Puneet Varma (Editor)

Timeline of the BBC

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This is a timeline of the history of the British Broadcasting Corporation.

Contents

1920s

  • 1922
  • 18 October – The British Broadcasting Company is formed.
  • 14 November – First BBC broadcasts from London (station 2LO).
  • 15 November – First broadcasts from Birmingham (station 5IT) and Manchester (station 2ZY).
  • 24 December – First broadcast from Newcastle upon Tyne (station 5NO).
  • 1923
  • 8 January – First outside broadcast, the British National Opera Company's production of The Magic Flute from Covent Garden.
  • 18 January – The UK Postmaster General grants the BBC a licence to broadcast.
  • 13 February – First broadcast from Cardiff (station 5WA).
  • 6 March – First broadcast from Glasgow (station 5SC).
  • 6 June – Edgar Wallace makes a report on the Epsom Derby, thus becoming the first British radio sports reporter.
  • 28 September – First publication of the Radio Times listings magazine (price 2d).
  • 10 October – First broadcast from Aberdeen (station 2BD).
  • 17 October – First broadcast from Bournemouth (station 6BM).
  • 16 November – First broadcast from Sheffield (station 2FL).
  • 1924
  • 28 March – First broadcast from Plymouth (relay station 5PY).
  • 23 April – First broadcast by King George V, opening the British Empire Exhibition at Wembley Stadium.
  • 1 May – First broadcast from Edinburgh (relay station 2EH).
  • 11 June – First broadcast from Liverpool (relay station 6LV).
  • 8 July – First broadcast from Leeds-Bradford (relay station 2LS).
  • 21 July – An experimental long-wave station (5XX) is established at the Chelmsford works of the Marconi Company.
  • 15 August – First broadcast from Hull (relay station 6KH).
  • 14 September – First broadcast from Belfast (station 2BE).
  • 16 September – First broadcast from Nottingham (relay station 5NG).
  • 21 October – First broadcast from Stoke-on-Trent (relay station 6ST).
  • 9 November – First broadcast from Dundee (relay station 2DE).
  • 12 December – First broadcast from Swansea (relay station 5SX).
  • 1925
  • 27 July – Long-wave station 5XX moves from Chelmsford to Daventry and becomes the first British radio station to achieve near national coverage: the first step in the establishment of the BBC National Programme.
  • 1926
  • 4 May – The General strike begins. The BBC broadcasts five news bulletins a day as no newspapers are published.
  • 1927
  • 1 January – The British Broadcasting Company becomes the British Broadcasting Corporation, when it is granted a Royal Charter. Sir John Reith becomes the first Director-General.
  • 15 January – First live sports broadcast on the BBC. The rugby union international England v Wales is commented on by Teddy Wakelam.
  • 22 January – First live football match broadcast, featuring Arsenal's home league fixture against Sheffield United from Highbury.
  • January – First BBC reference library established by Florence Milnes
  • March – The BBC coat of arms is adopted
  • 7 July – Christopher Stone presents a record programme, becoming the first British disc-jockey.
  • 21 August – The first high-powered regional station (5GB), forerunner of the Midland Regional Programme, opens at Daventry.
  • 1928
  • No events
  • 1929
  • 20 August – First transmissions of John Logie Baird's experimental 30-line television system.

    • 1930s

  • 1930
  • 9 March – The majority of the BBC's existing radio stations are regrouped to form the BBC National Programme and the BBC Regional Programme.
  • 14 July – Transmission of the first experimental television play, The Man With the Flower in His Mouth.
  • 30 September – Number of radio licences reaches 12 million "or roughly every second home in the country".
  • 1931
  • No events
  • 1932
  • 15 March – The first radio broadcast is made from Broadcasting House.
  • 15 May – Broadcasting House, the BBC's headquarters and home to its main radio studios, is officially opened.
  • 22 August – The first, experimental television broadcast is made from Broadcasting House.
  • 19 December – The Empire Service (precursor of the World Service) launches, broadcasting on shortwave from Daventry's Borough Hill.
  • 25 December – King George V becomes the first monarch to deliver a Christmas Day message by radio, on the Empire Service.
  • 1933–1935
  • No events
  • 1936
  • 2 November – The BBC opens the world's first regular high-definition television service, from Alexandra Palace.
  • 1937
  • 12 May – First use of TV outside broadcast van, to cover the procession that followed the coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth.
  • 21 June – The BBC broadcasts television coverage of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships for the first time.
  • 16 September – The BBC makes the world's first live television broadcast of a football match, a specially arranged local mirror match derby fixture between Arsenal and Arsenal reserves.
  • 1938
  • 3 January – The BBC begins broadcasting its first foreign-language radio service, in Arabic.
  • 30 April – The BBC broadcasts television coverage of the FA Cup for the first time.
  • 27 September – Start of the European Service on radio, broadcasting in French, German and Italian. Portuguese and Spanish are added before the start of the Second World War.
  • 1939
  • Creation of BBC Monitoring
  • 1 September – The BBC Television Service is suspended, about 20 minutes after the conclusion of a Mickey Mouse cartoon (Mickey's Gala Premiere), owing to the imminent outbreak of the Second World War and amid fears that the VHF transmissions would act as perfect guidance beams for enemy bombers attempting to locate central London. Additionally, the service's technicians and engineers will be needed for such war efforts as the development of radar. On radio, the National and Regional Programmes are combined to form a single Home Service.

