1994 in British television

January

• 1 January – BBC2 airs the first Hootenanny, an annual New Year's Eve music show hosted by Jools Holland. The show includes performances from Sting, the Gipsy Kings and Sly and Robbie.^[1]
• 2 January – BBC2 begins a repeat run of the 1960s US television series The Fugitive.^[2]
• 3 January – ITV screens the network television premiere of Licence to Kill, starring Timothy Dalton as James Bond.^[3]
• 4 January – Sky One moves E Street back to the 6.30pm weekday timeslot with the afternoon repeat shown the following day at 12.30pm, while Paradise Beach moves to 6.00pm and 12.00pm, thus creating an "Aussie Soap Hour" on the channel.
• 7 January – ZZZap! is back with a brand new series on ITV with a new character called Daisy Dares You played by Deborah McCallum taking over the part of Tricky Dicky and Smart Arty's segments have been updated with him using a magic pen to draw pictures that come to life.
• 8 January – BBC1 begins airing the US sci-fi series The New Adventures of Superman, starring Dean Cain and Teri Hatcher.^[4]
• 10 January – The Welsh language soap opera Pobol y Cwm makes its debut in the rest of the UK when BBC2 begins airing episodes daily from Mondays to Thursdays.^[5] The series was, shown with English subtitles, aired on BBC2 for three months,^[6] and on an experimental basis.^[7]
• 13 January – David Dimbleby takes over as host of Question Time.^[8]
• 14 January – An episode of the television soap Brookside shows a lesbian kiss between two of its characters.^[9][10]
• 16 January – The first edition of archeology series Time Team is broadcast on Channel 4.
• 20 January – BBC 1 airs an edition of Question Time from Birmingham, which includes a confrontation between Jeffrey Archer and David Starkey over the age of homosexual consent.
• January – TCI acquires a 60.4% stake in Flextech.^[11] This gives the company a 25% stake in UK Gold.^[12]

February

• 4 February – Following a review of the broadcasting ban conducted by Heritage Secretary Peter Brooke the Major government decides to maintain the status quo.^[13]

March

• 4 March – BBC2 shows the network television premiere of Laurel Avenue, the acclaimed US miniseries that tells the story of an eventful weekend in the lives of an extended African American family living in St. Paul, Minnesota.^[14] The second part is aired on 6 March.^[15]
• 17 March – Robbie Williams and Mark Owen of Take That present an edition of Top of the Pops, becoming the first of a list of celebrities to guest present the show between 1994 and 1996 under the banner of the golden mic.
• 18 March – Play Your Cards Right returns to ITV after a seven year break, once again with Bruce Forsyth as host.^[16]
• 25 March – Lynne Perrie makes her final appearance as Coronation Street battleaxe Ivy Tilsley. The press later speculates that Perrie's decision to have plastic surgery without consulting her bosses was the reason for her departure, though Perrie denied this, insisting that she felt that her character had simply run its course. Ivy's death occurs off screen the following year.

April

• 7 April – BBC Scotland makes history by televising a criminal trial as part of its Focal Point strand.
• 11 April – BBC1 introduces a third weekly episode of EastEnders which airs on Mondays at 8:00pm.^[17]
• 12 April – Paula Tilbrook makes her debut in Emmerdale as long-serving character Betty Eagleton.
• 16 April – BBC2 celebrates its 30th birthday (four days early) with an evening of programmes selected and introduced by former controller David Attenborough. Among them are episodes of Elizabeth R and The Barry Humphries Show, a 1967 documentary about politics in India and a new episode of Call My Bluff.^[18]
• 18 April – Blockbusters debuts on Sky One for a first time.
• 30 April – Ireland's Paul Harrington and Charlie McGettigan win the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest with "Rock 'n' Roll Kids".

