2001 In British Television

This is a list of British television related events from 2001.

Events

January

*1 January – The BBC reality show ''Castaway 2000'' comes to an end as its participants leave the island of Taransay.
*4 January – The popular classic children's characters Bill and Ben return to television with a brand new stop-motion animated series on BBC One. The series features the voice of comedian John Thomson.
*7 January – '' Blankety Blank'' makes its debut on ITV, hosted by Lily Savage.
*8 January – Debut of GMTV's Inch-Loss Island where volunteers attend a ''Castaway''-style location in an attempt to collectively lose weight.
*10 January – Debut of ITV's ''Popstars'' which will follow efforts to put together a five-piece band who will then record and release a single.
*11 January – '' The Mole'' debuts on Channel 5, based on an idea from Belgium, the series sees ten contestants complete a number of tasks as they are whittled down to an eventual winner who will win £200,000. However, one of the contestants is a mole, deliberately planted to work against the team.
*12 January – Johnny Vaughan and Denise van Outen end their second stint as presenters of ''The Big Breakfast'', exactly 5 years after former presenter Gaby Roslin left the series. The show will be relaunched with a team of five presenters from 22 January as producers attempt to reverse the programme's falling ratings.
*13 January – Debut of the ten-part BBC Two series '' I Love the '80s'' which examines the pop culture of the 1980s. The series debuts with ''I Love 1980'' and concludes on 24 March with ''I Love 1989''.
*15 January
**The ITC clears Celador and ITV of allegations that Judith Keppel's win on '' Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?'' had been rigged to draw audiences away from BBC One.
**Carlton Television is criticised by the Independent Television Commission after the word "punami", popularised by comedian Sacha Baron Cohen was shown onscreen prior to an item about his alter ego, Ali G on its daytime show ''Celebrity TV'' in October 2000. The Commission felt the slang term for a part of the female anatomy would be offensive to the Afro-Caribbean community.
**A new Jim Henson co-production called '' The Hoobs'' debuts on Channel 4 with early-morning repeats until 2014.
*17 January
**Prime Minister Tony Blair rejects calls to take part in US-style televised debates with opposition politicians during the forthcoming election campaign.
** Vanessa Feltz has been dropped by the BBC following the conclusion of her two-year contract with the Corporation, it is reported.
*18 January – Channel 4 launches E4, a digital entertainment channel at 8:15pm.
*19 January – The ITV Nightly News is shown on ITV for the last time after 2 years.
*20 January – BBC Two airs live coverage of the inauguration of George W. Bush as the 43rd President of the United States.
*22 January
** News at Ten returns to ITV, having been axed 2 years earlier. It is once again presented by Trevor McDonald.
**Footballer turned presenter Ian Wright signs a two-year contract with the BBC where he will front a number of shows.
**Channel 4's ''The Big Breakfast'' is relaunched with Donna Air, Amanda Byram, Paul Tonkinson, Melanie Sykes and Richard Bacon as its main presenters.
*26 January – Channel 5 airs the 1000th episode of its soap ''Family Affairs''.
*28 January – Carlton and Granada are holding discussions aimed at merging their internet operations to create a single online business for ITV under the brand itv.co.uk or itv.com. The current itv.co.uk is a basic information service, but the broadcasters wish to compete with the BBC.