    • 1940s

  • 1940
  • 7 January – Start of the BBC Forces Programme on radio, precursor of the post-war Light Programme.
  • 11 May – The BBC starts a news service in Hindi.
  • 1941
  • Unknown - The BBC European Service moves to Bush House in Central London.
  • 1942
  • No events
  • 1943
  • No events
  • 1944
  • 27 February – BBC General Forces Programme replaces the BBC Forces Programme (also broadcast on shortwave).
  • 1945
  • 29 July – Regional radio programming resumes on the Home Service (on the same medium-wave frequencies as used pre-war by the Regional Programme), while on the same day a new Light Programme begins, using the long-wave frequency of the pre-war National Programme.
  • 1946
  • 7 June – BBC Television broadcasts (405 lines) resume after the war. One of the first programmes shown is the Mickey Mouse cartoon from 1939.
  • 29 September – The Third Programme starts broadcasting on radio.
  • 1947
  • 7 October – Adelaide Hall singing at a RadiOlympia variety show is the oldest surviving telerecorded programme in Britain.
  • 9 November – First use of telerecording of an outside broadcast: the Service of Remembrance from the Cenotaph is televised live, and a telerecording shown that evening.
  • 20 November – The wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Philip Mountbatten, Duke of Edinburgh is televised by the BBC. It is watched by an estimated 400,000 viewers.
  • 1948
  • 29 July – The London Olympic Games is televised.
  • 26 December – The first Reith Lecture is broadcast on radio.
  • 1949
  • 17 December - For the first time television extends beyond London when the Sutton Coldfield transmitter starts broadcasting, providing television reception across the Midlands.

    • 1950s

  • 1950
  • 21 May – Lime Grove television studios open.
  • 27 August – First live television from the European continent, using BBC outside broadcast equipment.
  • 1951
  • 1 January – First broadcast of The Archers, now the world's longest-running soap opera.
  • 12 October - Television extends to the north of England following the switching on of the Holme Moss transmitting station.
  • 1952
  • 14 March - Television becomes available in Scotland for the first time following the switching on of the Kirk o'Shotts transmitting station.
  • 15 August - Television becomes available in Wales for the first time following the switching on of the Wenvoe transmitting station.
  • 1953
  • 1 May - Television becomes available in Northern Ireland for the first time although initially from a temporary transmitter, brought into service in time for the Queen's Coronation. A permanent mast at Divis is brought into service in 1955.
  • 2 June – The coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in Westminster Abbey is televised by the BBC and watched live by an estimated audience of 20 million people in the United Kingdom.
  • 11 November - The first edition of Panorama is presented by Daily Mail reporter Pat Murphy. Panorama is the world's longest-running current affairs programme and retains a peak-time slot to this day.
  • 1954
  • 11 January - The very first in-vision weather forecast is broadcast, presented by George Cowling. Previously, weather forecasts had been read by an off-screen announcer with a weather map filling the entire screen.
  • 5 July - BBC newsreader Richard Baker reads the first televised BBC News bulletin.
  • 30 December - The first BBC Sports Personality of the Year award takes place.
  • 1955
  • 2 May – The BBC begins broadcasting its radio service on VHF (FM), using the Wrotham transmitter.
  • September - Kenneth Kendall becomes the BBC's first in-vision newsreader, followed by Richard Baker and Robert Dougall.
  • 10 October – Alexandra Palace begins test transmissions of a 405-line colour television service.
  • 1956
  • 28 March – Television transmissions begin from the new Crystal Palace site in south London.
  • 1957
  • The first broadcast of Test Match Special takes place, providing listeners with ball-by-ball cricket commentary for the first time.
  • 24 April – The Sky at Night, a monthly astronomy programme presented by Sir Patrick Moore, is first broadcast.
  • Autumn - The first programmes for schools are broadcast.
  • September - The first broadcasts of regional news bulletins took place.
  • 30 September – Launch of Network Three, a strand of adult-education broadcasts transmitted on the frequencies of the Third Programme in the early part of weekday evenings.
  • 25 December – First TV broadcast of the Queen's Christmas Day message.
  • 1958
  • The BBC introduces a new 3 box system logo. The logo featured slanted lettering within upright boxes.
  • 5 May – First experimental transmissions of a 625-line television service.
  • 10 October – First broadcast of the United Kingdom's multi-sport television show Grandstand.
  • 16 October – First broadcast of the United Kingdom's longest-running children's television show Blue Peter.
  • 1959
  • The BBC North East and Cumbria region is created with localised bulletins from Newcastle-upon-Tyne aired for the first time. Previously, the area was part of a pan-Northern region based in Manchester.