May

• 2 May – BBC2 airs Cry Freedom, Richard Attenborough's acclaimed film about South African journalist Donald Woods.^[19]
• 3 May – Channel 4 starts broadcasting Brookside on Tuesdays instead of Mondays which means the soap is now seen on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
• 5 May – The Simpsons 100th episode airs on Sky1.
• 10 May – Launch of BBC Worldwide.
• 12 May –
  • The European Commission of Human Rights rejects a legal challenge brought by the National Union of Journalists seeking to take the British government to court for breach of freedom of expression under the European Convention of Human Rights over the broadcast ban.^[20][21]
  • The death of Labour Party leader and Leader of the Opposition John Smith, who suffered a fatal heart attack. That evening's edition of the BBC Nine O'Clock News is extended to an hour, meaning the following programme due to air at 9.30 and coincidentally entitled Cardiac Arrest is postponed. Panellists on the evening's edition of Question Time, including George Robertson and Menzies Campbell, depart from the usual political debate to pay tribute to Smith.
• 23 May – The BBC2 youth strand DEF II comes to an end after six years.^[22]
• 25 May – First broadcast of the Wipeout television game show created by Bob Fraser.^[23]
• 30 May – Release of the Comic Relief single "Absolutely Fabulous" by the Pet Shop Boys, named for the popular television sitcom of the same name. The song reaches number six on the UK Singles Chart.^[24]

June

• 3 June – Broadcast of an episode of Have I Got News for You in which panelist Ian Hislop was suffering from appendicitis during filming. Having spent most of that day in hospital awaiting treatment, he temporarily discharged himself to record the episode, before returning to undergo surgery.
• 5–10 June – Sue Lawley presents News '44, a series of news bulletin-style programmes to mark the 50th anniversary of D-Day.
• 6 June – Due to a failed satellite link, BBC1 is unable to broadcast a remembrance concert marking the 50th anniversary of D-Day. Instead it is forced to show recorded highlights of D-Day commemoration events and a repeated Wildlife on One documentary about racoons. The concert, featuring Dame Vera Lynn and other stars, from the QE2 off the Normandy port of Cherbourg, is recorded and shown three days later.^[25]
• 17 June–17 July – The BBC and ITV show live coverage of the 1994 FIFA World Cup.
• 19 June – That's Life!, the long-running BBC magazine programme presented by Esther Rantzen, is broadcast for the last time following twenty one years on air.^[26]
• 20 June – The BBC's Arabic television service is launched, with funding from the Saudi Arabian Mawarid Group.
• 21 June – BBC1 begins its Daily Detective season, a short season of episodes from 1980s US detective series. The first programme is an episode from Remington Steele with Pierce Brosnan and Stephanie Zimbalist.^[27] The season includes episodes from Cagney & Lacey (aired on Mondays),^[28] Remington Steele on Tuesdays,^[29] Quincy on Wednesdays,^[30] Charlie's Angels on Thursdays,^[31] and Moonlighting on Fridays.^[32] The season ends with Moonlighting on 30 September.^[33]

July

• 1 July – Launch of the BBC's Japanese News and Information Service.
• 3 July – Gerry Goldwyre wins the 1994 series of MasterChef.
• 9 July – Gerry and Sylvia Anderson's well known science-fiction electronic marionette puppet (known as Supermarionation) series Thunderbirds receives its premiere in the United States for the first time. The series airs on Fox Kids every Saturday morning however the voices and music have been redubbed and the timeslot for the episodes have been cut to 30 minutes rather than the original 60.
• 11 July – Following the death of Dennis Potter in June, BBC1 begins re-showing his television play The Singing Detective.^[34]
• 12 July – To coincide with the 2,000th episode of Neighbours, BBC1 airs Ramsay Street Revisited, an omnibus of the first five episodes of the series from 1985.^[35]
• 14 July – BBC1 airs Episode 1000 of EastEnders, and Episode 2000 of Neighbours.^[36][37]
• 16 July – John Finch, performing as Marti Pellow wins the fifth series of Stars in Their Eyes.

