1977 in British television
From EverybodyWiki Bios & Wiki
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This is a list of British television related events from 1977.
Events[edit]
January[edit]
- 1 January โ BBC1 airs its network television premiere of the 1971 musical film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, starring Gene Wilder.[1]
- 3 January โ The US crime drama series, Charlie's Angels makes its UK debut on ITV. Starring Kate Jackson, Farrah Fawcett and Jaclyn Smith as the crime-fighting trio, the "Angels".
- 10 January โ ITV broadcasts the first episode of the children's supernatural drama Children of the Stones.
February[edit]
- 3 February โ The Annan Committee on the future of broadcasting makes its recommendations. They include the establishment of a fourth independent television channel, the establishment of Broadcasting Complaints Commission and an increase in independent production.[2]
- 14 February โ BBC1 debut the children's animated series The Flumps, which although only 13 episodes were ever produced it would be broadcast on the BBC until 1988.
- 15 February โ The first Aardman Animations character, Morph, is introduced with the launch of BBC children's series Take Hart with Tony Hart.
- 24 February โ ITV begins showing the US medical mystery drama series Quincy, M.E., starring Jack Klugman.
- 26 February โ The network television premiere of the fourth James Bond film Thunderball airs on ITV, starring Sean Connery.[3]
- February โ Michael Grade is appointed as Director of Programmes at London Weekend Television.
March[edit]
- 27 March โ Jesus of Nazareth, a British-Italian television miniseries co-produced by Lew Grade dramatising the birth, life, ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus based on the accounts in the four New Testament Gospels makes its debut on British television, starring Robert Powell as Jesus.
- 28 March โ Yorkshire Television and Tyne Tees Television launch a nine-week breakfast television experiment. It is credited as being the United Kingdom's first breakfast television programme, six years before the launch of TV-am and the BBC's Breakfast Time in 1983.[4][5] Both programmes run at the same time, with Tyne Tees, Good Morning North and Yorkshire's Good Morning Calendar. Both programmes finish on Friday 27 May.
April[edit]
- 22 April โ The original series of motoring programme Top Gear begins as a local magazine format produced by BBC Midlands from its Pebble Mill Studios in Birmingham, presented by Angela Rippon and Tom Coyne. In 1978, it is offered to BBC2 where it airs until 2001. In 2002, the series is relaunched in a new format.
May[edit]
- 7 May โ The 22nd Eurovision Song Contest is held in London. With Angela Rippon as the presenter, the contest is won by Marie Myriam representing France, with her song L'oiseau et l'enfant (The Bird and the Child). The British entry, Rock Bottom, written and sung by Lynsey de Paul and Mike Moran finishes in second place.
June[edit]
- 6โ9 June โ Television viewers in Britain and around the world watch live coverage of the celebrations of the Silver Jubilee of Elizabeth II, while the soap opera Coronation Street features an elaborate Jubilee parade in the storyline, having Rovers' Return Inn manageress Annie Walker dress up in elaborate costume as Queen Elizabeth I. Ken Barlow and Uncle Albert play Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing respectively.
- 20 June โ Anglia Television broadcasts the fake documentary Alternative 3. It enters into the conspiracy theory canon.
July[edit]
- 2 July โ BBC2 launch a new season of Saturday evening horror movie double bills with Dracula, Frankenstein - and Friends!.
- 7 July โ The first episode of the BBC documentary series Brass Tacks is aired, featuring a debate as to whether Myra Hindley should be considered for parole from the life sentence she received for her role in the Moors murders in 1966.
August[edit]
- No events.
September[edit]
- 7 September โ The long-running game show The Krypton Factor makes its debut on ITV, presented by Gordon Burns.
- 12 September โ Thames Television launches Thames at Six, a regional news programme that replaces the more light-hearted magazine programme Today.
- 18 September โ The occasional ITV bloopers programme It'll Be Alright on the Night is first broadcast, presented by Denis Norden.
- 19 September โ BBC Schools and Colleges changed to use the Dots ident with rotating text until 1978.
October[edit]
- 1 October โ Ian Trethowan succeeds Charles Curran as Director-General of the BBC.
