Timeline of the BBC

This is a timeline of the history of the British Broadcasting Corporation.

1920s

* 1922
** 18 October - The British Broadcasting Company is formed.
** 14 November - First BBC broadcasts from London (station 2LO).
** 15 November - First broadcasts from Birmingham (station 5IT) and Manchester (station 2ZY).
** 24 December - First broadcast from Newcastle upon Tyne (station 5NO).
* 1923
** 8 January - First outside broadcast.
** 18 January - The UK Postmaster General grants the BBC a licence to broadcast.
** 13 February - First broadcast from Cardiff (station 5WA).
** 6 March - First broadcast from Glasgow (station 5SC).
** 28 September - First publication of the "Radio Times" listings magazine (price 2d).
** 10 October - First broadcast from Aberdeen (station 2BD).
** 17 October - First broadcast from Bournemouth (station 6BM).
** 16 November - First broadcast from Sheffield (station 2FL).
* 1924
** 28 March - First broadcast from Plymouth (station 5PY).
** 23 April - First broadcast by King George V, opening the British Empire Exhibition at Wembley Stadium.
** 14 September - First broadcast from Belfast (station 2BE).
* 1925
** First BBC shortwave transmissions are broadcast from Daventry's Borough Hill.
* 1926
** 4 May - The General strike begins. The BBC broadcasts five news bulletins a day as no newspapers are published.
** 25 July - The previously experimental long-wave station 5XX moves from Chelmsford to Daventry and becomes the first station to achieve near national coverage. The Daventry station will later become the main transmitter of the BBC National Programme.
* 1927
** 1 January - The British Broadcasting "Company" becomes the British Broadcasting "Corporation", when it is granted a Royal Charter. Sir John Reith becomes the first Director-General.
** 15 January - First live sports broadcast on the BBC. The rugby union international England v Wales is commented on by Teddy Wakelam. A week later the first football match is broadcast.
** March - The BBC coat of arms is adopted
** 7 July - Christopher Stone presents a record programme, becoming the first British disc-jockey.
** 21 August - The first high-powered regional station (5GB), forerunner of the Midland Regional Programme, opens at Daventry.
* 1929
** 20 August - First transmissions of John Logie Baird's experimental 30-line television system.

1930s

* 1930
** July 14 - Transmission of the first experimental television play, "The Man With the Flower in His Mouth".
* 1932
** 1 May - Broadcasting House, the BBC's headquarters and home to its main radio studios, is opened.
** 22 August - First experimental television broadcast from Broadcasting House.
** 19 December - The Empire Service (precursor of the World Service) launches.
** 25 December - King George V becomes the first monarch to deliver a Christmas Day message by radio, on the Empire Service.
* 1936
** 2 November - The BBC opens the world's first regular high-definition television service, from Alexandra Palace.
* 1937
** 12 May - First use of TV outside broadcast van, for the coronation procession of King George VI.
** 21 June - The BBC broadcasts television coverage of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships for the first time.
* 1938
** 3 January - The BBC begins broadcasting its first foreign-language radio service, in Arabic.
** 30 April - The BBC broadcasts television coverage of the FA Cup for the first time.
** 27 September - Start of the European Service on radio, broadcasting in French, German and Italian. Portuguese and Spanish are added before the start of the Second World War.
* 1939
** 1 September - The BBC Television Service is suspended, about 20 minutes after the conclusion of a Mickey Mouse cartoon (Mickey's Gala Premiere), due to the imminent outbreak of the Second World War, amid fears that the VHF transmissions would act as perfect guidance beams for enemy bombers attempting to locate central London - also, the technicians and engineers of the service will be needed for war efforts such as the RADAR programme. On radio, the Home Service replaces the National and Regional Programmes.

1940s

* 1940
** 7 January - Start of the BBC Forces Programme on radio, precursor of the post-war Light Programme.
* 1944
** 27 February - BBC General Forces Programme replaces the BBC Forces Programme (also broadcast on shortwave).
* 1945
** 29 July - Regional radio programming resumes, and the Light Programme starts.
* 1946
** 7 June - BBC Television broadcasts (405 lines) resume after the war. One of the first programmes shown is the Mickey Mouse cartoon from 1939.
** 29 September - The Third Programme starts broadcasting on radio.
* 1947
** 9 November - First use of telerecording: the Service of Remembrance from the Cenotaph is televised live, and a telerecording shown that evening.
* 1948
** 29 July - The London Olympic Games is televised.
** 26 December - The first Reith Lecture is broadcast on radio.