    • 1960s

  • 1960
  • 26 March - BBC Television televises the Grand National for the first time.
  • 19 June - Nan Winton becomes the BBC's first national female newsreader.
  • 29 June - BBC Television Centre opens.
  • 13 July - The Pilkington Report awards Britain's third nation TV channel (after BBC Television and Independent Television) to the BBC. BBC2 goes on the air in April 1964.
  • 8 October - The BBC Television Service is renamed as BBC TV.
  • 1961
  • No events
  • 1962
  • 4 January – Popular sitcom Steptoe and Son begins.
  • 28 August – Experimental stereo radio broadcasts begin.
  • 1963
  • The BBC Logo had to improve to slant the boxes with the lettering.
  • 30 September – A globe is used as the BBC Television Service's logo for the first time.
  • 23 November – First broadcast of the world's longest-running science fiction television programme, Doctor Who.
  • 1964
  • 1 January – First broadcast of pop and rock music television show Top of the Pops.
  • 20 April – BBC2 starts broadcasting (on 625 lines). The existing BBC Television Service is renamed BBC1.
  • 22 August – First broadcast of top flight football television show Match of the Day.
  • 1965
  • 22 March – Launch of the daytime BBC Music Programme on the frequencies of Network Three / the Third Programme.
  • 1 May – The General Overseas Service is renamed the BBC World Service.
  • 1966
  • 17 April - The first regular stereo radio transmissions begin, from the Wrotham transmitter.
  • 1967
  • 25 June – The first worldwide live satellite programme, Our World, featuring the Pop band, the Beatles, is televised.
  • 1 July – Regular colour TV transmissions (625 lines) begin on BBC Two, starting with the Wimbledon tennis championships.
  • 30 September – BBC Radio 1 is launched, as a response to the threat from pirate radio station broadcasts of popular music. At the same time, the Light Programme, the third network (Network Three / the Third Programme), and the Home Service are renamed Radios 2, 3 and 4 respectively.
  • 23 October - Service Information is broadcast for the first time.
  • 8 November – BBC Local Radio starts. The first station is BBC Radio Leicester, followed later that month by BBC Radio Sheffield and BBC Radio Merseyside.
  • 2 December – BBC2 becomes the first television channel in Britain to broadcast in colour.
  • 1968
  • 31 January - BBC Radio Nottingham launches.
  • 14 February - BBC Radio Brighton launches.
  • 14 March - BBC Radio Stoke launches.
  • 25 March - BBC regional television from Leeds began and the first edition of Look North is broadcast. Previously, the Yorkshire area had been part of a wider North region based in Manchester.
  • 31 July - First episode of Dad's Army is broadcast and BBC Radio Durham launches.
  • 1969
  • 9 September - The first edition of Nationwide is broadcast.
  • 19–20 September - BBC News relocates from Alexandra Palace in North London to BBC Television Centre in West London.
  • 15 November – BBC1 starts broadcasting in colour (simultaneous with rival ITV). First appearance of the Mirror Globe, coloured blue on black.
  • 2 December – BBC2 becomes the first television channel in Britain to broadcast in colour.

    • 1970s

  • 1970
  • Nine BBC Local Radio stations launch - BBC Radio Newcastle (2 Jan), BBC Radio Manchester (10 Sept), BBC Radio Bristol (September), BBC Radio London (6 Oct), BBC Radio Oxford (29 October), BBC Radio Birmingham (9 Nov), BBC Radio Kent (18 December), BBC Radio Solent (31 Dec) and BBC Radio Teesside (31 December)
  • 14 September - Robert Dougall presents the first edition of the BBC Nine O'Clock News. The programme, launched in response to ITN's News at Ten, was controversially moved to 10pm in 2000.
  • 1971
  • The BBC logo's boxes rounds off the corners and increases the spaces making it the longest lived BBC Logo which lasts for about 20 years.
  • The first programmes for the Open University are broadcast.
  • 26 January - BBC Radio Blackburn launches.
  • 25 February - BBC Radio Humberside launches.
  • 29 April - BBC Radio Derby launches.
  • 1972
  • 4 April - The first edition of Newsround is broadcast.
  • 25 August - BBC Radio Durham closes.
  • 4 November - Radios 2 and 4 begin broadcasting in stereo in South East England. Stereo was rolled out to the rest of the country over subsequent years.
  • 1973
  • 4 January – The pilot episode of Last of the Summer Wine airs. The regular series, which begins on 12 November, becomes the longest-running sitcom in the world, running for 37 years.
  • 10 September - Newsbeat bulletins air on BBC Radio 1 for the first time.
  • 24 November - BBC Radio Cumbria launches.
  • 1974
  • 1 April - BBC Radio Teesside is renamed BBC Radio Cleveland.
  • 23 September - Teletext service Ceefax goes live.
  • December - The BBC1 Mirror globe changes colour from blue on black to yellow on blue.
  • 1975
  • 1 January - BBC Radio Ulster is launched.
  • 1976
  • September - The Credits of each programme produced by the BBC reveals the copyrighted years in roman numerals for the first time.
  • 1977
  • 3 January - BBC Radio Cymru is launched.
  • May - BBC Radio Orkney and BBC Radio Shetland launch as opt-out stations from BBC Radio Scotland.
  • 25 December - The Morecambe & Wise Christmas Show on BBC1 attracts an audience of more than 28 million, one of the highest ever in UK television history.
  • 1978
  • 24 May - Nationwide airs the famous Skateboarding duck report.
  • 13 October - BBC Radio Wales is launched.
  • 23 November - The AM frequencies of national BBC Radio stations are rearranged to improve reception, and the Radio 4 UK Theme is used for the first time. BBC Radio Scotland is launched.
  • 21–22 December - The BBC is crippled by its most famous 24-hour strike, which leads to record viewing figures for ITV.
  • 1979
  • 27 January - BBC Radio 2 closes down for the last time.
  • 1 March - BBC2 unveils its computer generated ident, the first computer-generated ident in the world. The second such ident is unveiled by US broadcaster NBC.
  • 27 August - The murder of Lord Mountbatten by the IRA sets a record audience of 26 million for a news bulletin. Strike action at ITN led to the record viewing figures.
  • 11 September - BBC Radio Foyle launches as an opt-out station from BBC Radio Ulster.
  • 25 September - The first edition of Question Time is broadcast.

