# 2006 in British television

"none" is preferred when the title is sufficiently descriptive; see [[WP:SDNONE]]
The following is a list of British television related events from the year 2006.

## Events
### January

| Date | Event |
| 1 January | BBC One airs The Queen by Rolf, a documentary following artist Rolf Harris as he paints a portrait of the Queen. |
| 2 January | BBC One airs the network premieres of Piglet's Big Movie and the Steven Spielberg smash-hit Catch Me If You Can. |
| 3 January | Channel 4 quiz show Countdown celebrates its 4000th edition. |
| 6 January | ITV debuts Soapstar Superstar, a singing talent contest in which soap actors compete to become series champion. |
| 7 January | ITV's Saturday morning children's show MoM is relaunched under the new title of Holly & Stephen's Saturday Showdown. |
| 9 January | Debut of the offbeat police drama Life on Mars on BBC One and ITV's pilot programme of Dancing on Ice. |
| 14 January | Coronation Street actor Richard Fleeshman wins the first series of ITV's Soapstar Superstar. |
| 14 January | Debut of ITV's Dancing on Ice. |
| 15 January | The BBC announces details of Just the Two of Us, a singing contest following the Strictly Come Dancing format that will air in February and March. Vernon Kay and Tess Daly will present the series which will pair celebrities with professional singers, who will then compete to become series champion. |
| 16 January | To coincide with the introduction of a new identity across ITV plc stations, UTV replaces its 2003 idents with a brand new set. The new idents featured newly recorded films shot across Northern Ireland, again in the form of panoramas. The landscape films used in these idents are updated in July 2007 and October 2008. |
| 27 January | Chantelle Houghton, a model from Essex, wins the fourth series of Celebrity Big Brother after entering the series as a "fake" celebrity. In order to remain as a contestant she was required to convince the other participants that she was a famous singer. |

### February

| Date | Event |
| 8 February | Channel 4 confirms that its pay-per-view movie channel FilmFour will go Free-to-air from July, when it will launch on Freeview. |
| 10 February | The events of the 2006 Winter Olympics start broadcasting worldwide. |
| 14 February | Coronation Street bosses defend their decision to film a storyline involving a car breaking down on Saddleworth Moor, scene of the 1960s Moors murders, saying the plot has nothing to do with the events that occurred there. |
| 15 February | BBC One debuts Davina, a chat show presented by Davina McCall. Guests on the first edition include Charlotte Church, Tess Daly and Vernon Kay. The show proves to be a disaster, with The Guardian's Gareth Maclean noting that McCall "found herself floundering and foundering, struggling through [interviews], and exposing herself in a way from which even the hardiest flasher would recoil", while Jonathan Ross blames a poor guest line up. The 8 March edition gives BBC One its worst ever peak time ratings of 2.75 million. By the time the show ends on 12 April ratings have fallen to below 2.5 million. It is axed shortly afterwards. |
| 19 February | Channel 4 airs the penultimate and final episode of Gene Simmons' Rock School where the band Hoax UK (formerly No Comment) opened for Judas Priest at Long Beach Arena. Members included the late Lil' Chris, Ellie Chapman, Samanie Warren-Close, Sammi Reeve, Lindsey Rose, Jess Reid and others. |
| 23 February | Just the Two of Us debuts on BBC One. |
| 26 February | The events of the 2006 Winter Olympics end broadcasting worldwide. |
| 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. |

### March

| Date | Event |
| 2 March | Charlie Brooker's ...wipe series debuts on BBC Four, starting with the first episode of Screenwipe which is still a rival to ITV's Harry Hill's TV Burp. |
| 4 March | BBC Two shows the network television premiere of Anita and Me, a coming of age drama based on the book of the same name by Meera Syal. |
| 4 March | Actress Gaynor Faye and professional skating partner Daniel Whiston win the first series of Dancing on ice. |
| 4 March | Tony Blair becomes the first serving Prime Minister to be interviewed by Michael Parkinson on his chat show. Blair volunteers the information that he believes he will be judged by God for the Iraq War. |
| 5 March | Siân Reeves and Russell Watson win the first series of Just the Two of Us. |
| 11 March | Dick & Dom in da Bungalow comes to an end after four years on CBBC. |
| 11 March | ITV launches a CITV channel, which broadcasts during the downtime hours of ITV4, replacing the ITV News Channel. |
| 18 March | Christopher Napier, performing as George Formby, wins the fourth and final junior series of Stars in Their Eyes. The programme continues with a number of special editions during 2006, before a final celebrity special on 23 December. |
| 19 March | American period sitcom television series Everybody Hates Chris debuts on Five. |
| 23 March | Coronation Street bosses dismiss as untrue media reports that the child actress who plays Amy Barlow is being replaced because her parents felt her storylines were "too harrowing", and her workload too heavy. |
| 24 March | ITV announces plans to air World of Chat, a show on ITV2 featuring the best from chat shows around the world. |
| 25–26 March | UKTV Gold presents its Mitchells Weekend to coincide with the return of Grant Mitchell (Ross Kemp) to EastEnders. The weekend includes The Mitchells – The Full Story, a documentary about the soap family presented by actress Kim Medcalf. |

