1965 in British television

List of years in British television (table)
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This is a list ofBritish televisionrelated events from 1965.

Events

January

• January – TheBBCcollaborates with Ireland'sRTÉon a television broadcast as IrishTaoiseachSeán LemassandPrime Minister of Northern IrelandTerence O'Neillmeet for the first time inBelfast.
• 2 January –World of Sportpremieres onITVwithEamonn Andrewsas its first presenter.
• 9 January – The comedy sketch showNot Only... But Also,featuringPeter CookandDudley Moore,debuts on BBC2. It also features the first of three guest appearances byJohn Lennon.
• 12 January –Doctor Whobegins airing in Australia onABCby first being shown inPerth.It will later start airing for the first time in several states; includingSydney,Adelaide,BrisbaneandMelbourneduring January and the next two months.

February

• No events.

March

• 26 March –Border Televisionbegins broadcasting to theIsle of Man.

April

• 7 April – BBC1 airsThree Clear Sundays,aWednesday Playabout the events leading to a man's conviction forcapital murder.It is repeated on BBC2 on 16 July.

May

• 30 May – A televised tribute to the late BritishbandleaderandimpresarioJack HyltoncalledThe Stars Shine for Jackis held in London at theTheatre Royal, Drury Lane.

June

• 18 June – The last edition ofTonightis broadcast on BBC1.
• 24 June – BBC1 begin showing the popular American spy series,The Man from U.N.C.L.E.,starringRobert Vaughnas Napoleon Solo andDavid McCallumas Illya Kuryakin.
• 27 June – The last episode of science-fictionmarionetteseriesStingrayis broadcast onITV.

July

• 5 July –Anglia Televisionstarts broadcasting on VHF channel 6 fromSandy Heath transmitting station,extending coverage intoBedfordshire,CambridgeshireandNorthamptonshire.Until late 1966, there are no morning broadcasts from this transmitter due to a clash with theMullard Radio Astronomy Observatory.
• 7 July – The long-running science and technology programmeTomorrow's Worldmakes its debut on BBC1.
• 22 July – The pilot episode for the sitcomTill Death Us Do Partis broadcast on BBC1.

August

• 1 August –Cigaretteadverts are banned from British television. Pipe tobacco andcigaradverts will continue until 1991.
• 6 August –The War Game,a drama-documentary by directorPeter Watkinsdepicting the events of a future nuclear attack on theUnited Kingdom,is controversially pulled from its planned transmission inBBC1'sThe Wednesday Playanthology strand. TheBBChas been pressured into this move by the British government, which does not want much of the play's content to become public.It is released to cinemas, and wins the 1966Academy Award for Documentary Feature;the BBC finally screens the play in 1985.

September

• 12 September –BBC2 Walesgoes on the air. To introduce the service, BBC2 airs a programme titledBBC-2 Comes to Wales,featuring theSecretary of State for WalesJames Griffiths,the Lord Mayor of Cardiff, the Deputy Mayor of Newport, Chairman of the Broadcasting Council for Wales ProfessorGlanmor Williams,BBC2 ControllerDavid Attenborough,and BBC2 Wales ControllerAlun Oldfield-Davies.
• 28 September – "The Town of No Return",the first episode of the fourth series ofThe Avengers,introduces the character ofEmma Peelplayed byDiana Rigg.
• 30 September –GerryandSylvia Anderson's hugely popular science-fictionmarionetteseries (with electronic lip syncing known asSupermarionation)Thunderbirdspremieres onITV.

October

• 2 October – American science-fiction seriesLost in Spacedebuts onITV,it is later adapted for thefeature film versionin 1998 and then again for therevived television seriesin 2018, after the original series ends in 1968.
• 4 October
  • 24 Hourspremieres on BBC1.
  • Football-based drama serialUnited!premieres on BBC1.
  • Science-fiction anthology seriesOut of the Unknownpremieres on BBC2.
  • TheBBCannounces plans to introduce a new service for Asian immigrants starting the following week.
• 10 October – The BBC Asian service, broadcast on Sunday mornings, launches with a programme calledIn Logon Se Miliyeand at the start of 1966 it is renamedApma Hi Ghar Samajhiye.Later in the decade it is calledNai Zindagi-Naya Jeevanand in June 1982 it is renamed and relaunched asAsian Magazine.
• 18 October – The British version of children's stop-motion animationThe Magic Roundabout,with narration written and read byEric Thompson,debuts on BBC1; it continues until 1977.
• 31 October –BBC2in theNorth of Englandgoes on the air.

