1989 in British television

Overview of the events of 1989 in British television
List of years in British television (table)
  • … 1979
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  • 1999 …
+...

This is a list of British television related events from 1989.

Events

January

  • 1 January
  • 2 January – The network television premieres of Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird on BBC1 and the 1985 Madonna-starring film Desperately Seeking Susan on BBC2.[2]
  • 5 January – Debut of the sitcom Desmond's, set in a London British Guyanese barber shop, on Channel 4.
  • 7 January – The Chart Show moves from Channel 4 to ITV.
  • 8 January – The original airdate of the Only Fools and Horses episode "Yuppy Love" featuring the classic scene in which Del Boy falls through a bar. A 2006 poll names the scene as the most popular of the entire series while it is also named 7th Greatest Television Moment of all time in a 1999 Channel 4 poll.
  • 9 January – Launch of Central News South, a separate local news service for the South Midlands, covering Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, Herefordshire and parts of Northamptonshire, Buckinghamshire and Wiltshire. The programme is broadcast from a new computerised news centre in Abingdon.
  • 16 January
  • 20 January – BBC2 airs live coverage of the inauguration of George H. W. Bush as the 41st President of the United States.[5]
  • 22 January – ITV launches an omnibus edition of Coronation Street which airs on Sunday afternoons; however, the repeat is not stranded across the network, with different regions airing it at different times. Some regions, including Central, later move the episode to a Saturday afternoon slot and the omnibus is dropped in some areas from September 1990.
  • 24 January – BBC1 airs an episode of EastEnders, featuring a mouth-to-mouth gay kiss between the characters Colin Russell (Michael Cashman) and Guido Smith (Nicholas Donovan), the first time such a scene is shown in a British soap. It causes uproar among viewers and in the press.[6]
  • 26 January – Debut of the sitcom Joint Account on BBC1.
  • 27 January – The US family sitcom Roseanne makes its UK debut on Channel 4, starring Roseanne Barr and John Goodman.
  • 28 January

February

  • 5 February – At 6pm, the world's first commercial DBS system, Sky Television, goes on the air. Three new channels, Sky News, Sky Movies and Eurosport all launch, as well as the flagship Sky Channel, later renamed Sky One.
  • 6 February
    • Launch of the Sky News flagship breakfast programme, Sunrise, which will run until 2019.
    • Sky Channel begins a rerun of its popular Australian medical soap opera series The Young Doctors, starting with the first-ever episode.
  • 11 February – The Australian soap Home and Away makes its UK debut on ITV. It is the second networked Australian soap on that channel, following the short-lived Richmond Hill which is still airing during the afternoon. Home and Away is crucially scheduled in early evening slots of either 5:10pm, 6pm or 6:30pm across the ITV network and it immediately becomes the counterpart series to BBC1's Neighbours airing at 5:35pm. This scheduling continues thirty years later with both series now in these same slots but together on Channel 5.
  • 12 February – ITV launches its Find a Family campaign to help find permanent homes for youngsters in care.
  • 13 February – The first ITV national weather bulletin is broadcast.
  • 14 February – Debut of Out on Tuesday on Channel 4, the UK's first weekly magazine series for gay and lesbian viewers. Later changing its name to Out, the show airs for four series before being axed in 1992.[7]
  • 23 February – Some 23 million viewers tune in to watch the exit of the hugely popular character Den Watts (Leslie Grantham) from EastEnders. Grantham filmed his final scenes in the show in the Autumn of 1988, but his exit has been delayed into 1989 to avoid the show suffering the double blow of losing Den so soon after his former wife, Angie (Anita Dobson), who exited in May 1988. The character falls into a canal after being shot, but the character's exact fate is left unconfirmed. He will make a return to the show in 2003.
  • 24 February – Debut of the children's game show Fun House on Children's ITV, presented by Pat Sharp.
  • 25 February – The long-awaited WBA Heavyweight title fight between Britain's Frank Bruno and the USA's Mike Tyson is held at the Hilton Hotel in Las Vegas. Because of the time difference between Britain and the US, the fight is televised in the UK in the early hours of 26 February. Tyson wins after the referee stops the bout in the fifth round.[8]
  • February
    • Channel 4 begins broadcasting in NICAM digital stereo, initially from the Crystal Palace transmitting station, prior to a national transmitter-by-transmitter roll-out during 1990.
    • Anglia and Central reschedule Emmerdale Farm to 7pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

