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1981 In British Television
This is a list of British television related events from 1981. Events January *1 January – The Channel Four Television Company is established in preparation for the launch of Channel 4. *5 January **Debut of the BBC1 soap ''Triangle'', a twice-weekly series set aboard a North Sea ferry and filmed on location using outside broadcast cameras. The website TVARK describes the programme as being chiefly remembered as "some of the most mockable British television ever produced" owing to its clichéd storylines and stilted dialogue as well as being notable for its troubled production. It is axed after three series in 1983. **''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'', the television version of Douglas Adams' radio comedy of the same name makes its debut on BBC2. *20 January – BBC2 airs live coverage of the inauguration of Ronald Reagan as the 40th President of the United States. *22 January – The US sitcom ''Benson'' makes its UK debut on ITV. February *10 February – Alan Roger ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
British Television
Regular television broadcasts in the United Kingdom started in 1936 as a public service which was free of advertising, which followed the first demonstration of a transmitted moving image in 1926. Currently, the United Kingdom has a collection of free-to-air, free-to-view and subscription services over a variety of distribution media, through which there are over 480 channelsTaking the base Sky EPG TV Channels. A breakdown is impossible due to a) the number of platforms, b) duplication of services, c) regional services, d) part time operations, and e) audio. For the Sky platform alone, there are basically 485 TV channels, additionally 57 "timeshifted versions", 36 HDTV versions, 42 regional TV options, 81 audio channels, and 5 promotion channels as of mid-2010 for consumers as well as on-demand content. There are six main channel owners who are responsible for most material viewed. There are 27,000 hours of domestic content produced a year, at a cost of £2.6 billion.Taki ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Logopolis
''Logopolis'' is the seventh and final serial of the Doctor Who (season 18), 18th season of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in four weekly parts on BBC One, BBC1 from 28 February to 21 March 1981. It was Tom Baker's last story as the Fourth Doctor and marks the first appearance of Peter Davison as the Fifth Doctor and Janet Fielding as new Companion (Doctor Who), companion Tegan Jovanka. The serial is set on the planets Earth and Logopolis. In the serial, the Doctor, a Time travel in fiction, time traveller from the planet Gallifrey, forms a temporary truce with his arch-enemy The Master (Doctor Who), the Master (Anthony Ainley) to stop the unravelling of the universe which the Master had started by accident. The serial was the last Doctor Who story aired on Saturday nights for 2 years. When Peter Davison took over as the Fifth Doctor from January 1982, the BBC moved Doctor Who from Saturday nights to a new weekday prime tim ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wedding Of Prince Charles And Lady Diana Spencer
The wedding of the Prince of Wales (future King Charles III) and Lady Diana Spencer took place on Wednesday, 29 July 1981, at St Paul's Cathedral in London, United Kingdom. The groom was the heir apparent to the British throne, and the bride was a member of the Spencer family. The ceremony was a traditional Church of England wedding service. Alan Webster, Dean of St Paul's, presided at the service, and Robert Runcie, Archbishop of Canterbury, conducted the marriage. Notable figures in attendance included many members of other royal families, republican heads of state, and members of the bride's and groom's families. After the ceremony, the couple made the traditional appearance on the balcony of Buckingham Palace. The United Kingdom had a national holiday on that day to mark the wedding. The ceremony featured many ceremonial aspects, including use of the state carriages and roles for the Foot Guards and Household Cavalry. Their marriage was widely billed as a "fairytale wedd ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Coronation Street
''Coronation Street'' is an English soap opera created by Granada Television and shown on ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres around a cobbled, terraced street in Weatherfield, a fictional town based on inner-city Salford. Originally broadcast twice weekly, the series began airing six times a week in 2017. The programme was conceived by scriptwriter Tony Warren. Warren's initial proposal was rejected by the station's founder Sidney Bernstein, but he was persuaded by producer Harry Elton to produce the programme for 13 pilot episodes, and the show has since become a significant part of English culture. ''Coronation Street'' is made by ITV Granada at MediaCityUK and shown in all ITV regions, as well as internationally. In 2010, upon its 50th anniversary, the series was recognised by Guinness World Records, as the world's longest-running television soap opera. Initially influenced by the conventions of kitchen sink realism, ''Coronation Street'' is noted for its ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Deirdre Langton
Deirdre Anne Barlow (also Hunt, Langton and Rachid) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street'', played by Anne Kirkbride. She made her first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 20 November 1972. Her final appearance was on 8 October 2014. Kirkbride decided to take an extended break from the soap in autumn 2014 and last appeared on-screen on 8 October 2014. She died in January 2015 before she could return to work. The character of Deirdre was killed off and given a farewell storyline, with her funeral taking place on 13 July 2015. An official book focusing on the character's history was released as a tribute for fans of the show in October 2015. Storylines Aged eighteen, Deirdre goes on a date with Jimmy Frazer ( John Barrie), but when she is introduced to his business partner Alan Howard (Alan Browning), she quickly loses interest and flirts with Alan instead. Elsie Tanner (Pat Phoenix) finds them in the pub where they are drin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ken Barlow (Coronation Street)
