BBC

S - George V

Period: 1910 to 1936

World War I

Period: 1914 to 1918

Anglo-Irish Wars

Period: 1919 to 1921

"In the post-war territorial carve-up Britain gained mandates over a number of former German and Ottoman territories. British control now extended over more of the globe than ever before – but closer to home, Ireland was partitioned and the Irish Free State became independent in 1922." Source

COM - Sykes Committee

1923

Discussed: BBCompany funding by licence & its monopoly on broadcasting
Outcome: Company continued its monopoly & funding by licence

PM - Stanley Baldwin

Period: May 22, 1923 to Jan 22, 1924

Prime Minister - CON

FIRST - First publication of Radio Times listings magazine

Sep 28, 1923

PM - Ramsay MacDonald

Period: Jan 22, 1924 to Nov 4, 1924

Prime Minister - LAB

PM - Stanley Baldwin (2)

Period: Nov 4, 1924 to Jun 4, 1929

Prime Minister - CON

1926 General Strike

1926

"The General Strike following cuts in the coal-mining industry lasts just nine days" Source Recession followed a brief post-war economic recovery. Troubled industrial relations led to the only general strike in British history in 1926. Source

COM - Crawford Committee

1926

Discussed: Broadcasting organisation & its effects on viewers
Outcome: Establishment of BBCorporation by Royal Charter

John Logie Baird

Jan 26, 1926

"Scottish inventor and engineer John Logie Baird gives the first public demonstration of television, leading to the historic trans-Atlantic transmissions of television from London to New York in 1928." Source

Creation of BBCorporation

Jan 1, 1927

DG - John Reith

Period: 1927 to 1938

• Crawford Committee (1926)
• Selsdon Committee (1935)
• Ullswater Committee (1935)

Women's Vote

1928

"Women over the age of 21 are given the vote" Source

PROG - First edition of The Daily Service

Jan 2, 1928

"The Daily Service is a short Christian service broadcast every weekday morning between 9.45 and 10.00 on BBC Radio 4 (long wave and DAB). It was also broadcast on Radio 4's FM frequencies until 13th September 1991." Source

PM - Ramsay MacDonald (2)

Period: Jun 5, 1929 to Jun 7, 1935

Prime Minister - LAB

FIRST - First live TV outside broadcast (Epsom Derby)

Jun 2, 1931

FIRST - TV Broadcast from Broadcasting House

Aug 22, 1932

George V becomes 1st monarch to deliver Christmas Day message by radio (Empire Service)

Dec 25, 1932

COM - Ullswater Committee

1935

Discussed: Broadcasting, including overseas; funding; nature of programming
Outcome: Further expansion of BBC & programmes

COM - Selsdon Television Committee

1935

Discussed: TV broadcasting & whether to use Baird or Marconi system
Outcome: BBC first TV broadcasts from Alexandra Palace; eventual use of Marconi system

PM - Stanley Baldwin (3)

Period: Jun 7, 1935 to May 28, 1937

Prime Minister - CON

S - Edward VIII

Period: 1936 to 1936

S - George VI

Period: 1936 to 1952

PROG - First children's television show, For the Children

Apr 24, 1937

"For the Children was a British television programme targeted at children of school age. (...) The series featured a variety of different presenters and acts: story readings, puppet shows, songs." Source

FIRST - use of TV outside broadcast van (procession following coronation of George VI & Queen Elizabeth)

May 12, 1937

PM - Neville Chamberlain

Period: May 28, 1937 to May 10, 1940

Prime Minister - CON

DG - Frederick Ogilvie

Period: 1938 to 1942

• WW2 (1939-1945)

Start of European Service on radio

Sep 27, 1938

French, German, Italian + Portuguese, Spanish

World War II

Period: 1939 to 1945

In 1939, Britain found itself at war with Germany for the second time. After the defeat-turned-propaganda-triumph ‘miracle of Dunkirk’ in 1940 Britain stood alone. Victory in the Battle of Britain greatly raised morale, and subsequent blitz air raids on London, Coventry and many other towns failed to significantly lower it. Allied bombing from British bases and the 1944 D-Day landings hastened Germany’s defeat. Source

First World Radio Broadcast

Oct 17, 1939

"It took place at the RAF Hendon base in North London, in front of a specially invited audience of RAF personnel. The whole show was relayed worldwide across the airwaves, the first time a live show had ever been broadcast around the globe. The bill starred Adelaide Hall, Mantovani and His Orchestra, The Western Brothers, and Harry Roy and his Band."

