1965 in British television

January

• January – The BBC collaborates with Ireland's RTÉ on an historic television broadcast as Irish Taoiseach Seán Lemass and Prime Minister of Northern Ireland Terence O'Neill meet for the first time in Belfast.^[1]
• 2 January – World of Sport premieres on ITV with Eamonn Andrews as its first presenter.
• 9 January – Not Only... But Also debuts on BBC1.
• 12 January – Doctor Who begins premiering in Australia on the ABC by first being shown in Perth. It will later start airing for the first time in several states including Sydney, Adelaide, Brisbane and Melbourne during January and the next two months.

February

• No events.

March

• No events.

April

• No events.

May

• 30 May – A televised tribute to the late British bandleader and impresario Jack Hylton called The Stars Shine for Jack is held in London at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane.

June

• 18 June – The last edition of Tonight broadcasts on BBC1 for the final time.
• 27 June – The final episode of Stingray is broadcast on ITV.

July

• 7 July – The long-running science and technology programme Tomorrow's World makes its debut on BBC1.

August

• 1 August – Cigarette adverts are banned from UK television. Pipe tobacco and cigar adverts will continue until 1991.
• 6 August – The War Game, a drama-documentary by director Peter Watkins depicting the events of a fictional nuclear attack on the United Kingdom, is controversially pulled from its planned transmission in BBC1's The Wednesday Play anthology strand. The BBC was pressured into this move by the British government, which did not want much of the play's content to become public. It was eventually released to cinemas, and won the 1966 Academy Award for Documentary Feature. The BBC finally screened the play in 1985.

September

• 12 September – BBC2 Wales goes on the air.
• 30 September – Gerry and Sylvia Anderson's well known science-fiction electronic marionette puppet (known as Supermarionation) series Thunderbirds premieres on ITV.

October

• 2 October – American science-fiction series Lost in Space debuts on ITV, it was later adapted for the feature film version in 1998 and then again for the revived TV series in 2018, after the original series ended in 1968.
• 4 October –
  • United! premieres on BBC1.
  • Science-fiction anthology series Out of the Unknown debuts on BBC2.
  • 24 Hours launches on BBC1 for the first time.
  • The BBC announces plans to introduce a new service for Asian immigrants starting the following week.^[2]
• 10 October – The service, broadcast on Sunday mornings, launches with a programme called In Logon Se Miliye and at the start of 1966 it is renamed Apma Hi Ghar Samajhiye. Later in the decade it is called Nai Zindagi-Naya Jeevan and in June 1982 it is renamed and relaunched as Asian Magazine.
• 18 October – The Magic Roundabout debuts on BBC1, it continued until 1977.
• 31 October – BBC2 in the North of England goes on the air.

November

• 4 November – The current affairs and documentary series Man Alive makes its debut on BBC2.
• 13 November – The word "fuck" is spoken for the first time on British television by the theatre critic Kenneth Tynan.

December

• 13 December – Jackanory debuts on BBC1, and was later revived in 2006.

BBC1

• 6 January – Jonny Quest (1964–1965)
• 9 January – Not Only... But Also (1965–1970)
• 31 March – Going for a Song (1965–1977, 1995–2002)
• 13 April – The Bed-Sit Girl (1965–1966)
• 24 June – The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1964–1968)
• 7 July – Tomorrow's World (1965–2003)
• 22 July – Till Death Us Do Part (1965–1975)
• 29 July – Pogles Wood (1965)
• 3 August – 199 Park Lane (1965)
• 2 October – BBC-3 (1965–1966)
• 4 October –
  • United! (1965–1967)
  • 24 Hours (1965–1972)
• 6 October – Hector Heathcote (1959–1963)
• 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)
• 13 December – Jackanory (1965–1996, 2006)
• 17 December – Barney Is My Darling (1965–1966)

BBC2

• 24 March – The Airbase (1965)
• 4 October – Out of the Unknown (1965–1971)
• 17 October – Call My Bluff (1965–1988, 1994, 1996–2005)
• 4 November – Man Alive (1965–1981)

ITV

• 2 January – World of Sport (1965–1985)
• 23 January – Public Eye (1965–1975)
• 30 September – Thunderbirds (1965–1966)
• 1 October – The Addams Family (1964–1966)
• 2 October – Lost in Space (1965–1968, 2018–present)
• 8 November – My Mother the Car (1965–1966)

Changes of network affiliation

1920s

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

1930s

• BBC Cricket (1939, 1946–1999, 2020–2024)

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

• 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, 2005–present)
• World in Action (1963–1998)
• The Likely Lads (1964–1966)
• Redcap (1964–1966)
• The Wednesday Play (1964–1970)
• Mr. and Mrs. (1964–1999, 2008–2010, 2012–present)
• Top of the Pops (1964–2006)
• Match of the Day (1964–present)
• Crossroads (1964–1988, 2001–2003)
• Play School (1964–1988)