1961 in British television

This is a list of British television related events from 1961.

Events

January

1 January – Dechrau Canu, Dechrau Canmol, featuring congregational Christian singing in the Welsh language, debuts on BBC Television. The series will still be on the air, now being broadcast on S4C, 60 years later.
5 January – Hanna-Barbera's popular family cartoon series The Flintstones debuts in the ITV London region. Other regions begin broadcasting the popular show later, with ITV North on 31 August.
7 January – The Avengers premieres on ITV.

February

3 February – The final live episode of Coronation Street is aired. From now on all episodes are prerecorded. The next live transmission will not occur until 8 December 2000.

March

6 March – Coronation Street: scheduling: Coronation Street begins airing on Monday and Wednesday evenings at 7:30pm. Previously, it has been transmitted on Wednesday and Friday evenings at 7pm.
18 March – The BBC broadcasts the 6th Eurovision Song Contest from Cannes. It is won by Luxembourg with "Nous les amoureux" sung by Jean-Claude Pascal. The UK entry places second for the third consecutive contest, with "Are You Sure?" sung by male duo The Allisons.
March – An edition of ABC's Sunday evening religious programme The Sunday Break features a performance of the controversial Passion Play "A Man Dies", depicting Jesus Christ dressed in a pair of jeans.

April

4 April – Southern launches a weeknight 30-minute regional news programme called Day By Day.
29 April – Westward Television, the first ITV franchise for South West England, goes on air.

June

9 June – The Radio Ham episode of Hancock first transmitted on BBC TV.
23 June – The Blood Donor episode of Hancock first transmitted on BBC TV.

September

1 September – Border Television, the ITV franchise for the English-Scottish Border and Isle of Man, goes on air.
30 September – Grampian Television, the ITV franchise for North East Scotland, goes on air.

October

1 October – Songs of Praise, featuring Christian congregations singing hymns, debuts on BBC Television, the first programme being hosted by Tabernacle Chapel, Cardiff. The series will still be on the air 60 years later.
2 October – Points of View, featuring the letters of viewers offering praise, criticism and comments on the television of recent weeks, debuts on BBC Television. The series will still be on the air 60 years later.
12 October – ITV debuts the popular Morecambe and Wise show Two of a Kind, which runs until 1968.

December

15 December – The BBC broadcasts the first Comedy Playhouse. The series broadcasts a series of one-off unrelated sitcoms. Over the next 14 years the series will air the pilot episodes of many popular comedies, including Steptoe and Son, Till Death Us Do Part, Up Pompeii!, The Liver Birds, Are You Being Served? and Last of the Summer Wine.
25 December – Debut of Disney Time on the BBC, the long-running Walt Disney-themed clips-based television specials. Broadcast on Bank Holidays as well as Christmas time, it will run until 1998. Each episode is hosted by a different celebrity, with Julie Andrews being the first presenter after a change in the original title from The World of Walt Disney.

Unknown

Southern Television launches the UK's first localised news opt-out when it launches a news service for south east England from its new studios in Dover.

Debuts

BBC Television Service/BBC TV

15 January – Paradise Walk
27 January – The House Under the Water
11 February – The Valiant Years
3 March – Rashomon
25 March – Ask Mr. Pastry
4 April – They Met in a City
9 April – Rob Roy
14 April – Amelia
30 April – Ask Anne
18 May – Court of Mystery
4 June – Triton
16 June – Magnolia Street
7 June – Moody In...
20 June – Walk a Crooked Mile
2 July – Hurricane
28 July – Storyboard
1 August – Our Mister Ambler
14 September –
24 September – Stranger on the Shore
1 October – Songs of Praise
2 October – Points of View
3 October – A for Andromeda
5 October – You Can't Win
6 October – The Rag Trade
20 October – Dr. Kildare
3 November – Anna Karenina
4 November – Gamble for a Throne
16 November
*The Seven Faces of Jim
*Jacks and Knaves
19 November – The Charlie Chester Music Hall
21 November – The Escape of R.D.7
22 November – A Chance of Thunder
3 December – Vice Versa: A Lesson to Fathers
10 December – Gilbert and Sullivan
15 December
*Comedy Playhouse
*Where the Difference Begins
25 December – ''Disney Time''

