1995 in British television

Updated on Nov 11, 2023

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This is a list of British television related events from 1995.

January

2 January – The Doors, Oliver Stone's critically acclaimed biopic of Jim Morrison, receives its British television debut on BBC2.

16 January – BBC World Service Television was renamed as "BBC World" at 19:00 GMT as the international free-to-air news channel. It was officially launched on Thursday, 26 January 1995 at 19:00 GMT.

24 January – Martine McCutcheon makes her EastEnders debut as Tiffany Raymond (later Mitchell).

26 January – Launch of BBC World and BBC Prime, successors to World Service Television.

29 January – Start of BBC2's weekly roundup of proceedings in the O. J. Simpson murder trial with The Trial of O. J. Simpson.

30 January – On Channel 4, the most watched episode of Brookside was broadcast where the body of Trevor Jordache was found under the patio.

February

3 February – An edition of the live morning ITV discussion programme The Time, The Place is abruptly ended ten minutes early. After an item about men's fashion featured a black male model wearing a skirt, another black man in the audience starts complaining that the show is racist, eventually making his way onto the stage.

15 February – As part of the Modern Times series BBC2 airs Death on Request, a Dutch documentary showing a doctor giving a terminally-ill patient a lethal injection of drugs. The programme is criticised by groups opposed to euthanasia.

19 February – 10th anniversary of the launch of EastEnders. As part of the celebrations, episodes from 1985 are repeated each morning at 10am from February to May, starting from episode one. Selected episodes from 1985 and 1986 are also repeated on BBC1 on Friday evenings at 20:30 for a short while.

March

17 March – The Night of Comic Relief, the 1995 Comic Relief telethon, airs on BBC1.

24 March – Channel 4 broadcasts the final edition of its music show, The Word after five years on air.

April

3 April – A Scottish Court imposes a ban on BBC Scotland airing an edition of Panorama that includes an interview with Prime Minister John Major amid concerns it could affect local elections to be held on 6 April. However, the edition is broadcast in England and Wales.

10 April – Conservative MP Jonathan Aitken calls a televised press conference three hours before the transmission of a World in Action film, Jonathan of Arabia, demanding that allegations about his dealings with leading Saudis be withdrawn. He promises to wield "the simple sword of truth and the trusty shield of British fair play ... to cut out the cancer of bent and twisted journalism." After launching a subsequent libel case against the makers of the film Aitken is sentenced to 18 months in prison for perjuring himself.

May

1 May – ITV airs what is billed as a one off episode of Boon. The episode, Thieves Like Us was originally due for transmission at the end of series 7 in 1992/93. No reason for this delay has ever been given as the record wait was 2 or 3 years long.

2 May – Debut of News '45, a news bulletin-style programme presented by Sue Lawley to mark the 50th anniversary of VE Day.

8 May – The 50th anniversary of VE Day is widely marked in television programmes.

9 May – The US/Canadian police comedy drama Due South makes its British television debut on BBC1.

25 May–24 June – ITV provides coverage of the 1995 Rugby World Cup from South Africa, the first Rugby World Cup to be held entirely in one country.

31 May – Debut of the new BBC twice-weekly soap Castles, centring on the lives of the middle-class Castle family. The series attracts a relatively poor peak time audience of 3.2 million, leading the corporation's head of Drama, Charles Denton to brand it a failure. It is cancelled after 26 episodes.

June

12 June – Mirror Group Newspapers launches the cable channel L!VE TV. The channel's programming quickly earns it a reputation as tabloid television. It is perhaps best remembered for its mascot News Bunny who, among other things, stood for Parliament at the 1996 South Staffordshire by-election and polled 85 votes.

22 June – Prime Minister John Major's intention to resign and stand in a Conservative Party leadership election is announced on screen as England are playing France in the Rugby World Cup third place play off.

29 June – Debut of Gaytime TV on BBC 2, the BBC's first gay magazine programme.

July

8 July – Lee Griffiths wins the sixth series of Stars in Their Eyes, performing as Bobby Darin.

9 July – Marion Macfarlane wins the 1995 series of MasterChef.

26 July – BBC Enterprises, the BBC's commercial arm, is restructured as BBC Worldwide Ltd.

August

2 August – Channel 4 begins a season of documentaries and features for gay and lesbian viewers.

15 August – Sue Lawley presents News '45: VJ Day to mark the 50th anniversary of VJ Day and the conclusion of World War II.

