- Programmes
- 1956 The first episode of The Tony Hancock Show airs on ITV.
- 1956 The first Ministerial TV Broadcast airs, featuring Prime Minister Sir Anthony Eden.
- 1964 The final edition of This Is Your Life (original BBC series) airs on BBC One.
- 1968 The final episode of Mad Movies airs on ITV.
- 1971 The first episode of ...and Mother Makes Three airs on ITV.
- 1975 The first episode of Doctor on the Go airs on ITV.
- 1977 Lord Mountbatten is the subject of This Is Your Life on ITV. The programme attracted an audience of 22.22m.
- 1984 The first episode of Marlow - Private Eye airs on ITV.
- 1991 The first edition of You Gotta Be Jokin' airs on BBC One.
- 1991 The first edition of Bob's Your Uncle airs on ITV.
- 1992 The first episode of Side by Side airs on BBC One.
- 1992 The first edition of Gloria airs on BBC One.
- 1994 The first episode of The Lifeboat airs on BBC One.
- 1995 The final episode of Crown Prosecutor airs on BBC One.
- 1996 The final episode of The Shane Ritchie Experience airs on ITV.
- 1996 The final episode of The Governor airs on ITV.
- 2003 The final episode of High Road airs on STV.
- 2004 The first edition of Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares airs on Channel 4.
- 2016 The final episode of Scott & Bailey airs on ITV.
- 2020 The first episode of Normal People airs on BBC One.
- Test Card/Teletext In-Vision Music
- 1974 BBC Two tape Tijuana Taxi airs for the first time. A number of tracks were later removed and a revised version of this tape was in use from 12th March 1975.
- 1977 BBC One tape Dixieland Parade (2) airs for the final time.
- Trade Test Films
- 1970 The first airing of the BBC Two Trade Test Film Souvenirs from Sweden (Swedish Institute).
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.
Contribute to this page
If you know of an event that would be worthy of inclusion on this page, please drop us a line using our Contact Form. Items of interest include:
- Programme launches and finales;
- Programme relaunches (including new title sequences and set changes);
- Channel launches and closures;
- Channel presentation changes;
- Trade test film first and final airings;
- Test card/teletext in-vision music tape first and final airings;
- Teletext service launches/relaunches/closures.
If you believe any of the information on this page is inaccurate, please let us know.