1953 in British television

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This is a list of British television related events from 1953.

Contents 1 Events 2 Debuts 3 Television shows 3.1 1940s 3.2 1950s 4 Ending this year 5 Births 6 References

Events

• 17 March – Patrick Troughton becomes television's first Robin Hood, playing the eponymous folk hero in the first of six half-hour episodes of Robin Hood, shown weekly until 21 April on the BBC Television Service.
• 2 June – The Coronation of Elizabeth II is televised in the UK.^[1] Sales of TV sets rise sharply in the weeks leading up to the event. It is also one of the earliest broadcasts to be deliberately recorded for posterity and still exists in its entirety today.
• 18 July – The Quatermass Experiment, first of the famous Quatermass science-fiction serials by Nigel Kneale, begins its run on the BBC.
• 20 July – The Good Old Days begins on BBC Television.
• 11 November – The current affairs series Panorama launches on BBC Television. It is now the longest-running program on British television.
• 26 November – Peers in the House of Lords back Government plans for the introduction of commercial television in the UK.^[2]
• 2 December – The BBC broadcasts its 'Television Symbol' for the first time, the first animated television presentation symbol in the world. Known as the 'bat's wings' by logo enthusiasts, it would remain until 1960.

Debuts

• 17 March – Robin Hood (1953)
• 18 July – The Quatermass Experiment (1953)
• 20 July – The Good Old Days (1953–1983)
• 11 November – Panorama (1953–present)
• Unknown – Rag, Tag and Bobtail (1953–1965)

Television shows

1940s

• Watch with Mother (1946–1973)
• Muffin the Mule (1946–1955, 2005–2006)
• Television Newsreel (1948–1954)
• Come Dancing (1949–1998)

1950s

• Andy Pandy (1950–1970, 2002–2005)
• Flower Pot Men (1952–1958, 2001–2002)
• The Appleyards (1952–1957)
• All Your Own (1952–1961)

Ending this year

• Kaleidoscope (1946)
• Café Continental (1947)

Births

• 24 January – Bruce Jones, actor
• 17 February – Norman Pace, British actor and comedian
• 27 February – Gavin Esler, author and television presenter
• 1 May – Rob Spendlove, actor
• 19 May – Victoria Wood, British comic actress
• 24 May – Alfred Molina, English actor
• 26 May – Michael Portillo, English politician, journalist and broadcaster
• 4 October - Christopher Fairbank, English actor
• 27 October – Peter Firth, British actor
• 16 November – Griff Rhys Jones, comedian, actor and writer
• 19 November – Diana Weston, actress

References