March

  • 2 March
    • My Brother David, an edition of the BBC2 schools series Scene, is first broadcast in which Simon Scarboro talks about the life of his brother David Scarboro, who originally played the EastEnders character Mark Fowler and who fell to his death from Beachy Head in 1988. The programme is repeated on 19 June for a general audience as part of BBC2's DEF II strand.[9][10][11][12]
    • After much publicity, a two-minute advert for Pepsi featuring Madonna's latest single "Like a Prayer" is shown during a commercial break on ITV, 12 minutes into The Bill.
  • 6 March – Debut of the three-part ITV drama Winners and Losers, starring Leslie Grantham. The series is his first post-EastEnders role.
  • 9 March – On Top of the Pops, comedian Lenny Henry joins regular presenter Nicky Campbell for a special Comic Relief edition of the programme.
  • 10 March – On the second Red Nose Day, BBC1 airs the eight-hour telethon, A Night of Comic Relief 2.[13]
  • 15 March
    • BBC1 airs John's Not Mad,[14] an edition of the QED documentary strand that shadows John Davidson, a 15-year-old from Galashiels in Scotland with severe Tourette syndrome. The film explores John's life in terms of his family and the close-knit community around him and how they all cope with a misunderstood condition.[15]
    • Debut of the drama series Children's Ward on Children's ITV.
  • 16 March – Debut of the children's sitcom Mike and Angelo on Children's ITV.
  • 17 March – Channel 4 launch the Friday night chat show Clive Anderson Talks Back.
  • 31 March – The last Oracle on View transmission takes place on Channel 4.
  • March
    • The Independent Broadcasting Authority recommends that the headquarters of a fifth channel should be situated outside London, preferably at a location north of Birmingham.[16]
    • The Children's Channel launches free-to-air on2 Astra 1A,[17] airing from 5am to 10am on weekdays and from 5am to 12pm on weekends, time-sharing with Lifestyle.

April

  • 1 April
    • Five Star appear on CBBC's Going Live! to promote their latest single With Every Heartbeat. During a live phone-in, a teenage caller verbally abuses them and asks why they are "so fucking crap". Presenter Sarah Greene quickly cuts off the call as the tirade continues.[18][19][20][21][22] On 23 September 2019, an individual claiming to be Eliot Fletcher, the caller, apologises to the band for the incident via a social media account.[23] However, doubt is then cast on the authenticity of the apology after several other people claim to be the notorious caller.[24]
    • Discovery Channel Europe launches. The channel broadcasts via Intelsat and on cable systems.
    • The network television premiere of John G. Avildsen's 1984 martial arts drama The Karate Kid on ITV, starring Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, Elisabeth Shue, William Zabka, Martin Kove and Chad McQueen.
  • 2–3 April – ITV airs The Heroes, an Australian-British television miniseries based on the World War II Operation Jaywick, starring John Bach and Jason Donovan.
  • 3 April
    • Channel 4 launches its breakfast television show The Channel Four Daily. The programme is based heavily on news and current affairs, with segments focusing on sports, finance, lifestyles, arts and entertainment and discussion. It is axed in 1992 after failing to gain enough viewers and was subsequently replaced by the much more popular The Big Breakfast.
    • The Australian children's series The Bartons makes its UK debut on BBC1.[25]
  • 4 April – TUGS, a children's model animated series made by Clearwater Features (the British company behind the first two series of Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends), makes its debut on Children's ITV. Also on the same day, the final episode of Hill Street Blues is broadcast on Channel 4 for the last time.
  • 8 April – The US action series MacGyver makes its UK debut on BBC1, starring Richard Dean Anderson.
  • 15 April – Hillsborough disaster. The BBC's cameras are at the Hillsborough ground in Sheffield to record the FA Cup semi-final clash between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest for their Match of the Day programme, but as the disaster unfolds, the events are relayed to their live sports show, Grandstand, resulting in the extreme emotional impact on the general British population.
  • 20 April – John Leslie becomes the first Scottish presenter of Blue Peter on BBC1.[26]
  • 21 April – BBC2's 25th anniversary. Programming includes an edition of Arena in which the author Graham Greene sets out to trace a namesake who posed as him for many years and an edition of The Late Show which looks at the early BBC2 jazz programme Jazz 625.[27]
  • 24 April
    • The BBC's Ceefax runs as a partial service only, due to a strike by broadcasting unions.
    • Jon Snow joins Channel 4 News as its main newscaster, replacing Peter Sissons, who had presented the programme since its launch in November 1982.
  • 26 April – BBC1 airs A Case of Spontaneous Human Combustion, a Q.E.D. documentary which sets out to investigate apparent instances of the phenomenon of spontaneous human combustion, combustion of the human body without an apparent external source of ignition.[28]
  • 27 April – BBC2 airs the 40 Minutes documentary Inside Broadmoor, a film showing life inside Broadmoor Hospital in Berkshire.[29]

