1996 in British television

This is a list of British television-related events from 1996.

Events

January

*1 January – The James Bond film ''Never Say Never Again'' is aired as part of BBC1's New Year's Day schedule, starring Sean Connery.
*3 January – Debut of ''Hetty Wainthropp Investigates'' on BBC1, starring Patricia Routledge.
*7 January – ''The Herald'' (Glasgow) reports that STV have sold their shares in HTV to United News and Media.
*9 January – The US science-fiction series ''The X-Files'' makes its debut on BBC1 with the episode ''Humbug''.
*12 January – Gaby Roslin presents her final edition of ''The Big Breakfast'' on Channel 4 after three years, weeping live on the air.
*14 January – The network television premiere of ''Father of the Bride'' on ITV, starring Steve Martin and Diane Keaton.
*15 January – Zoe Ball begins hosting ''The Big Breakfast'' on Channel 4.
*15 January–11 March – ''Our Friends in the North'', a nine-part drama spanning from the 1960s to the 1990s in the lives of four friends, begins airing on BBC2.
*22 January – The Sci-Fi Channel begins airing episodes 109–150 of the BSB soap ''Jupiter Moon'' which were not televised during the series original 1990 run. Two episodes are aired per day up to 19 February.
*23 January – The network television premiere of ''Single White Female'' on ITV, starring Bridget Fonda and Jennifer Jason Leigh.
*26 January – The findings of the judicial review into the ITC's decision to award the licence for a fifth UK television channel to Channel 5 Broadcasting Ltd are published. The review concludes that there was no illegality or unfairness in the process.
*January – L!VE TV introduces the News Bunny.

February

*5 February – '' Breakfast News Extra'' is launched. The 20-minute programme which airs at the end of the main edition of ''Breakfast News'' is presented by Juliet Morris.
*9 February – The entertainment show ''TFI Friday'' makes its debut on Channel 4, presented by Chris Evans. The show ran for six series over four and a half years until 2000.
*11 February – Debut of the Irish-set drama series ''Ballykissangel'' on BBC1.
*18 February – The final episode of the long-running satirical puppet show ''Spitting Image'' is broadcast on ITV.
*19 February – At the 1996 BRIT Awards, aired by ITV, Pulp's lead singer Jarvis Cocker invades the stage during Michael Jackson's performance of Earth Song. Jackson, surrounded by children was dressed as a Christ-like figure, an image which Cocker found objectionable.
*21 February – Debut of the long-running crime drama ''Silent Witness'' on BBC1, starring Amanda Burton.
*24 February – BBC1 begins airing a four-part adaptation of the Minette Walters psychological thriller ''The Sculptress''. The miniseries stars Pauline Quirke, Caroline Goodall and Christopher Fulford and is shown over two consecutive weekends, on 24–25 February and 2–3 March.

March

*1 March – The Media Authority of Berlin and Brandenburg (Medienanstalt Berlin-Brandenburg) awards a terrestrial television licence to BBC World, thought to be the first time a country has awarded a television frequency to a foreign broadcaster.
*2 March – The network television premiere of ''The Marrying Man'' on ITV, starring Kim Basinger and Alec Baldwin.
*4 March – ''Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends'' returns to with a new series once again narrated by Michael Angelis, but instead of airing on free-for-air television, it will now air on satellite and cable channel Cartoon Network.
*8 March – Mersey Television boss and creator of Channel 4 soaps ''Brookside'' and ''Hollyoaks'', Phil Redmond predicts that in the future, every major soap on television will be aired five nights a week.
*11 March – Launch of the business and financial news channel CNBC Europe which is based in London.
*13 March – In the wake of the Dunblane school massacre, ITV postpones the James Bond film ''Licence to Kill'' which was due to be shown this evening.
*14 March – Channel 4 is forced to apologise to viewers after an ident showing ''The Big Breakfast'' presenter Mark Little firing a gun at the camera is seen on screen the day after the Dunblane school massacre.
*16 March
**Cable channel L!VE TV stages a live reconstruction of the Frank Bruno vs. Mike Tyson fight using lookalike boxers as a way of hitting back at pay-per-view television on which the actual fight is being shown.
**The network television premiere of ''A Few Good Men'' on ITV, starring Tom Cruise, Demi Moore and Jack Nicholson.
**Debut of the crime drama series ''Dalziel and Pascoe'' on BBC1.
**Launch of the pay-per-view service Sky Box Office.
*18 March – Debut of the drama series ''This Life'' on BBC2.
*19 March – Debut of ''And The Beat Goes On'' on Channel 4.
*24 March
**ITV airs ''Coronation Street – The Cruise'', something which proves to be controversial as the film had only been released on VHS a few months earlier to celebrate the show's 35th anniversary.
**The final episode of the long-running storytelling series ''Jackanory'' is broadcast on BBC2, although it would be briefly revived in 2006.
*26 March – Cadbury becomes the first company to sponsor ''Coronation Street'' after signing a deal with Granada. The sponsorship will begin in September.
*30 March – The final episode of ''Saturday Disney'' is broadcast on ITV.
*March – After two years of ''Pages from Ceefax'' Level 2 teletext graphics, they return to using the more basic Level 1 Teletext format.