    • 1980s

  • 1980
  • 28 January - Newsnight is launched.
  • March - The very first in-vision Ceefax transmissions are broadcast. Three 30-minute transmissions are aired at various points during weekday daytime downtime.
  • 14 July – Watchdog is launched.
  • 11 September - BBC Radio Norfolk launches.
  • 11 November - BBC Radio Lincolnshire launches.
  • 21 November – The charity appeal Children in Need is launched.
  • 1981
  • 4 July - BBC Radio Blackburn expands to cover all of Lancashire and is renamed accordingly. Also in 1981 BBC Radio Birmingham expands to cover the West Midlands, South Staffordshire, north Worcestershire and north Warwickshire and is relaunched as BBC WM.
  • 29 July – The Wedding of Charles, Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer is produced by BBC Television & Radio with an audience of 750 million viewers and listeners in over 60 countries. Welsh Actor Richard Burton and Scottish writer, actor & royal expert Tom Fleming are among the commentators.
  • Autumn – BBC Micro is produced for BBC Computer Literacy Project.
  • 5 September – BBC1 Mirror globe changes colour from yellow on blue to green on blue.
  • 7 September - News After Noon is launched as a 30-minute lunchtime news programme, replacing the much shorter Midday News.
  • 1982
  • 15 and 16 March - BBC Local Radio starts broadcasting to the Channel islands when BBC Radio Guernsey and BBC Radio Jersey launch.
  • 1 May - BBC Radio Cambridgeshire launches.
  • 25 May - BBC Radio Furness launches as an opt-out station from BBC Radio Cumbria.
  • 1 November - BBC-produced Welsh-language programming is transferred from BBC1 to the new S4C channel.
  • 23 December - Service Information is broadcast for the final time.
  • 1983
  • 17 January - Breakfast Time – the UK's first national breakfast television service – is launched, ahead of the ITV franchise TV-am, which follows on 1 February. Also on this day BBC Radio Devon and BBC Radio Cornwall launch.
  • 2 May - From today Pages from Ceefax is broadcast during all daytime downtime.
  • 4 July - July BBC Radio York launches on a permanent basis. BBC Radio York had been on air briefly the previous May to cover the visit to York of Pope John Paul II.
  • 5 August - The final edition of Nationwide is broadcast.
  • 17 September - Programmes for schools and colleges are transferred to BBC2 and an all-day educational strand called Daytime on Two is launched. Consequently, the morning broadcast of Play School transfers to BBC1.
  • 22 September - BBC Radio Brighton expands to cover all of Sussex and is renamed accordingly.
  • 24 October – Sixty Minutes launches as the new evening news programme to replace Nationwide.
  • 1984
  • The BBC conducts five trials of citywide community stations in Greater Manchester. Each trial lasts for a few weeks and was on air for a few hours each day, opting out of BBC Radio Manchester. The experiment is not been repeated.
  • 27 July - The final edition of Sixty Minutes is broadcast.
  • 3 September - First broadcast of the BBC Six O'Clock News on BBC1, presented by Sue Lawley and Nicholas Witchell. The programme, which replaced the unpopular Sixty Minutes, continues to this day.
  • 1985
  • 3 January - The last day of transmission using the 405 lines system.
  • 23 January – Television coverage of proceedings in the House of Lords begins.
  • 18 February – BBC1 is given a major relaunch, along with the introduction of a new ident, the COW (Computer Originated World). Also, computerised weather maps were used for the first time for all weather forecasts - prior to this date computerised maps had only been used during Breakfast Time.
  • 19 February – EastEnders premieres on BBC One.
  • March – The charity appeal Comic Relief is launched.
  • 23 April - BBC Radio Shropshire launches.
  • 13 July – Live Aid is broadcast to the world on BBC One and BBC Radio 1, the first broadcast of its kind.
  • 9 September - The afternoon block of children's programming is rebranded as Children's BBC, and for the first time the children's block has dedicated idents and an in-vision presenter. Previously children's programming had been introduced by BBC1's team of regular duty announcers.
  • 1986
  • 30 March - BBC2 receives a new look with the word TWO.
  • 1 April – All commercial activities of the BBC are now handled by BBC Enterprises Ltd.
  • 24 June - BBC Radio Bedfordshire launches
  • 27 October – BBC One starts a full daytime television service. Among the new programmes is the BBC One O'Clock News, presented by Martyn Lewis. The programme, which replaced News After Noon, continues to this day. Before today, excluding sport and special events coverage, BBC One had closed down at times during weekday mornings and afternoons broadcasting trade test transmissions and, from May 1983, Pages from Ceefax.
  • 5 November - BBC Essex launches.
  • 1987
  • 31 October - BBC Radio 1 starts broadcasting on VHF in London.
  • 1988
  • 11 April - BBC Somerset Sound launches as an opt-out station from BBC Radio Bristol.
  • 1 September – BBC External Services is renamed the World Service, and Radio 1 starts regular broadcasts on VHF in Scotland, northern England, the Midlands, and south Wales, Avon and Somerset.
  • 20 September – The Radio Data System (RDS) launches, allowing car radios to automatically retune, display station identifiers and switch to local travel news.
  • BBC GLR replaces BBC Radio London and BBC GMR replaces BBC Radio Manchester.
  • 1989
  • 14 February - BBC Hereford and Worcester launches.
  • 4 March - BBC Wiltshire Sound launches.
  • 29 September - The final edition of Breakfast Time is broadcast.
  • 2 October - The first edition of BBC Breakfast News is broadcast.
  • 21 November – Television coverage of proceedings in the House of Commons begins.