February

*1 February – Launch of the film channel The Studio, a joint venture between NTL and Vivendi Universal.
*3 February – Danny Foster, Myleene Klass, Kym Marsh, Suzanne Shaw and Noel Sullivan are chosen as the winners of ''Popstars'', an ITV series that sought to put together a five-member pop group from members of the public who were invited to audition for the series.
*5 February – Four programmes aired on this day by E4, ''Popworld'', ''North Hollywood High'', '' Shipwrecked'' and ''Generation E'' are recorded as having a zero audience share by the Broadcasters' Audience Research Board's overnight viewing figures.
*6 February – '' Mr. Bean: The Animated Series'', an animated spinoff from '' Mr. Bean'', is announced and would begin airing in January 2002.
*8 February – A 1982 interview given by serial killer Dr. Harold Shipman to ITV's ''World in Action'' in which he speaks about the benefits of caring for patients in the community rather than hospitalising them is rebroadcast as part of the ''Tonight'' programme. The footage is shown as police continue an investigation to determine the number of people killed by the GP.
*12 February – The Independent Television Commission reprimands Channel 4 for airing part of a World Wrestling Federation in October 2000 that featured a wrestler threatening a rival's assistant with a sledgehammer. The ITC deemed the scene was inappropriate when children could be watching. Also, a viewer's complaint of impartiality is upheld against an edition of ''Fifteen to One'' in which presenter William G. Stewart made a lengthy argument for returning the Elgin Marbles to Greece, but did not explore the opposing case.
*14 February – On Valentine's Day, ITV's '' This Morning'' features a gay wedding as two men are "married" live on air. The ceremony, a blessing performed by a cleric from the Society for Independent Christian Ministry, is not recognised under UK law at the time when same-sex marriage was not legal in the UK. The segment results in 117 viewer complaints to the Independent Television Commission, many suggesting it was unsuitable for broadcast at a time when children could have been watching and undermined the religious significance of marriage. In response, Granada Television says that the ceremony was discussed at length at the beginning of the programme, meaning viewers would have been aware it was going to take place. The ITC subsequently rejects the complaints, but notes that due to the show's "drop in" nature offence may have been caused to those who did not see the start of the programme.
*16 February – The Midlands-based talk show ''Central Weekend'' issues an onscreen apology after a complaint was made to the Independent Television Commission when it emerged that an edition of the show from July 2000 had featured fake guests. A debate on the effects of soap operas on the lives of individuals had featured two patients of a "soap clinic" who it later emerged had been fakes.
*20 February – The network television premiere of Paul Verhoeven's 1997 American science-fiction action blockbuster ''Starship Troopers'' on Channel 5, starring Casper Van Dien, Denise Richards, Dina Meyer, Michael Ironside Jake Busey and Neil Patrick Harris.
*24 February – Hear'Say, the band formed by ITV's ''Popstars'' make their singing debut on the channel's chart show, '' CD:UK''. They had been required to mime during a previous performance recorded for Channel 5's '' The Pepsi Chart Show'' because their backing tapes had not been completed.

March

*1 March
**The current foot-and-mouth outbreak has required rural-based soaps and continuing dramas such as '' Emmerdale'' and ''Heartbeat'' to adjust their filming schedules, it is reported.
**''EastEnders'' character Phil Mitchell (played by Steve McFadden) is wounded by a mystery gunman on his doorstep in one of the most memorable TV storylines of the year. The episode is watched by 17 million viewers.
**BBC One airs ''Sailing through Heaven and Hell'', a documentary chronicling Ellen MacArthur's participation in the 2000–2001 Vendée Globe solo round-the-world sailing race.
*2 March – ''The Guardian'' reports that ITV have signed a deal with Universal Studios to air episodes of ''Northern Exposure'', '' The Incredible Hulk'' and ''Dr. Katz''. ''Northern Exposure'' which aired on Channel 4 during the 1990s, will begin showing nightly from 5 March, following ''The Late Show with David Letterman'', while ''Dr. Katz'' will air on Saturdays.
*4 March – A bomb explodes outside BBC Television Centre. The blast is later attributed to dissident Irish Republican terrorists and it is suggested the BBC ''Panorama'' programme which named individuals as participants in the Omagh bombing was the motive.
*5 March
** Anne Robinson appears as a guest on an edition of BBC Two's ''Room 101'' in which she nominates Welsh people for inclusion in the fictional Orwellian Room 101, describing them as "irritating and annoying". Her comments provoke fury among Welsh politicians, an invitation to appear before the Welsh Affairs Select Committee as part of their investigation into Wales's overseas image and an investigation into the incident by the BBC Board of Governors. In addition, 427 complaints are received by the Broadcasting Standards Commission and North Wales Police launch an investigation into allegations of racial hatred.
**The ITV soap ''Crossroads'' returns with a new series after an absence of 13 years. Response is initially favourable, but the show is soon criticised for its confusing storylines.
*6 March – Shopping channel Ideal World goes off the air temporarily due to a large fire at its facilities in Peterborough. The channel would go back on the air within weeks of the fire, broadcasting from temporary facilities, but its main facilities in Peterborough wouldn’t be fully operational until September 2002.
*7 March – BBC Two airs a special edition of ''TOTP2'' in which Lionel Richie talks about his life and career and performs some of his hits.
*9 March
**The first series of '' Celebrity Big Brother'' sees six celebrities enter the '' Big Brother 1'' house for a week-long series, in aid of '' Comic Relief''. As Comic Relief is shown by the BBC this is a rare collaboration between two rival television networks. While Channel 4 airs daily highlight shows, BBC One also broadcasts 10-minute updates, as well as the final which is part of the Red Nose Day telethon.
**Zi Khan wins the first series of Channel 5's ''The Mole''.
*11 March
**ITV airs the 5000th episode of ''Coronation Street''.
**Channel 5 signs a deal with the distributors of ''Gladiator'' to give the film its British terrestrial television debut in 2003.
*13 March
**In an interview with the ''Radio Times'', film director Ken Loach launches a scathing attack on the "destruction" of some of UK television's long-established news and current affairs programmes. In particular, he describes ITV's decision to scrap ''World in Action'' as "one of the television crimes of the century".
**London's Chief Fire Officer Brian Robinson criticises the BBC for "grossly irresponsible behaviour" after the day's episode of ''EastEnders'' showed a character breaking a smoke alarm with a broom handle after it was activated in a smoke-filled kitchen.
*14 March
**ITV signs a £100 million deal with Luxembourg-based Société Européenne des Satellites, the company that relays BSkyB channels in the United Kingdom to make its service available through the Astra satellite. The deal paves the way for negotiations with Sky to carry ITV as part of its digital satellite service. A deal between the two broadcasters is subsequently agreed on 18 November.
**Channel 5 airs its first terrestrial television showing of Robert Kurtzman's 1997 American fantasy horror film '' Wishmaster'', starring Tammy Lauren, Andrew Divoff and Ted Raimi, as well as the three slasher icons include '' A Nightmare on Elm Street''s Robert Englund, ''Friday the 13th''s Kane Hodder and '' Candyman''s Tony Todd.
*16 March
**Highlights of the 2001 Comic Relief telethon include a prerecorded piece in which David and Victoria Beckham are interviewed by the character Ali G.
**Comedian Jack Dee is voted the winner of ''Celebrity Big Brother''.
*17 March – William Friedkin's controversial 1973 Oscar-winning supernatural horror film ''The Exorcist'' is shown on British television for the first time when it is screened by Channel 4.
*18 March – Hear'Say reach number one in the UK singles chart with their debut single Pure and Simple. With sales of almost 550,000, the song enters the record books as Britain's most successful debut pop single. They also become the first British group to simultaneously top both the UK singles and album charts with a debut release when their album ''Popstars'' reaches number one on the album charts on 1 April.
*23 March – '' The Mirror'' reports that Brookside actress Claire Sweeney has been offered the presenting role of a new ITV series, ''Challenge of a Lifetime'', described as a spin-off of '' Don't Try This at Home'', after impressing producers during her recent ''Celebrity Big Brother'' appearance. London Weekend Television confirms in April that Sweeney will front a 12-part series of the show.
*28 March – Channel 5 attracts its largest audience to date as 5.5 million viewers tune in to watch the World Cup qualifier match between England and Albania.
*30 March – Channel 5 celebrates its fourth birthday.

