Rewind

The museum of TV ephemera

On This Day in TV History

1st February 2026

Channels
1983 TV-am - the first ITV breakfast franchisee - begins broadcasting.
2000 Carlton Kids – a children's television channel, broadcast exclusively on the ONdigital platform – ceases broadcasting.

The channel features children's programming produced by Carlton and various other ITV companies such as Granada TV, Central TV and Yorkshire TV.

The schedules also include programmes from the BBC and American/overseas distributors.
2000 Carlton World – broadcast exclusively on the ONdigital platform – ceases broadcasting.

The channel showed factual and some entertainment programming.
2011 Sky Atlantic begins broadcasting.

The channel shows imported programmes from the US, and holds the domestic rights to HBO and Showtime programming, as well as other original series.
2011 Channel One ceases broadcasting.

The channel was owned and operated by Virgin Media Television and later Sky plc.
2022 BBC Three returns to linear TV after an absence of almost six years.
RELATED ARTICLE: BBC Three is now on TV...again.
Programmes
1961 The first edition of Survival airs on ITV.

Nature documentary series. Produced by Anglia TV, the programme ran for 40 years.
1963 The first edition of Dateline Westminster airs on ITV.
1968 The final episode of The Prisoner airs on ITV.
1980 The first edition of Play Your Cards Right airs on ITV.
1983 The first edition of Good Morning Britain airs on TV-am/ITV.
1983 The first edition of Daybreak airs on TV-am/ITV.
1984 The final episode of Grandad airs on BBC One.
1987 The final episode of Miss Marple: At Bertram's Hotel airs on BBC One.
1991 The first episode of Lazarus and Dingwall airs on BBC Two.
1995 The first episode of US series ER airs on Channel 4.
1995 The pilot episode of Thief Takers airs on ITV.

Series aired 1996 - 1997.
1996 The first episode of Annie's Bar airs on Channel 4.
1996 The first episode of Ballykissangel airs on BBC One.
1997 An Audience with Bruce Forsyth airs on ITV.
2018 The 5,000th edition of Blue Peter airs on CBBC.
2026 The first edition of Mock the Week (revived series) airs on TLC.

Presented by Dara O'Brien.
Test Card/Teletext In-Vision Music
1964 BBC TV tape Floride airs for the final time.
1964 BBC TV tape Binokel airs for the final time.
1994 BBC Two tape Twilight Break airs for the final time.

More anniversaries

There are more On This Day anniversaries on our other sub-sites:

Acknowledgements

Research for On This Day in TV History is by Paul R. Jackson.

Details about test card/teletext in-vision music and BBC trade test films are available as a result of decades of research and logging by members of the Test Card Circle.

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