November

• 4 November – The current affairs and documentary seriesMan Alivemakes its debut on BBC2.
• 8 November – American sitcomMy Mother the Cardebuts on ITV; it becomesknown for negative reception.
• 13 November – The word "fuck" is spoken for the first time on British television by the theatre criticKenneth Tynanon satirical chat showBBC-3.

December

• 13 December – The long-running children's storytelling seriesJackanorymakes its debut on BBC1. It runs until 1996 and is briefly revived in 2006.
• 20 December – Anglia starts broadcasting on VHF channel 20 fromBelmont transmitting station,extending coverage intoLincolnshire,East Riding of Yorkshireand northern parts ofNorfolk.
• 25 December
  • The Christmas edition ofTop of the Popsis broadcast for the first time on Christmas Day on BBC1. It would become a major staple of BBC1's seasonal shows right up until 2021, when it was eventually moved to BBC2.
  • ITV show the American animated Christmas specialRudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,narrated byBurl Ives.
  • The episode ofDoctor Whobroadcast that day on BBC1, "The Feast of Steven", is a largely self-contained comedic one which concludes with the Doctor breaking thefourth wallto wish viewers a happy Christmas.

Undated

• TheMembury transmitting stationinBerkshireis erected by theIndependent Television Authority.

Debuts

BBC1

• 6 January –Jonny Quest(1964–1965)
• 9 January –Not Only... But Also(1965–1970)
• 28 January –Alexander Graham Bell(1965)
• 2 March –The Walrus and the Carpenter(1965)
• 22 March –A Man Called Harry Brent(1965)
• 24 March –The Airbase(1965)
• 27 March –The Flying Swan(1965)
• 31 March –Going for a Song(1965–1977,1995–2002)
• 8 April –The Wars of the Roses(1965)
• 11 April –A Tale of Two Cities(1965)
• 13 April –The Bed-Sit Girl(1965–1966)
• 18 April –And So to Ted(1965)
• 23 April –Lil(1965–1966)
• 30 May –The World of Wooster(1965–1967)
• 5 June –The Val Doonican Show(1965–1970)
• 20 June –Poison Island(1965)
• 24 June –The Man from U.N.C.L.E.(1964–1968)
• 6 July –The Lance Percival Show(1965–1966)
• 7 July –The Troubleshooters(1965–1972)
• 7 July –Tomorrow's World(1965–2003)
• 15 July –The Illustrated Weekly Hudd(1965–1967)
• 22 July –Till Death Us Do Part(1965–1975)
• 29 July –Pogles Wood(1965–1968)
• 1 August –Heiress of Garth(1965)
• 3 August –199 Park Lane(1965)
• 4 August –The Wednesday Thriller(1965)
• 26 August –Moulded in Earth(1965)
• 12 September –Hereward the Wake(1965)
• 2 October –BBC-3(1965–1966)
• 4 October –United!(1965–1967)
• 4 October –24 Hours(1965–1972)
• 6 October –Hector Heathcote(1959–1963)
• 8 October –The Mask of Janus(1965)
• 9 October –The Munsters(1964–1966)
• 12 October –The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe(1965–1966)
• 16 October –Get Smart(1965–1970)
• 18 October –The Magic Roundabout(1965–1977)
• 19 October –The Newcomers(1965–1969)
• 19 October –Play of the Month(1965–1983)
• 23 November –Hudd(1965)
• 13 December –Jackanory(1965–1996,2006)
• 17 December –Barney Is My Darling(1965–1966)

