Match of the Day

Match of the Day 1964

7.38

BBC's football highlights and analysis. "The longest-running football television programme in the world" as recognised by Guinness World Records in 2015.

1964

Top of the Pops

Top of the Pops 1964

6.62

The biggest stars, the most iconic performances, the most outrageous outfits – it’s Britain’s number one pop show.

1964

Have I Got News for You

Have I Got News for You 1990

7.20

Hilarious, totally-irreverent, near-slanderous political quiz show, based mainly on news stories from the last week or so, that leaves no party, personality or action unscathed in pursuit of laughs.

1990

Ready Steady Cook

Ready Steady Cook 1994

1

Talented chefs battle it out against the clock, creating delicious dishes in 20 minutes

1994

The One Show

The One Show 2006

4.64

A topical magazine-style daily television programme broadcast live on BBC One.

2006

Tomorrow's World

Tomorrow's World 1965

6.20

Tomorrow's World was a long-running BBC television series on new developments in science and technology. First transmitted on 7 July 1965 on BBC1, it ran for 38 years until it was cancelled at the beginning of 2003.

1965

Points of View

Points of View 1961

1

Points of View is a long-running British television series broadcast on BBC One. It started in 1961 and features the letters of viewers offering praise, criticism and purportedly witty observations on the television of recent weeks.

1961

Play for Today

Play for Today 1970

5.90

Play for Today is a British television anthology drama series, produced by the BBC and transmitted on BBC1 from 1970 to 1984. During the run, more than three hundred programmes, featuring original television plays, and adaptations of stage plays and novels, were transmitted. The individual episodes were between fifty and a hundred minutes in duration.

1970

The Sooty Show

The Sooty Show 1955

6.10

The Sooty Show is a British children's Puppet series which aired on the BBC from 1955 to 1967 and ITV from 1968 to 1992. It follows the adventures and comedic day to day life of puppets Sooty, Sweep and Soo with their owner Harry Corbett, and in later years, his son Matthew.

1955

The Heaven and Earth Show

The Heaven and Earth Show 1998

3.20

The Heaven and Earth Show was a BBC television programme that aired on Sunday mornings from 10am to 11am on BBC One. The show ran for nine years between 1998 and 2007, looking at spiritual and moral issues. Over the years it had numerous presenters, and its final presenter was Gloria Hunniford.

1998

Have I Got a Bit More News for You

Have I Got a Bit More News for You 1970

6.87

Based on the week’s news and fronted by guest hosts, this extended version of the satirical news quiz features more of the stuff that wouldn't fit into the regular programme.

1970

Celebrity Big Brother

Celebrity Big Brother 2001

4.65

Celebrity Big Brother is a British reality television game show in which a number of celebrity contestants live in an isolated house trying to avoid being evicted by the public with the aim of winning a large cash prize being donated to the winner's nominated charity at the end of the run.

2001

The Graham Norton Show

The Graham Norton Show 2007

7.16

Each week celebrity guests join Irish comedian Graham Norton to discuss what's being going on around the world that week. The guests poke fun and share their opinions on the main news stories. Graham is often joined by a band or artist to play the show out.

2007

Saturday Kitchen Live

Saturday Kitchen Live 2002

5.00

Saturday Kitchen Live is a 90 minute cookery programme, which is broadcast live on BBC One on Saturday mornings. Matt Tebbutt is the predominant presenter. Andi Oliver and Michel Roux Jr. have also presented several episodes. Previous presenters have included Antony Worrall Thompson and Gregg Wallace. The programme is currently produced by Cactus TV. The programme has also aired on RTÉ One in Ireland on Saturday mornings, the episodes shown are several months old.

2002

Songs of Praise

Songs of Praise 1961

1

Songs of Praise is a BBC Television religious programme based around Christian hymns which began in October 1961. It is the most-watched British religious television programme. The first edition was broadcast from the Tabernacle Baptist Church in Cardiff, and the series is the longest-running of its kind on television anywhere in the world.