April

*2 April
**Imperial College London wins the 2000–01 series of '' University Challenge'', beating St John's College, Oxford 250–195.
**ITV launches an online version of ''Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?''.
*5 April – The culmination of the Who Shot Phil? storyline in EastEnders with the revelation that Phil Mitchell (played by Steve McFadden) was shot by Lisa Fowler ( Lucy Benjamin). To make way for the 45-minute episode in the schedules, the BBC negotiated to have the kick-off of the UEFA Cup semi final between Liverpool and Barcelona delayed by fifteen minutes. The episode receives 20.05 million viewers, the highest rated EastEnders episode of the decade.
*6 April – ''The Big Breakfast'' co-presenter Paul Tomkinson has been sacked from the show, it is reported, bosses having told him of their decision to let him go the previous day. His role on the morning's edition of the programme is filled by Mike McClean.
*11 April – The Independent Television Commission turns down a request from Channel 5 to move its main evening news bulletin forward half an hour to 5:30pm. However, an extended ''Five News and Talk'' planned for the run-up to the General Election beginning at 5:30pm is given the go-ahead.
*16 April – The Broadcasting Standards Commission rules that Anne Robinson's comments about Welsh people "came close to the boundaries of acceptability", but fell short of being racist.
*17 April – The Press Complaints Commission upholds a complaint against the ''News of the World'' made by Granada Television after the newspaper sent two undercover journalists to a Christmas party for the cast and crew of '' Emmerdale'' in the hope of finding a story. The assignment had proved to be fruitless because the reporters were ejected when their identity was discovered.
*20 April
**Celador Productions, makers of ''Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?'', is awarded the Queen's Award for Enterprise for selling the ITV game show to over 60 countries worldwide.
**Channel 4 scraps ''Right to Reply''. The programme had been on air since the launch of the channel in 1982 and was the only programme that Channel 4 produced in-house.
*21 April – David Edwards, a schoolteacher from Staffordshire and former '' Mastermind'' winner, becomes the second person to win the £1 million prize on ITV's ''Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?''. News of his win had leaked out before the episode was transmitted.
*24 April
**Eric Richard makes his final appearance as Sergeant Bob Cryer in ''The Bill''.
**A little over a year after it began airing US soap ''Days of Our Lives'', Channel 5 announces that the series will disappear from its schedules from the following day, an audience of 200,000 deemed not to be high enough for the timeslot in which it has been shown.
*25 April – Carlton and Granada announce proposals to align their television and internet assets under the ITV banner. itv.co.uk will also relaunch as itv.com, allowing ITV to compete with the BBC for online users.
*26 April – On the second anniversary of the murder of Jill Dando, the Jill Dando Institute, a teaching and research facility dedicated to crime science, is established at University College London.
*27 April – Channel 4 game show ''Countdown'' celebrates its 3000th edition.