    • 1990s

  • 1990
  • 17 January - BBC Radio CWR launches.
  • 12 April - BBC Radio Suffolk launches.
  • 27 August – BBC Radio 5 begins broadcasting on BBC Radio 2's MW frequencies and BBC Radio's sports coverage transfers to the new station. Consequently, BBC Radio 2 becomes the first national BBC station to broadcast exclusively on FM.
  • 5 September – The new BBC building at White City opens.
  • 1991
  • 7 January - The BBC East Midlands region is created and the first edition of East Midlands Today is broadcast.
  • 16 January – Radio 4 News FM starts Gulf War broadcasts on BBC Radio 4 FM frequencies.
  • 16 February – BBC One and BBC Two receive new idents generated from laserdisc, BBC One with a '1' encased in a swirling globe, and BBC Two with eleven idents based around the numeral '2'.
  • 2 March – Radio 4 News FM closes and BBC Radio 4 returns to FM.
  • 1 April - The BBC becomes the statutory authority for issuing television licences, assuming the responsibility of licence fee collection and enforcement.
  • 15 April – The World Service Television News service is launched. Unlike World Service radio which is funded by direct grant from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, WSTV is commercially funded and carries advertising, which means that it cannot be broadcast in the UK.
  • 1 May - BBC Radio 1 begins 24-hour transmission, but only on FM - Radio 1's MW transmitters still close down overnight, between 12 midnight and 6am.
  • 31 July – The BBC's Lime Grove Studios close.
  • 31 August – BBC television starts officially broadcasting in stereo using the NICAM system. (Some transmitters had been broadcasting in stereo since 1986, but these were classified as tests.)
  • 14 October – World Service TV launches its Asian service.
  • 14 November - BBC Radio Surrey launches.
  • 1992
  • 21 January – BBC Select is launched as an overnight subscription service and BBC Radio Berkshire launches.
  • 29 February – BBC Radio 3 ceases broadcasting on medium wave (AM).
  • 1 November – The satellite TV channel UK Gold, run by the BBC with Thames Television, starts broadcasting.
  • 1993
  • 5 April - BBC Radio Bedfordshire expands to cover the counties of Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire and is renamed BBC Three Counties Radio.
  • 13 April - For the first time all BBC News programmes have the same look following a relaunch of all of the main news bulletins.
  • 26 April - BBC Dorset FM launches as an opt-out service from BBC Radio Devon.
  • 13 April - For the first time all BBC News programmes have the same look following a relaunch of all of the main news bulletins.
  • 1994
  • 27 March – BBC Radio 5 ends transmission.
  • 28 March – BBC Radio 5 Live, a dedicated news and sport network, starts round-the-clock broadcasts.
  • 13 April – First BBC website created for the BBC Two series The Net.
  • 1 July – BBC Radio 1 ceases broadcasting on medium wave (AM) at 9.00.
  • July – Arabic Television television service launched with funding from the Saudi Arabian Mawarid Group.
  • 1 August - BBC Radio Surrey and BBC Radio Sussex merge to form BBC Southern Counties Radio.
  • 1995
  • 16 January – BBC World Service Television was renamed as BBC World it was launched as an international free-to-air news channel on 26 January at 19:00 GMT.
  • 30 January – BBC Prime launches as a local encrypted variety & light entertainment channel by BBC Enterprises.
  • BBC Enterprises, the BBC's commercial arm, restructured as BBC Worldwide Ltd.
  • 9 October - BBC Learning Zone is launched.
  • BBC Radio CWR closes as a stand-alone station and becomes an opt-out of BBC Radio WM.
  • 1996
  • 9 April - BBC Radio Oxford and BBC Radio Berkshire merge to form BBC Thames Valley FM. Also in early 1996 BBC Dorset FM closes and its frequency is used to relay BBC Radio Solent.
  • 21 April – Arabic Television closes down when the Saudi backer pulls out following a row over coverage of the execution of a princess accused of adultery.
  • June – Radio 1 starts live streaming on the internet.
  • 7 June – The BBC is restructured by the Director-General, John Birt. In the new structure BBC Broadcast will commission programmes, and BBC Production will make them.
  • 29 December – What was billed as the last ever episode of Only Fools and Horses before the new millennium is watched by 24.35 million viewers, the largest ever TV audience for a sitcom.
  • 1997
  • The BBC broadcasts the much praised "Perfect Day" corporate advertisement, featuring 27 artists singing lines of Lou Reed's original. The song later becomes a fund-raising single for Children in Need.
  • 28 February – The BBC sells its transmitters and transmission services to Castle Transmission Services for £244 million, to help fund its plans for the digital age.
  • 6 September – The funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales is broadcast on BBC Radio & Television and aired to over 200 countries worldwide. Nearly 3 billion viewers and listeners watch the ceremonies. In the USA, BBC's coverage is aired on A&E and CSPAN Cable Networks. David Dimbleby hosts the BBC coverage with Tom Fleming narrating the service inside Westminster Abbey.
  • 4 October – Current corporate identity adopted. At a reported cost of £5m the new logo was introduced due to the increase in digital services, as it is designed to be more visible at small size it is better suited for use in websites and on screen "DOGs." On Screen Identities changed, with BBC One adopting the Balloon Idents, and BBC Two retaining their 2's used from 1991, with new legend.
  • 4 November – BBC News Online, a web-based news service, is launched.
  • 8 November – BBC One closes down for the very last time as from the following day, BBC News 24 broadcasts during the channel's overnight hours.
  • 9 November – BBC News 24, the Corporation's UK television news service, is launched at 17.30.
  • December – The BBC launches its online service BBC Online.
  • 1998
  • August – The BBC's domestic TV channels become available on Sky Digital's satellite service. An unintended consequence of this is that people in the rest of Europe can now watch BBC One and Two, using viewing cards from the UK, as the signal is encrypted for rights reasons. This applies even within the UK: people in England can now watch BBC channels from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and vice versa.
  • 23 September – The BBC launches BBC Choice, its first new TV channel since 1964, available only on digital TV services. The BBC Parliament TV channel also starts broadcasting on digital services and analogue cable.
  • 15 November – Public launch of digital terrestrial TV in the UK.
  • 1999
  • 10 May – BBC network news relaunched with new music, titles and a red and ivory set. This design was used for the 25 October relaunch of News 24 – enhancing cross-channel promotion of the service.
  • 20 May – The BBC's digital teletext service starts.
  • 1 June – BBC Knowledge starts broadcasting on digital services.
  • 20 June - The BBC broadcasts live cricket for the final time when it shows live coverage of the 1999 Cricket World Cup Final, bringing to an end of sixty years of continuous cricket coverage on the BBC. The terrestrial rights transfer to Channel 4.