May

  • 1 May – The network television premiere of the 1984 science-fiction sequel Star Trek III: The Search for Spock on BBC1, starring William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy and DeForest Kelley.
  • 2 May – ITV airs an edition of the First Tuesday documentary strand investigating the My Lai Massacre during the Vietnam War called Four Hours in My Lai which is later shown in the US as part of the Frontline series with the title Remember My Lai.[30]
  • 6 May – Yugoslavia's Riva wins the Eurovision Song Contest 1989 (staged in Lausanne) with "Rock Me".
  • 15 May - Series 3 of The Cook Report begins with an investigation into the ivory trade.
  • 18 May - Channel 4's Treasure Hunt airs its final episode.
  • 20 May – Debut of game show That's Showbusiness on BBC1, presented by Mike Smith.
  • 26 May
    • The High Court rejects a legal challenge to overturn the prohibition on broadcasting the voices of representatives of Irish terrorist organisations introduced in October 1988 after deciding the Home Secretary acted lawfully.[31] In December, the Appeal Court upholds the ban.[32]
    • ITV airs live the last Football League game of the season, between Liverpool and Arsenal at Anfield. Arsenal win the League title with the last kick of the season, thanks to a late goal from Michael Thomas. More than 8 million people are said to have tuned in.

June

July

  • 10 July
    • The music magazine series The O-Zone makes its debut on BBC1.[34]
    • ITV introduces a second daily airing of Home and Away.
    • On the Channel 4 game show Countdown, the set receives a redesign and Carol Vorderman is promoted to being the show's co-host alongside Richard Whiteley.
  • 12 July – A special edition of Question Time from Paris, France, is the last to be chaired by Robin Day. Panellists on the programme are Leon Brittan, Chantal Cuer, Denis Healey and Yvette Roudy.[35]
  • 19 July
    • Debut of the game show Interceptor on ITV, hosted by former tennis player and Treasure Hunt sky-runner Annabel Croft with the eponymous Interceptor played by actor Sean O'Kane. The series will run for seven episodes until it ends on 1 January 1990 with a New Year special.
    • The BBC documentary series Panorama accuses Shirley Porter, Conservative Leader of Westminster City Council, of gerrymandering.
  • 25 July – ITV airs "Don't Like Mondays", an episode of The Bill, featuring a storyline in which several characters are caught up in a bank robbery. The episode sees the exit of PC Pete Ramsey, played by Nick Reding, who is shot in the chest by one of the robbers while protecting a colleague. The fate of the character is left unresolved.
  • 28 July – London Weekend Television's current affairs programme Friday Now! is axed after ten months on air due to poor ratings. From the Autumn, it is replaced by Six O'Clock Live.
  • 31 July
    • Sky Channel is rebranded as Sky One and confines its broadcasting to the UK and Ireland.
    • Satellite subscription movie channel Premiere ceases broadcasting due to losses of around £10 million and increased competition from Sky Movies. It thanks the viewers as well as a few businesses that helped with the channel's transmission.

