1966 in British television

This is a list of British television related events from 1966.

Events

• 3 January – Camberwick Green is the first BBC television programme to be shot in colour.
• 3 March – The BBC announces plans to begin broadcasting television programmes in colour from next year.^[1]
• 5 April – The Money Programme debuts on BBC2. It continued to air until 2010.
• 23 May – Julie Goodyear makes her Coronation Street debut as Bet Lynch. She did not become a regular character until 1970.
• 6 June – BBC1 sitcom Till Death Us Do Part begins its first series run.
• 30 July – England beat West Germany 4-2 to win the 1966 World Cup at Wembley.^[2]
• Summer – Patrick McGoohan quits the popular spy series Danger Man after filming only two episodes of the fourth season, in order to produce and star in The Prisoner, which begins filming in September.
• 2 October – The four-part serial Talking to a Stranger, acclaimed as one of the finest British television dramas of the 1960s, begins transmission in the Theatre 625 strand on BBC2.
• 29 October – Actor William Hartnell makes his last regular appearance as the First Doctor in the concluding moments of Episode 4 of the Doctor Who serial The Tenth Planet. Actor Patrick Troughton briefly appears as the Second Doctor at the conclusion of the serial.
• 5 November – Actor Patrick Troughton appears in his first full Doctor Who serial The Power of the Daleks as the Second Doctor.
• 16 November – Cathy Come Home, possibly the best-known play ever to be broadcast on British television, is presented in BBC1's The Wednesday Play anthology strand.

Debuts

BBC1

• 3 January – The Trumptonshire Trilogy: Camberwick Green (1966)
• 5 January – Softly, Softly (1966–1969)
• 10 March – The Frost Report (1966)
• 7 May – Quick Before They Catch Us (1966)
• 17 May – All Gas and Gaiters (1966–1971)
• 24 May – Beggar My Neighbour (1966–1968)
• 7 August – It's a Knockout (BBC1 1966–1982, Channel 5 1999–2001)
• 17 November – The Illustrated Weekly Hudd (1966–1967)

BBC2

• 5 April – The Money Programme (1966–2010)

ITV

• 22 March – How (1966–1982)

Television shows

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)^[3]
• What the Papers Say (1956–2008)
• The Sky at Night (1957–present)
• Blue Peter (1958–present)
• Grandstand (1958–2007)

1960s

• 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)
• Doctor Who (1963–1989, 2005–present)
• World in Action (1963–1998)
• 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)
• Mr. and Mrs. (1964–1999, 2008–2010, 2012–present)
• The Newcomers (1965–1969)
• Not Only... But Also (1965–1970)
• World of Sport (1965–1985)
• Call My Bluff (1965–2005)
• Jackanory (1965–1996, 2006)

Ending this year

• Captain Pugwash (1957–1966, 1974–1975, 1997–2002)
• The Flintstones (1960–1966)
• Marriage Lines (1961–1966)
• Thank Your Lucky Stars (1961–1966)
• Ready Steady Go! (1963–1966)
• The Likely Lads (1964–1966)
• Redcap (1964–1966)
• BBC-3 (1965–1966)
• The Bed-Sit Girl (1965–1966)
• Thunderbirds (1965–1966)
• Stingray (1965–1966)

Births

• 13 January – Shelagh Fogarty, radio and television presenter
• 26 February – Fay Ripley, actress and recipe author
• 6 March – Alan Davies, comedian and actor
• 22 March – Samantha Robson, actress
• 1 April – Chris Evans, radio disc-jockey
• 19 June – Samuel West, actor
• 5 July – Susannah Doyle, actress, playwright and film director
• 12 July – Tamsin Greig, actress
• 16 July – Johnny Vaughan, broadcaster and journalist
• 23 July – Samantha Beckinsale, actress
• 30 August – Helen Fospero, newsreader and journalist
• 26 October – Steve Valentine, actor

References