2005 in British television
This is a list of British television-related events in 2005.
Events
January
- 5 January—Desperate Housewives makes its initial UK debut. Overnight figures indicate it achieves an audience of 4.4 million viewers.[1]
- 8 January—Jerry Springer: The Opera airs on BBC Two, despite protests from Christian Voice and other groups.[2]
- 10 January—
- Christian Voice confirms plans to launch a private blasphemy prosecution against the BBC for screening Jerry Springer: The Opera, which features Jesus, Mary and God as guests on The Jerry Springer Show.[3] The group subsequently attempts to prosecute BBC Director-General Mark Thompson, but their bid is rejected by the High Court. An attempt to overrule that decision is also rejected in December 2007.[4]
- Vote for Me, a contest to find an independent Parliamentary candidate, makes its debut on ITV.[5]
- 14 January—ITV's Vote for Me contest is won by former lawyer and convicted fraudster Rodney Hylton-Potts, who presented a "cabbies manifesto" that includes halting immigration, scrapping the Human Rights Act and legalising all drugs. However, the programme is soon caught up in controversy because of the winning candidate's extreme political views.[6][7] Hylton-Potts went on to stand against Conservative leader Michael Howard as a candidate for Folkestone and Hythe at the general election, but came in seventh place and lost his deposit.[5]
- 21 January—The auction channel bid-up.tv is rebranded as bid.tv.
- 23 January—Happy Mondays dancer Mark Berry, known professionally as Bez wins the third series of Celebrity Big Brother.[8]
- 27 January—Holocaust Memorial Day and the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz concentration camp are observed in the UK. BBC Two and BBC News 24 air Auschwitz Remembered, a special news programme providing coverage of memorial events.[9]
February
- 3 February—An audience member on the evening's edition of Question Time uses the show's final question to propose to his girlfriend, who says yes. It is the first time a marriage proposal has occurred on the programme in its 25-year history.[10]
- 8 February—Teachers' TV, run by the Department for Education and Skills, launches on Sky Digital (channel 686) and Freeview.[11][12]
- 9 February—The Africa-based BBC journalist and producer Kate Peyton is killed in a shooting incident in Mogadishu, Somalia while reporting on that country's nascent peace process.[13]
- 16 February—The first series of the UK version of The Apprentice debuts on BBC Two.[14][15]
- 19 February—EastEnders celebrates its 20th anniversary on the air, airing a special episode in which Dirty Den Watts is killed by his new wife Chrissie. 14.34 million watch the episode (shown on 18 February).[16] It is the UK's second highest rated programme of 2005 (the first was an episode of Coronation Street three days later).[17]
- 21 February—MasterChef relaunches as MasterChef Goes Large.
- 23 February—UKTV Style Gardens, a channel dedicated to gardening programmes, launches.
- 24 February—ITV airs another episode of its police drama The Bill to feature a storyline in which characters are killed off in a fire at Sun Hill police station. Computer generated imagery was used because producing a real explosion and fireball ripping through the station corridors was not possible.[18]
- 26 February—Sound TV, known pre-launch as The Great British Television Channel, launches on Sky Digital (588). It closed in the Autumn.
March
- 3 March—Irish Taoiseach Bertie Ahern opens RTÉ's new studios in London, based at Millbank opposite the Houses of Parliament.[19]
- 10 March—BBC One airs an edition of Question Time from Changhai, China, as part of the BBC's China Week.[20]
- 11 March—BBC One airs the tenth Comic Relief fundraiser. Highlights include a crossover between Antiques Roadshow and The Vicar of Dibley, as well as specials of Little Britain and Blind Date.[21]
- 17 March—ITV signs up Jerry Springer to present a daytime talk show to replace Trisha.[22][23]
- 20 March—
- 23 March—Five announce plans to move its Trisha Goddard show to a morning slot from April to rival ITV's forthcoming The Springer Show.[26]
- 26 March—
- Nine years after its last new episode and sixteen years since its last regular run, Doctor Who returns to BBC One for a new series, the twenty-seventh in total since 1963. Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper star. An average 10.81 million viewers, over 40% of the watching audience, tune in, winning its timeslot and making it No. 3 BBC show and No. 7 across all channels for the week. The episode went on to become the UK's seventh highest rated programme of 2005.
