BBC One airs Alicia Keys Rocks New Year's Eve to see in 2021,[1] as well as the fireworks display from London. This year's display includes a light show created by 300 drones that pays tribute to NHS staff and notable figures of 2020. Overnight figures indicate the display is watched by 10.75 million viewers.[2]
The Mirror reports that Jodie Whittaker will leave her role as the Thirteenth Doctor at the end of the next series of Doctor Who. In response the BBC says it would comment on the matter.[6]
The BBC announces that programming for schools will air on BBC Two and CBBC, as well as online, during the latest lockdown, starting from Monday 11 January.[9]
Sky Cinema Disney ceases broadcasting making it the last Disney related channel to close and now all of Disney's content are available exclusively on Disney+.
Steven Knight, creator of the BBC television series Peaky Blinders, confirms the upcoming sixth series will be the last. The following day he announces that a film will follow the final series.[17]
20
A National Audit Office report concludes the BBC faces "significant" uncertainty over its financial future due to changes in viewing habits.[18]
21
The UK government confirms plans to shelve the decriminalisation of the TV licence for the time being, but says it will "remain under active consideration".[19]
22
Ahead of a full rollout on all media platforms, the UK government's "Can you look them in the eyes?" public health campaign is launched on television, with ads on ITV and Channel 4; the ads are designed to encourage people to adhere to Coronavirus restrictions.[20]
23
Sky announces plans for a TV drama about the Coronavirus pandemic that will feature the stories of real people during the pandemic, including healthcare workers and those working in care homes, and is scheduled to air in 2022. But plans for This Sceptred Isle, which will star Kenneth Branagh as Prime Minister Boris Johnson, draw widespread criticism from those who feel it is too early to make such a drama, particularly when the pandemic is ongoing and Johnson's handling of it has been criticised by media and politicians.[21]
25
Sky UK announces an increase in the number of original films and television series in an attempt to compete with streaming platforms such as Netflix.[22]
Filming on Emmerdale resumes, but filming of Coronation Street is paused for two weeks to allow writers to amend storylines so they can fit in with current Coronavirus restrictions.[16]
ITV postpones the next series of Britain's Got Talent until 2022 amid concerns over safety during the Coronavirus outbreak.[24]
February
Date
Event
2
Channel 4's on demand streaming service, All 4, has claimed a record number of viewers for the five-part Russell T Davies series It's a Sin, which it says has been viewed 6.5 million times since its release on 22 January.[25]
Ofcom revokes China Global Television Network's licence to broadcast in the UK after it emerges that the company running the news channel does not have day-to-day control over it, something that is against Ofcom rules.[28]
5
Police in Northern Ireland have warned a Panorama team of a threat from a criminal following the broadcast of an edition of the programme on 1 February that alleged an individual's influence on world boxing.[29]
Channel 4 begins showing England's cricket tour to India. This is the first time that an overseas tour has been seen in full on free-to-air television and is the first test cricket broadcast on free-to-air television, and Channel 4, since 2005.[30]
News UK hires Gordon Smart, a former presenter with Radio X to present and produce a daily TV programme provisionally titled News to Me.[31]
6
John Humphrys announces he will step down as presenter of Mastermind at the end of the current series in March.[32]
7
Democratic Unionist Party MP Gregory Campbell is accused of "race-baiting" after describing the number of black people on an edition of Songs of Praise as "the BBC at its BLM (Black Lives Matter) worst". Campbell made the remarks in a post on social media during 31 January edition of the programme that was covering the Gospel Singer of the Year competition.[33]
8
Doctors returns to transmission following its extended Christmas break.[34]
The character Tracy Beaker (played by Dani Harmer) returns to television in My Mum Tracy Beaker, a three-part CBBC series showing her as an adult with a young daughter.[36] The show breaks CBBC records, gaining 883,000 viewers, half of those were young adults returning and the half being children aged 4 and up.