### April

| Date | Event |
| 3 April | Graham Norton will present How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?, a TV talent search for an actress to play Maria in a stage production of The Sound of Music, it is announced. |
| 7 April | 12.6 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. |
| 13 April | BBC daytime soap opera Doctors air the first same-sex marriage on British television when characters Greg Robinson (Ben Jones) and Rico Da Silva (Felix D'Alviella) get married. |
| 17 April | Peter Bayless wins the 2006 series of MasterChef Goes Large. |
| 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. |
| 21 April | ITV secures the terrestrial television screening rights to Casino Royale, the new James Bond film that will be released in November. The film receives its terrestrial television premiere on 19 September 2009. |
| 24 April | Cartoon Network Too and Nick Jr. 2 are launched in the UK. |
| 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. |

### May

| Date | Event |
| 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 | ITV1 broadcasts the network premiere of Peter Pan. |
| 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 Television Centre. |
| 10 May | Former supermarket cashier Michelle Dewberry wins the second series of The Apprentice and a £100,000 a year job working for Sir Alan Sugar. |
| 14 May | Producers of Coronation Street confirm that Debra Stephenson, who plays Frankie Baldwin, will be leaving the soap at the end of the year. |
| 15 May | BBC High Definition Television Trial commences. |
| 15 May | The University of Manchester wins the 2005–06 series of University Challenge, beating Trinity Hall, Cambridge 160–150. |
| 18 May | Channel 4 airs the first ever Big Brother episode to be shot in 16:9 widescreen. |
| 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. |
| 20 May | Finland's Lordi win the 2006 Eurovision Song Contest (staged in Athens) with "Hard Rock Hallelujah". |
| 20 May | ITV airs The Princes' Trust 30th Birthday Concert Live which is a four-hour fundraiser telethon that includes an outdoor concert, royal interviews and studio-based sketches. |
| 22 May | BSkyB launch High-definition television in the UK under the brand Sky HD. |
| 26 May | UTV changes its registered company name from 'Ulster Television plc' to 'UTV plc', the company's belief being that the existing name no longer reflected the full scope of the company's business. |
| 27 May | The BBC's first scheduled HDTV broadcast on BBC HD. |
| 27 May | The first ever Soccer Aid football match takes place at Old Trafford and is broadcast live on ITV1. England defeat the Rest of the World 2–1 and £2 million is raised for UNICEF, the event's charity partner. |
| 28 May | It is announced that the traditional live Saturday morning kids' programmes are to be axed after 38 years on either channels, ending on 1 July. This is because children have more choice to digital multi channels and ITV will rival Saturday Kitchen with Saturday Cooks!. |
| 30 May | Scottish and Grampian are rebranded as STV Central and STV North respectively. |

### June

| Date | Event |
| 4 June | Coronation Street confirms that Richard Fleeshman, who plays Craig Harris, will be leaving the soap to follow a singing career. |
| 5 June | Actress Lucy Benjamin wins The X Factor: Battle of the Stars, a celebrity version of the ITV music talent contest. |
| 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–9 July | Live coverage of the 2006 FIFA World Cup from Germany is aired by the BBC and ITV. |
| 15 June | The BBC announces that Billie Piper will leave her role as Rose Tyler on Doctor Who at the end of the second series the following month. |
| 19 June | BBC One Controller Peter Fincham announces that They Think It's All Over will not be recommissioned for a new series, ending a run of eleven years on air. |
| 20 June | The BBC announces that Top of the Pops will be axed, the final show airing on 30 July. |
| 20 June | 18.46 million watch England vs Sweden in the 2006 FIFA World Cup from Germany, the highest rated programme of the year. |
| 24 June | James Martin presents his first edition of Saturday Kitchen, taking over from Antony Worrall Thompson who has moved to ITV with rival show Saturday Cooks!. |
| 26 June–9 July | Live coverage of the Wimbledon 2006 is aired by the BBC with the first Wimbledon season to be shot in 16:9 widescreen. |