- Gordon Hendricks, performing as Elvis Presley wins the sixteenth and final series of Stars in Their Eyes. He is the second Elvis impersonator to win the contest. Stars in Their Eyes continued until the following year, with a final junior series and a number of celebrity specials.
- 30 March—
April
- 1 April—Thomasina Miers wins the 2005 series of MasterChef Goes Large.
- 2 April—Digital channel BBC Four broadcasts a live re-make of the famous 1953 science-fiction drama The Quatermass Experiment. The production is the first live drama broadcast by the BBC for over twenty years, and draws BBC Four's second highest audience to date, with an average of 482,000 viewers.
- 4 April—BBC Four airs Speak No Evil – The Story of the Broadcast Ban, a documentary recalling the 1988 broadcasting restrictions imposed by the Government of Margaret Thatcher on organisations in Northern Ireland believed to support terrorism.[29]
- 8 April—13.03 million viewers watched Ken Barlow tie the knot with Deirdre Rachid on Coronation Street, one day before The Prince of Wales' wedding to Camilla Parker Bowles (7.36 million viewers watched). The scheduling move echoed Ken and Deirdre's first wedding, which occurred two days before Charles's nuptials to Diana, Princess of Wales, and which also beat the Royal wedding in the television ratings (see 1981 in British television).
- 11 April—ITV Day launches on ITV1.[30]
- 14 April—The BBC removes advice from its website warning that Doctor Who was too scary to be watched by children under the age of eight, describing the statement as "a mistake".[31]
- 16 April—David Tennant is announced as the Tenth Doctor.[32]
- 18 April—Launch of the teleshopping channel iBuy.
- 28 April—BBC One airs a special election edition of Question Time, featuring the leaders of the three main political parties. Tony Blair (Labour), Michael Howard (Conservative) and Charles Kennedy (Liberal Democrats) are each questioned for 30 minutes by the audience.[20]
May
- 3 May—The Sun has reported that Labour Party chiefs are concerned that the 5 May episode of EastEnders in which Dot Cotton learns to drive could distract viewers from voting.[33]
- 4 May—Tim Campbell, a 27-year-old transport manager with London Underground wins the first series of The Apprentice. His prize is a £100,000 job with Sugar's firm, Amstrad.[34]
- 5–6 May—Coverage of the 2005 general election is shown on British television. The Labour Party attains a third successive General Election victory.
- 7 May—Family Affairs wins Best Storyline at the British Soap Awards for a story in which a couple discover a family friend has been abusing their daughter.[35]
- 13 May—To celebrate the 80th birthday of Queen Elizabeth II in 2006, artist Rolf Harris is to create an oil portrait of her as part of a special edition of his BBC One show Rolf on Art, it is announced.[36] The programme will air later this year or in early 2006.[37]
- 16 May—BBC Weather relaunches, changing from 2D to 3D graphics.[38]
- 23 May—Over one-third of BBC staff join a strike in response to proposed job cuts at the corporation.[39]
- 26 May—BBC One airs a special edition of Question Time from Paris, France, ahead of the French referendum on the European Constitution.[20]
- 31 May—David Easter, who plays villain Pete Callan in Family Affairs is to leave the series in September, it is announced.[40]
June
July
August
September
- 3 September—After several revamps and presenting changes, BBC One airs the final edition of its children's entertainment series The Saturday Show.[51]
- 7 September—The BBC and ITV announce plans to launch Freesat, a Free-to-air satellite television series to rival Sky.[52]
- 8 September—Faze TV, a British digital channel aimed at gay men, cancels its launch after failing to secure sufficient funding to deliver "sufficient quality."[53]
- 12 September—In an interview with The Guardian, the BBC Director of News and Current Affairs Helen Boaden defends the broadcaster's decision to stick with initial reports of a power surge on the London Underground on the morning of 7 July until actual events could be corroborated, saying it was the right thing to do. "Some of our competitors talked immediately of 90 dead. They talked about three bus bombs. That was off a range of various wire services and it was complete speculation and we wouldn't go with that. We would be careful – we would try to check things out."[54]
- 20 September—BBC One airs Derailed, a docudrama dealing with the 1999 Ladbroke Grove rail crash.[55]
- 22 September—ITV airs a second live episode of The Bill to mark the broadcaster's 50th year on air.