April

*1 April
**Sir Christopher Bland succeeds Marmaduke Hussey as Chairman of the BBC.
**All BBC commercial activities, including BBC Publications, is merged into BBC Enterprises Ltd.
*2 April – The popular comic strip character from ''The Beano'', Dennis the Menace, is brought to life with a new animated series on BBC1 as part of the CBBC lineup.
*5 April – BBC1 airs '' Eskimo Day'', Jack Rosenthal's poignant comedy about parents letting go of their children when they make their way in the world.
*13 April
**Channel 4 airs the first of ten editions of ''The Gaby Roslin Show'', a chat show presented by Gaby Roslin which aims to recapture the atmosphere of 1970s series such as '' Parkinson''. Ratings for the show quickly fall from 3 million to less than a million and it is panned by viewers and critics alike.
**Andi Peters and Emma Forbes present their final edition of ''Live & Kicking'' on BBC1.
*15 April – ITV airs Episode 4000 of ''Coronation Street''.
*18 April
**The ITC confirms the awarding of the Channel 5 licence to Channel 5 Broadcasting Ltd, setting out its broadcasting remit. 50% of programming must be original, while there are quotas for the amount of public service programming that must be aired.
** ''Marketing'' (magazine) reports that Midland Bank will sponsor ITV Drama Premieres, starting on 1 May with the latest series of '' Sharpe''.
*21 April – The BBC Arabic television service closes down when the Saudi backer pulls out following a row over coverage of the execution of a princess accused of adultery.
*23 April – Debut of ''Edward on Edward'', a documentary produced for ITV by Prince Edward's company Ardent Productions and is presented by the Prince himself. It tells the story of the Abdication of Edward VIII.
*27 April – Granada confirms that O. J. Simpson has been booked to appear on the first edition of Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan's new series, ''Tonight with Richard and Judy'', scheduled to air on 13 May. The former football star will be paid a nominal fee of £1 for his first interview since being cleared of murder in 1995, though Granada will also pay for his travel expenses. The interview proves to be controversial with both Madeley and Finnigan attracting media criticism for what is deemed to be their "candyfloss" questioning of Simpson. Ultimately, the show airs for just one series.
*April – The BBC becomes the world's first digital terrestrial broadcaster after conducting a test transmission.

May

*1 May – Imperial College London wins the 1995–96 series of ''University Challenge'' on BBC2, beating the London School of Economics 275–220.
*2 May – Debut on BBC1 of ''Airport'' on BBC1, a fly-on-the-wall documentary series about London's Heathrow Airport.
*6 May – BBC1 airs the first episode of a new series of ''The Liver Birds'' which catches up with Beryl (Polly James) and Sandra (Nerys Hughes) two decades on from the original series.
*13 May – After an eight year absence, the game show ''Call My Bluff'' returns to BBC1, presented by Bob Holness.
*18 May – Ireland's Eimear Quinn wins the 1996 Eurovision Song Contest with "The Voice".
*21 May – Bill Treacher makes his final appearance as ''EastEnders'' character Arthur Fowler. Having left the series in December 1995, he briefly returned to the role of Arthur to film scenes in which his character is killed off.
*24 May – The final edition of ''Good Morning with Anne and Nick'' is broadcast on BBC1.
*25 May
**Paul Doody wins the seventh series of ''Stars in Their Eyes'' on ITV, performing as Marti Pellow. He is the second Grand Final winner to portray the singer.
**Debut of the golf-based game show '' Full Swing'' on BBC1, presented by Jimmy Tarbuck. However, the series is not a success and is axed after eight episodes on 27 July.
*27 May – ''Doctor Who'', a US television movie continuation of the famous British series of the same name is broadcast on BBC1. It is regarded as being a part of the same story as the original series and is an unsuccessful pilot for a new, American co-produced series. This marks the end of Sylvester McCoy's era as the Seventh Doctor. Paul McGann stars as the Eighth Doctor. ''Doctor Who'' would return for a full series when it was revived in 2005.

June

*1 June – Darren Day succeeds Matthew Kelly as the presenter of ''You Bet!'' on ITV.
*7 June – The BBC is restructured by the Director-General John Birt. In the new structure, BBC Broadcast will commission programmes and BBC Production will make them.
*8–30 June – The BBC and ITV broadcast live coverage of Euro 96 which is held in England.
*10 June – For the Summer period, the late afternoon block of children's programmes aired on BBC1 are transferred to BBC2.
*14 June – After 32 years, excluding six months in 1973, ''Top of the Pops'' moves from its traditional Thursday evening slot to Fridays on BBC1.
*21 June – Debut of the children's game show '' To Me... To You...'' on BBC2 and later on BBC1, presented by the Chuckle Brothers.
*26 June – The BBC and ITV broadcast live coverage of the England v. Germany semi-final match of Euro 96 that is collectively watched by 26 million viewers.
*30 June – Neil Haidar wins the 1996 series of ''MasterChef'' on BBC1.