- 17 October โ BBC1 launch the long-running variety and chat show Des O'Connor Tonight.
- 19 October โ The first edition of a new weekly magazine programme for Asian women, Gharbar, is broadcast. The programme had only been intended to run for 26 weeks but continued for around 500 weeks, finally ending in April 1987.[6]
- 21 October โ The World Administrative Radio Conference assigns five high-powered direct broadcast by satellite channels for domestic use in the UK.[7]
November[edit]
- 13 November โ BBC1 airs the final episode of Dad's Army.[8]
- 19 November โ Southern Television broadcasts the US children's series Sesame Street for the first time.
- 20 November โ The network television premiere of the James Bond film You Only Live Twice on ITV, starring Sean Connery.[3]
- 26 November โ Southern Television broadcast interruption: Just after 5:10pm in the Southern Television ITV region, a hoaxer hijacks the sound of Independent Television News from the IBA transmitter at Hannington, Hampshire and broadcasts a message claiming to be a representative of the Ashtar Galactic Command. Thousands of viewers ring Southern, the IBA, ITN or the police for an explanation, the identity of the intruder is never confirmed.
December[edit]
- 22 December โ BBC2 shows an adaptation of Bram Stoker's vampire novel Count Dracula, starring Louis Jordan.
- 25 December โ Both the Mike Yarwood Christmas Show [9][10][11] and The Morecambe & Wise Christmas Show on BBC1 attracts an audience of more than 28 million, one of the highest ever in British television history.[12][13][14][15][16][17][18]
- 30 December โ ITV launch the crime-action series The Professionals starring Lewis Collins and Martin Shaw as CI5 agents Bodie and Doyle.
- 31 December โ Bruce Forsyth steps down as presenter of The Generation Game after six years. He would return to the programme when it is revived by the BBC in 1990.[19]
Unknown[edit]
- Scum, an entry in BBC1's Play for Today anthology strand, is pulled from transmission due to controversy over its depiction of life in a Young Offenders' Institution, at this time known in the United Kingdom as a borstal. Two years later the director Alan Clarke makes a film version with most of the same cast and the original play itself is eventually transmitted on Channel 4 in 1991.
- Emmerdale Farm moves from daytime to a peak time (7pm) slot although five regions, Anglia Television, Thames Television, Westward Television/TSW, Grampian Television and Scottish Television aired the programme at 5:15pm, with the days sometime changing.
Debuts[edit]
BBC1[edit]
- 2 January โ Wings (1977โ1978)
- 5 January โ Rosie (1977โ1981)
- 7 January โ Mr. Big (1977)
- 9 January โ Rascal the Raccoon (1977)
- 1 February โ Fathers and Families (1977)
- 13 February โ Rob Roy (1977)
- 14 February โ The Flumps (1977โ1978)
- 15 February โ Take Hart (1977โ1983)
- 16 March โ Out of Bounds (1977)
- 27 March
- Nicholas Nickleby (1977)
- Jubilee (1977)
- 5 April โ A Roof Over My Head (1977)
- 8 April โ Roots (1977)
- 12 April โ Citizen Smith (1977โ1980)
- 25 April โ Fred Basset (1977)
- 2 May โ The Mackinnons (1977)
- 10 June โ No Appointment Necessary (1977)
- 11 June โ Supernatural (1977)
- 15 June
- The House That Jack Built (1977)
- Middlemen (1977)
- 4 September โ The Eagle of the Ninth (1977)
- 7 September โ Secret Army (1977โ1979)
- 9 September โ Target (1977โ1978)