    • 2000s

  • 2000
  • 14 February - BBC Thames Valley FM closes and BBC Radio Oxford and BBC Radio Berkshire relaunch as separate stations although Radio Berkshire operates as an opt-out service of Radio Oxford.
  • 25 March - BBC GLR closes and is relaunched as BBC London Live 94.9.
  • 15 September – Final edition of Breakfast News on BBC One and BBC News 24, the last conventional news broadcast in the morning.
  • 2 October – The first edition of BBC Breakfast is broadcast, the new morning show on BBC One and News 24 from 6:00–9:30. (9:00 on BBC News 24).
  • 13 October – Final edition of the BBC Nine O'Clock News on BBC One.
  • 16 October - The BBC Ten O'Clock News launches on BBC One amid controversy, having been moved from 9pm to cash in on the axing of ITN's News at Ten the previous year.
  • 16 October – Oxfordshire, once part of the South East, becomes part of South Today.
  • 2001
  • 3 March – A bomb explodes outside Television Centre. The blast was later attributed to dissident Irish Republican terrorists and it is suggested the BBC Panorama programme which named individuals as participants in the Omagh bomb was the motive.
  • 3 September – Kent and Sussex get their own news programme, South East Today.
  • 1 October – BBC London is launched, replacing Newsroom South East.
  • October - BBC Three Counties Radio launches opt-out programming for the county of Buckinghamshire.
  • 5 November - BBC 2W is launched, broadcasting on digital services in Wales on weekday evenings.
  • 19 November – Last showing of the then-current BBC Two idents. These set of idents would have ended in 1997 with BBC One's ident change but due to popularity the 1991 idents continued only with a new BBC logo and some newer ident sets. The new idents were Ivory 2's, interacting in a yellow world, with Purple box logo, the first BBC Channel to have one.
  • 2002
  • 2 February - BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra is launched.
  • 11 February – The CBBC and CBeebies channels begin broadcasting.
  • 2 March – BBC Four is launched at 19:00 in a simulcast with BBC Two. It replaces BBC Knowledge.
  • 11 March – BBC 6 Music is launched.
  • 29 March – BBC One rebrands with the controversial Rhythm and Movement Idents, including dancers in red dancing in different locations. The red box logo was also used for these idents. For the first time in 39 years, a globe is not included in the presentation.
  • 16 August - BBC Radio 1Xtra is launched.
  • 28 October - BBC Asian Network launches as a national station.
  • 11 November - The first edition of BBC Look North (East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire) is broadcast and the Leeds-based Look North programme now covers West, North and South Yorkshire and the North Midlands. Also BBC Radio Swindon outputs from the renamed BBC Radio Wiltshire begin.
  • 15 December - BBC Radio 4 Extra is launched as BBC7.
  • 2003
  • 9 February – BBC Three is launched at 19:00 in a simulcast with BBC Two. It replaces BBC Choice.
  • 8 December – BBC News 24 is relaunched again with a new set and titles, as well as a new Breaking News sting. Networked news on BBC One and Two remains with the same titles though the set was redesigned in a similar style to that of the new News 24.
  • 2004
  • 28 January – Publication of the Hutton Inquiry, and subsequent resignation of the Chairman Gavyn Davies.
  • 30 January – Resignation of the Director General, Greg Dyke. Mark Byford takes over as acting Director General.
  • 16 February – Network news titles are relaunched in the style of BBC News 24, introduced two months earlier.