July

*7 July – BBC1 airs '' Killing Me Softly'', a ''Screen One'' film about the Sara Thornton case that stars Maggie O'Neill and Peter Howitt.
*9 July – The final episode of the game show ''Going For Gold'' is broadcast on BBC1, although it would make a brief return to Channel 5 in 2008.
*11 July
**BBC2 airs South African President Nelson Mandela's historic address to the Houses of Parliament. The programme is introduced by Michael Buerk.
**ITV announces a deal with Doritos sponsoring ITV Movies with the premieres of '' Demolition Man'', ''Unforgiven'', ''Groundhog Day'' and ''Sleepless in Seattle'', the sponsorship will begin on 17 August.
*19 July–4 August – The BBC provides full live coverage of the 1996 Olympic Games. Live coverage runs for 15 hours a day, 1:40pm until 4:30am with highlights at breakfast time and morning-long extended highlights of the previous day's action. In addition to BBC1's coverage for the first time, the BBC also provides alternative live action during the overnight hours on BBC2.
*24 July – Buckingham Palace ends the BBC's monopoly on producing the Royal Christmas Message which has been the sole responsibility of the broadcaster for 63 years. It is produced by ITV from 1997, before returning to the BBC in 1999, then ITV again from 2001, and so on in continuation.
*25 July – A report commissioned collectively by the broadcasters that make up ITV claims that Channel 5's plans to retune millions of televisions and video recorders are inadequate and underfunded. The report follows a survey conducted on 700 households in Channel 5's pilot retuning area in Surrey which says fewer than 60 per cent of households have been contacted by the retuning teams and less than 50 per cent have had their equipment successfully retuned.
*26 July
**The BBC and Hat Trick Productions are fined £10,000 each in the High Court for contempt of court over comments made on a 1994 edition of '' Have I Got News for You'' in which presenter Angus Deayton referred to Ian and Kevin Maxwell as "two heartless, scheming bastards" ahead of their trial.
**Scottish acquires Caledonian Publishing, at this time publishers of ''The Herald'' (Glasgow) and ''Glasgow Evening Times'', and renames itself Scottish Media Group (SMG).
*29 July – Sources at Channel 5 Broadcasting confirm the estimated cost of the retuning operation required for people to watch the channel has risen by at least 25 per cent above the original £55 million budget.

August

*10 August
**BBC1 begins airing '' Stephen King's The Stand'', a miniseries based on the novel of the same name. It is shown in four parts over two weekends, on 10–11 August and 17–18 August.
**The network television premiere of Uli Edel's 1993 erotic thriller '' Body of Evidence'' on BBC1, starring Madonna, Willem Dafoe, Joe Mantegna, Anne Archer and Julianne Moore.
*13 August – Flextech plc, the UK's second largest supplier of subscription television, confirms it is in talks with the BBC about setting up to six new cable and satellite channels.
*16 August
**The US animated science-fiction comedy series ''Captain Simian & the Space Monkeys'' makes its UK debut on ITV before airing in its homeland the following month.
**Sky Sports 3 launches with broadcasting hours of midday to midnight and Sky Sports Gold closes.
*22 August – BBC World begins broadcasting to Berlin.
*27 August – The late afternoon block of children's programmes returns to BBC1.
*30 August
**London Weekend Television launches new idents.
**Zoe Ball presents her final edition of ''The Big Breakfast'' on Channel 4; she is leaving the series in order to present BBC1's ''Live & Kicking'' with Jamie Theakston.
*August – David Elstein of BSkyB is appointed Chief Executive of Channel 5.

September

*1 September
**Sky2 launches. It is a sister channel to the then-titled Sky1. It closes a year later, but a channel of almost the same name would launch in 2005.
** The Computer Channel is launched. It is later renamed .tv (pronounced Dot TV).
**Carlton's first spin-off channel, Carlton Food Network, launches exclusively on cable. It broadcasts on weekday afternoons and shares space with SelecTV.
**Two US weather channels launch UK versions. The Weather Channel begins broadcasting in the UK. It transmits for five hours each morning on Sky and 24 hours on cable in some areas. The Weather Network launches on the same day on many other cable networks. They take advantage of the localness of cable franchises by providing on-screen local weather forecasts.
**'' London's Burning'' returns to ITV for a new series, its ninth since launching in 1988 and the first to be shown in two halves, with a US-style hiatus over Christmas. Following episode 11 on 17 November, the series takes a break until 12 January 1997 when the final four episodes of the series are shown. ''London's Burning'' continues to air with this format until the end of the thirteenth series in 2001. The hiatus is shifted to coincide with Easter from the twelfth series when it becomes part of ITV's Winter schedule rather than its Autumn line-up.
*2 September
**Launch of "Daytime on 1", BBC1's new daily schedule that includes six and a half hours of drama, quiz shows, discussion programming, chat shows and cooking shows.
**The ITV region Tyne Tees Television is rebranded as ''Channel 3 North East''. The rebranding is unsuccessful and returns to its original name two years later.
**Former Olympic swimmer Sharron Davies succeeds Zoe Ball on ''The Big Breakfast'' on Channel 4.
*4 September – Debut of the hugely popular makeover series ''Changing Rooms'' on BBC2, presented by Carol Smillie.
*5 September – The Canadian animated series based on the books by Else Holmelund Minarik and Maurice Sendak called '' Little Bear'' makes its UK debut on BBC1.
*9 September – The NBC Super Channel renames itself as ''NBC Europe'' or simply known as NBC on the air.
*10 September – The Nickelodeon animated series ''Hey Arnold!'' makes its UK debut on ITV a month before its debut in the US.
*12 September – The children's magazine show ''It's a Mystery'' makes its debut on ITV.
*14 September – The final episode of the practical jokes series ''Beadle's About'' is broadcast on ITV.
*15 September – Debut of ''Rhodes'', an eight-part BBC1 series about the life of the controversial British adventurer and empire-builder Cecil Rhodes. The series concludes on 3 November. It took a decade to make, employed over 10,000 extras and at a cost of £10 million is the most expensive British television project to date. However, despite a high-profile publicity campaign leading up to its launch, ''Rhodes'' attracts relatively poor viewing figures with 7.6 million tuning into the first episode and 4.8 million watching the second and it is quickly panned by critics. The BBC is also forced to launch an accompanying booklet about Cecil Rhodes as the series assumes a prior knowledge of the figure and many viewers are unfamiliar with him.
*20 September – ''The Independent'' reports that Channel 5 will employ another 1,500 people to undertake its retuning operation, bringing the total number of people working on the task to 8,500. An estimated 11.4 million televisions and video recorders will need to be retuned before the channel goes on air next year.
*21 September – Zoe Ball and Jamie Theakston present their first edition of ''Live & Kicking'' on BBC1.
*29 September – It was reported that the comedian and TV presenter Leslie Crowther who died at the age of 63.
*30 September – Debut of the three-part fantasy drama ''Wilderness'' on ITV, starring Amanda Ooms, Michael Kitchen and Owen Teale which is based on Dennis Danvers 1991 lupine horror novel of the same name, adapted by Andrew Davies and Bernadette Davis. It concludes on 14 October.