1950s

* 1950
** 21 May - Lime Grove television studios open.
** 27 August - First live television from the European continent, using BBC outside broadcast equipment.
* 1953
** 2 June - The coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in Westminster Abbey is televised by the BBC and watched live by an estimated audience of 20 million people in the United Kingdom.
* 1955
** 2 May - The BBC begins broadcasting its radio service on VHF (FM), using the Wrotham transmitter.
** 10 October - Alexandra Palace begins test transmissions of a 405-line colour television service.
* 1956
** 28 March - Television transmissions begin from the new Crystal Palace site in south London.
* 1957
** 25 December - First TV broadcast of the Queen's Christmas Day message.
* 1958
** 5 May - First experimental transmissions of a 625-line television service.
** 16 October - First broadcast of the United Kingdom's longest running children's television show Blue Peter.

1960s

* 1960
** 29 June - BBC Television Centre opens in Shepherd's Bush.
* 1962
** 28 August - Experimental stereo radio broadcasts begin.
* 1963
** 30 September - A globe is used as the BBC Television Service's logo for the first time.
* 1964
** 20 April - BBC2 starts broadcasting (on 625 lines); the existing BBC Television Service is renamed BBC1.
* 1965
** 1 May - The General Overseas Service is renamed the BBC World Service.
* 1967
** 25 June - The first worldwide live satellite programme, "Our World", is televised.
** 1 July - Experimental colour TV transmissions (625 lines) begin on BBC Two, starting with the Wimbledon tennis championships.
** 30 September - BBC Radio 1 is launched, as a response to the threat from pirate radio station broadcasts of popular music. At the same time the Light, Third and Home services are renamed Radios 2, 3 and 4.
** 8 November - BBC Local Radio starts. The first station is BBC Radio Leicester.
** 2 December - Colour television officially launched on BBC2.
* 1969
** 15 November - BBC1 starts broadcasting in colour (simultaneous with rival ITV).

1970s

* 1971
** 3 January - Open University programmes start on both radio and television.
** BBC adds stereo capability to Radio 3, with new technology called "Pulse Code Modulation".
* 1972
** 23 October - The BBC announces that development work has begun on the Ceefax teletext service.
** BBC adds stereo capability to Radio 2.
* 1973
** March - Experimental Ceefax teletext transmissions begin.
** BBC adds stereo capability to Radio 4.
* 1974
** 5 July - A quadrasonic (4-channel) radio programme goes out at midnight, using Radio 4 to carry the two front channels and Radio 3 to carry the two rear channels.
** 23 September - Regular Ceefax teletext service begins.
* 1978
** 3 April - Regular radio broadcasts from Parliament begin.
** 23 November - The BBC's radio stations switch medium wave frequencies: Radio 1 moves from 247m (1214 kHz) to 275 and 285m (1089 and 1053 kHz), Radio 2 moves from 1500m (200 kHz long wave) to 330 and 433m (909 and 693 kHz), Radio 3 moves from 464m (647 kHz) to Radio 1's old frequency, and Radio 4 moves to Radio 2's old frequency. [http://www.vintagebroadcasting.org.uk/bbcchanges.htm]
* 1979
** 27 January - Radio 2 is the first BBC radio station to broadcast 24 hours a day. Its final nighttime closedown is at 2.00 on this date; from the next day onwards, "You, the night and the music" fills the "small hours" between 2.00 and 5.00. [http://www.vintagebroadcasting.org.uk/r2goes24.htm]
** 2 September - Subtitling of television programmes on Ceefax begins.

