1965 in British television

Events

January – The BBC collaborates with Ireland's RTÉ on an historic television broadcast as Irish Taoiseach Seán Lemass and Prime Minister of Northern Ireland Terence O'Neill meet for the first time in Belfast.

2 January – World of Sport premieres on ITV with Eamonn Andrews as its first presenter.

30 May – A televised tribute to the late British bandleader and impresario Jack Hylton called The Stars Shine for Jack is held in London at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane.

1 August – Cigarette adverts are banned from UK television. Pipe tobacco and cigar adverts continue until 1991.

6 August – The War Game, a drama-documentary by director Peter Watkins depicting the events of a fictional nuclear attack on the United Kingdom, is controversially pulled from its planned transmission in BBC1's The Wednesday Play anthology strand. The BBC was pressured into this move by the British government, which did not want much of the play's content to become public. It was eventually released to cinemas, and won the 1966 Academy Award for Documentary Feature. The BBC finally screened the play in 1985.

4 October –

United! premieres on BBC1.

The BBC announces plans to introduce a new service for Asian immigrants starting the following week.

13 November – The word "fuck" is spoken for the first time on British television by the theatre critic Kenneth Tynan.

BBC1

9 January – Not Only... But Also (1965–1970)

31 March – Going for a Song (1965–1977)

13 April – The Bed-Sit Girl (1965–1966)

5 June – Hector's House (1965–1970)

7 July – Tomorrow's World (1965–2003)

22 July – Till Death Us Do Part (1965–1975)

August – Sportsnight (1965–1997)

2 October – BBC-3 (1965–1966)

4 October – United! (1965–1967)

18 October – The Magic Roundabout (1965–1977)

19 October – The Newcomers (1965–1969)

13 December – Jackanory (1965–1996, 2006)

BBC2

24 March – The Airbase (1965)

17 October – Call My Bluff (1965–1988, 1994, 1996–2005)

ITV

2 January – World of Sport (1965–1985)

23 January – Public Eye (1965–1975)

30 September – Thunderbirds (1965–1966)

1940s

Watch with Mother (1946–1973)

Come Dancing (1949–1998)

1950s

Andy Pandy (1950–1970, 2002–2005)

The Good Old Days (1953–1983)

Panorama (1953–present)

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)

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)

1960s

The Flintstones (1960–1966)

Coronation Street (1960–present)

The Avengers (1961–1969)

Songs of Praise (1961–present)

Hugh and I (1962–1967)

The Saint (1962–1969)

Z-Cars (1962–1978)

Animal Magic (1962–1983)

Ready Steady Go! (1963–1966)

Doctor Who (1963–1989, 2005–present)

World in Action (1963–1998)

The Likely Lads (1964–1966)

Redcap (1964–1966)

The Wednesday Play (1964–1970)

Mr. and Mrs. (1964–1999, 2008–2010, 2012–present)

Top of the Pops (1964–2006)

Match of the Day (1964–present)

Crossroads (1964–1988, 2001–2003)

Play School (1964–1988)

Ending this year

Rag, Tag and Bobtail (1953–1965)

Picture Book (1955–1965)

Noggin the Nog (1959–1965, 1966–1982)

Sykes and A... (1960–1965)

Compact (1962–1965)

Steptoe and Son (1962–1965, 1970–1974)

The Beat Room (1964–1965)

Not So Much a Programme, More a Way of Life (1964–1965)

Births

4 January – Julia Ormond, British actress

9 January – Joely Richardson, British actress

14 January – Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, English chef

15 January – James Nesbitt, Northern Irish actor

27 January – Alan Cumming, Scottish actor

22 February – John Leslie, television presenter

26 February – Alison Armitage, English model and actress

11 March – Lawrence Llewelyn-Bowen, British television presenter

22 March – Emma Wray, actress

30 March – Piers Morgan, British tabloid journalist

4 April – Sean Wilson, British actor

21 April – Jacquie Beltrao, sports presenter

27 April – Anna Chancellor, British actress

29 April – Rosie Rowell, actress

3 May – Michael Marshall Smith, novelist, screenwriter and short story writer

17 May –

Jeremy Vine, British BBC radio and television presenter

Alice Beer, television presenter.

19 June – Simon O'Brien, television actor and radio presenter

4 July – Jo Whiley, British Radio DJ

8 July – Matthew Wright, journalist and television presenter

6 August – Mark Speight, British television presenter (died 2008)

24 September – Sheryl Gascoigne, television personality

14 October – Steve Coogan, British comedian and actor

15 October – Stephen Tompkinson, British actor

4 November – Shaun Williamson, British actor

10 November – Sean Hughes, comedian

12 November – Eddie Mair, British BBC radio and television presenter

16 November – Mark Benton, actor

21 November – Alexander Siddig, Sudanese-born actor

Deaths

22 December – Richard Dimbleby, journalist and broadcaster