May

*3 May – Kevin Lygo, head of music and entertainment at Channel 4, is to move to Channel 5 where he will become director of programming.
*4 May – The BBC announces the closure of the loss-making BBC Experience.
*7 May – ''The Guardian'' reports that BSkyB is planning to close its interactive shopping service Open after buying out the other partners in their parent company, British Interactive Broadcasting.
*12 May – Tanel Padar, Dave Benton and 2XL win the 2001 Eurovision Song Contest for Estonia with the song Everybody.
*14 May – Channel 4 confirms that Donna Air has left ''The Big Breakfast''. The show will now be presented by Richard Bacon and Amanda Byram, alongside various guest hosts.
*15 May
**The online version of ''Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?'' has made the ITV website the 48th most popular in the UK according to Nielsen, with half a million visits during April.
**The Smash Hits TV channel is launched.
*16 May
**BBC Two airs a special edition of ''TOTP2'' featuring performances by Billy Joel.
**''Ask Tony Blair'', an election debate chaired by Jonathan Dimbleby, is aired on ITV.
*17 May
**BBC One airs a '' Question Time'' election special from Newcastle with Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy.
**Channel 5 have signed an £18m deal with Columbia Tristar International which will see the channel premiere the studio's films from 2000, including '' Erin Brockovich''.
*20 May – ITV airs the final episode of the thirteenth series of '' London's Burning''. This is the last series to be aired with a hiatus.
*21 May – The UK version of ''Survivor'' debuts on ITV.
*22 May – Actors from the Australian soap ''Home and Away'' will fly to the UK to record episodes in London to coincide with the show's return to British TV, it is confirmed. The series will make its Channel 5 debut on Monday 16 July.
*23 May
**BBC One airs a ''Question Time'' election special from Manchester with Conservative leader William Hague.
**ITV airs ''Ask Charles Kennedy'', an election debate chaired by Jonathan Dimbleby.
*24 May – Letitia Dean returns to ''EastEnders'' as Sharon Watts, having last appeared in 1995.
*25 May – When singer Elton John pulls out of appearing on '' Have I Got News for You'' at the last minute, he is replaced by taxi driver Ray Johnson! credited as 'Ray Elton John Son' who works as a lookalike. However, Johnson is introduced to the audience as the genuine Elton John and keeps silent for the whole recording. On-screen captions between rounds provide the only clues to the deception.
*30 May
**BBC One airs a ''Question Time'' election special from Milton Keynes with Prime Minister and Labour Party leader Tony Blair.
**ITV airs ''Ask William Hague'', an election debate chaired by Jonathan Dimbleby.

June

*7 June – Nestlé has signed a sponsorship with Carlton Cinema to sponsor the Heroes Season.
*7–8 June – Coverage of the 2001 General Election is shown on television. The election sees the Labour Party attain a second successive General Election victory.
*8 June – Tessa Jowell is appointed as Culture Secretary in a post-election Cabinet reshuffle, replacing Chris Smith.
*9 June – ITV screens an edited version of '' The Dam Busters'' in which all references to Commander Guy Gibson's dog, Nigger have been removed, leading to criticism from the anti-censorship group Index on Censorship who argue the cuts were "unnecessary and ridiculous" as the dog is an important part of the story. It is the second time the film has been aired with the cuts, it having originally been shown by the network in December 1999. ITV attributes the cuts to a London Weekend Television employee who did not seek approval before editing the film.
*11 June
**British pop group Atomic Kitten will make a cameo appearance in ''Home and Away'' episodes to be filmed in London, it is confirmed. The storyline will feature Donald Fisher bringing his family to the UK.
**Due to poor ratings, from this day weekly episodes of ''Survivor'' are reduced from two to one, airing on Mondays at 9pm.
*19 June – Channel 4 announce plans to axe ''The Big Breakfast'' in early 2002, but signal their willingness to extend the series if suitable proposals to rework the programme are developed.
*20 June – The Queen's Speech to the new session of parliament includes plans to legislate for the creation of Ofcom, a new media regulator to replace several existing authorities. The body is conceived as a "super-regulator" to oversee media channels that are rapidly converging through digital transmission and its introduction will see the largest shakeup in the British media since the Broadcasting Act 1990.
*23 June – ''Late Night with Jerry Springer'' returns to Channel 5 for a ten-week run, with guests on the opening show including Hear'Say. Other guests to appear in this series include Emma Bunton, Atomic Kitten, Wyclef Jean, Clive James

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