### July

| Date | Event |
| 1 July | The last live Saturday morning regular-based children's show, Holly and Stephen's Saturday Showdown, is aired after 38 years of broadcasting Saturday morning kids' shows on both channels. They are replaced by cookery programmes permanently. |
| 5 July | Actress Freema Agyeman is announced as the new Doctor Who companion Martha Jones replacing Billie Piper's Rose Tyler. |
| 7 July | Launch of Only Fools on Horses on BBC One, a celebrity show jumping contest airing over nine successive nights in aid of Sport Relief. |
| 11 July | It is announced that actress Wendy Richard will leave EastEnders as Pauline Fowler at Christmas. She is one of the only remaining cast members from the show's 1985 launch. |
| 16 July | Sarah Lang wins one million pounds in the final of the ITV1 gameshow PokerFace. 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. |
| 19 July | CITV transmits its last ever episode of Thomas and Friends. From here, Channel 5 will take over the license to broadcast the series on free-for-air television. |
| 21 July | James Dreyfus replaces Ardal O'Hanlon as George Sunday (Thermoman) in the sixth and final series of My Hero. The series ends 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 has ended four days previously. |
| 29 July | Debut of How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria? on BBC One. |
| 30 July | Top of the Pops airs its final regular edition after being axed earlier in the year. However, the show returns for a Christmas special. |

### August

| Date | Event |
| 14 August | The One Show is first broadcast on BBC One. |
| 18 August | Pete Bennett wins series seven of Big Brother. |
| 23 August | ITV secures a deal to sell its 45% stake in Ireland's TV3 for £70m. |
| 23 August | Central Tonight presenter Joanne Malin apologises after swearing during a live broadcast from Trentham Gardens in Stoke-on-Trent. Central subsequently claims to have received no viewer complaints as a result of her description of the inclement weather, but Trentham says several people contacted them offering the presenter their support. |
| 27 August | Playhouse Disney removes most of its in-vision continuity, and its two main presenters Dave Benson Phillips and Alex Lovell (referred to as Big Dave and Little Alex) leave the network. |
| 28 August | Bianca Gascoigne and model Calum Best win the second and final (for the time being) series of Love Island. |

### September

| Date | Event |
| 1 September | BBC Entertainment replaces BBC Prime in global markets. |
| 4 September | ITV Lunchtime News moves to 13:30 and returns to run for 30 minutes. |
| 13 September | Ingram Wilcox, a civil servant and quiz show fanatic, has become the fifth person to win the £1 million prize on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, it is reported. The episode showing his win, the first in two and a half years, is aired on 16 September. |
| 16 September | Connie Fisher wins BBC One's How Do You Solve a Problems Like Maria?. She will make her debut in the role in a revival of The Sound of Music at London's Palladium Theatre on 14 November. |
| 18 September | Loose Women now broadcasts weekdays at 12.30pm. |
| 20 September | Top Gear presenter Richard Hammond is seriously injured after crashing a jet-powered car at 280 mph. |
| 20 September | BBC One's daytime soap Doctors celebrates its 1000th episode with a one-hour special. |
| 22 September | BBC One airs Episode 5000 of Neighbours. |
| 25 September | Lianna Fowler wins Cycle 2 of Britain's Next Top Model. |
| 29 September | Matt Dawson wins the 2006 series of Celebrity MasterChef. |
| 30 September | 1 vs. 100, the National Lottery game show, debuts on BBC One. |

### October

| Date | Event |
| 5 October | QI publishes its first book: The Book of General Ignorance. The book becomes a No. 1 best-seller for amazon.co.uk. |
| 6 October | The BBC defends presenter Graham Norton after he admits to having taken recreational drugs, including ecstasy in an interview for Marie Claire magazine. Of Norton's revelation the broadcaster says: "The issues that Graham discusses in this interview are aimed at an adult audience and reflect the frank and open nature of his personality". |
| 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. |
| 12 October | ITV announce that Where the Heart Is will not be commissioned for a new series. |
| 15 October | Five Life is launched. |
| 16 October | Five US is launched. |
| 16 October | Numberjacks, the 3D children's educational show, debuts on CBeebies. |
| 20 October | Entertainer Jimmy Tarbuck is forced to withdraw from Strictly Come Dancing because of his health problems. |
| 26 October | ITV confirms the axing of its prison drama, Bad Girls after eight series. |
| 29 October | After a six-year absence from television, The Royle Family returns for what is billed as its final episode, an hour-long show titled "The Queen of Sheba". |
| 30 October | In the Grid, a 70-part primetime game show, premieres on Five. |
| 30 October | Long running animated series for children Horrid Henry begins on CITV. |
| 31 October | Pop star Madonna appears on Newsnight, where she gives her first British television interview about her controversial adoption of an African baby. |