August

• 11 August – Frazer Hines makes his final appearance in Emmerdale.
• 11–12 August – BBC1 airs a two-part adaptation of the Stephen King novel It.^[38][39]
• 16 August – A new channel, Sky Sports 2 launches.
• 18 August – The BBC begins airing coverage of the 1994 Commonwealth Games from Victoria, Canada.^[40]
• 19 August – Sky Sports 2 launches, initially as a weekend-only service, and Sky Sports is renamed Sky Sports 1.
• 27 August – BBC2 presents a night of programming dedicated to ATV.^[41]
• 28 August – The Commonwealth Games come to a conclusion in Victoria, Canada, after ten days.^[42]

September

• 3 September – BBC1 airs the UK terrestrial television premiere of Terminator 2: Judgment Day with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton.^[43]
• 16 September – The restrictions that prevents radio and television broadcasting the voices of members of some Irish political and military groups are lifted in the wake of the Provisional IRA's ceasefire declaration.^[44][45]
• 17 September – BBC2 airs the first edition of Top of the Pops 2, a programme showing footage from present day editions of Top of the Pops, as well as material from the series' archive.^[46]
• 21 September – University Challenge returns to British TV, making its debut on BBC2 with Jeremy Paxman as host.^[47]
• 22 September – BBC1 airs the Inside Story documentary Silent Twin – Without My Shadow, a film about June and Jennifer Gibbons, identical twins who became known as "The Silent Twins" because they only communicated with each other.^[48]
• 26 September – ITV airs the network television premiere of Gremlins 2: The New Batch.
• September – Sky One moves E Street to a 7.00pm weekday timeslot.

October

• 3 October – Two more channels, Sky Soap and Sky Real Lives, then known as Sky Travel, launch.
• 6 October –
  • Debut of the Central Television soap Revelations, a series about a clergyman and his family written by Russell T. Davies. The series, which was only aired in some ITV regions ran for two seasons, and featured Davies' first gay character, a lesbian vicar named Joan (played by Sue Holderness) who comes out during a two-hander episode with another female character.
  • Brum returns for a new series on BBC1.^[49]
• 9 October – Debut of Seaforth, an epic love story beginning in World War II Yorkshire, and starring Linus Roache and Lia Williams.^[50] The series concludes on 4 December.^[51]
• 17 October – The Morning on BBC1, a new weekday morning schedule of magazine, chat and entertainment programmes introduced by Mo Dutta begins airing. The lineup includes Good Morning with Anne and Nick.^[52]
• 21 October – BBC1 airs the British television premiere of Backdraft.^[53]
• 24 October – The Sharongate storyline in EastEnders, centred around the character of Sharon Mitchell (played by Letitia Dean) reaches its finale. The episode is watched by 25.3 million viewers.
• 25 October – Fireman Sam returns to BBC1 with a brand new series only running for eight episodes.

November

• 4 November – Leslie Crowther announces his retirement from show business.
• 7 November – Barbara Windsor makes her EastEnders debut as Peggy Mitchell. The character had previously been briefly played by Jo Warne in 1991.
• 10 November –
  • To coincide with the 20th anniversary of the disappearance of Lord Lucan following the murder of his children's nanny, ITV airs The Trial of Lord Lucan, a production by Granada Television which sees a fictional dramatisation of how a trial against the peer might proceed.^[54]
  • The first episode of the Dawn French sitcom The Vicar Of Dibley airs on BBC1.^[55]
• 11 November – The BBC apologises after its Ceefax teletext service mistakenly reports the death of the Queen Mother. The item – described as a rehearsal script – is on screen for 30 seconds before being removed.^[56] The Queen Mother died in 2002.
• 13 November – Katie Targett-Adams wins the 1994 series of Junior MasterChef.
• 16 November – Basic Instinct receives its terrestrial television premiere on ITV, where it is watched by 7.35 million viewers.^[57]
• 17 November – Final episode of the fourth season of Fireman Sam is broadcast on BBC1. It is also the very last episode animated by Bumper Films and narrated by John Alderton.
• 18 November – Debut of The Trial, a series of documentaries aired on BBC2,^[58] which were filmed largely inside Scottish courts in 1993 and early 1994. Filming of the series is possible because Criminal Justice Act 1925, the legislation banning photography in British courts does not appl in Scotland.
• 19 November – BBC1 airs the first National Lottery draw, which is hosted by Noel Edmonds.^[59]
• 20 November –
  • Network television debut of The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles on BBC1. Initially aired on Sunday afternoons, the series is switched to an early Saturday evening slot from January 1995.^[60][61]
  • Airdate of the Everyman episode Portrait of a Serial Killer, in which Lionel Dahmer talks about discovering his son, Jeffrey Dahmer was a serial killer.^[62]
• 26 November – BBC1 shows the documentary Girl Friday, in which Joanna Lumley spends nine days on a desert island with just a basic survival kit and a film crew.^[63]