27 August – Speaking at the Edinburgh Television Festival, Michael Mansfield, QC, one of Britain's leading barristers calls for television cameras to be admitted into English courts to help demystify the legal process and restore public confidence in it.

30 August – The first National Television Awards are held at the Wembley Conference Centre and presented by Eammon Holmes.

September

2 September – Channel 4 debuts Dyke TV, the first television series aimed at lesbians.

24 September – Pride and Prejudice (UK), the BBC's massively popular adaptation of Jane Austen's novel, debuts on BBC One. The six-part serial finishes on 29 October.

October

1 October – Six years after it was originally planned, a British version of the Disney Channel launches in the UK and The God Channel, then known as Christian Channel Europe, also launches.

8 October – BBC2 airs the final edition of The Trial of O. J. Simpson as coverage of the trial draws to a conclusion.

9 October – Launch of BBC Learning Zone, an education service shown overnight on BBC Two.

12 October – ITV airs "Bait", an episode of The Bill that concludes a three-part story, and sees the exit of the character Jo Morgan (played by Mary Jo Randle), who is shot while trying to warn June Ackland (Trudie Goodwin) of an impending attack on her car.

16 October – After 25 years as Coronation Street landlady Bet Lynch, Julie Goodyear makes her final regular appearance in the soap. She briefly returned to the show in 2002 and 2003, and starred in a spin-off series, Coronation Street: After Hours in 1999. At the time of her departure, Goodyear had recently received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the inaugural National Television Awards.

21 October – Comedian Jim Davidson succeeds Bruce Forsyth as presenter of The Generation Game.

22 October – Jenna Tinson wins the 1995 series of Junior MasterChef.

23 October – Channel 4 broadcasts the first ever episode of Hollyoaks.

November

1 November – Seven more satellite and cable channels launch in the United Kingdom: Euro Business News, Playboy TV, The Paramount Channel, The History Channel, Sky Sports Gold, and the Sci-Fi Channel.

20 November

Zee TV (Hindi television channel) launches in the UK.

During an hour-long interview with Martin Bashir for the BBC's Panorama programme, The Princess of Wales speaks openly for the first time about her separation from The Prince of Wales, and admits to an adulterous affair with her riding instructor, James Hewitt. An estimated 22.78 million watch the broadcast, the all-time record for a British current affairs programme.

December

7 December – PText, the Paramount Comedy Channel's teletext service, begins showing old episodes of the ORACLE soap, Park Avenue. After showing the first four episodes, from 11 December they switch to episode 376, doing so in order that the dates correspond (i.e., 11 December in the soap is also 11 December for the viewers). In all PText showed 700 episodes of Park Avenue.

25 December – Christmas Day highlights include the British television premier of Indecent Proposal on BBC1.

31 December – New Year's Eve highlights on BBC1 include Songs of Praise on Ice from the Blackpool Pleasure Beach Ice Arena, and Baz Luhrman's 1992 comedy romance Strictly Ballroom.

BBC1

27 January – Dangerfield (1995–1999)

23 May – Out of the Blue (1995–1996)

31 May

Castles (1995)

Monkhouse's Memory Masters (1995)

11 June – Oliver's Travels

14 August – Oh, Doctor Beeching! (1995–1997)

7 September – Oakie Doke (1995–1996)

14 September – They Think It's All Over (1995–2006)

24 September – Pride and Prejudice (1995)

13 November – The Thin Blue Line (1995–1996)

20 November – Can't Cook, Won't Cook (1995–2000)

BBC2

27 February – Game On (1995–1998)

22 April – Fully Booked (1995–1999)

24 December – A Close Shave (1995)

ITV

3 January – Kavanagh QC (1995–2001)

17 April – A Village Affair (1995)

22 May – Bramwell (1995–1998)

10 July – Barbara (1995–2003)

2 September – Raise the Roof (1995–1996)

12 September – Is It Legal? (1995–1998)

20 September – Tee Off, Mr. Bean (1995)

31 October – Goodnight Mr. Bean (1995)

15 November – Hair by Mr. Bean of London (1995)

25 December – The Best Bits of Mr. Bean (1995)

26 December – Cadfael The Virgin in the Ice (1995 Season 2 Episode 1)

Channel 4

20 March – Deadline (1995)

21 April – Father Ted (1995–1998)

16 May – The Politician's Wife

23 October – Hollyoaks (1995–present)

S4C

Rownd a Rownd (1995–present)