### November

| Date | Event |
| 8 November | Virgin Media comes into being when NTL Telewest does a deal to license the Virgin name. |
| 10 November | Lorraine Chase makes her final appearance in Emmerdale as Steph Stokes. |
| 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. The BBC has eventually found the bandwidth to make the channel full-screen after receiving "thousands of angry and perplexed e-mails and letters", not to mention questions asked by MPs in the Houses of Parliament itself. |
| 13 November | ITV launches some new idents themed around "alive with colour", replacing the previous "Emotions" set which have been in use since January. |
| 14 November | Cadbury announces its intention to end its £10m a year sponsorship deal with Coronation Street after a decade. The current sponsorship contract is due to expire at the end of 2007, but Cadbury says it would end the deal earlier if another sponsor is found. |
| 17 November | Episode eight of Series D of QI is a Children in Need special with Alan Davies, Rich Hall, Jonathan Ross and Phill Jupitus, who discuss the topic of Descendants with presenter Stephen Fry. |
| 24 November | ITV Summer tropical reality series Love Island is axed after two series, due to poor ratings. The programme would see a successful return in 2015 on ITV2. |
| 27 November | The BBC confirms that the long-running Holiday Programme is being axed after 37 years on air. |
| 28 November | ITV confirms that BBC chairman Michael Grade is to become its chief executive in early 2007. |
| 28 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. |
| 29 November | After seven and a half years on air, Jungle Run airs its last episode. |
| 29 November | Channel 4 axes its music reality series Rock School due to Gene Simmons' other commitments, after two series. |

### December

| Date | Event |
| 1 December | Matt Willis, a former member of boy band Busted wins the sixth series of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!. |
| 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. |
| 10 December | Equestrian Zara Phillips is named as this year's BBC Sports Personality of the Year, following her mother, Anne, Princess Royal, who won the title in 1971. |
| 13 December | The Berwick-upon-Tweed transmitter transfers from Border to Tyne Tees as part of the preparations for the digital switchover of the Border region in 2008. |
| 16 December | At 5.30am BBC Two airs the final Open University course-related television broadcast. With Open University course content now available through media such as podcasts and DVDs it is no longer necessary for the programmes to be aired on television and radio. However, the Open University continues to make programming for a broader audience, with series including Coast, Child of Our Time and Battle of the Geeks. |
| 16 December | Leona Lewis wins the third civilian series of The X Factor, becoming the ITV show's first female winner. It is also the last edition to be presented by Kate Thornton who is replaced by Dermot O'Leary the following year. |
| 19 December | Following the success of How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?, BBC One announces plans for Any Dream Will Do, a follow-up series that will search for someone to play Joseph in the West End musical, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat. |
| 22 December | Desmond Lynam presents his last Channel 4's Countdown after over a year of presenting. |
| 23 December | BBC One airs the network premiere of the 2003 DreamWorks animated film Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas. |
| 23 December | Cricketer Mark Ramprakash and his dancing partner Karen Hardy win the fourth series of Strictly Come Dancing. |
| 23 December | Stars in Their Eyes ends, with the last special celebrity episode presented by Cat Deeley, due to the fact that she has moved to the US by this point. The show is revived in 2015, fronted by Harry Hill. |
| 24 December | Christmas Eve highlights on BBC One include Calendar Girls, a film starring Helen Mirren and Julie Walters along with an ensemble cast. |
| 25 December | Actress Wendy Richard makes her final appearance in EastEnders after her character, Pauline Fowler, is killed off in a dramatic storyline. She has been in the show since its inception in 1985. Richard dies in February 2009 at the age of 65. |
| 25 December | Launch of Emmerdale's whodunit storyline involving the murder of Tom King (played by Ken Farrington). Tom is hit over the head and falls through a window to his death on his wedding day. |
| 26 December | Casper is aired on BBC One for the last time. Boxing Day highlights on BBC One include the films Freaky Friday and Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. ITV airs a one-off dramatisation of After Thomas, with Keeley Hawes, Ben Miles, Sheila Hancock, Asa Butterfield and Andrew Byrne. It is produced by Beryl Vertue and Elaine Cameron, directed by Simon Shore, and written by Lindsey Hill. The film centres on the severely autistic child Kyle Graham and the progress he makes when his parents adopt a golden retriever named Thomas. It is based on the true story of Scottish child Dale Gardner and his dog Henry. |