- 10 September โ The Peppermint Pig (1977)
- 17 October โ Des O'Connor Tonight (1977โ2002)
- 1 November
- Abigail's Party (Play for Today) (1977)
- The Other One (1977โ1978)
- 2 November โ King Cinder (1977)
- 9 November โ The Emigrants (miniseries) (1977)
- 13 November โ The Children of the New Forest (1977)
- 13 December โ Come Back Mrs. Noah (1977โ1978)
- 31 December โ The New Adventures of Batman (1977)
BBC2[edit]
- 10 January โ Eleanor Marx (1977)
- 11 January โ Look and Read: The King's Dragon (1977)
- 26 January โ The Velvet Glove (1977)
- 7 February โ Headmaster (1977)
- 20 February โ Drama (1977)
- 8 March โ Three Piece Suite (1977)
- 10 April โ Esther Waters (1977)
- 18 April โ Don't Forget to Write! (1977โ1979)
- 22 April โ Top Gear (1977โ2001)
- 8 May โ Murder Most English (1977)
- 12 May โ Sea Tales (1977) (Anthology)
- 13 June โ Maidens' Trip (1977)
- 2 July โ Dracula, Frankenstein - and Friends! (1977)
- 6 July โ Brass Tacks (1977โ1988)
- 16 August โ Marie Curie (1977)
- 18 September โ 1990 (1977โ1978)
- 19 September โ The Long Search (1977)
- 21 September โ BBC2 Play of the Week (1977โ1979)
- 22 September โ Premiere (1977โ1980)
- 25 September โ Anna Karenina (1977)
- 19 October โ Parosi (1977โ1978)
- 21 October โ Kilvert's Diary (1977)
- 7 November โ Who Pays the Ferryman? (1977)
- 30 November โ Eustace and Hilda (1977)
- 22 December โ Count Dracula (1977)
ITV[edit]
- 3 January โ Charlie's Angels (1976โ1981)
- 5 January โ
- Another Bouquet (1977)
- Unique London (1977โpresent)
- 10 January โ Children of the Stones (1977)
- 11 January โ Robin's Nest (1977โ1981)
- 16 January โ Holding On (1977)
- 6 February โ Just William (1977โ1978)
- 9 February โ Horse in the House (1977)
- 12 February โ All You Need Is Love (1977)
- 17 February โ The Galton & Simpson Playhouse (1977)
- 24 February โ Quincy, M.E. (1976โ1983)
- 25 February โ Raffles (1977)
- 2 March โ Romance (1977)
- 27 March โ Jesus of Nazareth (1977)
- 15 April โ Backs to the Land (1977โ1978)
- 18 April
- Miss Jones and Son (1977โ1978)
- The Flockton Flyer (1977โ1978)
- 20 April โ Dawson and Friends (1977)
- 21 April โ Paradise Island (1977)
- 7 May โ Dynomutt, Dog Wonder (1976โ1977)
- 8 May โ King of the Castle (1977)
- 18 May โ A Bunch of Fives (1977โ1978)
- 29 May โ The Sunday Drama (1977โ1978)
- 31 May โ Burgess, Philby and Maclean (1977)
- 6 June โ Two Stars for Comfort (1977)
- 13 June โ Cottage to Let (1977)
- 20 June โ Alternative 3 (1977)
- 26 June โ Follow Me (1977)
- 6 July โ I'm Bob, He's Dickie (1977โ1978)
- 8 July โ The Foundation (1977โ1978)
- 15 July โ Devenish (1977)
- 17 July โ Hi Summer (1977)
- 28 July โ A Sharp Intake of Breath (1977โ1981)
- 28 July โ The Sound of Laughter (1977)
- 31 July โ Here I Stand... (1977)
- 1 August โ Lord Tramp (1977)
- 7 August โ Took and Co. (1977)
- 24 August โ The Paper Lads (1977โ1979)
- 1 September โ The Mighty B! (1977โ1982)
- 6 September
- London Belongs to Me (1977)
- You're Only Young Twice (1977โ1981)
- 7 September โ The Krypton Factor (1977โ1995, 2009โ2010)
- 8 September โ The Fuzz (1977)
- 9 September โ Love for Lydia (1977)
- 18 September โ It'll Be Alright on the Night (1977โpresent)
- 19 September โ Raven (1977)
- 24 September โ The Love Boat (1977โ1986)
- 25 September โ The Cost of Loving (1977)
- 26 September โ The Upchat Line (1977)
- 5 October โ The Norman Conquests (1977)