December

• 3 December – Comedian Larry Grayson makes his final television appearance at the Royal Variety Performance (recorded on 28 November). He had been absent from television for some years and made reference to this during his act, commenting to the audience, "They thought I was dead!". He died the following month.
• 17 December – BBC2 begins a season of films starring Burt Lancaster following his death in October. The season opens with Elmer Gantry, a 1960 film in which Lancaster stars alongside Jean Simmons.^[64]
• 20 December – ITV airs the final episode of the long running animated children's television series The Raggy Dolls.
• 21 December – The BBC subscription service BBC Select ends broadcasts after two years on air.^[65]
• 23 December – BBC1 airs Simply Red – Live, a concert given by Simply Red in their home town of Manchester.^[66]
• 24 December – Final edition of The Generation Game to be presented by Bruce Forsyth.^[67]
• 25 December –
  • Christmas Day highlights include the British television premiere of Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves on BBC1.^[68]
  • ITV screens its first Christmas episode of Heartbeat, titled "A Winter's Tale".
• 29 December –
  • BBC1 airs the final episode of Brum for now, but the show will return for brand new revamped series in 2001 and will continue being repeated on the BBC. It is also Toyah Willcox's final episode as narrator for the series.
  • British television premiere of In Bed with Madonna, a film following singer Madonna during her 1990 Blonde Ambition Tour, and broadcast by BBC2.^[69]
• 31 December –
  • New Year's Eve highlights on BBC1 include Barbra Streisand – The Concert, a performance given by Barbra Streisand at Ponds, California earlier in the year.^[70]
  • BBC2's highlights for New Year's Eve include Plague and the Moonflower, a musical drama about the human race's abuse of the planet.^[71]

Unknown

• The first BBC website is created for the BBC 2 series The Net.
• Australian television series for preschoolers Bananas in Pyjamas debuts on British television, first airing on Nickelodeon and then later on ITV.

BBC1

• 4 January –
  • All Quiet on the Preston Front (1994–1997)
  • Teddy Trucks (1994)
• 8 January –
  • / Eek! The Cat (1992–1997)
  • The New Adventures of Superman (1993–1997)
• 30 January – Incredible Games (1994–1995)
• 13 March – Pie in the Sky (1994–1997)
• 24 March – Grushko (1994)
• 7 April – // Secret Life of Toys (1994)
• 25 May – Wipeout (1994–2002)
• 12 June – Love on a Branch Line (1994)
• 16 July – Pets Win Prizes (1994–1996)
• 23 July – SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron (1993–1994)
• 24 July – Small Talk (1994–1996)
• 29 August – Animal Hospital (1994–2004)
• 7 September – Common as Muck (1994–1997)
• 12 September – Monster Cafe (1994–1995)
• 18 September – Paul Merton's Palladium Story (1994)
• 28 September – / Dino Babies (1994–1995)
• 5 October – SMart (1994–2009)
• 9 October – Seaforth (1994)
• 25 October – William's Wish Wellingtons (1994–1996)
• 10 November –
  • The Vicar of Dibley (1994–2007)
  • Crocodile Shoes (1994)
• 19 November – The National Lottery Draws (1994–2017)
• 20 November – The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles (1992–1993)
• 27 November – A Mind to Kill (1994–2004)
• 11 December – The Wimbledon Poisoner (1994)

BBC2

• 9 January – The High Life (1994–1995)
• 19 January – The Day Today (1994)
• 26 June – / Fievel's American Tails (1992)
• 30 June – / The Bots Master (1993–1994)
• 4 July – Room 101 (1994–2007)
• 12 July – Floyd on Fish (1994)
• 17 September – Top of the Pops 2 (1994–present)
• 18 September – Reputations (1994–2002)
• 19 September – Working Lunch (1994–2010)
• 27 September – The Fast Show (1994–1997, 2000)
• 9 October – // The Busy World of Richard Scarry (1994–1997)
• 24 October – Ready Steady Cook (1994–2010)
• 6 November – // Stone Protectors (1993)

