2006 in British television
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The following is a list of British television related events from the year 2006.
Contents |
Events
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 28 February | L!VE TV is moved to the adult section of Sky's EPG, and is rebranded as "Babeworld" two days later. This is because the channel has moved to broadcasting an increasingly adult themed content. |
| 11 March | ITV launch a CITV channel, which broadcasts during the downtime hours of ITV4, replacing the ITV News Channel.[1] |
| 7 April | 12.34 million viewers watch long-running Coronation Street character Mike Baldwin die in the arms of his long-time rival, Ken Barlow. Baldwin, played by Johnny Briggs, had been in the show for 30 years. |
| 19 April | ITV launch ITV Play, a new 24/7 participation TV channel, on Freeview in the United Kingdom. It will launch on other platforms later in the year. |
| 21 April | The Queen celebrates her 80th birthday at Windsor. The Prince of Wales makes a televised address in tribute. |
| 21 April | Denis Norden announces his retirement from his two ongoing ITV shows It'll Be Alright on the Night and spin-off show Denis Norden's Laughter File, after 30 years with ITV. |
| 24 April | Cartoon Network Too and Nick Jr. 2 launched in the UK (2006–present) |
| 25 April | The BBC announces that Grandstand, its flagship sports TV programme, will be phased out within the next year after nearly 50 years on air. |
| 5 May | The BBC's local election coverage goes off air shortly before 3:00 am, due to a power failure at their Millbank studios. For the next hour coverage relocates to The Counting House pub, with results being read out using handwritten pieces of paper. |
| 6 May | The Place To Be Premiered. |
| 8 May | Guy Goma, a graduate from the Congo who went to the BBC to attend a job interview, appears on BBC News 24 in place of an IT expert after a mix-up. Guy Kewney had been scheduled to comment on the subject of Apple Computer's court case with The Beatles' record label, Apple Corps, but a producer collected the wrong man from the wrong reception at BBC Television Centre.[2] |
| 15 May | BBC High Definition Television Trial commences. |
| 20 May | Just minutes before the live Eurovision Song Contest final begins, BBC One's live National Lottery draw is invaded by Fathers 4 Justice protestors. The show is temporarily taken off air, leaving just a programme logo and announcer Alan Dedicoat's voice until the problems are resolved.[3] |
| 22 May | BSkyB launch High-definition television in the UK under the brand Sky HD. |
| 27 May | The BBC's first scheduled HDTV broadcast on BBC HD. |
| 30 May | Scottish and Grampian are rebranded as STV Central and STV North respectively. |
| 6 June | ITV announces that Central News South's existence as a news region will end after 17 years when the eastern half of the region (the area served by the Oxford transmitter) merges its operations with Meridian West's output, forming a new news region named ITV Thames Valley. |
| 9 June | They Think It's All Over comes to defunction after 11 years on air. |
| 20 June | 18.46 million watch England vs Sweden in the 2006 FIFA World Cup, the highest rated programme of the year. |
| 23 June | An interview with Conservative leader David Cameron on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross causes controversy when presenter Ross asks Cameron whether he ever had sexual fantasies about former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher as a teenager.[4] The BBC later bans repeats of the interview.[5] |
| 11 July | It is announced that actress Wendy Richard will leave EastEnders at Christmas. She is one of the only remaining cast members from the show's 1985 launch.[6] |
