–1982)

1960s

• Sykes and A... (1960–1965)
• The Flintstones (1960–1966)
• Coronation Street (1960–present)
• The Avengers (1961–1969)
• Points of View (1961–present)
• Songs of Praise (1961–present)
• Compact (1962–1965)
• Steptoe and Son (1962–1965, 1970–1974)
• Hugh and I (1962–1967)
• The Saint (1962–1969)
• Z-Cars (1962–1978)
• Animal Magic (1962–1983)
• The Human Jungle (1963–1965)
• Ready Steady Go! (1963–1966)
• Doctor Who (1963–1989, 2005–present)
• World in Action (1963–1998)

Ending this year

• Ghost Squad (1961–1964)
• Gwlad y Gan (1958–1964)
• The Human Jungle (1963–1964)

Births

• 12 January – Clare Holman, British actress (Inspector Morse)
• 13 January – Bill Bailey, comedian
• 1 February – Linus Roache, actor
• 3 February – Gary Webster, actor
• 16 February – Christopher Eccleston, actor
• 24 February – Andy Crane, television and radio presenter
• 25 February – Lee Evans, comedian and actor
• 11 March – Shane Richie, actor
• 25 April – Fiona Bruce, journalist, newsreader and television presenter
• 13 June – Kathy Burke, actress and comedian
• 18 June – Linda Davidson, actress, writer and media executive
• 27 June – Lynn Parsons, radio and television presenter
• 3 July – Fionnuala Ellwood, actress
• 12 July – Gaby Roslin, television presenter and actress
• 21 July – Ross Kemp, actor and journalist
• 22 July – Bonnie Langford, actress and entertainer
• 23 July – Matilda Ziegler, actress
• 27 August – Cheryl Fergison, actress
• 1 October – Harry Hill, comedian, author, television presenter and former doctor
• 8 October – Ian Hart, actor
• 21 November – Liza Tarbuck, actress and television presenter
• 26 November – Lia Williams, actress and director

Deaths

• 24 February – Frank Conroy, actor, 73
• 25 September – Robert Wilson, singer and TV presenter, 57
• 10 December – Charles Samuel Franklin, radio and television engineer, designer of broadcasting antennae and aerials, 85

See also

• 1964 in British music
• 1964 in British radio
• 1964 in the United Kingdom
• List of British films of 1964