ITV

• 4 January – Budgie the Little Helicopter (1994–1996)
• 7 January – The Magic House (1994–1996)
• 10 January –
  • Do-It-Yourself Mr. Bean (1994)
  • Under the Hammer (1994)
• 17 January – Law and Disorder (1994)
• 6 February – Dandelion Dead (1994)
• 24 February – Animaniacs (1993–1998)
• 28 February – Talking Telephone Numbers (1994–1997)
• 18 March – Chris Cross (1994–1995)
• 7 April –
  • Stanley's Dragon (1994)
  • Class Act (1994–1995)
• 10 April – The Knock (1994–2000)
• 25 April – Mind the Baby, Mr. Bean (1994)
• 6 May – Molly's Gang (1994–1995)
• 29 May – Cadfael One Corpse Too Many (1994 Season 1 Episode 1)
• 5 June – Cadfael The Sanctuary Sparrow (1994 Season 1 Episode 2)
• 12 June – Cadfael The Leper of Saint Giles (1994 Season 1 Episode 3)
• 13 June – / Dr. Zitbag's Transylvania Pet Shop (1994–1997)
• 19 June – Cadfael Monk's Hood (1994 Season 1 Episode 4)
• 15 July – Body Heat (1994–1996)
• 20 July – The Ink Thief (1994)
• 21 July – Downwardly Mobile (1994)
• 23 July – Scavengers (1994–1995)
• 24 July – Wycliffe (1994–1998)
• 19 August – Which Way to the War (1994)
• 7 September –
  • Police Camera Action! (1994–2008)
  • Faith
• 14 September – The Wanderer (1994)
• 18 September – // Magic Adventures of Mumfie (1994)
• 25 October – Back to School Mr. Bean (1994)
• 12 November – Open Fire (1994)
• 17 November – Finney (1994)
• 25 December – Mole's Christmas (1994)

Channel 4

• 16 January – Time Team (1994–2014)
• 12 February – Don't Forget Your Toothbrush (1994–1995)
• 29 May – The Odyssey (1992–1994)
• 7 June – Little Napoleons (1994)
• 30 July – The People's Parliament (1994–1999)
• 3 August – Biker Mice from Mars (1993–1996)
• 12 August – The World of Hammer (1994)
• 14 October – Paris (1994)

Sky One

• 3 April – / Highlander: The Series (1992–1998)
• 23 April – / Kung Fu: The Legend Continues (1993–1997)
• July – / The First Circle (1992)
• 14 September – // The Wanderer (1994)
• 3 October –
  • Spellbound (1994–1996)
  • Space Precinct (1994–1995)
• 26 October – One West Waikiki (1994–1996)
• 13 November – / A Mind to Kill (1994–2002)
• 14 December – Scarlett (1994)

The Children's Channel

• 5 September – / Cococinel (1992)

Cartoon Network UK

• Unknown –
  • The Completely Mental Misadventures of Ed Grimley (1988)
  • Pound Puppies (1986–1988)
  • / Young Robin Hood (1991–1992)
  • Shirt Tales (1982–1984)

Nickelodeon UK

• Unknown – Pee-wee's Playhouse (1986–1990)
  • The New Adventures of Speed Racer (1993)
  • Where on Earth is Carmen Sandiego? (1994–1999)
  • Katie and Orbie (1994–1996, 2001–2002)
  • Bananas in Pyjamas (1992–2001)
  • Garbage Pail Kids (1987)
  • Capitol Critters (1992–1995)

New channels

Changes of network affiliation

Shows	Moved from	Moved to
Blockbusters	ITV	Sky1
Jem		The Children's Channel
Men Behaving Badly		BBC1
This Is Your Life
// Inspector Gadget		Channel 4
Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventures
Super Mario World	The Children's Channel
The Fruitties		Cartoon Network
/ The Smoggies		Nickelodeon
The Devil and Daniel Mouse	BBC1	The Children's Channel
The Adventures of Blinky Bill
/ Eek! The Cat
Teddy Trucks
Bananas in Pyjamas	Nickelodeon	ITV
Katie and Orbie		Channel 4
Rocko's Modern Life
X-Men	Sky1	BBC1