## Debuts
### BBC One

| Date | Debut |
| 9 January | Life on Mars |
| 15 January | Johnny and the Bomb |
| 15 January | Friends and Crocodiles |
| 19 January | Hotel Babylon |
| 22 January | The Virgin Queen |
| 26 February | Gideon's Daughter |
| 9 March | Waterloo Road |
| 23 March | The Family Man |
| 30 March | Casualty 1900s |
| 13 April | The Street |
| 13 April | Totally Doctor Who |
| 4 May | New Street Law |
| 5 May | Home Again |
| 12 June | Don't Get Done, Get Dom |
| 1 July | The Likeaballs |
| 16 July | The Chase |
| 26 July | Shiny Shiny Bright New Hole in My Heart |
| 8 September | Aftersun |
| 16 September | TMi |
| 21 September | Young Dracula |
| 24 September | Jane Eyre |
| 3 October | The Amazing Mrs Pritchard |
| 6 October | Not Going Out |
| 7 October | Robin Hood |
| 8 October – | Something for the Weekend |
| 9 October | Wide Sargasso Sea |
| 2 November | The State Within |
| 27 December | The Ruby in the Smoke |
| 28 December | Dracula |

### BBC Two

| Date | Debut |
| 11 January | Hyperdrive |
| 12 February | Petrolheads |
| 17 May | The Line of Beauty |
| 19 June | Saxondale |
| 12 July | Soundproof |
| 3 August | Time Trumpet |
| 4 September | Me Too! |
| 16 September | The Secret Show |
| 8 October | Something for the Weekend |
| 16 October | Numberjacks |

### BBC Three

| Date | Debut |
| 16 July | Sinchronicity |
| 22 October | Torchwood |

### BBC Four

| Date | Debut |
| 2 March | Charlie Brooker's ...wipe |
| 20 March | The Chatterley Affair |
| 4 October | Lead Balloon |

### ITV (1/2/3/4/CITV)

| Date | Debut |
| 14 January | Dancing on Ice |
| 23 January | Northern Lights |
| 29 January | Lewis, a spin-off from Inspector Morse. |
| 29 January | Wild at Heart |
| 27 February | Love Lies Bleeding |
| 13 March | A Good Murder |
| 9 April | Ghostboat |
| 21 April | The Incredible Journey of Mary Bryant |
| 7 May | If I Had You |
| 14 May | See No Evil: The Moors Murders |
| 6 June | The Thieving Headmistress |
| 10 July | PokerFace |
| 12 July | Jane Hall |
| 13 September | Losing It |
| 16 October | Bel's Boys |
| 31 October | Horrid Henry |
| 6 November | Dickinson's Real Deal |
| 16 November | Strictly Confidential |
| 9 December | Extinct |
| 10 December | Housewife, 49 |
| 18 December | Losing Gemma |
| 26 December | After Thomas |

### Channel 4

| Date | Debut |
| 6 January | My Name Is Earl |
| 3 February | The IT Crowd |
| 7 May | How I Met Your Mother |
| 11 May | All in the Game |
| 27 June | How to Look Good Naked |
| 1 August | Blunder |
| 14 September | Low Winter Sun |
| 18 October | Goldplated |
| 26 October | Longford |
| 2 November | A Harlot's Progress |

### Five

| Date | Debut |
| 19 March | Everybody Hates Chris |
| 27 April | Suburban Shootout |
| 30 August | Respectable |
| 25 October | Tripping Over |

### Nicktoons UK

| Date | Debut |
| May | Kappa Mikey |

### Disney Channel UK

| Date | Debut |
| 6 May | Hannah Montana |

### Cartoon Network UK

| Date | Debut |
| 2 January | The Batman Pokémon: Advanced Battle |
| 4 March | Ben 10 |
| 4 September | My Gym Partner's a Monkey |
| 6 October | Skatoony |

### Cartoon Network Too

| Date | Debut |
| 4 September | Blanche |
| 4 September | Ellen's Acres |
| 4 September | Pororo the Little Penguin |