October

*1 October
**Granada Sky Broadcasting launches with four new channels, Granada Plus, Men & Motors, Granada Good Life and Granada Talk TV.
**The Granada-produced series '' Springhill'' makes its debut on Sky1, a supernatural soap set in Liverpool which airs for two series of 26 episodes. It is later shown on Channel 4.
*2 October – It is reported that Channel 5 Broadcasting is planning to bid for newly available space on the Astra 1A satellite in the hope of reaching a further one million UK viewers.
*5 October – Channel 4 airs ''The Ghost of Ivy Tilsley'', a programme telling the story of singer and actress Lynne Perrie who played Ivy Tilsley in ''Coronation Street'' in which she speaks about her time with the soap and how she lost her sense of self in her search for fame.
*6 October – Scottish Television launches new idents.
*7 October – The final episode of the game show '' Turnabout'' is broadcast on BBC1 after six years on the air.
*9 October – Debut of the popular cookery series ''Two Fat Ladies'' on BBC2, presented by Clarissa Dickson Wright and Jennifer Paterson.
*11 October – After nearly 14 years, Channel 4 is given a whole new look replacing the original coloured blocks idents with all-new circles idents.
*19 October – Fox Kids Network launches in the UK, becoming the first Fox Kids channel in Europe.
*23 October
**NYNEX, Vidéotron and Bell Cablemedia merge with the subsidiary of Cable & Wireless, Mercury Communications. The new company is called Cable & Wireless Communications.Mercury's pounds 5bn merger with cable firms heralds huge telecoms indu stry shake-up
''The Independent'' , Chris Godsmark and Mathew Horsman, 23 October 1996
**The network television premiere of ''Groundhog Day'' on ITV, starring Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell.
*24 October – The US sitcom ''3rd Rock from the Sun'' makes its UK debut on BBC2.
*26 October
**ITV show the Jonathan Ross hosted documentary ''In Search of Dracula'', followed by the UK terrestrial premiere of the 1992 Francis Ford Coppola film '' Bram Stoker's Dracula'', starring Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder, Keanu Reeves and Anthony Hopkins.
*27 October – Lucy Wright wins the 1996 series of ''Junior MasterChef'' on BBC1.
*October – United News & Media buys Scottish Television's 20% stake in HTV.

November

*1 November – Sky Scottish launches. The channel is a joint venture between Scottish Television and British Sky Broadcasting.
*6–7 November – A two-part special episode of the sitcom ''Absolutely Fabulous'' called ''The Last Shout'' is broadcast on BBC1. It was billed as the final episode at the time but the series would return in 2001.
*11 November – UTV introduces a new series of idents which showcase scenic locations in Northern Ireland. These include the Giant's Causeway, a waterfall at Glenarriff and Portaferry harbour. Some of the idents feature UTV personalities.
*12 November – Debut of the music-based comedy panel show ''Never Mind the Buzzcocks'' on BBC2, presented by Mark Lamarr.
*15 November – Sarah Lancashire makes her final appearance in ''Coronation Street'' as Raquel Watts.
*17 November – BBC1 airs ''Ruby Wax Meets the Duchess of York'', a one-off interview with Sarah, Duchess of York conducted by US comedian Ruby Wax.
*21 November – Campaign (magazine), ''Campaign'' (magazine) reports that ITV's decision to stop airing ''Baywatch'' midway through the season and replace it with ''Sabrina the Teenage Witch (1996 TV series), Sabrina the Teenage Witch'' has raised questions about the vulnerability of sponsorship deals to programme rescheduling. Wella had renewed its sponsorship of ''Baywatch'' with ITV earlier in the year, but the show was pulled from its Saturday evening timeslot after only eight of the scheduled twenty-two episodes were shown with ''Sabrina the Teenage Witch'', set to air from 23 November. ITV says the decision was taken because it began airing ''Baywatch'' earlier than planned after a previously scheduled programme, ''SeaQuest 2032'' did not prove as popular with viewers as anticipated, this led to episodes of ''Baywatch'' catching up with their airdates in the US. ITV says the programme will return in 1997 while Wella will continue its sponsorship.
*23 November – The BBC picks up the terrestrial rights to ''The Simpsons'' which is first shown at 5:30pm on BBC1 with a Sunday lunchtime repeat on BBC2. ''There's No Disgrace Like Home'' is the first episode to be shown on BBC1, later being beaten in the ratings by ''Sabrina the Teenage Witch (1996 TV series), Sabrina the Teenage Witch'' which makes its UK debut today.
*24 November – ITV introduces a fourth weekly episode of ''Coronation Street'', airing on Sundays at 7:30pm.
*25 November – Carlton launches a new set of idents.
*30 November – During a live broadcast of ''The National Lottery Live'' on BBC1, the draw machine does not start, causing it to be delayed by 50 minutes. Resident psychic Mystic Meg later said that she had been predicting it all day.

