1961 in British television

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This is a list of British television related events from 1961.

Events

January

• 1 January – Dechrau Canu, Dechrau Canmol, featuring congregational Christian singing in the Welsh language, debuts on BBC Television. The series will still be on the air, now being broadcast n S4C, 60 years later.
• 7 January – The Avengers premieres on ITV.

February

• 3 February – The final live episode of Coronation Street is aired. From now on all episodes are prerecorded. The next live transmission will not occur until 8 December 2000.

March

• 6 March – Coronation Street begins airing on Monday and Wednesday evenings at 19:30. Previously, it had been transmitted on Wednesday and Friday evenings at 19:00. (see scheduling of Coronation Street)
• March – An edition of ABC's Sunday evening religious programme The Sunday Break features a performance of the controversial Passion Play "A Man Dies", depicting Jesus Christ dressed in a pair of jeans.

April

• 4 April – Southern launches a weeknight 30-minute regional news programme called Day By Day.
• 29 April – Westward Television, the first ITV franchise for South West England, goes on air.

May

• No events.

June

• No events.

July

• No events.

August

• No events.

September

• 1 September – Border Television, the ITV franchise for the English-Scottish Border and Isle of Man, goes on air.
• 30 September – Grampian Television, the ITV franchise for North East Scotland, goes on air.

October

• 1 October – Songs of Praise, featuring Christian congregations singing hymns, debuts on BBC Television, the first programme being hosted by Tabernacle Chapel, Cardiff. The series will still be on the air 60 years later.
• 2 October – Points of View, featuring the letters of viewers offering praise, criticism and comments on the television of recent weeks, debuts on BBC Television. The series will still be on the air 60 years later.

November

• No events.

December

• 15 December – The BBC broadcasts the first Comedy Playhouse. The series broadcasts a series of one-off unrelated sitcoms. Over the next 14 years the series would air the pilot episodes of many popular comedies, including Steptoe and Son, Till Death Us Do Part, Up Pompeii!, The Liver Birds, Are You Being Served? and Last of the Summer Wine.

Unknown

• Southern Television launches the UK's first localised news opt-out when it launches a news service for south east England from its new studios in Dover.

Debuts

BBC Television Service/BBC TV

• 27 January – The House Under the Water (1961)
• 25 March – Ask Mr. Pastry (1961)
• 4 April – They Met in a City (1961)
• 9 April – Rob Roy (1961)
• 14 April – Amelia (1961)
• 30 April – Ask Anne (1961)
• 18 May – Court of Mystery (1961)
• 4 June – Triton (1961)
• 16 June – Magnolia Street (1961)
• 7 June – Moody In... (1961)
• 20 June – Walk a Crooked Mile (1961)
• 2 July – Hurricane (1961)
• 1 August –Our Mister Ambler (1961)
• 24 September – Stranger on the Shore (1961)
• 1 October – Songs of Praise (1961–present)
• 2 October – Points of View (1961–present)
• 3 October – A for Andromeda (1961)
• 5 October – You Can't Win (1961)
• 6 October – The Rag Trade (1961–1963, 1977–1978)
• 4 November – Gamble for a Throne (1961)
• 16 November – The Seven Faces of Jim (1961–1963)
• 16 November – Jacks and Knaves (1961)
• 19 November – The Charlie Chester Music Hall (1961–1962)
• 21 November – The Escape of R.D.7 (1961)
• 22 November – A Chance of Thunder (1961)
• 10 December – Gilbert and Sullivan (1961)
• 15 December – Comedy Playhouse (1961–1974)