  • 17 May – Appointment of Michael Grade as new Chairman.
  • 21 May – Appointment of Mark Thompson as new Director General.
  • 1 October – BBC Technology, incorporating the BBC's Broadcast Engineering division, is sold to Siemens AG Business Services for approximately £200m, and a £2bn, 10-year outsourcing contract.
  • 2005
  • 20 March – Mark Thompson announces staff of 27,000 to be cut by 3,780.
  • 26 March - Doctor Who returns to the air, sixteen years after the last full series was broadcast.
  • 23 May – Over one third of staff join strike in response to job cuts, dropping programmes.
  • 1 August – BBC Broadcast, formerly Broadcasting & Presentation and responsible for the playout and branding of all BBC Channels, is sold to Creative Broadcast Services, owned by the Macquarie Capital Alliance Group and Macquarie Bank. It is renamed Red Bee Media on 31 October.
  • 3 November BBC Coventry & Warwickshire returns as a stand-alone station.
  • December – The Czech and Polish sections of the BBC World Service cease to exist. Eight other sections are to follow soon.
  • 2006
  • 23 April - The Radio 4 UK Theme is used for the first time. It is replaced by a news bulletin.
  • 27 May – The BBC's first scheduled HDTV broadcast on BBC HD
  • 14 August – The One Show is first broadcast on BBC One, initially as a four-week trial. It is seen as a modern-day version of highly popular series Nationwide with the programme resulting in popular journalism returning to BBC One's early evening schedule. The programme returned on a permanent basis the following July.
  • 1 September – BBC Entertainment replaces BBC Prime in global markets.
  • 7 October – BBC One rebrands from the Rhythm and Movement idents to the current "Circle" Idents, which acts as a link to the classic globe icon used for almost 40 years and as a symbol of unity.
  • 28 November – Resignation of Chairman Michael Grade, to join ITV.
  • 1 December - BBC HD channel is officially launched after around eighteen months of trial broadcasts.
  • 31 December – The BBC's then-current Royal Charter and Agreement expired.
  • 2007
  • 22 January – BBC News 24 is relaunched with new titles and new Astons.
  • 28 January - The final edition of Grandstand is broadcast.
  • 18 February – BBC Two rebrands from the yellow 2's, to the current Window on the World 2's.
  • July – BBC Knowledge launched as a global channel by BBC Worldwide.
  • 11 August - BBC Radio Cleveland is rebranded as BBC Tees due to its broadcasting area no longer being associated with the name Cleveland.
  • 3 September – CBBC identity relaunched, with its third marketing campaign since the launch of the CBBC Channel.
  • 20 October – BBC Switch, a teenage block of shows is launched to cater for the under-served 12- to 16-year-olds, launches.
  • 25 December – BBC iPlayer, an online service for watching previously aired shows, is launched.
  • 2008
  • 22 January – BBC Three has its identity relaunched, showcasing new shows such as Lily Allen and Friends.
  • 11 March - BBC Arabic Television launches.
  • 21 April – BBC News 24 and BBC World are renamed BBC News and BBC World News respectfully.
  • 19 September – BBC Alba, a Scottish Gaelic language digital television channel, launched through a partnership between BBC and MG Alba.
  • 2009
  • 2 January - BBC 2W closes.
  • 14 January – The BBC's Persian language TV channel is launched.
  • 30 March - BBC Southern Counties Radio closes resulting in the return of BBC Surrey and BBC Sussex as stand-alone separate stations.