August

September

  • 1 September
    • The first ITV generic look is introduced.
    • Launch of London Weekend Television's Friday evening news magazine programme Six O'Clock Live.[38]
  • 3 September – BBC1 airs the television film Bomber Harris, a drama based on the life of Arthur Harris and starring John Thaw in the eponymous role.[39]
  • 5 September – Carol Smillie makes her debut as hostess on ITV's Wheel of Fortune, replacing Angela Ekaette.
  • 8 September – Debut of Challenge Anneka on BBC1, presented by Anneka Rice.
  • 10 September – BBC1 launches Screen One, an anthology of one-off dramas. The first film is One Way Out, directed by Mick Ford and starring Bob Peck, Denis Lawson, Samantha Bond and Enn Reitel.[40]
  • 13 September
    • The BBC is accused of censorship after banning an interview with Simon Hayward, a former Captain of the Life Guards who spent several years in a Swedish prison after a drug smuggling conviction, just hours before he is due to appear on the Wogan show. The decision, taken by BBC1 Controller Jonathan Powell followed protests from several MPs. The BBC says the subject is not appropriate for a family programme, but will be discussed on other shows.[41]
    • Debut of the children's series Bodger & Badger on BBC1, starring Andy Cunningham.
  • 14 September
    • Peter Sissons takes over as the presenter of Question Time as the series returns after its Summer break.[42]
    • The children's stop-motion animated series Postman Pat makes its debut in Ireland on Network 2 as part of Dempsey's Den. The animated series The Adventures of Spot also begins airing in Ireland on this day with an Irish language dub called Echtrai Bhrain.
    • The third and final programme in the trilogy to be produced by Maddocks Cartoon Productions, Penny Crayon, debuts on BBC1.
    • The Poddington Peas also debuts on BBC1.
  • 15 September – Ceefax AM is broadcast for the final time.
  • 25 September – BBC2 airs The Interrogation of John, Malcolm McKay's 1987 ScreenPlay, starring Dennis Quilley, Bill Paterson and Michael Fitzgerald. The film, about the police questioning of a murder suspect and first shown in 1987, now forms the first of a three-part series titled A Wanted Man which further develops the story. The second part of the trilogy, The Secret, airs on 27 September, while Shoreland concludes the series on 28 September.[43][44][45]
  • 26 September – Debut of Capital City, a drama series about investment bankers produced by Euston Films for Thames on ITV. Thames has spent an estimated £500,000 to run newspaper and billboard advertisements to promote the series launch, believed at the time to be the largest advertising spend for a programme in the history of ITV. Full-page advertisements are taken in six national newspapers including the Financial Times, The Times and The Independent, promoting Shane-Longman, the fictitious company of the series and featuring images of cast members in character.[46]
  • 28 September

October

  • 1 October
  • 2 October
    • Launch of RTL Veronique, a Dutch private commercial television station broadcasting from Luxembourg. The channel airs to Europe via the Astra satellite and attracts attention in its early days due to its late-night lineup of erotic programmes. The station changes its name to RTL 4 in 1991.[49]
    • Breakfast Time is relaunched as Breakfast News on BBC1.
  • 4 October – Jeremy Paxman makes his first regular appearance as presenter of BBC2's Newsnight. He will be in this role until 2014.
  • 11 October
  • 16 October – Debut of the sitcom Birds of a Feather on BBC1, starring Pauline Quirke, Linda Robson and Lesley Joseph.
  • 20 October – ITV introduces a third weekly episode of Coronation Street which airs on Fridays at 7:30pm.
  • 29 October – Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher appears on ITV's The Walden Interview with Brian Walden. His tough stance with her during the programme is one of the things that helps to contribute to her downfall the following year.[52][53]