December

*6 December – ''The Adam and Joe Show'', written and hosted by comedy performers Adam Buxton and Joe Cornish makes its debut on Channel 4.
*12 December – The popular game show ''Strike It Lucky'' returns under the new name of ''Strike It Rich'' on ITV. Like its predecessor, it is presented by Michael Barrymore.
*17 December BBC2 shows the first episode of the four-part ''Gothic fiction, Gothic Horror'' documentary series ''Nightmare: Birth of Horror''. Written and hosted by Christopher Frayling, the series looks at the creators of the horror genre: Mary Shelley, Bram Stoker, Robert Louis Stevenson and Arthur Conan Doyle and examines their impact and cultural legacy.
*18 December – Labour Party leader Tony Blair is a guest on ITV's ''Des O'Connor Tonight'' where he famously admits to trying to run away from school as a teenager by attempting to stow away on a flight to the Bahamas.
*21 December – BBC1 airs the Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire, first Christmas episode of ''The Simpsons''.
*23 December – ITV airs the pilot of ''In the Dark with Julian Clary'', a game show in which couples must complete everyday tasks while in complete darkness. The show is not picked up for a full series by ITV, but a series is recorded for the US where Julian Clary will be introduced to American viewers. However, it is pulled a few hours before its transmission. Two series of ''In the Dark'' are later produced for Channel 5 starting in 1998, but presented by Junior Simpson.
*24 December – Christmas Eve highlights on BBC1 include the network television premieres of ''Super Mario Bros. (film), Super Mario Brothers'', starring Bob Hoskins, John Leguizamo and Dennis Hopper and ''Cliffhanger (film), Cliffhanger'', starring Sylvester Stallone.
*25 December
**Christmas Day highlights on BBC1 include the network television premiere of Steven Spielberg's 1993 dinosaur adventure ''Jurassic Park (film), Jurassic Park''.
**''Only Fools and Horses'' returns with a new episode after three years with ''Heroes and Villains (Only Fools and Horses), Heroes and Villains'', the first of a three-part miniseries that Radio Times suggests "may prove to be its swansong". The second part, ''Modern Men (Only Fools and Horses), Modern Men'' airs on 27 December, followed by the final part, ''Time on Our Hands'' on 29 December.
**''Top of the Pops'' is List of Top of the Pops presenters#1994–1996: The golden mic – celebrity guest presenters, guest presented by the Spice Girls. Their three performances are introduced by Robbie Williams, Mark Morrison and Gina G.
*26 December
**The network television premieres of ''Sommersby'', a 1993 period drama starring Richard Gere and Jodie Foster and ''Free Willy'', starring Jason James Richter and Lori Petty, both on BBC1.
**Ian Kelsey makes his final appearance in ''Emmerdale'' when Dave Glover dies in a fire.
*27 December – The network television premiere of ''The Firm (1993 film), The Firm'' on BBC1, starring Tom Cruise and Jeanne Tripplehorn.
*29 December – ''Time On Our Hands'', the final episode of the Christmas trilogy of the popular sitcom ''Only Fools and Horses'', airs on BBC1. Originally publicised as the last ever episode, it draws 24.35 million viewers, the largest ever audience for a sitcom in the UK and discounting the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales, the following year, the biggest UK television audience of the 1990s. However, the show returns for three subsequent specials, one shown each Christmas from 2001.
*31 December – New Year's Eve highlights on BBC1 include ''Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country'' starring William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy and ''Shadowlands (1993 film), Shadowlands'' starring Anthony Hopkins.

Debuts

BBC1

*1 January – ''The Peacock Spring'' (1996)
*2 January – ''The Demon Headmaster (TV series), The Demon Headmaster'' (1996–1998)
*3 January
** ''Agent Z and the Penguin from Mars'' (1996)
** ''Hetty Wainthropp Investigates '' (1996–1998)
*4 January – ''The Morph Files'' (1996)
*8 January – ''The Genie from Down Under'' (1996–1998)
*16 January – ''Free Willy (TV series), Free Willy'' (1994)
*28 January – ''A Mug's Game'' (1996)
*11 February – ''Ballykissangel'' (1996–2001)
*12 February – ''BBC Newsline'' (1996–present)
*14 February
**''Out of Tune (TV series), Out of Tune'' (1996–1998)
**''Into the Fire (TV series), Into the Fire'' (1996)
*15 February – ''Alien Empire'' (1996)
*21 February – ''Silent Witness'' (1996–present)
*24 February – ''The Sculptress'' (1996)
*16 March – ''Dalziel and Pascoe'' (1996–2007)
*2 April – ''Dennis the Menace and Gnasher (1996 TV series), Dennis the Menace'' (1996–1998)
*5 April – '' Eskimo Day'' (1996)
*7 April – ''Over Here (miniseries), Over Here'' (1996)
*12 April – ''Little Mouse on the Prairie'' (1996)
*17 April – ''Madson (TV series), Madson'' (1996)
*28 April – ''Karaoke (TV series), Karaoke'' (1996)
*2 May – ''Airport'' (1996–2005)
*5 May – ''No Bananas'' (1996)
*25 May – '' Full Swing'' (1996)
*27 May – ''Doctor Who (film), Doctor Who'' (1996)
*16 June – ''A Royal Scandal (1996 film), A Royal Scandal'' (1996)
*21 June
**'' To Me... To You...'' (1996–1998)
**''Future Fantastic'' (1996)
*21 July – ''The Writing on the Wall (TV series), The Writing on the Wall'' (1996)
*5 August – ''The Alphabet Game'' (1996–1997)
*24 August – ''The Bite (miniseries), The Bite'' (1996)
*5 September
**'' Little Bear'' (1995–1999)
**''The Hello Girls'' (1996–1998)
*6 September – ''Muppets Tonight'' (1996–1998)
*15 September – ''Rhodes'' (1996)
*22 September – ''The Legacy of Reginald Perrin'' (1996)
*24 September – ''Romuald the Reindeer'' (1996)
*2 October – ''Beck (UK TV series), Beck'' (1996)
*4 October – ''Satellite City'' (1996–1999)
*6 October – ''Clive Anderson, Clive Anderson All Talk'' (1996–1999)
*7 October – ''Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (TV series), Ace Ventura: Pet Detective'' (1995–2000)
*28 October – ''Billy Connolly's World Tour of Australia'' (1996)
*3 November – ''Accused (1996 TV series), Accused'' (1996)
*4 November – ''The Crow Road (TV series), The Crow Road'' (1996)
*10 November – ''The Prince and the Pauper (TV series), The Prince and the Pauper'' (1996)
*14 November – ''Crocodile Shoes II'' (1996)
*17 November – ''The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (1996 miniseries), The Tenant of Wildfell Hall'' (1996)
*Unknown – ''Deep Secrets'' (1996)