    • 2010s

  • 2010
  • 19 February – EastEnders celebrates 25 years with a special live edition, where the murderer of Archie Mitchell is revealed. Over 16 million viewers tuned in to find Stacey Slater to be the killer.
  • 3 November – BBC One HD; a high-definition simulcast of a national version of BBC One is launched across all digital platforms.
  • 2011
  • 27 March - Due to budget cuts, transmission of the BBC World Service on 648 kHz MW ends. The transmissions, from the Orfordness transmitting station in Suffolk, had been on air since 1982 and had provided English-language coverage of the World Service to much of northern Europe.
  • 2 April - BBC7 is relaunched as BBC Radio 4 Extra.
  • 2012
  • 7 March – Brighton moves from South region, to South-East region, after the Meridian digital switch-over.
  • May - BBC Somerset launches as a full-time station.
  • 12 July – The BBC World Service relocates to Broadcasting House after 70 years at Bush House.
  • 27 July – The 2012 Summer Olympics take place and with the exception of news programming BBC One is devoted entirely to live coverage of the Games.
  • 17 September – George Entwistle is appointed as Director-General.
  • 3 October – Broadcast of Exposure:The Other Side of Jimmy Saville which uncovered allegations of sexual abuse by Jimmy Savile.
  • 23 October – The BBC's teletext service Ceefax is switched off following all regions switching to digital broadcasting. The very last Pages from Ceefax transmission had taken place two days earlier. BBC One Northern Ireland commences broadcasting in HD
  • 10 November – George Entwhistle resigns as Director-General, to be replaced temporarily by Tim Davie. Entwistle's 54-day tenure as Director-General is the shortest in the Corporation's history.
  • 14 November – 90th anniversary broadcast at 17:33.
  • 22 November – Tony Hall is announced as the new Director-General, taking the post in March 2013.
  • 21 December – CBBC and CBeebies both air on BBC One for the last time.
  • 2012 sees a number of opt-out BBC Local Radio services close as part of the BBC's cost-cutting measures.
  • 2013
  • 4 January – CBBC and CBeebies both air on BBC Two for the last time.
  • 14 January – BBC One Scotland commences broadcasts in HD.
  • 29 January – BBC One Wales commences broadcasts in HD.
  • 26 March – BBC Two commences broadcasting in HD following the closure of BBC HD.
  • 31 March – BBC Television Centre closes in Shepherd's Bush with the majority of TV services moved to Broadcasting House in central London.
  • 5 April – BBC Monitoring moves to Licence Fee funding.
  • 8 July - After eight years, BBC Local Radio returns to Dorset when a breakfast show for the county, as an opt-out from BBC Radio Solent, is launched.
  • 25 October – The BBC hosts 100 Women, a day of debate and discussion across radio, television and online featuring a hundred women from around the world.
  • 10 December – HD broadcasts begin for BBC Three, BBC Four, BBC News, CBBC and CBeebies.
  • 2014
  • The BBC broadcasts the much praised "God Only Knows" corporate advertisement, featuring 21 artists singing lines of The Beach Boys' original. The song also became a fund-raising single and an advertisement for BBC Music for the first time since "Perfect Day" in 1997 for Children In Need.
  • 6 March – The BBC announce that BBC Three will become internet-only from February 2016, in an effort to save £90m. Their plans were approved on 26 November 2015
  • 30 August – Rona Fairhead becomes the first woman to be appointed as Chair of the BBC Trust.
  • 2015
  • 6 October - After 27 years, the name BBC Radio London returns to the airwaves following a name change from BBC London 94.9.
  • 2016
  • 16 February – BBC Three closes and becomes an online-only channel.
  • 31 March - BBC Three fully closes down on all digital television platforms - it had carried promotional information regarding the BBC Three internet service since 16 February.
  • 11 April - CBBC extends its broadcast hours from 7pm to 9pm, using capacity which had previously been used by BBC Three.

    • References

    Timeline of the BBC Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA


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