November

  • 1 November – ITV airs One Day in the Life of Television, a documentary filmed by 50 camera crews looking behind-the-scenes of British television on 1 November 1988.[54]
  • 2 November – The last episode of Blackadder Goes Forth, Goodbyeee, is broadcast on BBC1.[55] With one of the moving endings ever seen on British television, it is aired nine days before Remembrance Day. The final scene is also voted the ninth most memorable moment of all time in a poll for The Observer and Channel 4 on 11 September 1999.
  • 7 November – MTV Europe broadcasts a live programme from East Berlin from hotels and conference centres that have given access to the channel for the first time, two days before the fall of the Berlin Wall, paving the way for German reunification.
  • 8 November – The teenage drama series Byker Grove makes its debut on BBC1.[56]
  • 9 November – The last episode of the soap Emmerdale Farm airs under its original title.
  • 14 November – The long-running soap Emmerdale Farm changes its name to Emmerdale after 17 years.
  • 16 November – Debut of Tony Robinson's children's comedy series Maid Marian and Her Merry Men on BBC1.[57]
  • 19 November–26 November – Prince Caspian becomes the second Narnia book to be aired as a television serial on BBC1 in two parts.[58][59]
  • 20 November – The Ceefax service is relaunched to focus on news, sport and current affairs. The magazine elements are significantly reduced and are mainly restricted to the weekend.[60]
  • 20–24 November – TVS pilots a 30-minute late-night edition of its news programme Coast to Coast called Coast to Coast Late.[61]
  • 21 November – Television coverage of proceedings in the House of Commons begins.
  • 22 November
    • Following the commencement of televised coverage of the House of Commons the previous day, BBC2 launches a breakfast round-up of yesterday's proceedings. This is preceded by the 8am bulletin from Breakfast News.[62] Previously, the only BBC2 breakfast output was programmes from The Open University. Their programmes continue to be shown on BBC2 at breakfast, but in an earlier timeslot.
    • The Stone Roses are invited to appear on BBC2's The Late Show. During their performance, the electricity is cut off by noise limiting circuitry, prompting singer Ian Brown to shout "Amateurs, amateurs" as presenter Tracey MacLeod tries to link into the next item.
  • 25 November – Helen Sharman is selected as the first Britain to travel into space in a live programme aired by ITV. She is one of 13,000 people to apply for the chance to become an astronaut after responding to a radio advertisement, and journeys to the Mir space station in 1991.[63]
  • 26 November – BBC1 debuts The Ginger Tree, a four-part television adaptation of Oswald Wynd's 1977 novel of the same name starring Samantha Bond, Daisuke Ryu and Adrian Rawlins. The serial ends on 17 December.
  • 29 November – Debut of four-part serial Blackeyes on BBC2 which is written and directed by Dennis Potter, adapted from his novel of the same name, starring Gina Bellman as an attractive model with Michael Gough in a key role as her uncle. The series theme is described as the objectification of "young and attractive women as consumer goods in a way that brutalizes both sexes". The serial continues on 20 December.

December

Debuts

BBC1

BBC2

  • 4 January – The Dark Angel (1989)
  • 13 January – A Bit of Fry & Laurie (1989–1995)
  • 1 March – Shadow of the Noose (1989)
  • 3 April – Chris and Crumble (1989)
  • 26 April – Shalom Salaam (1989)
  • 12 May – KYTV (1989–1993)
  • 19 May – Tygo Road (1989–1990)
  • 9 June – I, Lovett (1989–1993)
  • 16 June – Mornin' Sarge (1989)
  • 10 July – The O-Zone (1989–2000)
  • 19 September – Look and Read: Through the Dragon's Eye (1989)
  • 4 October – Nice Work (1989)
  • 22 October – The Smoggies (1988–1991)
  • 1 November – Summer's Lease (1989)
  • 29 November – Blackeyes (1989)
  • 31 December – The Late Show (1989–1995)[78]