Returning this year after a break of one year or longer

• 10 January – The new version of Rainbow (1972–1992, 1994–1995)
• 18 March – Play Your Cards Right (1980–1987, 1994–1999, 2002–2003)
• 18 April – Blockbusters (1983–1993, 1994–1995, 1997, 2000–2001, 2012)
• 21 September – University Challenge (1962–1987 ITV, 1994–present BBC)

1920s

• BBC Wimbledon (1927–present)

1930s

• BBC Cricket (1939–1999, 2020–2024)

1940s

• Come Dancing (1949–1998)

1950s

• Panorama (1953–present)
• Take Your Pick (1955–1968, 1992–1998)
• 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)
• World in Action (1963–1998)
• Top of the Pops (1964–2006)
• Match of the Day (1964–present)
• Mr. and Mrs. (1964–1999)
• Jackanory (1965–1996, 2006)
• Sportsnight (1965–1997)
• Call My Bluff (1965–2005)
• The Money Programme (1966–2010)

1970s

• Emmerdale (1972–present)
• Newsround (1972–present)
• Last of the Summer Wine (1973–2010)
• Wish You Were Here...? (1974–2003)
• Celebrity Squares (1975–1979, 1993–1997, 2014–present)
• Arena (1975–present)
• One Man and His Dog (1976–present)
• Grange Hill (1978–2008)
• Antiques Roadshow (1979–present)
• Question Time (1979–present)

1980s

• Children in Need (1980–present)
• Timewatch (1982–present)
• Brookside (1982–2003)
• Countdown (1982–present)
• Right to Reply (1982–2001)
• Spitting Image (1984–1996)
• The Bill (1984–2010)
• Channel 4 Racing (1984–2016)
• EastEnders (1985–present)
• The Cook Report (1985–1998)
• Crosswits (1985–1998)
• Telly Addicts (1985–1998)
• Comic Relief (1985–present)
• Beadle's About (1986–1996)
• The Chart Show (1986–1998, 2008–2009)
• Casualty (1986–present)
• Allsorts (1987–1995)
• Going for Gold (1987–1996, 2008–2009)
• The Time, The Place (1987–1996)
• Chain Letters (1987–1997)
• ChuckleVision (1987–2009)
• You Bet! (1988–1997)
• Playdays (1988–1997)
• London's Burning (1988–2002)
• On the Record (1988–2002)
• Fifteen to One (1988–2003, 2013–present)
• This Morning (1988–present)
• Birds of a Feather (1989–1998, 2014–present)
• A Bit of Fry & Laurie (1989–1995)
• Bodger & Badger (1989–1999)

1990s

• Mr. Bean (1990–1995)
• The Crystal Maze (1990–1995)
• Keeping Up Appearances (1990–1995)
• The Dreamstone (1990–1995)
• Turnabout (1990–1996)
• The Upper Hand (1990–1996)
• Drop the Dead Donkey (1990–1998)
• Stars in Their Eyes (1990–2006)
• Big Break (1991–2002)
• 2point4 Children (1991–1999)
• The Brittas Empire (1991–1997)
• Bottom (1991–1995)
• Soldier Soldier (1991–1997)
• Brum (1991–1994, 2001–2002)
• Noel's House Party (1991–1999)
• GamesMaster (1992–1998)
• Heartbeat (1992–2010)
• Men Behaving Badly (1992–1998)
• The Big Breakfast (1992–2002)
• Noddy's Toyland Adventures (1992–1999)
• 999 (1992–2003)
• Absolutely Fabulous (1992–1996, 2001–2004, 2011–2012)
• Chef! (1993–1996)
• Doctor Finlay (1993–1996)
• Saturday Disney (1993–1996)
• Breakfast with Frost (1993–2005)
• ZZZap! (1993–2001)
• Avenger Penguins (1993–1994)
• Jo Brand Through the Cakehole (1993–1996)
• Mr. Motivator exercise routines (1993–2000)
• Wipeout (1994–2002)