Ken Barlow is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'', played by William Roache. He was created by Tony Warren as one of ''Coronation Street''s original characters and December 2020 marked Ken's 60th anniversary onscreen. He debuted in the soap's first episode on 9 December 1960. Having appeared in the role continuously since that date, Roache is the longest-serving actor in a televised soap opera, and was honoured at the 2010 Guinness World Records ceremony for the achievement, having surpassed actor Don Hastings from the American soap opera ''As the World Turns'', who previously held this title. Roache stated in 2010 that he had no plans to leave the role and would remain in ''Coronation Street'' for as long as the producers would have him. In November 2020, Roache was again presented with the ''Guinness World Record'' for the longest serving TV soap star in the world for his six decades in ''Coronation Street''. Ken Barlow was introd ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Razzmatazz (UK TV Series)
''Razzmatazz'' was a music-based children's television programme that ran on ITV between 2 June 1981 and 2 January 1987. ''Razzmatazz'' was produced by Tyne Tees Television for Children's ITV and featured presenters Alastair Pirrie and Lyn Spencer. Later presenters included Brendan Healy, Suzanne Dando and singer Lisa Stansfield, who joined the show when she was 16. The show featured the latest pop acts performing their current single, interspersed with games and other items such as cooking. The show was recorded in Newcastle with the audience largely made up of pupils from nearby schools. Acts featured on the show included Kate Bush, David Essex David Essex (born David Albert Cook; 23 July 1947) is an English singer, songwriter, and actor. Since the 1970s, he has attained 19 Top 40 singles in the UK (including two number ones) and 16 Top 40 albums. Internationally, Essex had the most ..., Chas and Dave, Lynsey de Paul, Madness (band), Madness, Kim Wilde, Bucks Fizz, Seona ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Grandstand (TV Series)
''Grandstand'' was a British television sport programme. Broadcast between 1958 and 2007, it was one of the BBC's longest running sports shows, alongside ''BBC Sports Personality of the Year''. The last editions of ''Grandstand'' were broadcast over the weekend of 27–28 January 2007. History During the 1950s, sports coverage on television in the United Kingdom gradually expanded. The BBC regularly broadcast sports programmes with an outside studio team, occasionally from two or three separate locations. Production assistant Bryan Cowgill put forward a proposal for a programme lasting three hours; one hour dedicated to major events and two hours showing minor events. Outside Broadcast members held a meeting in April 1958, and Cowgill further detailed his plans taking timing and newer technical facilities into consideration. During the development of the programme, problems arose over the proposed schedule which would result in the programme ending at 4:45pm to allow children ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Spearhead From Space
''Spearhead from Space'' is the first serial of the seventh season in the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in four weekly parts on BBC1 from 3 to 24 January 1970. It was the first ''Doctor Who'' serial to be produced in colour and the only one to be made entirely on 16 mm film. In the serial, which is set in Essex and London, the alien time traveller the Doctor (Jon Pertwee John Devon Roland "Jon" Pertwee (; 7 July 1919 – 20 May 1996) was an English actor, comedian, entertainer, cabaret performer and TV presenter. Born into a theatrical family, he served in the Royal Navy and the Naval Intelligence Division during ...), now exiled to Earth by the Time Lords, joins Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart (Nicholas Courtney) of UNIT and the scientist Liz Shaw (Caroline John) to stop the incorporeal intelligence the Nestenes from colonising the planet through their use of the Autons, plastic killers which act as human duplicates and sh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Doctor Who (season 7)
The seventh season of British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' began on 3 January 1970 with Jon Pertwee's first story ''Spearhead from Space'' and ended with ''Inferno''. The first season to be made in colour, it marked the beginning of Barry Letts's five seasons as series producer, but it has been described as "essentially devised" by his predecessor, Derrick Sherwin, who produced the opening story. The season sees the beginning of the Doctor's exile to Earth by the Time Lords and his attachment to UNIT as its scientific advisor. Casting Main cast * Jon Pertwee as the Third Doctor * Caroline John as Liz Shaw Jon Pertwee makes his first appearance as the Third Doctor, replacing Patrick Troughton in the role. Caroline John makes her first appearance as companion and assistant Liz Shaw in ''Spearhead from Space'' and last in ''Inferno''. Recurring cast * Nicholas Courtney as Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart * John Levene as Sergeant Benton Nicholas Courtney re ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bucks Fizz (band)
Bucks Fizz were a British pop group that achieved success in the 1980s, most notably for winning the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Making Your Mind Up". The group was formed in January 1981 specifically for the contest and comprised four vocalists: Bobby G, Cheryl Baker, Mike Nolan and Jay Aston. They received attention for the dance routine which accompanied the song, in which the male members of the group ripped the female members' outer skirts off to reveal much shorter mini-skirts beneath. The group went on to have a successful career around the world (although they were commercially unsuccessful in the United States), but the UK remained their biggest market, where they had three No.1 singles with "Making Your Mind Up" (1981), " The Land of Make Believe" (1981) and "My Camera Never Lies" (1982) and became one of the top-selling groups of the 1980s. They also had UK Top 10 hits with "Now Those Days Are Gone" (1982), "If You Can't Stand the Heat" (1982), " Wh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Making Your Mind Up
"Making Your Mind Up" is a song by the British pop group Bucks Fizz. It was the winner of the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest, representing the , and was composed by Andy Hill and John Danter. Released in March 1981, it was Bucks Fizz's debut single, the group having been formed just two months earlier. Following its win in the contest, the song reached No. 1 in the UK and several other countries, eventually selling in excess of four million copies. It launched the career of the group, who went on to become one of the biggest selling acts of the 1980s and featured on their debut, self-titled album. From 2004 to 2007 the BBC used the name ''Making Your Mind Up'' for their Eurovision selection show in honour of the song. Background Origins In late 1980, songwriter Andy Hill composed "Making Your Mind Up" with an eye to entering it into the ''A Song for Europe'' finals the following year. Working with his then girlfriend, Nichola Martin, a singer and music publisher, she enc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