ITV

  • 6 January
  • 7 January – Superboy (1988–1992)
  • 8 January – Agatha Christie's Poirot (1989–2013)
  • 13 January – A Bit of a Do (1989)
  • 16 January – Press Gang (1989–1993)
  • 25 January – Young Charlie Chaplin (1989)
  • 8 February – Flying Squad (1989–1990)
  • 11 February – Home and Away (1988–present)
  • 12 February – Find a Family (1989–1991)
  • 15 February – Mr. Fixit (1989)
  • 18 February – Woof! (1989–1997)
  • 21 February – Hitman (1989)
  • 24 February
    • Fun House (1989–1999)
    • A Quiet Conspiracy (1989)
  • 26 February
  • 6 March – Winners and Losers (1989)
  • 13 March
  • 15 March
  • 16 March – Mike and Angelo (1989–2000)
  • 21 March – Bradley (1989)
  • 1 April – Ghost Train (1989–1991)
  • 2 April – The Heroes (1989)
  • 4 April – TUGS (1989)
  • 6 April – Rolf's Cartoon Club (1989–1993)
  • 12 April – No Strings (1989)
  • 14 April
  • 17 April – When Will I Be Famous? (1989)
  • 23 April
  • 2 May – The Bubblegum Brigade (1989)
  • 20 May – Brian Conley: This Way Up (1989–1990)
  • 21 May – A Tale of Two Cities (1989)
  • 26 May – Sob Sisters (1989)
  • 3 June – Young, Gifted and Broke (1989)
  • 5 June
    • The Nineteenth Hole (1989)
    • Huxley Pig (1989–1990)
  • 6 June – Sounds Like Music (1989–1990)
  • 7 June
  • 11 June
    • We Are Seven (1989–1991)
    • Tales of Sherwood Forest (1989)
  • 12 June – Rules of Engagement (1989)
  • 16 June – After the War (1989)
  • 5 July – Bangers and Mash (1989)
  • 11 July – Somewhere to Run (1989)
  • 19 July – Interceptor (1989–1990)
  • 23 July – Back Home (1989)
  • 26 July – Anything More Would Be Greedy (1989)
  • 2 August – Garfield and Friends (1988–1994)
  • 18 August – Murder Weekend (1989)
  • 20 August – The Fifteen Streets (1989)
  • 27 August – Goldeneye (1989)
  • 2 September – Saracen (1989)
  • 5 September – French Fields (1989–1991)
  • 10 September – It's Stardust (1989–1990)
  • 13 September – The Best of Magic (1989–1990)
  • 15 September – Act of Will (1989)
  • 25 September – Streetwise (1989–1992)
  • 26 September – Capital City (1989–1990)
  • 27 September – Wisdom of the Gnomes (1987–1988)
  • 1 October – Close to Home (1989–1990)
  • 4 October
  • 8 October – Goals on Sunday (1989–1992)
  • 2 November – The Riddlers (1989–1998)
  • 6 November – About Face (1989–1991)
  • 8 November – The Free Frenchman (1989)
  • 15 November – All Change (1989–1991)
  • 2 December – Frederick Forsyth Presents (1989–1990)
  • 8 December – Stay Lucky (1989–1993)
  • 21 December – The Shell Seekers (1989)
  • 24 December – The Woman in Black (1989)
  • 25 December – The BFG (1989)
  • 26 December – K.T.V (1989–1992)
  • 27 December – Till We Meet Again (1989)
  • 28 December – The Tailor of Gloucester (1989)
  • Unknown
    • Satellite City (1988)

Channel 4

Sky Channel/One

Sky News

  • 6 February – Sunrise (1989–2019)

Channels

New channels

Date Channel
5 February Sky News
Sky Movies
Eurosport
1 April Discovery Channel Europe

Defunct channels

Date Channel
31 July Premiere

Rebranded channels

Date Old Name New Name
31 July Sky Channel Sky One

Television shows

Changes of network affiliation

Shows Moved from Moved to
Sale of the Century ITV Sky One
The Price Is Right

Returning this year after a break of one year or longer

Continuing television shows

1920s

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

1930s

  • The Boat Race (1938–1939, 1946–2019, 2021–present)
  • BBC Cricket (1939, 1946–1999, 2020–2024)

1940s

1950s

1960s

1970s

1980s

Ending this year

  • 10 February – High Street Blues (1989)
  • 29 March – Tumbledown Farm (1988–1989)
  • 19 April – Charlie Chalk (1988–1989)
  • 26 April – Barney (1988–1989)
  • 1 May – The Benny Hill Show (1955–1989)
  • 14 May – Capstick's Law (1989)
  • 16 May – The Book Tower (1979–1989)
  • 18 May - Treasure Hunt (1982-1989)
  • 5 June – When Will I Be Famous (1989)
  • 6 June – The Bubblegum Brigade (1989)[80]
  • 18 June – Three Up, Two Down (1985–1989)
  • 27 June – TUGS (1989)
  • 17 July – Rules of Engagement (1989)
  • 23 July – Tales of Sherwood Forest (1989)
  • 24 July – Traffik (1989)
  • 8 August – Creepy Crawlies (1987–1989)
  • 15 August – C.A.B. (1986–1989)
  • 21 August – Dramarama (1983–1989)
  • 29 August – Hard Cases (1988–1989)
  • 30 August – Anything More Would Be Greedy (1989)
  • 1 September – Bangers and Mash (1989)
  • 20 September – EMU-TV (1989)
  • 29 September – Breakfast Time (1983–1989)
  • 8 October – First of the Summer Wine (1988–1989)
  • 9 October – Streets Apart (1988–1989)
  • 13 October – Square Deal (1988–1989)
  • 25 October – Confessional (1989)
  • 19 November – Mother Love (1989)
  • 25 November – Saracen (1989)
  • 1 December – A Bit of a Do (1989)
  • 6 December – Doctor Who (1963–1989, 1996, 2005–present)
  • 7 December – The Poddington Peas (1989)
  • 17 December – The Ginger Tree (1989)
  • 18 December – The Real Ghostbusters (1986–1991)
  • 24 December – Ever Decreasing Circles (1984–1989)
  • 25 December – Thunderbirds Superstar 90 (1987–1988)