- 23 September—It is announced that Des Lynam will succeed Richard Whiteley as presenter of Channel 4's Countdown, with his first episode airing on 31 October.[56]
- 26 September—The BBC is censured by Ofcom for its coverage of the London bombings on 7 July. Of particular concern to them was an incident in which footage of a man being carried by stretcher into the Royal London Hospital was shown as a BBC News 24 presenter commentated "Let's just take a look at some of the pictures coming from the Royal London." Ofcom concludes that "the pictures were used generically and the commentary did not reflect the seriousness of the images being transmitted". Channel 4 News is also criticised for not "fully reflecting the enormity of the images being reflected", although it had not breached the Ofcom regulations as the images were not used casually. ITV News is not criticised, however, because it provided a "clear narrative context [with] sensitive accompanying reporting".[57]
- 26–27 September—No Direction Home, Martin Scorsese's documentary on Bob Dylan, receives its broadcast premiere on BBC Two in the UK, under the Arena banner.[58][59]
- September—ITV celebrates its 50th anniversary with a collection of special programmes, under the name ITV 50.
October
- 10 October—More4, a digital channel from Channel 4 offering factual content, launches.[60]
- 24 October—Sky News moves to new studios, with a new schedule and on-air look.[61]
- 25 October—The relaunched Doctor Who is the major winner at the annual National Television Awards in the UK, taking the Most Popular Drama award, with its stars Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper winning Most Popular Actor and Most Popular actress.
- 27 October – 16 December—Bleak House, a 15-episode adaptation of the Charles Dickens novel of the same name designed to capture a soap opera-style audience by using Dickens's original serial structure in half-hour episodes, is broadcast on BBC One.
- 31 October—
November
- 1 November—ITV4, a digital channel aimed at men, is launched in the UK. It is launched on Sky Digital Channel 120 on 7 November.
- 3 November—A special edition of Question Time featuring David Cameron and David Davis—the two candidates in the forthcoming Conservative Party leadership election.[64]
- 7–28 November—BBC One broadcasts ShakespeaRe-Told, a series of four adaptations of William Shakespeare's plays based in 21st century Britain. The plays in order are Much Ado About Nothing, Macbeth, The Taming of the Shrew, and A Midsummer Night's Dream.
- 11 November—EastEnders is the first British drama to feature a two-minute silence.[65] This episode later goes on to win the British Soap Award for 'Best Single Episode'.[66]
- 18 November—
- 22 November—Producers of ITV's I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! confirm that contestant Elaine Lordan will not be returning to the show following a stay in hospital. She had twice collapsed on the set of the jungle-based reality show, but had been given a clean bill of health by doctors.[68]
- 28 November—The actress and I'm a Celebrity contestant Kimberley Davies is taken to hospital with a suspected fractured rib after she is injured in a stunt that goes wrong. Davies had jumped from a helicopter as part of one of the series' "bush tucker trials" when the incident occurred. Responding to criticism that it had not taken the correct safety precautions, ITV says that Davies was given a full safety briefing before she performed the stunt.[69]
- 29 November—Kimberley Davies withdraws from I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!.[70]
December
Debuts
BBC One
BBC Two
BBC Four
ITV (1/2/3/4)
Channel 4
More4
- 10 October – Launch of More4 News on new digital channel More4 (2005—2009).