BBC2

*15 January
** ''Our Friends in the North'' (1996)
** ''Look and Read'': ''Spywatch'' (1996)
*18 March – ''This Life'' (1996–1997)
*21 April – ''A History of British Art'' (1996)
*4 September – ''Changing Rooms'' (1996–2004)
*12 September – ''Neverwhere'' (1996)
*16 September – ''Megamaths'' (1996–2002)
*27 September – ''All Rise for Julian Clary'' (1996–1997)
*9 October – ''Two Fat Ladies'' (1996–1999)
*24 October – ''3rd Rock from the Sun'' (1996–2001)
*12 November – ''Never Mind the Buzzcocks'' (1996–2015)
*23 November – ''The Simpsons'' (1989–present) (Terrestrial rights, initially on BBC1)
*2 December – ''Wicked Women'' (1996) (Anthology: Brazen Hussies; King Girl; Giving Tongue)
*22 December – ''Cruel Train'' (1996)
*29 December – ''The Moonstone (1996 film), The Moonstone'' (1996)

ITV

*2 January – ''Santo Bugito'' (1995)
*3 January
**''Delta Wave'' (1996)
**''Potamus Park'' (1996–1998)
*5 January
** ''Bimble's Bucket'' (1996–1998)
** ''The Tide of Life'' (1996)
*8 January – ''Call Red'' (1996)
*12 January – ''Carnal Knowledge (TV series), Carnal Knowledge'' (1996)
*13 January – ''The Bare Necessities'' (1996)
*26 January – ''Paul Merton in Galton & Simpson's...'' (1996–1997)
*6 February – ''The Girl'' (1996)
*15 February – ''London Bridge (TV series), London Bridge'' (1996–1999)
*25 February – ''My Wonderful Life'' (1996–1999)
*5 March – ''Married for Life'' (1996)
*19 March – ''The Island'' (1996–1997)
*4 April – ''Crazy Cottage'' (1996–1998)
*10 April – ''Bodyguards (TV series), Bodyguards'' (1996–1997)
*11 April – ''Ellington (TV series), Ellington'' (1996)
*15 April – ''The Big Bang (TV series), The Big Bang'' (1996–2004)
*1 May – ''The Adventures of Captain Zeelig'' (1996)
*3 May – ''The Treacle People'' (1996–1997)
*4 May – ''Man O Man (UK game show), Man O Man'' (1996–1999)
*7 May – ''Frontiers (1996 TV series), Frontiers'' (1996)
*10 June – ''An Independent Man'' (1996)
*11 June – ''Gayle's World'' (1996–1997)
*8 July – ''Red Amber Green'' (1996–1999)
*27 July – ''The Big Big Talent Show'' (1996–1997)
*4 August – ''The English Wife'' (1996)
*7 August – ''Chatterhappy Ponies'' (1996–1998)
*11 August – ''Some Kind of Life'' (1996)
*16 August – ''Captain Simian & the Space Monkeys'' (1996–1997)
*6 September – ''Barry Welsh is Coming'' (1996–2004)
*7 September – ''Professor Bubble (TV series), Professor Bubble'' (1996–1997)
*10 September – ''Hey Arnold!'' (1996–2004)
*11 September – ''Retrace'' (1996–1998)
*12 September – ''It's a Mystery'' (1996–2002)
*13 September – ''Roger and the Rottentrolls'' (1996–2000)
*20 September
**''Oscar and Friends'' (1996)
**''The Adventures of Dawdle the Donkey'' (1996–1997)
*30 September – ''Wilderness (miniseries), Wilderness'' (1996)
*1 October – '' Springhill'' (1996–1997)
*2 October – ''Poldark'' (1996)
*29 October – ''Zot the Dog'' (1996–1997)
*31 October – ''Frighteners'' (1996–1997)
*1 November
**''Snug and Cozi'' (1996–1997)
**''Staying Alive (TV series), Staying Alive'' (1996–1997)
*7 November – ''Out of Sight (TV series), Out of Sight'' (1996–1998)
*9 November – ''Kiss and Tell'' (1996)
*20 November – ''Matt's Million'' (1996)
*23 November – ''Sabrina the Teenage Witch (1996 TV series), Sabrina the Teenage Witch'' (1996–2003)
*24 November – ''Emma (1996 TV film), Emma'' (1996)
*1 December
**''Percy the Park Keeper'' (1996–1999)
**''The Fortunes and Misfortunes of Moll Flanders (TV series), The Fortunes and Misfortunes of Moll Flanders'' (1996)
*5 December – ''Hillsborough (1996 film), Hillsborough'' (1996)
*31 December – ''Cuts'' (1996)
*Unknown
**''Wake Up in the Wild Room'' (1996–1998)
**''Bug Alert''
**''Mole in the Hole''