### Playhouse Disney UK

| Date | Debut |
| 24 April | Doodlebops |
| Mid July | Mickey Mouse Clubhouse |

## Channels
### New channels

| Date | Channel |
| 1 March | Bliss |
| 2 March | Player |
| 6 March | Boomerang +1 |
| 11 March | CITV |
| 16 March | Disney Cinemagic |
| 16 March | Disney Cinemagic +1 |
| 19 April | ITV Play |
| 24 April | Cartoon Network Too |
| 24 April | Nick Jr. 2 |
| 2 May | TCM 2 |
| 2 May | UKTV Drama +1 |
| 15 May | BBC HD |
| 22 May | Artsworld HD |
| 22 May | Discovery HD |
| 22 May | National Geographic Channel HD |
| 22 May | Sky Box Office HD 1 |
| 22 May | Sky Box Office HD 2 |
| 22 May | Sky Movies 9 HD |
| 22 May | Sky Movies 10 HD |
| 22 May | Sky Sports HD |
| 22 May | Sky One HD |
| 31 July | Sky Sports HD 2 |
| 15 October | Five Life |
| 16 October | Five US |

### Defunct channels

| Date | Channel |
| 6 March | Cartoon Network + |
| 16 March | Toon Disney |
| 18 April | UKTV People +1 |
| 19 July | FilmFour Weekly |
| 1 August | VH2 |

### Rebranded channels

| Date | Old Name | New Name |
| 23 July | FilmFour | Film4 |
| 23 July | FilmFour +1 | Film4 +1 |
| 31 July | Sky Sports HD | Sky Sports HD 1 |
| 28 September | Player | Bravo 2 |

## Television shows
### Changes of network affiliation

| Show | Moved from | Moved to |
| Lost | Channel 4 | Sky One |
| Bagpuss | Channel 4 | Five |
| The Clangers | Channel 4 | Five |
| Ivor the Engine | Channel 4 | Five |
| Noggin the Nog | Channel 4 | Five |
| World's Strongest Man | BBC One | Five |
| Thomas & Friends | ITV | Five |
| The Paul O'Grady Show | ITV | Channel 4 |
| Sonic Underground | GMTV | GMTV2 / CITV |
| Family Guy (first run rights) | BBC Two | BBC Three |
| Little Einsteins | Playhouse Disney | CITV |

### Returning this year after a break of one year or longer

| Programme | Date(s) of original removal | Original channel(s) | Date(s) of return | New channel(s) |
| Finders Keepers | 1 March 1985 6 August 1996 | CITV | 6 January 2006 | N/A (Same channel as original) |
| Jackanory | 24 March 1996 | BBC One CBBC | 27 November 2006 | N/A (Same channel as original) |
| Family Fortunes as All Star Family Fortunes | 31 May 1985 30 December 2002 | ITV | 28 October 2006 | N/A (Same channel as original) |
| Words and Pictures | 2001 | BBC One & BBC Two | 2006 | CBeebies |

## Continuing television shows
### 1920s

* BBC Wimbledon (1927–1939, 1946–2019, 2021–present)

### 1930s

* Trooping the Colour (1937–1939, 1946–2019, 2023–present)
* The Boat Race (1938–1939, 1946–2019, 2021–present)

### 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 (1964–2006)
* Match of the Day (1964–present)
* The Money Programme (1966–2010)

### 1970s

* Emmerdale (1972–present)
* Newsround (1972–present)
* Last of the Summer Wine (1973–2010)
* Arena (1975–present)
* One Man and His Dog (1976–present)
* Grange Hill (1978–2008)
* Ski Sunday (1978–present)
* Antiques Roadshow (1979–present)
* Question Time (1979–present)

### 1980s

* Children in Need (1980–present)
* Postman Pat (1981, 1991, 1994, 1996, 2004–2008)
* Timewatch (1982–present)
* Countdown (1982–present)
* The Bill (1984–2010)
* Channel 4 Racing (1984–2016)
* Thomas & Friends (1984–present)
* EastEnders (1985–present)
* Comic Relief (1985–present)
* Casualty (1986–present)
* ChuckleVision (1987–2009)
* Fireman Sam (1987–1994, 2005–2013)
* This Morning (1988–present)
* The Simpsons (1989–present)

