Coronation Street

Coronation Street 1960

5.34

The residents of Coronation Street are ordinary, working-class people, and the show follows them through regular social and family interactions at home, in the workplace, and in their local pub, the Rovers Return Inn. Britain's longest-running soap.

1960

Midsomer Murders

Midsomer Murders 1997

7.52

The peacefulness of the Midsomer community is shattered by violent crimes, suspects are placed under suspicion, and it is up to a veteran DCI and his young sergeant to calmly and diligently eliminate the innocent and ruthlessly pursue the guilty.

1997

Emmerdale

Emmerdale 1972

4.10

The lives of several families in the Yorkshire Dales revolve around a farm and the nearby village. With murders, affairs, lies, deceit, laughter and tears, it's all there in the village.

1972

Britain's Got Talent

Britain's Got Talent 2007

5.40

Britain's best (and worst) variety acts compete to win a spot at the Royal Variety Show.

2007

Agatha Christie's Poirot

Agatha Christie's Poirot 1989

8.10

From England to Egypt, accompanied by his elegant and trustworthy sidekicks, the intelligent yet eccentrically-refined Belgian detective Hercule Poirot pits his wits against a collection of first class deceptions.

1989

Thomas & Friends

Thomas & Friends 1984

6.70

Thomas & Friends is a British children's television series, which had its first broadcast on the ITV network on 4 September 1984. It is based on The Railway Series of books by the Reverend Wilbert Awdry and his son, Christopher Awdry. These books deal with the adventures of a group of anthropomorphised locomotives and road vehicles who live on the fictional Island of Sodor. The books were based on stories Wilbert told to entertain his son, Christopher during his recovery from measles. From Series one to four, many of the stories are based on events from Awdry's personal experience.

1984

Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?

Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? 1998

6.80

A game show created in the United Kingdom, in which contestants attempt to answer general knowledge questions in an intimidating atmosphere in order to scoop the £1 million top prize. The original series was hosted by Chris Tarrant, and its modern-day revival is hosted by Jeremy Clarkson.

1998

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 Paul O'Grady Show

The Paul O'Grady Show 2004

4.60

The Paul O'Grady Show is a British comedy chat show hosted by Birkenhead-born comedian Paul O'Grady. The format was originally devised by Granada Television and was broadcast on ITV before moving to Channel 4, where the show was produced by Olga TV. The programme is a teatime chat show consisting of a mixture of celebrity guests, comic stunts, musical performances, and occasionally viewer competitions.

2004

The X Factor

The X Factor 2004

5.04

The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent, contested by aspiring singers drawn from public auditions.

2004

The Avengers

The Avengers 1961

7.70

A quirky spy show of the adventures of eccentrically suave British Agent John Steed and his predominantly female partners. Jonathan Steed - an urbane, proper gentleman spy - teams with various assistants throughout the series' run, including Dr. David Keel, Cathy Gale, Emma Peel and Tara King, to repeatedly save the world from diabolical schemes plotted by equally diabolical evil-doers (among them robots and man-eating monsters).

1961

University Challenge

University Challenge 1962

6.00

Academic quiz show where teams of students from UK universities answer questions on all manner of subjects.

1962

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

London's Burning

London's Burning 1986

7.60

London's Burning is a British television drama programme produced by London Weekend Television for the ITV network that focused on the lives of members of the London Fire Brigade, principally those of the Blue Watch at a fictional fire station called Blackwall. It was broadcast between 1988 and 2002 in the United Kingdom and was shown in Canada on digital television station CBC Country Canada. In the UK, Discovery's entertainment channel, DMAX have also shown repeats of the later series, mainly 11 through 14.

1986

The Bill

The Bill 1984

6.69

The daily lives of the men and women at Sun Hill Police Station as they fight crime on the streets of London. From bomb threats to armed robbery and drug raids to the routine demands of policing this ground-breaking series focuses as much on crime as it does on the personal lives of its characters.

1984

ITV Play of the Week

ITV Play of the Week 1955

4.00

A UK anthology series of single plays from major playwrights old and new. It ran from 1955 to 1974, producing about five hundred ninety-minute episodes from Granada Television. Season 1 also incorporates the Plays from the 'H.M. Tennant Globe Theatre' series, some of which were incorporated and labelled in listings as official Play of the Week episodes and some of which were played in place of Play of the Week episodes in alternative ITV regions. All 8 plays have been incorporated into this entry for convenience.

1955

The South Bank Show

The South Bank Show 1978

5.60

The South Bank Show is a television arts magazine show that was produced by ITV between 1978 and 2010. A new series began on Sky Arts from 27 May 2012. Presented by Melvyn Bragg, the show aims to bring both high art and popular culture to a mass audience.

1978

Downton Abbey

Downton Abbey 2010

8.11

A chronicle of the lives of the aristocratic Crawley family and their servants in the post-Edwardian era—with great events in history having an effect on their lives and on the British social hierarchy.

2010

Mr. Bean: The Animated Series

Mr. Bean: The Animated Series 2002

6.80

The animated daily trials and tribulations of clueless yet clever loner Mr Bean (aided by his best friend Teddy of course!) as he stumbles from one mishap to the next, always finding complex solutions to the simplest of problems.

2002

Minder

Minder 1979

6.80

Roguish comedy drama following the misadventures of small-time crook Arthur Daley.

1979