Five
Other
Channels
New channels
Defunct channels
Rebranded channels
Changes of network affiliation
Television shows
^[e] signifies that this show has a related event in the Events section above.
Returning this year after a break of one year or longer
- Muffin the Mule (1946–1955, 2005–2006)
- Doctor Who (1963–1989, 1996, 2005–present)
- Mr. Benn (1970–1972, 2005)
- Roobarb and Custard Too premieres (1974 BBC, 2005–2013 Channel 5)
- Willo the Wisp (1981–1984, 2005)
- Fireman Sam (1987–1994, 2005–2013)
- The Two Ronnies Sketchbook sequels to take over from The Two Ronnies (1971–1987, 1991, 1996, 2005)
- Family Guy (1999–2002, 2005–present)
1950s
1960s
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000s
Ending this year
Deaths
References
- ↑ "Housewives draw 4.4m UK viewers". BBC News. BBC. 6 January 2005. Retrieved 1 June 2014.
- ↑ "Protests as BBC screens Springer". BBC News. BBC. 10 January 2005. Retrieved 1 June 2014.
- ↑ "Group to act over Springer opera". BBC News. BBC. 10 January 2005. Retrieved 1 June 2014.
- ↑ "Springer opera court fight fails". BBC News. BBC. 5 December 2007. Retrieved 1 June 2014.
- 1 2 "Vote for Me". UKGameshows. Retrieved 22 June 2014.
- ↑ Doward, social affairs editor, Jamie (16 January 2005). "Row erupts as TV's new political idol accused of being racist". The Observer. Guardian Media Group. Retrieved 22 June 2014.
- ↑ Duffy, Jonathan (18 January 2005). "Rank and bile". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 22 June 2014.
- ↑ "Celebrity Big Brother won by Bez". BBC News. BBC. 23 January 2005. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
- ↑ "Pupils hear of Holocaust horrors". BBC News. BBC. 27 January 2005. Retrieved 5 May 2014.
- ↑ "Popping the Question Time on TV". BBC News. BBC. 3 February 2005. Retrieved 28 May 2014.
- ↑ "Teachers' TV launches". Digital Spy. 8 February 2005. Retrieved 1 June 2014.
- ↑ "Teachers' TV station takes to air". BBC News. BBC. 8 February 2005. Retrieved 1 June 2014.
- 1 2 "Kate Peyton: BBC producer devoted to reporting from her adopted home of Africa". Times Online. News International. 11 February 2005. Retrieved 2 August 2010.
- ↑ "The Apprentice". BBC Press Office. BBC. 10 February 2005. Retrieved 5 May 2014.
- ↑ "Slow ratings start for 'The Apprentice'". Digital Spy. 17 February 2005. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
- ↑ "Dirty Den's demise watched by 14m". BBC News. 19 February 2005. Retrieved 27 April 2009.
- ↑ "Street tops 2005 TV shows league". BBC News. BBC. 5 January 2006. Retrieved 1 June 2014.
- ↑ Tibballs, Geoff (2006). The Bill: The Official Case Book. Carlton. ISBN 1844421732.
- ↑ "RTÉ Libraries and Archives: preserving a unique record of Irish life". RTÉ. Retrieved 10 April 2012.
- 1 2 3 4 "Classic Question Times". BBC News. BBC. 20 February 2008. Retrieved 7 April 2014.
- ↑ "BBC One London - 11 March 2005". BBC Genome. BBC. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
- ↑ Matthews, Sam (17 March 2005). "ITV brings on Jerry Springer in new chatshow to fill vacant Trisha slot". Brand Republic. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
- ↑ Gibson, Owen (18 March 2005). "Jerry Springer signs for ITV... but there won't be any fights". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
- ↑ "BBC to cut 2,000 programme jobs". BBC News. BBC. 21 March 2005. Retrieved 1 June 2014.
