1968

**1968**

**MCMLXVIII**

* Leap Year, begins Monday ends Tuesday (same calendar 1996, 2024)
* Easter: 14 April
* Bank Holidays: 01 Jan, 15 Apr, 27 May, 02 Sep, 26 Dec

* UK Prime Minister: Harold Wilson
* FA Cup Winners: West Bromwich Albion (beat Everton 1-0)
* Christmas Number One: The Scaffold - Lilly the Pink
* Eurovision Song Contest: London, 06 April
	+ Contest Winner: Massiel - La, la, la (Spain)
	+ UK Eurovision Entry: Cliff Richard - Congratulations (2nd place)

* Blue Peter Team: Noakes / Purves / Singleton
* Doctor Who: Patrick Troughton (Seasons 5&6)
* Radio 1 Breakfast Show DJ: Tony Blackburn
* Big Christmas Day Film On BBC1: *Some Like It Hot* (late evening)

## Main events

* Feb: Winter Olympics in Grenoble, France; The Beatles travel to India
* March: anti-Vietnam War protests in London; Con. gain seats in by-elections
* April: Enoch Powell makes 'rivers of blood' speech, dismissed form Shadow cabinet; 5p & 10p coins introduced
* May: Manchester City win Football League, Manchester Utd. win European Cup (29 May)
* July: Prince Charles' investiture, *Yellow Submarine* movie premiere,
* August: first Isle of Wight Festival; Warsaw Pact invades Czechoslovakia
* October: M1 motorway completed; Olympic Games in Mexico City
* November: the Beatles release the "White Album"; Trade Descriptions Act comes into force

TV
--

### New shows

(first broadcast date in brackets)

* BBC 1: *Gardners' World* (05 January), *The Herbs* (12 Feb.) *Dad's Army* (31 July), *The Basil Brush Show*, *The Time Tunnel* (UK debut), *hectorìs House* (UK debut) 09 Sep.
* BBC 2: *Colour Me Pop* (14 June), *The Morecambe & Wise Show* (02 Sept.)
* ITV: *Magpie* (30 July), *Joe 90* (Sept.), *Land of the Giants* (Dec.)

### Shows ending

* *Double Your Money*, *Danger Man, Man in a Suitcase, The Prisoner, Pinky and Perky*

### Other TV events

* *Sooty* moves to ITV
* 1960 horror movie *Psycho* UK TV premiere on BBC1
* Mary Hopkin performs on *Opportunity Knocks*
* Thames Television goes on air in July (fusion of ABC and Rediffusion), has first black TV presenter; ITV technicians' strike in August; *TV Times* goes national in September
* 1968 Olympic Games - first Games shown in colour (BBC2) and on ITV.

## Radio

* BBC Radio Nottingham / BBC Radio Stoke / BBC Radio Leeds all debut
* *Round the Horne* ends

## Music

UK Top 40 debuts:

* Biggest selling single: The Beatles - Hey Jude
* Biggest selling albums: The Beatles - *The Beatles*
	+ Compilation albums: *The Best of the Beach Boys Vol. 3*
* Debut albums: Status Quo- *Picturesque Matchstickable Messages from the Status Quo,* Deep Purple - *Shades of Deep Purple,* Wendy Carlos - *Switched On Bach,* Lennon/Ono - *Unfinished Music No. 1: Two Virgins,* George Harrison - *Wonderwall Music*
	+ Eponymous debuts - Fleetwood Mac, The Archies, The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, Fairport Convention, James Taylor, the Move, Steppenwolf, Creedence Clearwater Revival

## Films

*UK release*

## Births

* Daniel Craig (02 March), Damon Albarn (23 March), Catherine Tate (12 May, Luke and Matt Goss (29 September), Thom Yorke (07 October

## Birthdays

* **20**: Prince Charles,
* **30**:
* **40**:
* **50**:
* **60**:
* **70**: