1980 in British television
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This is a list of British television related events from 1980.
Events
January
- 1 January – A brand new sitcom called Hi-de-Hi! debuts on BBC1.
- 20 January – The British record TV audience for a film is set when some 23,500,000 viewers tune in for the ITV showing of the James Bond film Live and Let Die, released in 1973 and starring Roger Moore who is now in the process of filming his fifth film as the spy.[1]
- 28 January – The first edition of Newsnight is broadcast on BBC2. Its launch had been delayed for four months by the Association of Broadcasting Staff, at the time the main BBC trade union.[2]
February
- 1 February – Debut of Play Your Cards Right on ITV.[3]
- 25 February – The first episode of the popular political sitcom Yes Minister, "Open Government", is broadcast by BBC2.[4]
March
- March – The very first in-vision Ceefax transmissions are broadcast. These consist of three 30-minute transmissions broadcast between 0830 and 0900 on BBC1 and 1000-1030 and 1530-1600 on BBC2. However if BBC2 was transmitting programmes at these times, the channel would broadcast Ceefax pages for the 30 minutes prior to the start of the first programme.
April
- 4 April – Violet Carson makes her last appearance as Ena Sharples on Coronation Street.
- 9 April – ATV airs the critically acclaimed Death of a Princess, a drama documentary about a young princess from a fictitious Middle-Eastern Islamic nation and her lover who are publicly executed for adultery. The drama is believed to be based on the true story of Princess Misha'al bint Fahd al Saud and its showing causes a great deal of controversy, provoking an angry response from the Government of Saudi Arabia.
May
- 5 May – Both the BBC and ITV interrupt their scheduled programming to broadcast the SAS assault during the Iranian Embassy siege. The coverage launches the careers of several journalists, such as the BBC's Kate Adie, while ITN Director, David Goldsmith and his team receive a BAFTA for their coverage.
June
- 23 June – ITV airs the 2000th episode of Coronation Street.
July
- 19 July-3 August – BBC Television and ITV provide live coverage of the 1980 Summer Olympics.
August
- No events.
September
- 8 September – Watchdog is launched as a weekly slot on BBC1's news magazine programme Nationwide.[5]
October
- No events.
November
- 21 November –
- The first annual Children in Need charity appeal is organised by the BBC.[6]
- 21.5 million viewers tune in to watch the 1980–81 season premier of Dallas, which answers the question of Who shot J.R.?. At the time the audience figures are a record for a soap in Britain.[7][8]
December
- 8 December – Ian Allen's best known puppet series for children called Button Moon screens on ITV with narration by actor Robin Parkinson ('Allo 'Allo!) and a wonderful theme tune sung by husband and wife actors Peter Davison (Doctor Who) and Sandra Dickinson (The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The Amazing World of Gumball and The Tomorrow People).
- 9 December –
- The single drama The Flipside of Dominick Hide is first broadcast as part of the Play for Today series on BBC1.
- 20th anniversary of the first episode of Coronation Street.
- 25 December – British television premiere of the James Bond film The Man with the Golden Gun on ITV.[1]
- 28 December – The IBA announces the results of the 1980 franchise round. TSW will replace Westward and TVS will replace Southern. ATV must restructure the company to create a separate East and West Midlands service, and reduce the shareholding of its parent body to 51% by February 1981.[9]. Also announced is the winner of a national franchise to provide a breakfast television service on ITV. TV-am is awarded the contract to begin transmission in 1983.
- 30 December – The BBC announces their intention to launch their own breakfast television service to compete with TV-am, announced two days earlier. Breakfast Time is launched on BBC1 on 17 January 1983, two weeks before TV-am.
Unknown
- BBC2 and Yorkshire Television launch their computer generated clocks.
Debuts
BBC1
- 1 January – Hi-de-Hi! (1980–1988)
- 24 May – The Adventure Game (1980–1986)
- 30 August – Juliet Bravo (1980–1985)
- 3 September – Oh Happy Band! (1980)
- 8 September – Watchdog (1980–present)
- 13 September –
- 1 October – King Rollo (1980)
- 13 October – The Amazing Adventures of Morph (1980–1981)
- 15 October –
- 21 November – Children in Need (1980–present)
- 29 December –
BBC2
- 7 January – Training Dogs the Woodhouse Way (1980)
- 30 January – Newsnight (1980–present)
- 25 February – Yes Minister (1980–1988)
- 1 November – Did You See...? (1980–1993)
ITV
- 6 January – Family Fortunes (1980–1985, 1987–2002, 2006–present)
- 7 January – Keep It in the Family (1980–1983)
- 1 February – Play Your Cards Right (1980–1987, 1994–1999, 2002–2003)
- 19 February – Take the High Road (1980–2003)
- 11 April – The Gentle Touch (1980–1984)
- 6 May – Cockleshell Bay (1980–1986)
- 1 September – Just Liz (1980)
- 2 September – Arthur C. Clarke's Mysterious World (1980)
- 6 September – Metal Mickey (1980–1983)
- 24 September – Munch Bunch (1980–1982)
- 8 December – Button Moon (1980–1988)
- 16 December – An Audience with... (1980–present)
- 17 December – Secombe with Music (1980–1982)
- Unknown – Aubrey (1980)
Television shows
1920s
- BBC Wimbledon (1927–present)
1930s
- BBC Cricket (1939–1999, 2020–2024)
1940s
- Come Dancing (1949–1998)
1950s
- The Good Old Days (1953–1983)
- Panorama (1953–present)
- Crackerjack (1955–1984)
- What the Papers Say (1956–2008)
- The Sky at Night (1957–present)
- Blue Peter (1958–present)
- Grandstand (1958–2007)
1960s
- Coronation Street (1960–present)
- Songs of Praise (1961–present)
- Animal Magic (1962–1983)
- Doctor Who (1963–1989, 2005–present)
- World in Action (1963–1998)
- 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)
- World of Sport (1965–1985)
- Jackanory (1965–1996, 2006–present)
- Sportsnight (1965–1997)
- Call My Bluff (1965–2005)
- It's a Knockout (1966–1982, 1999–2001)
- The Money Programme (1966–present)
- ITV Playhouse (1967–1982)
- The Big Match (1968–2002)
- Nationwide (1969–1983)
- Screen Test (1969–1984)
1970s
- The Goodies (1970–1982)
- The Old Grey Whistle Test (1971–1987)
- The Two Ronnies (1971–1987, 1991, 1996, 2005)
- Clapperboard (1972–1982)
- Crown Court (1972–1984)
- Pebble Mill at One (1972–1986)
- Rainbow (1972–1992, 1994–1995)
- Emmerdale (1972–present)
- Newsround (1972–present)
- Weekend World (1972–1988)
- Pipkins (1973–1981)
- We Are the Champions (1973–1987)
- Last of the Summer Wine (1973–2010)
- That's Life! (1973–1994)
- It Ain't Half Hot Mum (1974–1981)
- Tiswas (1974–1982)
- Wish You Were Here...? (1974–2003)
- Arena (1975–present)
- Jim'll Fix It (1975–1994)
- The Muppet Show (1976–1981)
- When the Boat Comes In (1976–1981)
- Multi-Coloured Swap Shop (1976–1982)
- Rentaghost (1976–1984)
- One Man and His Dog (1976–present)
- Robin's Nest (1977–1981)
- You’re Only Young Twice (1977–1981)
- The Professionals (1977–1983)
- Blake's 7 (1978–1981)
- Strangers (1978–1982)
- Butterflies (1978–1983, 2000)
- 3-2-1 (1978–1988)
- Grange Hill (1978–2008)
- Agony (1979–1981)
- Something Else (1979–1981)
- To the Manor Born (1979–1981, 2007)
- Worzel Gummidge (1979–1981)
- Dick Turpin (1979–1982)
- Friday Night, Saturday Morning (1979–1982)
- Not the Nine O'Clock News (1979–1982)
- Only When I Laugh (1979–1982)
- Sapphire & Steel (1979–1982)
- Terry and June (1979–1987)
- The Book Tower (1979–1989)
- Blankety Blank (1979–1990, 1997–2002)
- The Paul Daniels Magic Show (1979–1994)
- Antiques Roadshow (1979–present)
- Question Time (1979–present)
Ending this year
- 6 June – Magpie (1968–1980)
- 7 August – The Cuckoo Waltz (1975–1980)
- 26 October – The Onedin Line (1971–1980)
- 21 December – Shoestring (1979–1980)
- 31 December – Citizen Smith (1977–1980)
Births
- 24 March — Amanda Davies, BBC sportscaster
- 8 April – Ben Freeman, actor
- 6 May – Jo Blythe, weather presenter
- 22 May – Lucy Gordon, actress and model (died 2009)
- 1 June – Oliver James, actor
- 4 June – Philip Olivier, actor
- 18 July – Tasmin Lucia-Khan, journalist and news presenter
- 23 August – Joanne Froggatt, actress
- 1 September – Lara Pulver, actress
- 6 September – Kerry Katona, television presenter, actress and singer
- 4 November – Amy Cole, reporter and presenter
- 19 November – Adele Silva, actress
- 5 December – Cherry Healey, television presenter
- 25 December – Laura Sadler, television actress (died 2003)
Deaths
| Date | Name | Age | Cinematic Credibility |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14 May | Hugh Griffith | 67 | film, stage and television actor |
| 26 April | Cicely Courtneidge | 87 | actress |
| 23 June | John Laurie | 83 | actor (Dad's Army) |
| 24 July | Peter Sellers | 54 | comedian and actor (Inspector Clouseau in The Pink Panther) |
| 24 August | Yootha Joyce | 53 | actor (Man About the House, George and Mildred) |
| 6 October | Hattie Jacques | 58 | actress |
| 8 December | John Lennon | 40 | singer (The Beatles) |
See also
References
- 1 2 "James Bond On TV – Movies". MI6 – The Home Of James Bond 007. 5 April 2011. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
- ↑ Andrew Billen "Flagship sails on", New Statesman, 7 February 2000
- ↑ "Play Your Cards Right". UKGameshows.com. Retrieved 18 August 2017.
- ↑ "Yes Minister – BBC Two England – 25 February 1980 – BBC Genome". Genome.ch.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2018-01-13.
- ↑ Nationwide - BBC One London - 8 September 1980 - BBC Genome
- ↑ "BBC Children in Need: Our History". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 23 April 2009.
- ↑ "Echoes of who shot JR". BBC News. BBC. 5 April 2001. Retrieved 8 June 2013.
- ↑ Bergan, Ronald (24 November 2012). "Larry Hagman obituary". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. Retrieved 8 June 2013.
- ↑ "Green light for breakfast television". BBC On This Day. 1980-12-28. Retrieved 15 May 2009.
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