- ↑ Kilkelly, Daniel (20 March 2005). "Medcalf speaks about quitting 'Enders". Digital Spy. Retrieved 25 May 2014.
- ↑ "Trisha and Jerry 'in TV battle'". BBC News. BBC. 23 March 2005. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
- ↑ "Analogue is a real turn-off for Welsh". The Scotsman. Johnston Press. 30 March 2005. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
- ↑ "Who will take on Doctor's Tardis?". Middlesbrough Evening Gazette. Trinity Mirror. 31 March 2005. Retrieved 1 June 2014.
- ↑ Welch, Francis (5 April 2005). "The 'broadcast ban' on Sinn Fein". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
- ↑ "ITV revamps daytime". Broadcast. 10 March 2005. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
- ↑ "BBC stands by 'scary' Doctor Who". BBC News. BBC. 14 April 2005. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
- ↑ "Actor David Tennant conquers TV". BBC News. BBC. 16 April 2005. Retrieved 1 June 2014.
- ↑ Taylor, Ros (3 May 2005). "Election briefing: Broadsheets are red all over". The Guardian. London: Guardian Media Group. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
- ↑ "Transport manager wins Apprentice". BBC News. BBC. 4 May 2005. Retrieved 5 May 2014.
- ↑ "The winners: British Soap Awards". BBC News. BBC. 8 May 2005. Retrieved 7 June 2014.
- ↑ "Rolf Harris to paint Her Majesty The Queen". BBC Press Office. BBC. 13 May 2005. Retrieved 1 July 2014.
- ↑ "Queen grants Rolf royal portrait". BBC News. BBC. 13 May 2005. Retrieved 1 July 2014.
- ↑ "Brighter outlook as BBC Weather goes 3D". BBC Press Office. BBC. 14 May 2005. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
- ↑ "BBC calls for talks amid strike". BBC News. BBC. 23 May 2005. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
- ↑ Green, Kris (31 May 2005). "Long-standing 'Affairs' actor to leave". Digital Spy. Retrieved 15 June 2014.
- ↑ BBC News Dept 26 June 5 (26 June 2005). "Presenter Richard Whiteley dies". Retrieved 31 December 2009.
- ↑ "Whiteley's final 'Countdown' ep to air today". Digital Spy. 1 July 2005. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
- ↑ Booth, Robert (5 July 2005). "BBC weather map freezes". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
- ↑ Cozens, Claire (8 July 2005). "BBC news ratings double". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
- ↑ "TOTP announces Sunday move date". BBC News. BBC. 3 July 2005. Retrieved 21 June 2014.
- ↑ "BBC calls time on Top of the Pops". BBC News. BBC. 20 June 2006. Retrieved 21 June 2014.
- ↑ "EastEnders' Wallace to leave soap". BBC News. BBC. 19 July 2005. Retrieved 30 May 2014.
- ↑ "Five pulls plug on Family Affairs". BBC News. BBC. 2 August 2005. Retrieved 4 April 2014.
- ↑ "Anthony triumphs in Big Brother". BBC News. BBC. 12 August 2005. Retrieved 2 April 2014.
- ↑ "ITV to launch children's channel". BBC News. BBC. 17 August 2005. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
- ↑ "The Saturday Show - BBC One London - 3 September 2005". BBC Genome. BBC. Retrieved 26 March 2016.
- ↑ "BBC and ITV to start Sky TV rival". BBC News. BBC. 7 September 2005. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
- ↑ "Welcome to Sky Digi Online part of Media 247". Media247.co.uk. Retrieved 10 March 2012.
- ↑ Wells, Matt (12 September 2005). "Interview with Helen Boaden". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
- ↑ Flett, Kathryn (25 September 2005). "TV: Derailed, Waking the Dead, Underground Britain: Psychic Surgeon, Tittybangbang". The Observer. Guardian Media Group. Retrieved 11 June 2015.
