1978 in British television

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This is a list of British television related events from 1978.

Events

• 20 January – The first of ITV's occasional An Audience With programmes is aired. The first presenter is Jasper Carrott.
• 27 January – In an interview for Granada Television's World in Action programme, Leader of the Opposition Margaret Thatcher remarks, "people are really rather afraid that this country might be rather swamped by people with a different culture".^[1] Critics regard the comment as a veiled reference to people of colour, thus pandering to xenophobia and reactionary sentiment. However, Thatcher receives 10,000 letters thanking her for raising the subject and the Conservatives gain a lead against Labour in the opinion polls.^[2]
• 13 February – Anna Ford becomes the first female newscaster on News At Ten.^[3]
• 22 February – The Police appear in a television commercial for Wrigley's chewing gum.
• 24 February – 7 April – The BBC airs Going Straight. The sitcom is a direct spin-off from Porridge, starring Ronnie Barker as Norman Stanley Fletcher, newly released from the fictional Slade Prison where Porridge had been set. The programme airs for one series.
• 7 March – 11 April – Dennis Potter's groundbreaking drama serial Pennies From Heaven airs on BBC1.
• 24 May – The iconic skateboarding duck item first airs on BBC TV's Nationwide.
• 28–29 May – British television debut of Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather, airing as a two-part presentation over two consecutive nights on BBC1.^[4][5]
• 13 July – The original series of Top Gear begins airing on BBC2 having started as a locally produced programme at BBC Pebble Mill the previous year.
• 10 September – Return of the Saint. The Saint returns with a new voice actor named Ian Ogilvy and introducing the Jaguar XJ-S to take over the Volvo P1800 from the Saint 1962 TV series. The first episode is The Judas Game.
• 17 October – James Burke's history of science series Connections first airs on BBC.
• 6 November – ITV airs the first episode of Edward & Mrs. Simpson, a seven-part British television series that dramatises the events leading to the 1936 abdication of King Edward VIII of the United Kingdom, who gave up his throne to marry the twice-divorced American Wallis Simpson.
• 23 November – 15th anniversary of the first episode of science fiction series Doctor Who.
• ITV started broadcasting the ORACLE-teletext based service. It ended in 1992.

Debuts

BBC1

• 2 January – Blake's 7 (1978–1981)
• 8 January – All Creatures Great and Small (1978–1990)
• 8 February – Grange Hill (1978–2008)
• 10 April – Cheggers Plays Pop (1978–1986)

BBC2

• 11 March – Something Else (1978–1982)
• 10 November – Butterflies (1978–1983, 2000)

ITV

• 14 January – The South Bank Show (1978–2010, 2012–present)
• 5 June – Strangers (1978–1982)
• 8 July – Saturday Banana (1978)
• 29 July – 3-2-1 (1978–1988)
• 10 September – Return of the Saint (1978–1979)

Television shows

1940s

• Come Dancing (1949–1998)

1950s

• The Good Old Days (1953–1983)
• Panorama (1953–present)
• Crackerjack (1955–1984)
• What the Papers Say (1956–2008)
• The Sky at Night (1957–present)
• Blue Peter (1958–present)
• Grandstand (1958–2007)

1960s

• Coronation Street (1960–present)
• Songs of Praise (1961–present)
• Animal Magic (1962–1983)
• Doctor Who (1963–1989, 2005–present)
• World in Action (1963–1998)
• Top of the Pops (1964–2006)
• Match of the Day (1964–present)
• Crossroads (1964–1988, 2001–2003)
• Play School (1964–1988)
• Mr. and Mrs. (1964–1999, 2008–2010, 2012–present)
• World of Sport (1965–1985)
• Jackanory (1965–1996, 2006–present)
• Sportsnight (1965–1997)
• It's a Knockout (1966–1982, 1999–2001)
• The Money Programme (1966–2010)
• ITV Playhouse (1967–1982)
• Magpie (1968–1980)
• The Big Match (1968–2002)
• The Liver Birds (1969–1979, 1996)
• Nationwide (1969–1983)
• Screen Test (1969–1984)

1970s

• The Goodies (1970–1982)
• The Onedin Line (1971–1980)
• The Old Grey Whistle Test (1971–1987)
• The Two Ronnies (1971–1987, 1991, 1996, 2005)
• General Hospital (1972–1979)
• Sykes (1972–1979)
• Clapperboard (1972–1982)
• Crown Court (1972–1984)
• Pebble Mill at One (1972–1986)
• Are You Being Served? (1972–1985)
• Rainbow (1972–1992, 1994–1995)
• Emmerdale (1972–present)
• Newsround (1972–present)
• Weekend World (1972–1988)
• Pipkins (1973–1981)
• We Are the Champions (1973–1987)
• Last of the Summer Wine (1973–2010)
• That's Life! (1973–1994)
• It Ain't Half Hot Mum (1974–1981)
• Tiswas (1974–1982)
• Wish You Were Here...? (1974–2003)
• Celebrity Squares (1975–1979, 1993–1997, 2014–present)
• The Cuckoo Waltz (1975–1980)
• Arena (1975–present)
• Jim'll Fix It (1975–1994)
• George and Mildred (1976–1979)
• The Muppet Show (1976–1981)
• When the Boat Comes In (1976–1981)
• Multi-Coloured Swap Shop (1976–1982)
• Rentaghost (1976–1984)
• One Man and His Dog (1976–present)
• Robin's Nest (1977–1981)
• You’re Only Young Twice (1977–1981)
• The Professionals (1977–1983)

Ending this year

• 20 March – Opportunity Knocks (1956–1978, 1987–1990)
• 10 April – 1990 (1977–1978)
• 15 April – Within These Walls (1974–1978)
• 9 May – Rising Damp (1974–1978)
• 24 May – A Bunch of Fives (1977–1978)
• 10 June – The Good Life (1975–1978)
• 21 July – The Black and White Minstrel Show (1958–1978)
• August – This Week (1956–1978, 1986–1992)
• 20 September – Z-Cars (1962–1978)
• 20 December – Happy Ever After (1974–1978)
• 25 December – Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em (1973–1978)
• 28 December – The Sweeney (1975–1978)

Births

• 13 January – Yiolanda Koppel, UK presenter
• 22 February – Jenny Frost, singer, dancer, television presenter and model
• 23 March — Joanna Page, actress
• 31 March – Daniel Mays, actor
• 28 April — Lauren Laverne, radio and television presenter and singer
• 9 May – Georgina Mellor, British actress (Footballers' Wives: Extra Time)
• 29 May — Adam Rickitt, actor
• 10 July — Sarah-Jane Mee, journalist and news and sports presenter
• 24 July — Joanna Taylor, actress and model
• 19 August — Callum Blue, actor
• 8 November — Jane Danson, actress
• 17 November – Tom Ellis, actor

Deaths

• 11 January – Michael Bates, actor
• 5 October – May Warden, actress
• 1 December – David Nixon, magician

References

1. Interview for Granada TV with journalist Gordon Burns (27 January 1978), TV Interview for Granada World in Action ("rather swamped"), Margaret Thatcher Foundation. Retrieved 6 May 2009. Archived 2009-05-08.
2. John Campbell, Margaret Thatcher: Volume One: The Grocer's Daughter (Jonathan Cape, 2000), p. 400.
3. ""1978: Ford makes her ITN debut", BBC On This Day". BBC News. 1978-02-13. Retrieved 28 April 2009.
4. "The Godfather - BBC One London - 28 May 1978". BBC Genome. BBC. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
5. "The Godfather - BBC One London - 29 May 1978". BBC Genome. BBC. Retrieved 16 October 2016.