Channel 4 announces that Anne Robinson is to be the first female host of Countdown; she will take up the role when current presenter Nick Hewer steps down later in the year.[39][40]
ITV announces that production of Dancing on Ice is being suspended for a week, due to the large number of celebrities withdrawing from the competition either due to injury or Coronavirus. The show planned for 21 February is replaced with a compilation special.[41]
18
Commercial television stations in the UK air a short film featuring celebrities urging people from ethnic communities to get vaccinated. Those appearing in the film include Sanjeev Bhaskar, Meera Syal and Romesh Ranganathan.[42]
ITV confirms plans to curtail Series 13 of Dancing on Ice by a week due to the number of participants who have dropped out due to injury, bringing the final forward from 21 to 14 March.[48]
Talent agent and author Melanie Blake announces her plans to launch a new British soap opera, Falcon Bay. The soap would be based on her book, Ruthless Women. She confirms that Stephanie Beacham would star in the soap if she secures the rights to the production.[49]
27
BBC One covers England's Six Nations match against Wales in which the latter win 40–24. Following the game, sports reporter Sonja McLaughlan receives abuse on social media, something that is subsequently condemned by the BBC.[50]
March
Date
Event
2
The BBC confirms that BBC Three will be relaunched as a television channel in January 2022, six years after going online. Since 2016 the service has been responsible for creating dramas such as Fleabag and Killing Eve, something that has prompted calls for its return.[51]
Organisers of the 2021 Eurovision Song Contest confirm acts from the 41 participating countries will travel to Rotterdam to take part in a live performance. A decision on whether an audience will be invited is yet to be made.[52]
Channel 4 confirms it will not be working with Ant Middleton again because of his "personal conduct"; the SAS: Who Dares Wins instructor drew criticism in 2020 for comments he made about the Black Lives Matter protests and Coronavirus.[53] In response to the news, Middleton says the programme was taken over by the "woke patrol".[54]
The Oprah Winfrey interview, shown in the United States the previous day, is a discussion topic on the day's edition of Good Morning Britain during which presenter Piers Morgan states he "doesn't believe a word" the Duchess of Sussex says in regard to comments she makes about the state of her mental health. Morgan's comments attract criticism from the mental health charity Mind, which says it is "disappointed" by his remarks.[59]
Ofcom announces it will not take any action over a controversial Newsnight introduction from May 2020 concerning the Dominic Cummings scandal in which presenter Emily Maitlis said "the country can see" Cummings had "broken the rules" by driving 260 miles during the first national lockdown.[60]
9
ITV announces that Piers Morgan has stepped down as a presenter of Good Morning Britain following his comments about the Duchess of Sussex. The decision comes after Ofcom received 41,000 complaints about the remarks.[59]
It is reported that the Duchess of Sussex has made a formal complaint to ITV about Piers Morgan's on air comments about her mental health, as Morgan says he stands by what he said.[62]
ITV presenter Charlene White pulls out of hosting the British Press Awards after the Society of Editors rejects claims by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex that the British tabloid press is "bigoted". The Society of Editors challenged the couple to provide evidence for what it described as their "attack", prompting White to suggest they find "someone whose views align" with the Society that "the UK press is the one institution in the entire country who has a perfect record on race".[63] Ian Murray subsequently resigns as the Society's executive director over the issue.[64]
ITV announces that Tracie Bennett is returning to Coronation Street reprising her role as Sharon Bentley after 22 years away. Bennett originally appeared in the serial between 1982 and 1984 and again in 1999.[65]
11
The BBC announces plans to adapt its coverage of Scottish and Welsh Government daily Coronavirus briefings during the weeks preceding the Scottish Parliament and Senedd elections. The decision comes after the Scottish Conservatives accused Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon of using the briefings to "launch political attacks".[66]
The BBC announces plans to continue its schools education programming into the summer to support teachers, with a daily three hour BBC Bitesize Learning launched for the CBBC Channel and for BBC iPlayer.[67]
The BBC announces it has cancelled The Mash Report "in order to make room for new comedy shows".[68]
"Embers" is revealed by singer James Newman as the 2021 UK entry for the Eurovision Song Contest.[69]
12
Ofcom confirms that Meghan, Duchess of Sussex has made a formal complaint about Piers Morgan's comments on Good Morning Britain.[70]
Plans are announced to relaunch SuperTed with new episodes of the 1980s cartoon series for a new generation of viewers.[71]
14
Sonny Jay wins the thirteenth series of ITV's Dancing on Ice.[72]
17
Channel 4 airs Caroline Flack: Her Life and Death, a documentary examining the late television presenter's emotional state.[73] The documentary is largely praised by critics for its compassionate dealing with the topic.[74]
Ofcom has received a total of 57,121 complaints about Piers Morgan's comments regarding Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, a record for the number of complaints received about something on television, and 12,600 more than was received about the 2007 series of Celebrity Big Brother.[75]
18
The BBC announce plans to relocate numerous productions from London to other parts of the country, in an effort to make "the corporation more reflective of the UK".[76] They state that by the end of 2021, 60% of BBC productions will be based outside of London, meaning as a result, that 400 jobs will be relocated. The changes also include the launch of two new long-running television series; one set in the north of England, and one set in another nation of the UK.[77]
BBC One drama Line of Duty returns for its sixth series.[79][80] The opening episode is watched by 9.6m viewers.[81]
22
A joint three year BBC–Sky deal is agreed with the Football Association that will see live Women's Super League matches shown live on television. The "landmark" deal, worth £7m–£8m a year will see 22 matches aired live by the BBC, at least 18 of them on BBC One or BBC Two, with 44 matches shown by Sky Sports. Any matches not shown by either broadcaster will air on FA Player.[82]
The BBC broadcasts Lockdown Live: What Next, marking the first anniversary of the day Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the first lockdown.