Births

Deaths

Date Name Age Cinematic Credibility
27 January Arthur Marshall 78 writer, humorist and television personality (Call My Bluff)
21 February Robert Dorning 75 musician and actor
19 March Charles Lamb 88 actor
12 April Gerald Flood 61 actor
15 April Freda Lingstrom 95 children's television commissioner (Andy Pandy)
15 June Geoffrey Alexander 58 actor
1 July Joan Cooper 66 actress
2 July Ben Wright 74 actor
4 July Jack Haig 76 actor ('Allo 'Allo!, Crossroads)
11 July Laurence Olivier 82 actor, director, producer and narrator of the landmark documentary series The World at War
15 July Dennis Wilson 69 Theme tune composer (Fawlty Towers)
23 July Michael Sundin 28 Presenter and actor (Blue Peter)
4 August Maurice Colbourne 49 actor
17 August Harry Corbett 71 magician and television presenter (Sooty)
8 September Ann George 86 actress (Crossroads)
4 October Graham Chapman 48 comedian, actor, writer, physician and one of the six members of the Monty Python comedy troupe
20 October Anthony Quayle 76 actor
21 November Peter Burton 68 actor
11 December Howard Lang 78 actor (The Onedin Line)
15 December Edward Underdown 81 actor
17 December Edward Boyd 72 screenwriter
23 December Peter Bennett 72 actor
26 December Peggy Thorpe-Bates 75 actress (Rumpole of the Bailey)
30 December Madoline Thomas 99 actress

See also

References

  1. ^ "Amadeus – BBC One London – 1 January 1989 – BBC Genome". Genome.ch.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
  2. ^ "Desperately Seeking Susan – BBC Two England – 2 January 1989 – BBC Genome". Genome.ch.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
  3. ^ "The Late Show – BBC Two England – 16 January 1989". BBC Genome. BBC. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
  4. ^ "BBC Two England – 16 January 1989". BBC Genome. BBC. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
  5. ^ "US Presidential Inauguration – BBC Two England – 20 January 1989". BBC Genome. BBC. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
  6. ^ "BBC One - EastEnders: Iconic Episodes, Colin and Guido Kiss". BBC. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  7. ^ Paul Burston; Paul Burston Nfa; Colin Richardson (26 July 2005). A Queer Romance: Lesbians, Gay Men and Popular Culture. Routledge. p. 228. ISBN 978-1-134-86482-9.
  8. ^ IN2M (23 February 2009). "David Ashdown's Classic Sports Picture Diary: Frank Bruno v Mike Tyson 1989". The Independent. Archived from the original on 18 April 2009. Retrieved 10 April 2009.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  9. ^ "Scene". BroadcastForSchools.co.uk. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
  10. ^ "BBC Two England – 2 March 1989 – BBC Genome". Genome.ch.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
  11. ^ "Scene/My Brother David". BroadcastForSchools.co.uk. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
  12. ^ "DEF II Scene – BBC Two England – 19 June 1989 – BBC Genome". Genome.ch.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
  13. ^ "A Night of Comic Relief 2 – BBC One London – 10 March 1989". BBC Genome. BBC. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
  14. ^ John's Not Mad at IMDb Edit this at Wikidata
  15. ^ "Q.E.D. – BBC One London – 15 March 1989". BBC Genome. BBC. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
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External links

  • List of 1989 British television series at IMDb
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