- 12 October โ Midnight Is a Place (1977โ1978)
- 18 October โ The Sullivans (1976โ1983)
- 25 October โ Hard Times (1977)
- 27 October โ Odd Man Out (1977)
- 9 November โ Dummy (1977)
- 30 December
- Mind Your Language (1977โ1979)
- The Professionals (1977โ1983)
Returning after a break of a year or longer[edit]
- The Rag Trade (1961โ1963; 1977โ1978)
Continuing television shows[edit]
1920s[edit]
- BBC Wimbledon (1927โ1939, 1946โ2019, 2021โpresent)
1930s[edit]
- The Boat Race (1938โ1939, 1946โ2019)
- BBC Cricket (1939, 1946โ1999, 2020โ2024)
1940s[edit]
- Come Dancing (1949โ1998)
1950s[edit]
- The Good Old Days (1953โ1983)
- Panorama (1953โpresent)
- Crackerjack (1955โ1984, 2020โpresent)
- Opportunity Knocks (1956โ1978, 1987โ1990)
- This Week (1956โ1978, 1986โ1992)
- What the Papers Say (1956โ2008)[20]
- The Sky at Night (1957โpresent)
- Blue Peter (1958โpresent)
- Grandstand (1958โ2007)
1960s[edit]
- Coronation Street (1960โpresent)
- Songs of Praise (1961โpresent)
- Z-Cars (1962โ1978)
- Animal Magic (1962โ1983)
- Doctor Who (1963โ1989, 2005โpresent)
- World in Action (1963โ1998)
- Top of the Pops (1964โ2006)
- Match of the Day (1964โpresent)
- Crossroads (1964โ1988, 2001โ2003)
- Play School (1964โ1988)
- Mr. and Mrs. (1965โ1999)
- World of Sport (1965โ1985)
- Jackanory (1965โ1996, 2006)
- Sportsnight (1965โ1997)
- It's a Knockout (1966โ1982, 1999โ2001)
- The Money Programme (1966โ2010)
- ITV Playhouse (1967โ1982)
- Magpie (1968โ1980)
- The Big Match (1968โ2002)
- Nationwide (1969โ1983)
- Screen Test (1969โ1984)
1970s[edit]
- The Goodies (1970โ1982)
- The Onedin Line (1971โ1980)
- The Old Grey Whistle Test (1971โ1987)
- The Two Ronnies (1971โ1987, 1991, 1996, 2005)
- Clapperboard (1972โ1982)
- Crown Court (1972โ1984)
- Pebble Mill at One (1972โ1986)
- Rainbow (1972โ1992, 1994โ1997)
- Are You Being Served? (1972โ1985)
- Emmerdale (1972โpresent)
- Newsround (1972โpresent)
- Weekend World (1972โ1988)
- Pipkins (1973โ1981)
- We Are the Champions (1973โ1987)
- Last of the Summer Wine (1973โ2010)
- That's Life! (1973โ1994)
- Happy Ever After (1974โ1978)
- Rising Damp (1974โ1978)
- Within These Walls (1974โ1978)
- It Ain't Half Hot Mum (1974โ1981)
- Tiswas (1974โ1982)
- Wish You Were Here...? (1974โ2003)
- The Good Life (1975โ1978)
- The Sweeney (1975โ1978)
- Celebrity Squares (1975โ1979, 1993โ1997, 2014โ2015)
- The Cuckoo Waltz (1975โ1980)
- Arena (1975โpresent)
- Jim'll Fix It (1975โ1994)
- The Muppet Show (1976โ1981)
- When the Boat Comes In (1976โ1981)
- Multi-Coloured Swap Shop (1976โ1982)
- Rentaghost (1976โ1984)
- One Man and His Dog (1976โpresent)
- Unique London (1977โpresent)
Ending this year[edit]
- 23 February โ The Wheeltappers and Shunters Social Club (1974โ1977)
- 25 March โ Porridge (1974โ1977)
- 8 June โ Survivors (1975โ1977)
- 24 August โ The Adventures of Rupert Bear (1969โ1977)
- 13 November โ Dad's Army (1968โ1977)[8]
- 17 December โ The New Avengers (1976โ1977)
- 24 December โ The Duchess of Duke Street (1976โ1977)
- 31 December โ Rascal the Raccoon (1977)
Births[edit]
- 1 January โ Anna Acton, actress
- 13 January โ Orlando Bloom, actor
- 10 March โ Rita Simons, actress, singer and model
- 23 April โ Babita Sharma, newsreader
- 4 April โ Stephen Mulhern, magician and presenter
- 13 May โ Samantha Morton, actress
- 24 May โ Jo Joyner, actress
- 30 May โ Rachael Stirling, actress
- 31 May โ Debbie King, presenter