Sky Sports

August – Soccer AM (1995–present)

Returning this year after a break of one year or longer

Keeping Up Appearances (1990–1993, 1994, 1995)

Boon (1986–1992, 1995)

1940s

Come Dancing (1949–1998)

1950s

Panorama (1953–present)

Take Your Pick (1955–1968, 1992–1998)

What the Papers Say (1956–2008)

The Sky at Night (1957–present)

Blue Peter (1958–present)

Grandstand (1958–2007)

1960s

Coronation Street (1960–present)

Songs of Praise (1961–present)

World in Action (1963–1998)

Top of the Pops (1964–2006)

Match of the Day (1964–present)

Mr. and Mrs. (1964–1999)

Jackanory (1965–1996, 2006)

Sportsnight (1965–1997)

Call My Bluff (1965–2005)

The Money Programme (1966–2010)

1970s

Emmerdale (1972–present)

Newsround (1972–present)

Last of the Summer Wine (1973–2010)

Wish You Were Here...? (1974–2003)

Celebrity Squares (1975–1979, 1993–1997, 2014–present)

Arena (1975–present)

One Man and His Dog (1976–present)

Grange Hill (1978–2008)

Antiques Roadshow (1979–present)

Question Time (1979–present)

1980s

Children in Need (1980–present)

Timewatch (1982–present)

Brookside (1982–2003)

Countdown (1982–present)

Right to Reply (1982–2001)

Spitting Image (1984–1996)

The Bill (1984–2010)

Channel 4 Racing (1984–2016)

Thomas & Friends (1984–present)

EastEnders (1985–present)

The Cook Report (1985–1998)

Crosswits (1985–1998)

Telly Addicts (1985–1998)

Comic Relief (1985–present)

Beadle's About (1986–1996)

The Chart Show (1986–1998, 2008–2009)

Casualty (1986–present)

Going for Gold (1987–1996, 2008–2009)

The Time, The Place (1987–1996)

Chain Letters (1987–1997)

ChuckleVision (1987–2009)

You Bet! (1988–1997)

Playdays (1988–1997)

London's Burning (1988–2002)

On the Record (1988–2002)

Fifteen to One (1988–2003, 2013–present)

This Morning (1988–present)

Birds of a Feather (1989–1998, 2014–present)

1990s

Turnabout (1990–1996)

The Upper Hand (1990–1996)

Drop the Dead Donkey (1990–1998)

Stars in Their Eyes (1990–2006)

2point4 Children (1991–1999)

Big Break (1991–2002)

The Brittas Empire (1991–1997)

Soldier Soldier (1991–1997)

Noel's House Party (1991–1999)

Rugrats (1991–2004)

GamesMaster (1992–1998)

Heartbeat (1992–2010)

Men Behaving Badly (1992–1998)

The Big Breakfast (1992–2002)

999 (1992–2003)

Chef! (1993–1996)

Doctor Finlay (1993–1996)

Saturday Disney (1993–1996)

Mr. Motivator exercise routines (1993–2000)

Breakfast with Frost (1993–2005)

Wycliffe (1994–1998)

Body Heat (1994–1996)

Pets Win Prizes (1994–1996)

Small Talk (1994–1996)

Aaahh!! Real Monsters (1994–1997)

Wipeout (1994–2002)

Animal Hospital (1994–2004)

Time Team (1994–2013)

The National Lottery Draws (1994–2017)

Ending this year

Rainbow (1972–1992, 1994–1995)

The Tomorrow People (1973–1979, 1992–1995)

Why Don't You? (1973–1995)

The Krypton Factor (1977–1995, 2009–2010)

Bullseye (1981–1995, 2006)

Boon (1986–1992, 1995)

Allsorts (1987–1995)

A Bit of Fry & Laurie (1989–1995)

Challenge Anneka (1989–1995, 2006)

Keeping Up Appearances (1990–1993, 1994, 1995)

The Crystal Maze (1990–1995)

Mr. Bean (1990–1995)

Bottom (1991–1995)

What's Up Doc? (1992–1995)

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (1993–1995)

The High Life (1994–1995)

Don't Forget Your Toothbrush (1994–1995)

Scavengers (1994–1995)

Incredible Games (1994–1995)

Knowing Me Knowing You (1994–1995)