1980s

* 1983
** 17 January - BBC Breakfast Time - the UK's first breakfast television service - is launched, ahead of the ITV franchise TV-am, which follows on 1 February.
* 1985
** 23 January - Television coverage of proceedings in the House of Lords begins.
** 18 February - BBC One is given a major relaunch, along with the introduction of a new ident, the COW (Computer Originated World).
** July 13 - Live Aid is broadcast to the world on BBC One and BBC Radio 1, the first broadcast of its kind.
* 1986
** 1 April - All commercial activities of the BBC are now handled by BBC Enterprises Ltd.
** 27 October - BBC One starts a full daytime television service. Before today, excluding special events coverage, BBC One showed pages from Ceefax or closed down at times during weekday mornings and afternoons.
* 1988
** 1 September - BBC External Services is renamed the World Service, and Radio 1 starts regular broadcasts on VHF in [http://www.radiorewind.co.uk/sounds/New_Tmitter_88_LQ.wma Scotland] , [http://www.vintagebroadcasting.org.uk/audio/35.mp3 northern England] , the Midlands, and south Wales, Avon and Somerset, between 97-99 MHz. [http://www.vintagebroadcasting.org.uk/r1vhf.htm] (Crystal Palace has been broadcasting R1 on 104.8 MHz since October 1987, and would later switch to 98.8 MHz at 11.00 on 19 December 1989. [http://www.transdiffusion.org/rmc/features/width.asp] )
** 20 September - The Radio Data System (RDS) launches, allowing car radios to automatically retune, display station identifiers and switch to local travel news.
* 1989
** 21 November - Television coverage of proceedings in the House of Commons begins.

1990s

* 1990
** 27 August - Radio 5 begins broadcasting.
** 5 September - New BBC building at White City opens.
* 1991
** 16 January - Radio 4 News FM starts war broadcasts on BBC Radio 4 FM frequencies.
** 16 February - BBC One and BBC Two receive new idents generated from laserdisc, BBC One with a '1' encased in a swirling globe, and BBC Two with eleven idents based around the numeral '2'.
** 2 March - Radio 4 News FM closes and BBC Radio 4 returns to FM.
** 15 April - The World Service Television News service is launched. Unlike World Service radio which is funded by direct grant from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, WSTV is commercially funded and carries advertising, which means that it cannot be broadcast in the UK.
** 31 July - The BBC's Lime Grove Studios close.
** 31 August - BBC television starts officially broadcasting in stereo using the NICAM system. (Some transmtters had been broadcasting in stereo since 1988, but these were classified as tests.)
** 14 October - World Service TV launches its Asian service.
* 1992
** 1 November - The satellite TV channel UK Gold, run by the BBC with Thames Television, starts broadcasting.
* 1994
** First BBC website created for the BBC Two series The Net.
** 27 March - Radio 5 ends transmission.
** 28 March - BBC Radio Five Live a dedicated news and sport network starts round-the-clock broadcasts.
** 1 July - Radio 1 ceases broadcasting on medium wave (AM) at 9.00.
** July - Arabic television service launched with funding from the Saudi Arabian Mawarid Group.
* 1995
** January - World Service Television is renamed BBC World.
* 1996
** 21 April - Arabic television closes down when the Saudi backer pulls out following a row over coverage of the execution of a princess accused of adultery.
** 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.
** 29 December - What is billed as the last ever episode of "Only Fools and Horses" is watched by 24.35 million viewers, the largest ever TV audience of a sitcom.
* 1997
** The BBC broadcasts the much praised "Perfect Day" corporate advertisement, featuring 27 artists singing lines of Lou Reed's original. The song later becomes a fund-raising single for Children in Need.
** 28 February - The BBC sells its transmitters and transmission services to Castle Transmission Services for £244 million, to help fund its plans for the digital age.
** 4 October - Current corporate identity adopted. At a reported cost of £5m the new logo was introduced due to the increase in digital services, as it is designed to be more visible at small size it is better suited for use in websites and on screen "DOGs."
** 8 November - The last ever closedown on BBC One. From the following day, BBC One broadcasts 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with BBC News 24 filling the early hours.
** 9 November - BBC News 24, the Corporation's UK television news service, is launched at 17.30.
** BBC News Online, a web-based news service, begins to expand and become more popular.
* 1998
** August - The BBC's domestic TV channels become available on Sky Digital's satellite service. An unintended consequence of this is that people in the rest of Europe can now watch BBC One and Two, using viewing cards from the UK, as the signal is encrypted for rights reasons. This applies even within the UK: people in England can now watch BBC channels from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and "vice versa".
** 23 September - The BBC launches BBC Choice, its first new TV channel since 1964, available only on digital TV services. The BBC Parliament TV channel also starts broadcasting on digital services.
** 15 November - Public launch of digital terrestrial TV in the UK.
* 1999
** 10 May - BBC network news relaunched with new music, titles and a red and ivory set. This design was used for the October 25 relaunch of News 24 - enhancing cross-channel promotion of the service.
** 20 May - The BBC's digital teletext service starts.
** 1 June - BBC Knowledge starts broadcasting on digital services.

