1956 in British television

This is a list of British television related events from 1956.

List of years in British television (table)
+...

Events

edit

January

edit
  • No events.

February

edit
  • 17 February – The Midlands becomes the first part of the UK outside London to receive ITV, when ATV Midlands begins broadcasting their weekday franchise. The weekend franchise, ABC, appears a day later.

March

edit
  • 28 March – Television transmissions begin from the new Crystal Palace site in south London for the BBC.

April

edit
  • 28 April – ITV, at that point only available in the London area and in the Midlands, shows cricket for the first time, when it broadcasts the Australian touring team's match against the Duke of Norfolk's XI at Arundel Castle.[1]

June

edit
  • No events.

July

edit

August

edit
  • No events.

September

edit
  • 15 September – The Adventures of Sir Lancelot debuts on ITV. After being sold to the NBC network in the United States, it later becomes the first British television series ever to be made in colour. It premieres in the United States on 24 September.

October

edit
  • 31 October – On popular ITV television talk show Free Speech, an especially bitter debate on the Suez Crisis takes place, with leftist historian A. J. P. Taylor and Labour journalist and future party leader Michael Foot calling their fellow-panellist, Conservative MP Robert Boothby, a "criminal" for supporting the war.[3]

November

edit

December

edit
  • 25 December – Christmas Day highlights include the British TV debut of The Lone Ranger on BBC TV.

Unknown

edit

Debuts

edit

BBC Television Service/BBC TV

edit

Television shows

edit

1920s

edit
  • BBC Wimbledon (1927–1939, 1946–2019, 2021–2024)

1930s

edit
  • Trooping the Colour (1937–1939, 1946–2019, 2023–present)
  • The Boat Race (1938–1939, 1946–2019, 2021–present)
  • BBC Cricket (1939, 1946–1999, 2020–2024)

1940s

edit

1950s

edit

Ending this year

edit

Births

edit

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ advert placed by ABC Television (UK) in the Coventry Evening Telegraph, page 2, 27 April 1956
  2. ^ Mark Duguid "Armchair Theatre (1956–74)", BFI screenonline
  3. ^ Cole, Robert (1993). A. J. P. Taylor: the Traitor Within the Gates. London: Macmillan. p. 149. ISBN 9781349230235.
  4. ^ Seatter, Robert (2022). "1956". Broadcasting Britain: 100 years of the BBC. London: Dorling Kindersley. ISBN 9780241567548.
  5. ^ "What the Papers Say (5.11.56) (1956)". BFI. Archived from the original on April 2, 2022. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  6. ^ "What the Papers Say in pictures". The Guardian. 29 May 2008. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  7. ^ "Louise Plowright, actress – obituary". The Daily Telegraph. London: Telegraph Media Group. 3 March 2016. Retrieved 3 March 2016.
edit