ITV

• 7 January – The Avengers (1961–1969)
• 25 January – Jango (1961)
• 28 January – Supercar (1961–1962)
• 29 January – The Mask of the Clown (1961)
• 12 February – Happily Ever After (1961–1964)
• 5 March – Pathfinders to Venus (1961)
• 11 March – The Arthur Askey Show (1961)
• 14 March – A Brother for Joe (1961)
• 19 March – Drama 61-67 (1961–1967)
• 29 March – Tales of Mystery (1961–1963)
• 1 April – Thank Your Lucky Stars (1961–1966)
• 29 April – If the Crown Fits (1961)
• 30 April – The Secret of the Nubian Tomb (1961)
• 15 May – Three Live Wires (1961)
• 26 June – Harpers West One (1961–1963)
• 28 June – Family Solicitor (1961)
• 11 August – Top Secret (1961–1962)
• 24 August – Echo Four Two (1961)
• 9 September –
  • Ghost Squad (1961–1964)
  • The Jo Stafford Show (1961)
  • Winning Widows (1961–1962)
• 11 September – Home Tonight (1961)
• 14 September – Hamlet (1961)
• 15 September – Colonel Trumper's Private War (1961)
• 22 September – Frontier Drums (1961)
• 24 September – Plateau of Fear (1961)
• 24 September – Call Oxbridge 2000 (1961–1962)
• 12 October – Two of a Kind (1961–1968)
• 31 October – Thirty Minute Theatre (1961–1965)
• 12 November – Sir Francis Drake (1961–1962)
• Unknown – The Flintstones (1960–1966)
• Unknown – The Pursuers (1961–1962)

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

• 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)
• Blue Peter (1958–present)
• Grandstand (1958–2007)
• Face to Face (1959–1962)
• Noggin the Nog (1959–1965, 1970, 1979–1982)

1960s

• Sykes and A... (1960–1965)
• The Flintstones (1960–1966)
• Coronation Street (1960–present)

Ending this year

• All Your Own (1952–1961)
• Hancock's Half Hour (1956–1961)
• The Army Game (1957–1961)
• Danger Man (1960–1961, 1964–1968)
• Saturday Playhouse (1958–1961)
• Torchy the Battery Boy (1960–1961)
• The Jo Stafford Show (1961)

Births

• 1 January –
  • Fiona Phillips, journalist, broadcaster and television presenter
  • Mark Wingett, British actor
• 12 January – Simon Russell Beale, British actor
• 26 January – Mark Urban, journalist and author
• 20 February – Imogen Stubbs, British actress
• 21 February – Ross King, television presenter, actor and author
• 10 April – Nicky Campbell, radio and television presenter
• 14 April – Robert Carlyle, Scottish actor
• 18 April – Jane Leeves, English actress
• 20 April –
  • Nicholas Lyndhurst, actor
  • Paul Usher, actor
• 2 May – Phil Vickery, British celebrity chef
• 6 May – Pippa Haywood, English actress
• 12 May – Charlie Neil, British regional TV weather reader
• 14 May – Tim Roth, English actor
• 30 May – Harry Enfield, English comedian
• 24 June – Iain Glen, Scottish actor
• 25 June – Ricky Gervais, English comedian
• 27 June – Meera Syal, British comedian and writer
• 5 July – Gareth Jones, television presenter
• 17 July – Jeremy Hardy, English comedian, radio panelist and singer (died 2019)
• 5 August – Janet McTeer, British actress
• 7 August – Brian Conley, comedian, television presenter, singer and actor
• 16 August – Saskia Reeves, British actress
• 18 August – Huw Edwards, journalist and news presenter
• 27 August – Mark Curry, television presenter
• 15 September – Colin McFarlane, actor and voice actor
• 7 October – Simon McCoy, BBC newsreader
• 10 October – Martin Kemp, musician and actor
• 11 October – Neil Buchanan, artist, presenter and musician
• 26 October – Linda Barker, interior designer and television presenter
• 27 October – Joanna Scanlan, actress and television writer
• 9 November – Jill Dando, television newsreader (died 1999)
• 27 November – Samantha Bond, British actress
• 28 November – Martin Clunes, actor
• 11 December – Marco Pierre White, British chef and restaurateur
• 12 December – Sarah Sutton, British actress
• 19 December – Matthew Waterhouse, British actor
• 23 December – Carol Smillie, television presenter

Deaths

• 28 September – Michael Shepley, actor, 53
• 12 October – Jack Livesey, actor, 60

See also

• 1961 in British music
• 1961 in British radio
• 1961 in the United Kingdom
• List of British films of 1961