BBC2

• 9 January –Not Only... But Also(1965–1966; 1970)
• 18 January –Hit and Run(1965)
• 27 January –Night Train to Surbiton(1965)
• 11 February –Naked Island(1965)
• 21 February –The Mill on the Floss(1965)
• 22 March –A Man Called Harry Brent(1965)
• 5 May –Call It What You Like(1965)
• 9 May –The Scarlet and the Black(1965)
• 13 May –Londoners(1965)
• 13 June –The Rise and Fall of César Birotteau(1965)
• 9 July –Legend of Death(1965)
• 11 July –Jury Room(1965)
• 31 July –Gaslight Theatre(1965)
• 8 September –A Slight Case of...(1965)
• 2 October –For Whom the Bell Tolls(1965)
• 4 October –Out of the Unknown(1965–1971)
• 7 October –Thirty-Minute Theatre(1965–1973)
• 17 October –Call My Bluff(1965–1988,1994, 1996–2005)
• 17 October –An Enemy of the State(1965)
• 4 November –Man Alive(1965–1981)
• 5 December –The Big Spender(1965–1966)

ITV

• 2 January –World of Sport(1965–1985)
• 19 January –Front Page Story(1965)
• 23 January –Public Eye(1965–1975)
• 23 February –Mr and Mrs(1965–1988;1995–1999)
• 27 February –The Worker(1965–1970; 1978)
• 13 April –Orlando(1965–1968)
• 30 April –Six Shades of Black(1965)
• 8 May –Undermind(1965)
• 2 June –Pardon the Expression(1965–1966)
• 11 June –The Man in Room 17(1965–1966)
• 16 June –Deckie Learner(1965)
• 2 August –Riviera Police(1965)
• 11 August –Six of the Best(1965)
• 21 August –Broad and Narrow(1965)
• 21 August –The Frankie Vaughan Show(1965–1966)
• 10 September –Blackmail(1965–1966)
• 30 September –Thunderbirds(1965–1966)
• 1 October –The Addams Family(1964–1966)
• 2 October
  • Lost in Space(1965–1968,2018–2021)
  • Knock on Any Door(1965–1966)
• 19 October –Object Z(1965)
• 8 November –My Mother the Car(1965–1966)
• 13 December –The Power Game(1965–1969)
• 16 December –Court Martial(1965–1966)
• 25 December –The Bruce Forsyth Show(1965–1969)
• Unknown
  • Flipper(1964–1967)
  • Peyton Place(1964–1969)

Television shows

Changes of network affiliation

Shows	Moved from	Moved to
Match of the Day	BBC2	BBC1

Continuing television shows

1920s

• BBC Wimbledon(1927–1939, 1946–2019, 2021–2024)

1930s

• Trooping the Colour(1937–1939, 1946–2019, 2023–present)
• The Boat Race(1938–1939, 1946–2019, 2021–present)
• BBC Cricket(1939, 1946–1999, 2020–2024)

1940s

• The Ed Sullivan Show(1948–1971)
• Come Dancing(1949–1998)

1950s

• Andy Pandy(1950–1970, 2002–2005)
• Watch with Mother(1952–1975)
• 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(1955–1970, 1972–1984, 2020–2021)
• 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, 1996, 2005–present)
• World in Action(1963–1998)
• The Likely Lads(1964–1966)
• Redcap(1964–1966)
• The Wednesday Play(1964–1970)
• 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)
• Monitor(1958–1965)
• 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)
• The Sullavan Brothers(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
• 26 April –Juliet Morris,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
  • Alice Beer,television presenter
  • Jeremy Vine,British BBC radio and television presenter
• 19 June –Simon O'Brien,television actor and radio presenter
• 4 July –Jo Whiley,broadcast music presenter
• 8 July –Matthew Wright,journalist and television presenter
• 6 August –Mark Speight,British television presenter (died2008)
• 16 September –Lorne Spicer,presenter (Cash in the Attic)
• 24 September –Sheryl Gascoigne,television personality
• 14 October –Steve Coogan,British comedian and actor
• 15 October –Stephen Tompkinson,British actor
• 31 October –Rob Rackstraw,British voice actor
• 4 November –Shaun Williamson,British actor
• 10 November –Sean Hughes,English-born Irish comedian (died2017)
• 12 November –Eddie Mair,British BBC radio and television presenter
• 16 November –Mark Benton,actor
• 21 November –Alexander Siddig,Sudanese-born actor

Deaths

• 23 February –Stan Laurel,English-born comedian, surviving half ofLaurel and Hardy,aged 74
• 22 December –Richard Dimbleby,journalist and broadcaster, aged 52, testicular cancer

See also

• 1965 in British music
• 1965 in British radio
• 1965 in the United Kingdom
• List of British films of 1965

External links

• List of 1965 British television seriesatIMDb