| 16 July | Sarah Lang wins one million pounds in the final of the ITV1 gameshow PokerFace.[7] As she had also won £32,500 on the BBC One gameshow In It to Win It the previous year, this makes her the biggest known female gameshow winner in UK television history, and second overall behind Ian Woodley. |
| 21 July | James Dreyfus takes over from Ardal O'Hanlon as George Sunday AKA Thermoman in the sixth and final series of My Hero the series ended in September due to low viewing figures. |
| 23 July | FilmFour is relaunched as a free-to-air channel. It had originally been a subscription service, but this had ended four days previously. |
| 30 July | Top of the Pops axes weekly episodes from TV before revival by Christmas. |
| 6 August | While anchoring from Israel during the Israel-Lebanon war, Sky News presenter Anna Botting famously interviews the British MP, George Galloway about the conflict.[8] During the nine-minute heated discussion Galloway criticises Sky News, News Corporation, and even Botting herself for being biased towards Israel.[9] |
| 23 August | ITV secures a deal to sell its 45% stake in Ireland's TV3 for £70m.[10] |
| 20 September | Top Gear presenter Richard Hammond is seriously injured after crashing a jet-powered car at 280 mph. |
| 30 September | It is announced that Des Lynam will leave Countdown at the end of 2006.[11] |
| 5 October | QI publishes its first book: The Book of General Ignorance. The book becomes a No. 1 best-seller for amazon.co.uk. |
| 7 October | After four and a half years, the BBC 'Rhythm & Movement' idents are shown for the final time on BBC One at 1:10 am, as part of a special montage (2:55 am on BBC One Northern Ireland). Their replacements, the 'Circle' idents, debut at 10 am. |
| 15 October | Five Life is launched.[12] |
| 16 October | Five US is launched.[12] |
| 13 November | BBC Parliament broadcasts in full screen format for the first time on the Freeview service, having previously only been available in quarter screen format.[13] The BBC eventually found the bandwidth to make the channel full-screen after receiving "thousands of angry and perplexed e-mails and letters",[14] not to mention questions asked by MPs in the Houses of Parliament itself. |
| 28 November | ITV confirms that BBC chairman Michael Grade is to become its chief executive in early 2007.[15] |
| November | Launch of 4 on demand, a service which allows some internet, Virgin Media Television, Tiscali TV and BT Vision users to view programming recently shown on Channel 4, E4 or More4, or from their archives. |
| 3 December | The last edition of Central News South is aired. From tomorrow the Central South region will cease to exist. The east of the region including Oxford becomes part of ITV Thames Valley, the west half of the region, covering Cheltenham and Gloucester is absorbed into the ITV West region, while Herefordshire rejoins the Central West region. |
| 4 December | The ITV Thames Valley region, a composite of the old Meridian West and eastern part of the Central South regions, goes on air with a new regional news programme Thames Valley Tonight. |
| 23 December | Stars in Their Eyes is also axed after the last special episode. |
| 25 December | Actress Wendy Richard makes her final appearance in EastEnders after her character, Pauline Fowler, is killed off in a dramatic storyline. She had been in the show since its inception in 1985.[16] |
Debuts (including scheduled)
BBC One
| Date | Debut |
|---|---|
| 9 January | Life on Mars |
| 19 January | Hotel Babylon |
| 9 March | Waterloo Road |
| 5 May | Home Again |
| 16 September | TMi |
| 7 October | Robin Hood, a new family drama series made by Tiger Aspect Productions. |
