16 February – The "Toddlers' Truce" (an arrangement whereby there were no television broadcasts between 6pm and 7pm, to allow parents to put their children to bed) is abolished - it has been a major stumbling block to the success of ITV.
19 February – ITV begins showing medical soap opera Emergency – Ward 10 made by ATV; it will run continuously two evenings a week until 1967.
1 April – British current affairs programme Panorama broadcasts the famous Spaghetti trees hoax report.[1]
21 April – Historical documentary series Men, Women and Clothes begins airing. It is the first BBC programme filmed in colour, although it can only be transmitted in black and white.
24 April – The Sky at Night appears for the first time, presented by Patrick Moore. It continues to air with Moore as presenter until his death in December 2012.
September – The first broadcasts of regional news bulletins take place.
18 September – The sports programme Scotsport begins airing on Scottish Television, although the programme was originally called Sports Desk.[2] By the time it ends in 2008 it is recognised as the world's longest running television sports magazine.
24 September – The ITV Schools and BBC Schools services, broadcasting programmes for schools and colleges, both go on air.
30 September – Regional television news bulletins for the north of England begin from Piccadilly's studio N in Manchester.[3]