1999 in British television

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This is a list of British television related events from 1999.

Contents 1 Events 2 Debuts 2.1 BBC One 2.2 BBC Two 2.3 ITV 2.4 Channel 4 2.5 Channel 5 3 Television shows 3.1 Returning this year after a break of one year or longer 3.2 1950s 3.3 1960s 3.4 1970s 3.5 1980s 3.6 1990s 4 Ending this year 5 Deaths 6 References

Events

• 1 January – On Coronation Street, four-decade resident Alf Roberts dies of a heart attack, just one month before the real-life death of Bryan Mosley, the actor who portrayed him.
• 13 January – BBC One's audience share drops below 30% for the first time.^[1]
• 5 March – After 32 years, what is billed as the last ever News at Ten is broadcast on ITV, hosted as usual by Trevor McDonald. It is replaced with the ITV Nightly News from the following Monday (8 March). In the event, News at Ten returns in 2001, is axed again in 2004, and resurrected in 2008. 5 March also the final broadcast of the ITV Evening News in its long running 5:40pm slot. From Monday the bulletin moves to 6:30pm.
• 2 April – UK Gold 2 launches on Cable. On the same day UK Gold launches new fireworks idents.
• 26 April – Television presenter Jill Dando is shot dead outside her home in west London.^[2] Her death sparks a huge manhunt by the Metropolitan Police and leads to the trial of Barry George. Initially convicted of the murder, after a successful appeal and retrial, George is acquitted on 1 August 2008, thus leaving the crime unsolved.^[3]
• May – ITV airs the first Pride of Britain Awards, an annual event honouring ordinary people who have acted bravely or extraordinarily in challenging situations.
• 25 May – Bostock's Cup a single comedy drama airs on ITV.
• 1 June – The educational channel BBC Knowledge launches in the UK.
• 19 June – The marriage of The Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex and Sophie Rhys-Jones takes place at St. George's Chapel, Windsor.^[4]
• 25 June – It is announced that Pearson TV chairman Greg Dyke will succeed John Birt as Director General of the BBC from April 2000.^[5]
• 2 August – It is announced that ITV has signed BBC sports presenter Des Lynam on a four year contract. He is to become the company's main football presenter.^[6]
• 11 August – BBC One and Channel 5 show live coverage of the 1999 solar eclipse. It is not shown live on the ITV network, but in the only region where the eclipse was total, Westcountry Television (just weeks away from losing its on-screen identity) opts out and provides its own coverage.
• 6 September – The ITV London Weekday franchise Carlton drops the on-air branding of the Central and Westcountry ITV regions, replacing them with Carlton.
• 11 September – The first of Channel 4's '100 Greatest' programmes air, 100 Greatest TV Moments.
• 4 October-8 November – The six part documentary series Walking with Dinosaurs airs on BBC One, using computer-generated imagery and animatronics to show life in the Mesozoic Era.
• 31 October – After four years on air, L!VE TV closes at 6pm.
• 31 October – TeleG is established as the first daily digital Gaelic TV channel in Scotland.
• 8 November – ITV launches a generic look for the second time (the first being in 1989), with most regions adopting idents based around a heart theme. The exceptions are the three Carlton owned regions, the SMG plc owned Scottish and Grampian, and UTV.
• November – Test Card J and Test Card W debut on the BBC, replacing Test Card F which is retired after 32 years.
• 7 December – Channel 5 broadcasts the TV movie Winter Angel, a revival of the popular 1970s BBC science-fiction series Doomwatch.
• 17 December – 10th anniversary of the first half-hour episode of The Simpsons.
• 24 December – Ian Woodley becomes the first person on British television to win a million pounds, on a segment of the Channel 4 show TFI Friday called Someone's Going to be a Millionaire (a reference to ITV's Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, which at the time had not had a million pound winner).
• 25 December – ITV beats BBC One in the Christmas Day ratings for the first time since 1984, airing a mixture of soaps, the drama A Touch of Frost and three episodes of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?.
• 31 December – Over 60 countries take part in 2000 Today, a program seeing in the start of the new millennium. In the UK the 28-hour marathon show is shown on BBC One and hosted by Michael Parkinson, Gaby Roslin and David Dimbleby.^[7]

Debuts

BBC One

• 12 January – Holby City premieres on BBC One (1999–present)
• 16 January – Sunburn (1999–2000)
• 22 June – Hope and Glory (1999–2000)
• 4 October – Walking with Dinosaurs (1999)

BBC Two

• 11 January – The League of Gentlemen (1999–2002)