ITV

5 January – The Flintstones
7 January – The Avengers
17 January – The Blackness
25 January – Jango
28 January – Supercar
29 January – The Mask of the Clown
1 February – Survival
12 February – Happily Ever After
5 March – Pathfinders to Venus
11 March – The Arthur Askey Show
14 March – A Brother for Joe
19 March – Drama 61-67
29 March – Tales of Mystery
1 April – Thank Your Lucky Stars
29 April – If the Crown Fits
30 April – The Secret of the Nubian Tomb
15 May – Three Live Wires
26 June – Harpers West One
28 June – Family Solicitor
11 August – Top Secret
24 August – Echo Four Two
9 September
* Ghost Squad
* The Jo Stafford Show
* Winning Widows
11 September – Home Tonight
12 September – Tuesday Rendezvous
14 September – Hamlet
15 September – Colonel Trumper's Private War
22 September – Frontier Drums
24 September – Plateau of Fear
24 September – Call Oxbridge 2000
12 October – Two of a Kind
31 October – Thirty Minute Theatre
12 November – Sir Francis Drake
24 December – Journey of a Lifetime
Unknown
*One Step Beyond
*The Pursuers
*''Tempo''

Continuing television shows

1920s

''BBC Wimbledon''

1930s

1940s

The Ed Sullivan Show
''Come Dancing''

1950s

1960s

Ending this year

All Your Own Hancock's Half Hour The Army Game Danger Man Saturday Playhouse Deadline Midnight Torchy the Battery Boy

''The Jo Stafford Show''

Births

1 January
*Fiona Phillips, journalist, broadcaster and television presenter
*Mark Wingett, British actor
12 January – Simon Russell Beale, British actor
26 January – Mark Urban, journalist and military historian
20 February – Imogen Stubbs, British actress
21 February – Ross King, television presenter, actor and author
10 April – Nicky Campbell, radio and television presenter
14 April – Robert Carlyle, Scottish actor
18 April – Jane Leeves, English actress
20 April
* Nicholas Lyndhurst, actor
* Paul Usher, actor
2 May – Phil Vickery, British celebrity chef
6 May – Pippa Haywood, English actress
14 May – Tim Roth, English actor
30 May – Harry Enfield, English comedian
24 June – Iain Glen, Scottish actor
25 June – Ricky Gervais, English comedian
27 June – Meera Syal, British comedian and writer
5 July – Gareth Jones, television presenter
17 July – Jeremy Hardy, English comedian and radio panelist
5 August – Janet McTeer, British actress
7 August – Brian Conley, comedian, television presenter, singer and actor
16 August – Saskia Reeves, British actress
18 August – Huw Edwards, journalist and news presenter
27 August – Mark Curry, television presenter
15 September – Colin McFarlane, actor and voice actor
24 September – Jack Dee, actor and comedian
7 October – Simon McCoy, BBC newsreader
10 October – Martin Kemp, musician and actor
11 October – Neil Buchanan, artist, presenter and musician
26 October – Linda Barker, interior designer and television presenter
27 October – Joanna Scanlan, actress and television writer
9 November – Jill Dando, television newsreader
18 November – Steven Moffat, Scottish screenwriter
27 November – Samantha Bond, British actress
28 November – Martin Clunes, actor
11 December – Marco Pierre White, British chef and restaurateur
12 December – Sarah Sutton, British actress
19 December – Matthew Waterhouse, British actor
23 December – Carol Smillie, television presenter

Deaths

28 September – Michael Shepley, actor, aged 53
12 October – Jack Livesey, actor, aged 60