2000s

* 2000
**1 October - Final edition of Breakfast News on BBC One and BBC News 24, the last conventional news broadcast in the morning.

**1 October - Final edition of the BBC Nine O'Clock News on BBC One.
**2 October - The first edition of "Breakfast is broadcast, the new morning show on BBC One and News 24 from 6:00-9:30. (9:00 on BBC News 24), from daily.
**16 October - Oxfordshire, once part of the South East, becomes part of South Today.
* 2001
** 3 March - Bomb explodes outside Television Centre. The blast was later attributed to dissident Irish Republican terrorists and it is suggested the BBC "Panorama" programme which named individuals as participants in the Omagh bomb was the motive.
** 3 September - Kent and Sussex get their own news programme, South East Today.
** 1 October - BBC London is launched, replacing Newsroom South East.
** 19 November - Last showing of current BBC Two idents. These set of idents would have ended in 1997 with BBC One's ident change but due to popularity the 1991 idents continued only with a new BBC logo and some newer ident sets.
* 2002
** 11 February - CBBC Channel and CBeebies begin broadcasting on the major digital television platforms: Freeview (digital terrestrial), digital cable and Sky Digital (digital satellite).
** 2 March - BBC Four is launched at 17:00 in a simulcast with BBC Two. It replaces BBC Knowledge.
* 2003
** 9 February - BBC Three is launched at 17:00 in a simulcast with BBC Two. It replaces BBC Choice.
** 8 December - BBC News 24 relaunched again with a new set and titles, as well as a new Breaking News sting. Networked news on BBC One and Two remains with the same titles though the set was redesigned in a similar style to that of the new News 24.
* 2004
** January 28 - Publication of the Hutton Inquiry, and subsequent resignation of the Chairman Gavyn Davies.
** January 30 - Resignation of the Director General, Greg Dyke. Mark Byford takes over as acting Director General.
** 16 February - Network news titles relaunched in the style of BBC News 24, introduced two months earlier.
** May 17 - Appointment of Michael Grade as new Chairman
** May 21 - Appointment of Mark Thompson as new Director General
** July 5 - 50th Anniversary of television news broadcasts.
** October 1 - BBC Technology, incorporating the BBC's Broadcast Engineering division, is sold to Siemens AG Business Services for approximately £200m, and a £2bn, 10 year outsourcing contract.
*2005
** 20 March - Mark Thompson announces staff of 27,000 to be cut by 3,780.
** 23 May - Over one third of staff join strike in response to job cuts [http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/BBC_drops_programmes_as_third_of_staff_join_strike] .
** 1 August - BBC Broadcast, formerly Broadcasting & Presentation and responsible for the playout and branding of all BBC Channels, is sold to Creative Broadcast Services, owned by the Macquarie Capital Alliance Group and Macquarie Bank. It is renamed Red Bee Media on October 31.
** December - Czech and Polish sections of the BBC World Service cease to exist. Eight other sections are to follow soon.

* 2006
** 27 May - The BBC's first scheduled HDTV broadcast on BBC HD
** 28 November - Resignation of Chairman Michael Grade, to join ITV.
** 31 December - The BBC's current Royal Charter and Agreement expires.

* 2007
** 22 January - BBC News 24 re-relaunched with new titles and new Astons.
** 3 September - CBBC identity relaunched, with its third marketing campaign since the launch of the CBBC Channel.
** 20 October - BBC Switch teenage block of shows is launched to cater for the underserved 12-16 year olds.
** 25 December - BBC iPlayer an online service for watching previously aired shows is launched

* 2008
** 22 January - BBC Three has its identity relaunched showcasing new shows such as Lily Allen and Friends

See also

* Early television stations