ITV

• 8 March – ITV Nightly News (1999–2001)
• 8 March – The Grimleys (1999–2001)
• 7 April – Tonight (1999–present)
• 1 June – Bad Girls (1999–2006).
• 7 June – Always and Everyone (1999–2002)
• 6 September - Loose Women (1999–present)
• 28 September – Watership Down (1999–2000).
• 20 December – Dark Ages (1999)

Channel 4

• 23 February – Queer as Folk (1999–2000).
• 29 April – Grand Designs (1999–present)
• 6 May - Psychos (1999)
• 19 September – Smack the Pony (1999–2003)
• 17 October – Bremner, Bird and Fortune (1999–present)

Channel 5

• 24 April - The Tribe (1999–2003)
• 13 July – House Doctor (1999-unknown)
• 30 October – Harry and Cosh (1999–2003)
• 7 December – Winter Angel (1999-unknown)

Television shows

Returning this year after a break of one year or longer

• Unknown - Fully Booked sequels to be overtaken by FBi (1999–2000).

1950s

• Panorama (1953–present)
• What the Papers Say (1956–2008)
• Captain Pugwash (1957–1975, 1997–2002)
• The Sky at Night (1957–present)
• Blue Peter (1958–present)
• Grandstand (1958–2007)

1960s

• Coronation Street (1960–present).
• Songs of Praise (1961–present).
• Top of the Pops (1964–2006).
• Match of the Day (1964–present).
• Call My Bluff (1965–2005).
• The Money Programme (1966–present).

1970s

• Emmerdale (1972–present).
• Newsround (1972–present).
• Last of the Summer Wine (1973–2010).
• Wish You Were Here...? (1974–present).
• Arena (1975–present).
• Grange Hill (1978–2008).
• Blankety Blank (1979–1990, 1997–2002).
• Antiques Roadshow (1979–present).
• Question Time (1979–present)

1980s

• Timewatch (1982–present)
• Brookside (1982–2003)
• Right to Reply (1982–2001)
• James the Cat (1984–1992, 1998–2003)
• The Bill (1984–2010)
• EastEnders (1985–present).
• Comic Relief (1986–present).
• Casualty (1986–present).
• ChuckleVision (1987–present).
• London's Burning (1988–2002)
• On the Record (1988–2002)
• Fifteen to One (1988–2003)
• This Morning (1988–present).

1990s

• Stars in Their Eyes (1990–2006)
• Heartbeat (1992–2010)
• The Big Breakfast (1992–2002)
• Breakfast with Frost (1993–2005)
• Wipeout (1994–1997, 1998–2002)
• Time Team (1994–present)
• Ballykissangel (1996–2001)
• Y Clwb Rygbi, Wales (1997–present)
• Dream Team (1997–2007)
• Hollyoaks (1995–present)
• Family Affairs (1997–2005)
• 100% (1997–2001)
• Teletubbies (1997–2001, 2007–present)
• Robot Wars (1994, 1997–present)
• Midsomer Murders (1997–present)
• Don't Try This at Home (1998–2001)
• Tweenies (1998–2003)
• Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? (1998–present).
• Bob The Builder (1998–present).

Ending this year

• Mr. and Mrs. (1964–1999, 2008–2010)
• ITV News at Ten (1967–1999, 2001–2004, 2008–present)
• Play Your Cards Right (1980–1987, 1994–1999, 2002–2003)
• Rab C. Nesbitt (1988–1999)
• Noel's House Party (1991–1999)
• 2point4 children (1991–1999)
• Murder Most Horrid (1991–1999)
• In Bed with Medinner (1992–1999)
• The Jack Docherty Show (1997–1999)
• This Morning with Richard Not Judy (1998–1999)

Deaths

• 9 February – Bryan Mosley, 67, actor
• 24 February – Derek Nimmo, 68, character actor^[8]
• 17 March – Rod Hull, 63, entertainer
• 21 March – Ernie Wise, 73, surviving half of UK comedy duo, Morecambe and Wise.
• 2 April – Andrew Gardner, 66, newsreader^[9]
• 14 April – Anthony Newley, 77, actor, singer and songwriter
• 26 April – Jill Dando, 37, presenter (co-host of Crimewatch).
• 12 July – Bill Owen, 85, actor (Compo Simmonite) on Last of the Summer Wine.
• 9 August – Helen Rollason, 43, sports journalist and television presenter
• 21 November – Quentin Crisp, 90, writer and raconteur
• 19 December – Desmond Llewelyn, 85, actor
• 19 December – Robert Dougall, 86, newsreader
• Unknown – Jim Wiggins, actor

References