BBC Two
| Date | Debut |
|---|---|
| 11 January | Hyperdrive |
| 12 February | Petrolheads |
| 8 October | Something for the Weekend |
ITV
| Date | Debut |
|---|---|
| 14 January | Dancing on Ice |
| 23 January | Northern Lights |
| 29 January | Lewis, a spin-off from Inspector Morse. |
Channel 4
| Date | Debut |
|---|---|
| 3 February | The IT Crowd |
Five
| Date | Debut |
|---|---|
| 27 April | Suburban Shootout |
BBC Three
| Date | Debut |
|---|---|
| 22 October | Torchwood, the first full series spin-off from Doctor Who |
Channels
New channels
| Date | Channel |
|---|---|
| 6 March | Boomerang +1 |
| 11 March | CITV |
| 16 March | Disney Cinemagic |
| Disney Cinemagic +1 | |
| 19 April | ITV Play |
| 24 April | Cartoon Network Too |
| 2 May | TCM 2 |
| UKTV Drama +1 | |
| 15 May | BBC HD |
| 22 May | Artsworld HD |
| Discovery HD | |
| National Geographic Channel HD | |
| Sky Box Office HD 1 | |
| Sky Box Office HD 2 | |
| Sky Movies 9 HD | |
| Sky Movies 10 HD | |
| Sky Sports HD | |
| Sky One HD | |
| 31 July | Sky Sports HD 2 |
| 15 October | Five Life |
| 16 October | Five US |
Defunct channels
Main article: List of former TV channels in the United Kingdom#2006
| Date | Channel |
|---|---|
| 6 March | Cartoon Network + |
| 16 March | Toon Disney |
| 18 April | UKTV People +1 |
| 19 July | FilmFour Weekly |
| 1 August | VH2 |
| 1 November | Granada Plus |
Rebranded channels
| Date | Old Name | New Name |
|---|---|---|
| 23 July | FilmFour | Film4 |
| FilmFour +1 | Film4 +1 | |
| 31 July | Sky Sports HD | Sky Sports HD 1 |
Changes of network affiliation
| Show | Moved from | Moved to |
|---|---|---|
| The Paul O'Grady Show | ITV | Channel 4 |
| Thomas & Friends | ITV | Five |
| Lost | Channel 4 | Sky One |
| Family Guy | BBC Two (first run rights) | BBC Three |
Television shows
Returning this year after a break of one year or longer
| Programme | Date(s) of original removal | Original channel | Date(s) of return | New channel(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Family Fortunes | 7 June 1985 6 December 2002 |
ITV1 | 27 June 1987 28 October 2006 |
N/A (Same channel as original) |
| Bullseye | 1995 | ITV1 | 2006 | Challenge |
| Jackanory | 1996 | CBBC | 2006 | N/A (Same channel as original) |
| Finders Keepers | 1 March 1985 6 August 1996 |
CITV | 6 January 2006 | N/A (Same channel as original) |
| Born to Be Different | 2004 | Channel 4 | 2006 | N/A (Same channel as original) |
1950s
- Panorama (1953–present).
- 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).
- Doctor Who (1963–1989, 1996, 2005–present).
- Top of the Pops (1964–present).
- Match of the Day (1964–present).
- The Money Programme (1966–present).
1970s
- Emmerdale (1972–present).
- Newsround (1972–present).
- Last of the Summer Wine (1973–2010).
- Arena (1975–present).
- Top Gear (1977–2001, 2002–present).
- Grange Hill (1978–2008).
- Antiques Roadshow (1979–present).
- Question Time (1979–present)
1980s
- Children in Need (1980–present)
- Postman Pat (1981, 1991, 1994, 1996, 2004–present)
- Timewatch (1982–present)
- Countdown (1982–present)
- The Bill (1984–2010)
- Thomas & Friends (1984–present)
- EastEnders (1985–present)
- Comic Relief (1985–present)
- Casualty (1986–present)
- ChuckleVision (1987–present)
- Fireman Sam (1987–1994, 2005–present)
- This Morning (1988–present)
- The Simpsons (1989–present)
1990s
- Have I Got News for You (1990–present)
- Hollyoaks (1995–present)
- Arthur (1996–present)
- Silent Witness (1996–present)
- King of the Hill (1997–2010)
- Midsomer Murders (1997–present)
- South Park (1997–present)
- Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? (1998–present)
- Bob the Builder (1998–present).