- ↑ "Des Lynam to be new countdown host". The Daily Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group. 23 September 2005. Retrieved 25 November 2016.
- ↑ Timms, Dominic (26 September 2005). "BBC attacked over 7/7 coverage". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
- ↑ "Arena: No Direction Home - Bob Dylan - BBC Two England - 26 September 2005". BBC Genome. BBC. Retrieved 25 November 2016.
- ↑ "Arena: No Direction Home - Bob Dylan - BBC Two England - 27 September 2005". BBC Genome. BBC. Retrieved 25 November 2016.
- ↑ "Channel 4's More4 makes its debut". BBC News. BBC. 10 October 2005. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
- ↑ Douglas, Torin (24 October 2005). "Ambitious relaunch for Sky News". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
- ↑ "Lynam reveals Countdown anxiety". BBC News. BBC. 24 October 2005. Retrieved 25 November 2016.
- ↑ Deans, Jason (7 December 2005). "Edmonds gets new Deal from Channel 4". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. Retrieved 25 November 2016.
- ↑ "Tory rivals row over tax and spin". BBC News. BBC. 4 November 2005. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
- ↑ "2-minute Enders silence". The Sun. News International. 7 September 2007. Retrieved 30 May 2014. (subscription required (help)).
- ↑ Green, Kris (23 May 2006). "The British Soap Awards 2006". Digital Spy. Retrieved 30 May 2014.
- ↑ "RTL Group announces strategic relationship between Five and Top Up TV". RTL Group. 18 November 2005. Archived from the original on 4 July 2006. Retrieved 4 September 2006.
- ↑ "Actress Lordan quits jungle show". BBC News. BBC. 22 November 2005. Retrieved 26 March 2016.
- ↑ Byrne, Ciar (29 November 2005). "ITV under pressure after 'I'm a Celebrity' contestant is hurt". The Independent. Independent Print Limited. Retrieved 26 March 2016.
- ↑ "Kimberley Davies leaves jungle show". RTÉ Ten. RTÉ. 29 November 2005. Retrieved 26 March 2016.
- ↑ "Carol Thatcher named jungle queen". BBC News. BBC. 6 December 2005. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
- ↑ "Westlife scoop ITV record prize". BBC News. BBC. 10 December 2005. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
- ↑ "Andrew Flintoff is BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2005". BBC Press Office. BBC. 11 December 2005. Retrieved 6 November 2015.
- ↑ "Shayne and Gough win talent shows". BBC News. BBC. 17 December 2005. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
- ↑ "Rolf shows off Queen's portrait". BBC News. BBC. 19 December 2005. Retrieved 1 July 2014.
- ↑ Tweedie, Neil (20 December 2005). "Why the Queen had to have her teeth fixed by Rolf Harris". The Daily Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group. Retrieved 1 July 2014.
- ↑ "BBC mulls Saturday morning switch". BBC News. BBC. 21 December 2005. Retrieved 20 May 2014.
- ↑ "ITV News Channel to Close THIS Friday! – Broadcasting – Digital Spy Forums". Forum.digitalspy.co.uk. 19 December 2005. Retrieved 10 March 2012.
- ↑ Bishop, Tom (21 December 2005). "New Doctor prepares for invasion". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 30 May 2014.
- ↑ "Jessie Wallace and Shane Richie to return to EastEnders". Now Magazine. 9 February 2010. Retrieved 30 May 2014.
- ↑ Bishop, Tom (30 December 2005). "End of the Affairs for Five soap". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
- ↑ "EastEnders favourite Gretchen Franklin dies at 94", The Stage. URL last accessed on 27 April 2009. Archived 16 May 2009.
- ↑ "Grange Hill favourite Sheard dies". BBC News. 31 August 2005. Retrieved 27 April 2009.