### 1990s

* Have I Got News for You (1990–present)
* Room 101 (1994–2007, 2012–2018)
* A Touch of Frost (1992–2010)
* Heartbeat (1992–2010)
* Time Team (1994–2013)
* The National Lottery Draws (1994–2017)
* Top of the Pops 2 (1994–2017)
* Hollyoaks (1995–present)
* Arthur (1996–present)
* Never Mind the Buzzcocks (1996–2015)
* Silent Witness (1996–present)
* King of the Hill (1997–2010)
* Midsomer Murders (1997–present)
* South Park (1997–present)
* Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? (1998–2014)
* Bob the Builder (1998–present).
* Bremner, Bird and Fortune (1999–2010)
* British Soap Awards (1999–2019, 2022–present)
* Family Guy (1999–2002, 2005–present)
* SpongeBob SquarePants (1999–present)
* Holby City (1999–2022)

### 2000s

* The Weakest Link (2000–2012, 2017–present)
* Popworld (2001–2007)
* Real Crime (2001–2011)
* Flog It! (2002–2020)
* Foyle's War (2002–2015)
* 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)
* Daily Politics (2003–2018)
* New Tricks (2003–2015)
* Peep Show (2003–2015)
* All Grown Up! (2003–2008)
* Tiny Pop (2003–2008)
* Politics Show (2003–2011)
* QI (2003–present)
* The Royal (2003–2011)
* PointlessBlog (2003-2007)
* This Week (2003–2019)
* Strictly Come Dancing (2004–present)
* Sea of Souls (2004–2007)
* Supernanny (2004–2008, 2010–2012)
* Shameless (2004–2013)
* Doc Martin (2004–2019)
* The X Factor (2004–2018)
* More4 News (2005—2009)
* Love Soup (2005–2008)
* Come Dine with Me (2005–present)
* The Jeremy Kyle Show (2005–2019)
* It's Me or the Dog (2005–2012)
* Deal or No Deal (2005–2016)
* Sunday AM (2005–2021)

## Ending this year

| Date(s) | Show | Channel(s) | Debut(s) |
| 13 January | Muffin the Mule | CBeebies | 1946 & 2005 |
| 13 January | ITV Day | ITV | 2005 |
| 19 February | Rock School | Channel 4 | 2005 |
| 28 February | Love Lies Bleeding | ITV | 2006 |
| 3 March | Pingu | CBeebies/BBC One | 1986 & 2004 |
| 1 April | CD:UK | ITV | 1998 |
| 6 April | The Family Man | BBC One | 2006 |
| 14 April | Footballers' Wives | ITV | 2002 |
| 14 April | Finders Keepers | CITV | 1991 & 2006 |
| 9 June | They Think It's All Over | BBC One | 1995 |
| 29 June | Cash Cab | ITV | 2005 |
| 30 June | Coach Trip | Channel 4 | 2005 |
| 1 July | Saturday morning kids' programmes | CBBC & CITV | 1968 |
| 30 July | Top of the Pops (weekly episodes) | BBC One & BBC Two | 1964 |
| 17 August | Sugar Rush | Channel 4 | 2005 |
| 18 August | The Kumars | BBC One | 2001 |
| 28 August | (Celebrity) Love Island | ITV | 2005 |
| 29 August | Bad Lads' Army: Extreme | ITV | 2002 |
| 10 September | Where the Heart Is | ITV | 1997 |
| 10 September | My Hero | BBC One | 2000 |
| 22 September | Bullseye | Challenge | 1981 & 2006 |
| 15 October | Jane Eyre | BBC One | 2006 |
| 22 October | Prime Suspect | ITV | 1991 |
| 6 November | Vincent | ITV | 2005 |
| 22 November | Afterlife | ITV | 2005 |
| 7 December | The State Within | BBC One | 2006 |
| 10 December | Byker Grove | BBC One | 1989 |
| 16 December | Extinct | ITV | 2006 |
| 18 December | My Parents Are Aliens | ITV | 1999 |
| 19 December | Losing Gemma | ITV | 2006 |
| 23 December | Stars in Their Eyes | ITV | 1990 |
| 27 December | The Biggest Loser | Sky | 2005 |