- 5 June โ Emma Crosby, newsreader, presenter and journalist
- 22 August โ Sarah Champion, presenter and disc jockey
- 1 September โ Lucy Pargeter, actress
- 12 September โ James McCartney, singer and songwriter
- 15 September โ Tom Hardy, actor
- 25 September โ Georgie Thompson, sports journalist
- 3 October โ Shazia Mirza, comedian
- 3 December โ Jennifer James, actress
- 19 December โ Lucy Peakcock, actress
- 23 December โ Matt Baker, presenter
- Unknown โ Adrian Dickson, presenter
Deaths[edit]
- 25 February โ Patricia Haines, 45, actress
- 29 August โ Edward Sinclair, 63, actor (verger Maurice Yeatman in Dad's Army)
See also[edit]
- 1977 in British music
- 1977 in British radio
- 1977 in the United Kingdom
- List of British films of 1977
References[edit]
- โ "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory โ BBC One London โ 1 January 1977 โ BBC Genome". genome.ch.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
- โ Annan Committee (1977). Report of the Committee on the Future of Broadcasting. HMSO. Search this book on
- โ 3.0 3.1 "James Bond On TV โ Movies". MI6 โ The Home Of James Bond 007. 5 April 2011. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
- โ Hastings, David (1 September 2001). "A good breakfast". Inside TV. Archived from the original on 2010-02-13. Retrieved 1 August 2010. Unknown parameter
|url-status=
ignored (help) - โ "Yorkshire Television News". TV Ark. Archived from the original on 2012-02-19. Retrieved 1 August 2010. Unknown parameter
|url-status=
ignored (help) - โ "BBC Two England โ 19 October 1977 โ BBC Genome". genome.ch.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
- โ The European Union and National Industrial Policy By Hussein Kassim P208
- โ 8.0 8.1 "Laugh Lines: from Dad's Army to Hippies". The Guardian. 18 March 2010. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
- โ Roberts, Laura (2010-12-01). "Mike Yarwood's 1977 Christmas Show tops the list of 10 most-watched Christmas programmes". Telegraph. Retrieved 2018-01-13.
- โ Joe Moran. "Christmas TV: five key moments | Television & radio". The Guardian. Retrieved 2018-01-13.
- โ archivetvmusings (2014-12-20). "The Morecambe and Wise Christmas Show 1977 | Archive Television Musings". Archivetvmusings.wordpress.com. Retrieved 2018-01-13.
- โ The Guinness Book of Records.
- โ "Eric and Ern โ The Morecambe & Wise Show: Series 8". Morecambeandwise.com. Retrieved 2011-08-24.
- โ "Ernie Wise". The Daily Telegraph. 22 March 1999. Archived from the original on 25 March 2010. Retrieved 2011-08-24. Unknown parameter
|url-status=
ignored (help) - โ Barfe, Louis (22 November 2008). "How John Sergeant revived did-you-see TV". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2011-08-24.
- โ Bushby, Helen (30 December 2010). "Victoria Wood tells all about Eric and Ernie". BBC News. Retrieved 2011-08-24.
- โ ITV and the BFI quote a figure of 21.3 million. "Features | Britain's Most Watched TV | 1970s". BFI. 4 September 2006. Archived from the original on 22 November 2005. Retrieved 2012-04-28. Unknown parameter
|url-status=
ignored (help) - โ Moran, Joe (22 March 2011). "One nation Christmas television". The Guardian. Retrieved 2011-08-24.
- โ "Bruce's Choice โ BBC One London โ 31 December 1977". BBC Genome. BBC. Retrieved 18 August 2017.
- โ "What the Papers Say in pictures". The Guardian. 29 May 2008. Retrieved 2 April 2022.