PM - Winston Churchill

Period: May 10, 1940 to Jul 26, 1945

Prime Minister - CON

Beveridge Report (NHS)

1942

"The Beveridge Report lays the foundations for the Welfare State, including the creation of the National Health Service in 1948" Source

DG - Robert Foot & Cecil Graves

Period: 1942 to 1943

• WW2 (1939-1945)

PROG - Desert Island Discs

Jan 29, 1942

"Each week a guest, called a "castaway" during the programme, is asked to choose eight recordings (usually, but not always, music), a book and a luxury item that they would take if they were to be cast away on a desert island, whilst discussing their lives and the reasons for their choices." Source

DG - Robert Foot

Period: 1943 to 1944

• WW2 (1939-1945)

COM - Hankey Television Committee

1944

Discussed: TV services after the war
Outcome: Post-war BBC TV Service; expansion of BBC Research & Development Department

DG - William Haley

Period: 1944 to 1952

• Hankey Television Committee (1944)
• Beveridge Committee (1950)
• WW2 (1939 - 1945)

PM - Clement Attlee

Period: Jul 26, 1945 to Oct 26, 1951

Prime Minister - LAB

PROG - Today in Parliament

Oct 9, 1945

"Today in Parliament is a British radio programme that covers the daily proceedings of the Palace of Westminster (Houses of Parliament), on BBC Radio 4. (...) It is the only programme that the BBC is required to make under its charter." Source

BBC TV broadcast resume after the war

Jun 7, 1946

One of the first programmes shown is the Mickey Mouse cartoon from 1939.

Independence of India

1947

"India becomes independent from Britain and is partitioned" Source

FIRST - Use of telerecording of an outside broadcast

Nov 9, 1947

"The Service of Remembrance from the Cenotaph is televised live, and a telerecording shown that evening"

Wedding of Princess Elizabeth & Philip Mountbatten

Nov 20, 1947

"It is watched by an estimated 400,000 viewers."

COM - Beveridge Committee

1950

Discussed: BBC monopoly & funding
Outcome: Adoption of minority report (Selwyn Lloyd)'s recommendations due to CON win in 1950 elections: end of broadcasting monopoly => ITV

FIRST - Live TV from EU continent

Aug 27, 1950

PROG - The Archers

Jan 1, 1951

World's longest-running soap opera. "(...) initially billed "an everyday story of country folk"; and now, "a contemporary drama in a rural setting"."

PM - Winston Churchill (2)

Period: Oct 26, 1951 to Apr 5, 1955

Prime Minister - CON

PROG - Watch With Mother

1952

"Watch with Mother was a cycle of children's programmes created by Freda Lingstrom and Maria Bird. Broadcast by BBC Television from 1952 until 1975, it was the first BBC television series aimed specifically at pre-school children, a development of BBC radio's equivalent Listen with Mother, which had begun two years earlier." Source

S - Elizabeth II

Period: 1952 to 2025

DG - Ian Jacob

Period: 1952 to 1959

• Suez Crisis (Oct/Nov 1956)

TV becomes available in Scotland

Mar 14, 1952

TV becomes available in Wales

Aug 15, 1952

TV becomes available in Northern Ireland

May 1, 1953

Temporarily & for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. Permanently: 1955

Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II

Jun 2, 1953

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.

PROG - Panorama

Nov 11, 1953

"Panorama is a British current affairs documentary programme aired on BBC Television. First broadcast in 1953, it is the world's longest-running news television programme. (...) The programme also airs worldwide through BBC World News in many countries." Source

PM - Anthony Eden

Period: Apr 6, 1955 to Jan 9, 1957

Prime Minister - CON

ITV

Sep 22, 1955

"Commercial television starts with the first ITV broadcast" Source

Suez Canal Crisis

Oct 29, 1956

"Anglo-French invasion of Egypt after Egypt’s decision to nationalise the Suez Canal Company, but the forces withdraw in the face of international pressure." Source

PM - Harold MacMillan

Period: Jan 10, 1957 to Oct 18, 1963

Prime Minister - CON

FIRST - TV broadcast of the Queen's Christmas Day message

Dec 25, 1957

PROG - Blue Peter

Oct 16, 1958

"It is the longest-running children's TV show in the world, having been broadcast since October 1958. (...) Its content features viewer and presenter challenges, competitions, celebrity interviews, popular culture and sections on making arts and crafts items from household items. (...) The longevity of Blue Peter has established it as a significant part of British culture." Source

DG - Hugh Greene

Period: 1960 to 1969

• Pilkington Committee (1962)

COM - Pilkington Committee

1962

Discussed: Organisation of whole broadcasting industry & programmes
Outcome: BBC local radio; BBC 2; colour TV licence "Those who say they give the public what it wants begin by underestimating public taste, and end by debauching it."

PM - Alec Douglas-Home

Period: Oct 19, 1963 to Oct 19, 1964

Prime Minister - CON

PROG - Doctor Who

Nov 23, 1963

"The programme depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor. The Doctor explores the universe in a time-travelling space ship called the TARDIS. The TARDIS exterior appears as a blue British police box. (...) The show is a significant part of British popular culture and elsewhere it has gained a cult following. (...)The programme is listed in Guinness World Records as the longest-running science fiction television show in the world. Source

BBC Two

1964

"The BBC starts broadcasting a second channel, BBC Two" Source

PROG - Top of the Pops

Jan 1, 1964

"Each weekly show consisted of performances from some of that week's best-selling popular music records, usually excluding any tracks moving down the chart, including a rundown of that week's singles chart. (...) The Official Charts Company states "performing on the show was considered an honour, and it pulled in just about every major player.""