- Bremner, Bird and Fortune (1999–present)
- Family Guy (1999–2002, 2005–present)
- Spongebob Squarepants (1999–present)
2000s
- The Weakest Link (2000–2012)
- Popworld (2001–2007)
- Real Crime (2001–present)
- I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here! (2002–present)
- Harry Hill's TV Burp (2002–2012)
- Spooks (2002–2011)
- Top Gear (2002–present)
- The Daily Politics (2003–present)
- Peep Show (2003–present)
- The Politics Show (2003–2011)
- QI (2003–present)
- The Royal (2003–2011)
- This Week (2003–present)
- Strictly Come Dancing (2004–present)
- Sea of Souls (2004–2007)
- Supernanny (2004–2008, 2010–present)
- Shameless (2004–present)
- The X Factor (2004–present)
- More4 News (2005—2009)
- Love Soup (2005–2008)
- Deal or No Deal (2005–present)
- Sunday AM (2005–present)
Ending this year
| Date(s) | Show | Channel(s) | Debut(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unknown | Muffin the Mule | CBeebies | 1946 & 2005 |
| 13 January | ITV Day | ITV | 2005 |
| 11 March | Dick and Dom in da Bungalow | CBBC | 2002 |
| 14 April | Finders Keepers | CITV | 1991 & 2006 |
| Footballers' Wives | ITV | 2002 | |
| 9 June | They Think It's All Over | BBC | 1995 |
| 30 June | Coach Trip | Channel 4 | 2005 |
| 30 July & 25 December | Top of the Pops | BBC | 1964 |
| 10 September | My Hero | BBC | 2000 |
| 22 November | Afterlife | ITV | 2005 |
| 23 December | Stars in Their Eyes | ITV | 1990 |
| 27 December | The Biggest Loser | Sky | 2005 |
Deaths
- 28 January – Henry McGee, 76, actor (The Benny Hill Show)
- 24 March – Lynne Perrie, 75, actress (Ivy Tilsley in Coronation Street)
- 25 June – Kenneth Griffith, 84, actor and documentary film-maker
- 8 July – Peter Hawkins, 82, actor and voice artist (Doctor Who)
- 5 September –
- Hilary Mason, 89, actress (Maid Marian and her Merry Men)
- Anne Gregg, 66, travel writer and television presenter[17]
- 16 October – Ross Davidson, 57, actor (Andy O'Brien in EastEnders)
- 14 November – John Hallam, 65, actor
- 27 November – Alan Freeman, 79, radio disc-jockey and presenter (Top of the Pops)
References
- ^ "ITV confirms launch date for kids channel". Digital Spy. 4 October 2005. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
- ^ "BBC News 'wrong Guy' is revealed". BBC News. 16 May 2006. Retrieved 1 July 2009.
- ^ "Lottery show delayed by protest". BBC News (London). 20 May 2006. Retrieved 21 February 2012.
- ^ Walters, Simon (25 June 2006). "Obscene: Ross makes Thatcher slur to Cameron". The Mail on Sunday (Daily Mail and General Trust). Retrieved 1 February 2013.
- ^ "Beeb ban wepeats". Sunday Mail (Trinity Mirror). 2 July 2006. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
- ^ Stuart, Michael (11 July 2006). "Pauline to leave EastEnders". London: The Guardian. Retrieved 4 June 2009.
- ^ "£1m winner has stars in her eyes". BBC News. 17 July 2006. Retrieved 3 July 2009.
- ^ Lea, Michael (7 August 2006). "MP George in sick rap". London: Sun Online. Retrieved 3 July 2009.
- ^ "Sky's Anna Botting Takes on Galloway". Sky News Video. Archived from the original on 22 July 2009. Retrieved 3 July 2009.
- ^ Wray, Richard (24 August 2006). "ITV sells £70m stake in Irish broadcaster TV3". The Guardian (Guardian Media Group). Retrieved 11 April 2012.
- ^ "Countdown's Des quits show". Countdown (London: The Sun). 30 September 2006. Retrieved 3 May 2009.
- ^ a b Young, Kevin (13 October 2006). "Five TV spin-offs bring escapism". BBC News. Retrieved 4 June 2009.
- ^ "BBC Parliament goes full screen". BBC News. 13 November 2006. Retrieved 1 May 2009.
- ^ "BBC NEWS – The Editors". Retrieved 1 May 2009.
- ^ Allen, Katie (28 November 2006). "Grade confirmed as ITV boss". London: The Guardian. Retrieved 30 April 2009.
- ^ Green, Kris. "Pauline dies alone in the Square". Digital Spy. Retrieved 4 June 2009.
- ^ "Anne Gregg: Multitalented TV presenter whose work on magazines and TV continued long after her controversial exit from Holiday". The Times (London: News International). 9 September 2006. Archived from the original on 22 May 2011. Retrieved 7 May 2011.
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