## Deaths

| Date | Name | Age | Broadcast credibility |
| 2 January | John Woodnutt | 81 | actor (Jeeves and Wooster, Doctor Who) |
| 28 January | Henry McGee | 76 | actor (The Benny Hill Show) |
| 5 February | Peter Philp | 85 | television presenter (Collectors' Club) |
| 16 February | Dennis Kirkland | 63 | television director and producer (The Benny Hill Show) |
| 20 February | Lou Gish | 38 | actress (Casualty, EastEnders, New Tricks) |
| 27 February | Linda Smith | 48 | comedian |
| 1 March | Jack Wild | 53 | actor (H. R. Pufnstuf, The Newcomers, George and the Dragon) |
| 7 March | John Junkin | 76 | comic actor and screenwriter (The Sweeney, Only When I Laugh, Inspector Morse) |
| 16 March | Moira Redmond | 77 | actress (Domitia in I, Claudius) |
| 18 March | Michael Attwell | 63 | actor (Kenny Beale in EastEnders) |
| 24 March | Lynne Perrie | 74 | actress (Ivy Tilsley in Coronation Street) |
| 12 April | Richard Bebb | 79 | actor (Compact, Poirot) |
| 13 April | John Read | 85 | television producer |
| 17 April | Peter Cadbury | 88 | television executive |
| 23 April | Jennifer Jayne | 74 | actress (The Adventures of William Tell) |
| 19 May | Peter Bryant | 82 | actor (The Grove Family) and television producer |
| 2 June | Ronald Cass | 83 | television scriptwriter |
| 4 June | Alec Bregonzi | 76 | actor (Hancock's Half Hour, The Two Ronnies, Filthy Rich and Catflap) |
| 25 June | Elkan Allan | 83 | television producer |
| 25 June | Kenneth Griffith | 84 | actor and documentary film-maker (Minder, Lovejoy) |
| 6 July | Tom Weir | 91 | mountaineer and television presenter (Weir's Way) |
| 8 July | Peter Hawkins | 82 | actor and voice artist (Doctor Who, Rainbow, Captain Pugwash) |
| 18 July | David Maloney | 72 | television director and producer (Doctor Who, Blake's 7) |
| 25 July | Bob Simpson | 61 | BBC news correspondent |
| 28 July | Patrick Allen | 79 | actor (The Saint, UFO, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes) |
| 6 August | Stella Moray | 83 | actress (Coronation Street, Crossroads, The Bill, Midsomer Murders, George and Mildred) |
| 13 August | Tony Jay | 73 | actor, voice actor and singer (Mighty Ducks, ReBoot, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain, Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver, Beauty and the Beast) |
| 19 August | Joyce Blair | 73 | actress (The Morecambe and Wise Show, The Benny Hill Show, The Adventures of Robin Hood) |
| 24 August | David Plowright | 75 | television producer and executive |
| 2 September | Charlie Williams | 78 | footballer, actor and comedian (The Comedians, Love Thy Neighbour) |
| 5 September | Anne Gregg | 66 | travel writer and television presenter (Holiday) |
| 5 September | Hilary Mason | 89 | actress (Maid Marian and her Merry Men) |
| 8 September | Frank Middlemass | 87 | actor (As Time Goes By, To Serve Them All My Days, Heartbeat) |
| 14 September | Peter Ling | 80 | television scriptwriter (Crossroads) |
| 15 September | Raymond Baxter | 84 | television presenter (Tomorrow's World) |
| 4 October | Tom Bell | 73 | actor (Prime Suspect) |
| 5 October | Jennifer Moss | 61 | actress (Lucille Hewitt in Coronation Street) |
| 15 October | Derek Bond | 86 | actor (Callan, Thriller) |
| 16 October | Ross Davidson | 57 | actor (Andy O'Brien in EastEnders) |
| 21 October | Peter Barkworth | 77 | actor (The Avengers, Manhunt, Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years) |
| 21 October | Paul Walters | 59 | television producer |
| 22 October | Richard Mayes | 83 | actor |
| 29 October | Nigel Kneale | 84 | television scriptwriter (The Quatermass Experiment) |
| 10 November | Diana Coupland | 78 | actress (Bless This House) |
| 10 November | Chubby Oates | 63 | comedian |
| 11 November | Ronnie Stevens | 81 | actor (Goodnight Sweetheart, Only When I Laugh, Ever Decreasing Circles, Hi-de-Hi!, Yes, Prime Minister, As Time Goes By) |
| 14 November | John Hallam | 65 | actor (EastEnders) |
| 23 November | Nick Clarke | 58 | television presenter |
| 26 November | Anthony Jackson | 62 | actor (Rentaghost, Bless This House) |
| 27 November | Alan Freeman | 79 | radio DJ and presenter (Top of the Pops) |
| 6 December | Mavis Pugh | 92 | actress (Are You Being Served?, Fawlty Towers, You Rang, M'Lord?) |
| 7 December | Desmond Briscoe | 81 | television sound engineer |
| 23 December | Charlie Drake | 81 | comic performer (The Worker) |