1961

The Generation Game

The Generation Game 1971

9.00

The Generation Game was a British game show produced by the BBC in which four teams of two competed to win prizes. The programme was first broadcast in 1971 under the title Bruce Forsyth and the Generation Game and ran until 1982, and again from 1990 until 2002. The show was based on the Dutch TV show Een van de acht, "One of the Eight", the format devised in 1969 by Theo Uittenbogaard for VARA Television. Mrs. Mies Bouwman - a popular Dutch talk show host and presenter of the show - came up with the idea of the conveyor belt. She had seen it on a German programme and wanted to incorporate it into the show. Another antecedent for the gameshow was 'Sunday Night at the London Palladium' on ATV, which had a game called Beat the Clock, taken from an American gameshow. It featured married couples playing silly games within a certain time to win prize money. This was hosted by Bruce Forsyth from 1958, and he took the idea with him when he went over to the BBC. During the 1970s, gameshows became more popular and started to replace expensive variety shows. Creating new studio shows was cheaper than hiring a theatre and paying for long rehearsals and a large orchestra, and could secure a similar number of viewers. With less money for their own productions, a gameshow seemed the obvious idea for ITV. As a result many variety performers were recruited for gameshows. The BBC, suffering poor ratings, decided to make its own gameshow. Bill Cotton, the BBC's Head of Light Entertainment, believed that Bruce Forsyth was best for the job. For years, The Generation Game was one of the strong shows in the BBC's Saturday night line-up, and became the number one gameshow on British television during the 1970s, regularly gaining over 21 million viewers. However, things were about to change. LWT, desperate to end the BBC's long-running ratings success on a Saturday night, offered Forsyth a chance to change channel to host The Big Night.

1971

MasterChef

MasterChef 2005

4.81

John Torode and Gregg Wallace are looking for the country's next star chef. Those who make it through to the quarter-final must prove their knowledge and passion for food. The heats have produced four exceptional cooks, but only one of them will make it through today to become a semi-finalist. Initially named Masterchef Goes Large, the series changed it's name to Masterchef in 2008.

2005

The Saturday Show

The Saturday Show 2001

1.00

The Saturday Show was a BBC children's Saturday morning show that first aired in 2001, replacing the popular Live & Kicking. It had a mix of audience participation, cartoons, games and gunge. Initially it was presented by Dani Behr and Joe Mace. They left in 2002 and were replaced by Fearne Cotton and Simon Grant. In 2004, Cotton left and Grant was joined by Angellica Bell and Jake Humphrey, who made up the final team of presenters until the programme finished in September 2005.

2001

This Is Your Life

This Is Your Life 1955

6.40

This is Your Life is a British biographical television documentary, based on the 1952 American show of the same name. It was hosted by Eamonn Andrews from 1955 until 1964, and then from 1969 until his death in 1987 aged 64. Michael Aspel then took up the role of host until the show ended in 2003. It returned in 2007 as a one-off special presented by Trevor McDonald, which to date was its most recent airing. In the show the host surprises a special guest, before taking them through their life with the assistance of the 'big red book'. Both celebrities and non-celebrities have been 'victims' of the show. The show was originally broadcast live, and over its run it has alternated between being broadcast on the BBC and on ITV.

1955

BBC Play of the Month

BBC Play of the Month 1965

5.00

Play of the Month is a BBC television anthology series featuring productions of classic and contemporary stage plays which were usually broadcast on BBC1. Each production featured a different work, often using prominent British stage actors in the leading roles. The series was transmitted from October 1965 to September 1983; the producer most associated with the Play of the Month was Cedric Messina. Some of the 121 episodes are missing from the archives, having been junked in the 1960s and 1970s. Unless stated otherwise, the indication that the play is "lost" is taken from the lostshows.com website page as of 25 May 2013.

1965