Channel 4

*1 February – ''Annie's Bar'' (1996)
*9 February – ''TFI Friday'' (1996–2000)
*23 February – ''The Mark Thomas Comedy Product'' (1996–2003)
*19 March – ''And the Beat Goes On (TV series), And the Beat Goes On'' (1996)
*6 April – ''Insektors'' (1994–1995)
*17 May – ''Life After Birth'' (1996)
*26 May – ''Cold Lazarus'' (1996)
*20 September – ''Caroline in the City'' (1995–1999)
*6 November – ''The Fragile Heart'' (1996)
*6 December – ''The Adam and Joe Show'' (1996–2001)
*13 December – ''Family Money'' (1996–1997)
*24 December
**''The Adventures of Toad'' (1996)
**''Famous Fred'' (1996)
*Unknown – ''Cybill'' (1995–1999)

Sky One/1

*7 January – ''Murder One (TV series), Murder One'' (1995–1996)
*20 January – ''Sliders (TV series), Sliders'' (1995–2000)
*9 June – ''The Feds (miniseries), The Feds'' (1993–1996)
*8 September – ''The Beast (1996 film), The Beast'' (1996)
*1 October – '' Springhill'' (1996–1997)
*22 December – ''Millennium (TV series), Millennium'' (1996–1999)
*Unknown
**What-a-Mess, ''What-a-Mess'' (Series 3) (1995–1996)
**''Ned and Stacey'' (1995–1997)

Sky 2

*2 September – ''Water Rats (TV series), Water Rats'' (1996–2001)

Fox Kids UK

*19 October – ''Billy the Cat (TV series), Billy the Cat'' (1996–2001)

Disney Channel UK

*21 October
**''Brand Spankin' New! Doug'' (1996–1999)
**''Mighty Ducks (TV series), Mighty Ducks'' (1996–1997)
*Unknown – ''Sing Me a Story with Belle'' (1995–1996)

Cartoon Network UK

*2 September – ''Dexter's Laboratory'' (1996–2003)
*Unknown
**''Omer and the Starchild'' (1992)
**''Monchhichis (TV series), Monchhichis'' (1983)

Nickelodeon UK

*6 January – ''CBBC (TV channel), CBBC on Nickelodeon'' (1996–1999)
*Unknown – ''Bruno the Kid'' (1996–1997)

Channels

New channels

Defunct channels

Rebranded channels

Television shows

Changes of network affiliation

Returning this year after a break of one year or longer

* 4 March – ''The Wombles (1996 TV series), The Wombles'' (1973–1975, 1990–1991 BBC, 1996–1997 ITV)
* 10 April – ''The Two Ronnies'' for a 25th Anniversary special (1971–1987, 1991, 1996, 2005)
* 6 May – ''The Liver Birds'' (1969–1979, 1996)
* 13 May – ''Call My Bluff'' (1965–1988, 1996–2005)
* 27 May – ''Doctor Who'' (1963–1989, 1996, 2005–present)

Continuing television shows

1920s

*''BBC Wimbledon'' (1927–1939, 1946–2019, 2021–present)

1930s

*The Boat Race (1938–1939, 1946–2019)
*''BBC Cricket'' (1939, 1946–1999, 2020–2024)

1940s

*''Come Dancing'' (1949–1998)

1950s

*''Panorama (British TV programme), 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 (TV programme), 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 (TV series), Mr. and Mrs.'' (1965–1999)
*''Sportsnight'' (1965–1997)
*''Call My Bluff'' (1965–2005)
*''The Money Programme'' (1966–2010)

1970s

*''Rainbow (TV series), Rainbow'' (1972–1992, 1994–1997)
*''Emmerdale'' (1972–present)
*''Newsround'' (1972–present)
*''Last of the Summer Wine'' (1973–2010)
*''Wish You Were Here...?'' (1974–2003)
*''Arena (British TV series), Arena'' (1975–present)
*''One Man and His Dog'' (1976–present)
*''Grange Hill'' (1978–2008)
*''Ski Sunday'' (1978–present)
*''Antiques Roadshow'' (1979–present)
*''Question Time (TV programme), Question Time'' (1979–present)

1980s

*''Play Your Cards Right'' (1980–1987, 1994–1999, 2002–2003)
*''Family Fortunes'' (1980–2002, 2006–2015, 2020–present)
*''Children in Need'' (1980–present)
*''Timewatch'' (1982–present)
*''Brookside (TV series), Brookside'' (1982–2003)
*''Countdown (game show), Countdown'' (1982–present)
*''Right to Reply'' (1982–2001)
*''Surprise Surprise (British TV series), Surprise Surprise'' (1984–2001, 2012–2015)
*''The Bill'' (1984–2010)
*''Channel 4 Racing'' (1984–2016)
*''Thomas & Friends'' (1984–2021)
*''EastEnders'' (1985–present)
*''The Cook Report'' (1985–1998)
*''Crosswits'' (1985–1998)
*''Screen Two'' (1985–1998)
*''Telly Addicts'' (1985–1998)
*''Blind Date (British game show), Blind Date'' (1985–2003, 2017–2019)
*''Comic Relief'' (1985–present)
*''The Chart Show'' (1986–1998, 2008–2009)
*''Equinox (TV programme), Equinox'' (1986–2006)
*''The Really Wild Show'' (1986–2006)
*''Casualty (TV series), Casualty'' (1986–present)
*''Chain Letters'' (1987–1997)
*''The Time, The Place'' (1987–1998)
*''ChuckleVision'' (1987–2009)
*''You Bet!'' (1988–1997)
*''Playdays'' (1988–1997)
*''Wheel of Fortune (British game show), Wheel of Fortune'' (1988–2001)
*'' London's Burning'' (1988–2002)
*''On the Record (British TV programme), On the Record'' (1988–2002)
*''Fifteen to One'' (1988–2003, 2013–2019)
*''This Morning (TV programme), This Morning'' (1988–present)
*''Children's Ward'' (1989–2000)
*''Mike and Angelo'' (1989–2000)
*''Birds of a Feather (TV series), Birds of a Feather'' (1989–1998, 2014–2020)
*''Bodger & Badger'' (1989–1999)

1990s

*''Drop the Dead Donkey'' (1990–1998)
*''One Foot in the Grave'' (1990–2000)
*''Rosie and Jim'' (1990–2000)
*''MasterChef (British TV series), MasterChef'' (1990–2001, 2005–present)
*''How 2'' (1990–2006)
*''Stars in Their Eyes'' (1990–2006, 2015)
*''2point4 Children'' (1991–1999)
*''Big Break'' (1991–2002)
*''The Brittas Empire'' (1991–1997)
*''Soldier Soldier'' (1991–1997)
*''Noel's House Party'' (1991–1999)
*''GamesMaster'' (1992–1998)
*''Heartbeat (British TV series), Heartbeat'' (1992–2010)
*''Men Behaving Badly'' (1992–1998)
*''The Big Breakfast'' (1992–2002)
*''999 (British TV series), 999'' (1992–2003)
*''Sooty & Co.'' (1993–1998)
*''Mr. Motivator exercise routines'' (1993–2000)
*''Breakfast with Frost'' (1993–2005)
*''Ky’s Cartoons'' (1994–1999)
*''Animal Hospital'' (1994–2004)
*''The National Lottery Draws'' (1994–2017)
*''Time Team'' (1994–2013)
*''The Vicar of Dibley'' (1994–2007)
*''Wipeout (British game show), Wipeout'' (1994–2003)
*''Frasier'' (1993–2004)
*''Wycliffe (TV series), Wycliffe'' (1994–1998)
*''Top of the Pops 2'' (1994–present)
*''Oh, Doctor Beeching!'' (1995–1997)
*''Father Ted'' (1995–1998)
*''Hollyoaks'' (1995–present)
*''Is It Legal?'' (1995–1998)

Ending this year

* ''Jackanory'' (1965–1996, 2006)
* ''Finders Keepers (1991 British game show), Finders Keepers'' (1991–1996, 2006)
* ''Only Fools and Horses'' (1981–1996, 2001–2003, 2014)
* ''Spitting Image'' (1984–1996)
* ''Beadle's About'' (1986–1996)
* ''Going for Gold'' (1987–1996, 2008–2009)
* ''That's Showbusiness'' (1989–1996)
* '' Turnabout'' (1990–1996)
* ''The Upper Hand (TV series), The Upper Hand'' (1990–1996)
* ''Bitsa'' (1991–1996)
* ''Absolutely Fabulous'' (1992–1996, 2001–2004, 2011–2012)
* ''Good Morning with Anne and Nick'' (1992–1996)
* ''Brill (TV series), Brill'' (1992–1996)
* ''Chef!'' (1993–1996)
* ''Doctor Finlay'' (1993–1996)
* ''Jo Brand Through the Cakehole'' (1993–1996)
* ''Saturday Disney'' (1993–1996)
* ''The Good Sex Guide'' (1993–1996)
* ''Body Heat'' (1994–1996)
* ''The Magic House (puppet show), The Magic House'' (1994–1996)
* ''Budgie the Little Helicopter'' (1994–1996)
* ''Dino Babies'' (1994–1996)
* ''Pets Win Prizes'' (1994–1996)
* ''Small Talk (British game show), Small Talk'' (1994–1996)
* ''God's Gift (TV series), God's Gift'' (1995–1996)
* ''Out of the Blue (1995 TV series), Out of the Blue'' (1995–1996)
* ''Raise the Roof (game show), Raise the Roof'' (1995–1996)
* ''The Thin Blue Line (British TV series), The Thin Blue Line'' (1995–1996)
* ''Call Red'' (1996)
* '' Full Swing'' (1996)
* ''Our Friends in the North'' (1996)
* ''Rhodes'' (1996)
* ''The Fragile Heart'' (1996)
* ''The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (1996 miniseries), The Tenant of Wildfell Hall'' (1996)
* ''The Moonstone (1996 film), The Moonstone'' (1996)
* ''The Sculptress'' (1996)

Births

*3 January – Florence Pugh, actress
*26 January – Tyger Drew-Honey, actor and presenter
*2 February – Sophie Turner, actress and model
*23 April – Charlie Rowe
*1 June – Tom Holland, actor
*21 July – Anya Chalotra, actress
*30 July – Synnøve Karlsen, actress
*17 September – Ella Purnell, actress
*25 October – Georgia Lock, actress and presenter

Deaths

See also

* 1996 in British music
* 1996 in British radio
* 1996 in the United Kingdom
* List of British films of 1996

References

{{Years in TV by country, 1996

1996 in British television,