PM - Harold Wilson

Period: Oct 16, 1964 to Jun 19, 1970

Prime Minister - LAB

Abortion Act 1967

1967

"The Abortion Act 1967 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom legalising abortions on certain grounds by registered practitioners, and regulating the tax-paid provision of such medical practices through the National Health Service (NHS)." Source

Sexual Offences Act 1967

1967

The Sexual Offences Act 1967 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom (citation 1967 c. 60). It legalized homosexual acts in England and Wales, on the condition that they were consensual, in private and between two men who had attained the age of 21. Source

Regular colour TV transmissions begin on BBC2

Jul 1, 1967

Marine Broadcasting Offences Act 1967

Jul 14, 1967

"It shall not be lawful for a broadcast to be made from a ship or aircraft while it is in or over -the United Kingdom or external waters, nor shall it be lawful for a broadcast to be made from a ship registered in the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man or any of the Channel Islands or an aircraft so registered while the ship or aircraft is elsewhere than in or over the United Kingdom or external waters." (1.1)

Modification of BBC Radios

Sep 30, 1967

"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."

DG - Charles Curran

Period: 1969 to 1977

• Annan Committee (1977)

BBC1 starts broadcasting in colour (// ITV)

Nov 15, 1969

PM - Edward Heath

Period: Jun 19, 1970 to Mar 4, 1974

Prime Minister - CON

PROG - Newsround

Apr 4, 1972

" It was one of the world's first television news magazines aimed specifically at children. Initially commissioned as a short series by BBC Children's Department, who held editorial control, its facilities were provided by BBC News. The programme is aimed at 6- to 17-year-olds." Source

BBC1 & ITV start broadcasting full afternoons

Oct 2, 1972

Following a recent law change, BBC1 and ITV are allowed to begin broadcasting a full afternoon schedule with both broadcasters now broadcasting non-stop from lunchtime.

Three-Day Week

Period: Jan 1, 1974 to Mar 7, 1974

The Three-Day Week was one of several measures introduced in the UK in 1973-1974 by the Conservative government at the time to conserve electricity, the generation of which was severely restricted owing to industrial action by coal miners &railway workers. (...) British government imposed early close downs of all television channels from 17 December 1973 (10:30pm). The restrictions were lifted temporarily on Christmas Eve. source

PM - Harold Wilson (2)

Period: Mar 4, 1974 to Apr 5, 1976

Prime Minister - LAB

PM - James Callaghan

Period: Apr 5, 1976 to May 4, 1979

Prime Minister - LAB

COM - Annan Committee

1977

Discussed: Broadcasting industry, new technologies & funding, role & funding of BBC & IBA, programme standards
Outcome: Increased licence fee; Channel 4 (implemented 1980 due to LAB indecision)

DG - Ian Trethowan

Period: 1977 to 1982

• Hunt Committee (1982)
• Falklands War / Guerre des Malouines (Apr/June 1982)

PM - Margaret Thatcher

Period: Apr 5, 1979 to Nov 28, 1990

Prime Minister - CON

PROG - Children in Need

Nov 21, 1980

"BBC Children in Need (also promoted as Plant mewn Angen in Wales) is the BBC's UK charity. (...) One of the highlights is an annual telethon, held in November and televised on BBC One and BBC Two." Source

Channel 4

1982

"Channel 4 starts broadcasting, giving Britain its fourth television station." Source

COM - Hunt Committee

1982

Discussed: Organisation & future of cable broadcasting
Outcome: Expansion of cable broadcasting (eventually overtaken by satellite broadcasting)

DG - Alasdair Milne

Period: 1982 to 1987

• Peacock Committee (1986)

*forced resignation

Falklands War

Period: Apr 2, 1982 to Jun 14, 1982

The Falklands War (Spanish: Guerra de las Malvinas) was a ten-week undeclared war between Argentina and the United Kingdom in 1982 over two British dependent territories in the South Atlantic: the Falkland Islands and its territorial dependency, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. Source

COM - Peacock Committee

1986

Discussed: BBC funding (taxation, sponsorship & advertising or licence fee)
Outcome: Charter renewal & licence fee; night-time broadcasting; independent production sector growth; deregulation of ITV; satellite broadcasting

DG - Michael Checkland

Period: 1987 to 1992

World Wide Web

1989

"Tim Berners-Lee invents the World Wide Web, while working at CERN the European Particle Physics Laboratory in Switzerland. The first successful communication follows in 1990" Source

PM - John Major

Period: Nov 28, 1990 to May 2, 1997

Prime Minister - CON

DG - John Birt

Period: 1992 to 2000