25
Newsreader Simon McCoy announces he is leaving the BBC after 17 years to join GB News.[84]
April
Date
Event
1
The cost of a TV licence increases by £1.50, from £157.50 to £159.[85]
5
Ofcom issues new guidelines for reality television shows requiring them to show "due care" to the wellbeing of those who take part in them. But some participants have warned the rules do not go far enough.[86]
7
Sky News launches The Daily Climate Show, the first prime time news programme dedicated to climate change. It is presented by Anna Jones.[87]
All major TV channels, including BBC One, BBC Two, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 suspend regular programming following the death of Prince Philip, which is announced at midday. BBC One breaks into its morning schedule to air a BBC News special, while ITV cuts short This Morning to hand over to ITV News. Programmes are then cancelled in favour of ongoing news coverage of unfolding events and special programmes paying tribute to the Prince. Among the programmes to be pulled from the day's schedule are The One Show, EastEnders, Have I Got News for You, Gardeners' World and the MasterChef final on BBC One and BBC Two respectively, and Emmerdale and Coronation Street on ITV. Channel 4 amends programming to air an obituary, but announces its intention to still show Hollyoaks, Gogglebox and the final of The Circle, a decision that attracts criticism from viewers. Channel 5 pulls the Australian soaps Home and Away and Neighbours in order to air documentaries on Prince Philip during the afternoon and a special 2-hour edition of 5 News between 5pm and 7pm.[89][90][91][92][93][94] Programming on BBC Four is suspended entirely for the day.[92] The BBC receives a significant number of viewer complaints for its continuous coverage, and within six hours of the announcement of the Prince's death establishes a dedicated form to deal with complaints about the schedule changes. Viewer ratings fall across the television networks, with BBC One audiences down by 6% when compared to the same day the previous week, BBC Two audiences down by two thirds, and ITV losing 60% of its viewers.[94]
12
The Sun reports the BBC has received 100,000 viewer complaints about its coverage of the death of Prince Philip.[95]
13
Former England captain David Beckham will feature in the Disney+ series Save Our Squad in which he will mentor grassroots footballers.[96]
BBC One airs the rescheduled final of MasterChef, which is won by Tom Rhodes.[99][100]
15
The BBC confirms it has received 109,741 complaints about its coverage of the death of Prince Philip, setting a new record for the number of complaints received about a single television-related issue.[101][102]
Helen Whitelaw, 76, a former contestant on ITV's Tipping Point who lost her speech after being diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease, has had it reconstructed by engineers who used the recording of her appearance on the game show to build it into a speech aid.[103]
17
The funeral of Prince Philip takes place at St George's Chapel, Windsor and is televised by the major networks. BBC One's coverage (also aired by the BBC News channel) is presented by Huw Edwards, Sophie Raworth and JJ Chalmers, while Tom Bradby and Julie Etchingham present coverage for ITV. Sky News's coverage (also aired on Sky One) is presented by Dermot Murnaghan. Overnight viewing figures indicate a collective audience of 13.6 million, with 11 million people tuning in for the BBC's coverage, 2.1 million watching ITV, and around 450,000 viewing Sky. An edited version of the coverage aired later in the day by BBC Two is seen by an audience of 1.1 million.[104]
19
The sequel to the 2019 film that continues popular ITV series Downton Abbey, and provisionally titled Downton Abbey 2, is confirmed, with a planned release date of 22 December.[105]
CBeebies debuts the Australian preschool animated programme Bluey beginning with the first ever episode entitled "Magic Xylophone".
25
BBC One airs the penultimate episode of Line of Duty, with overnight viewing figures showing it to have an average audience of 11 million, or a 51.7% audience share.[106]
26
Jonathan Gibson, a 24-year-old student from Glasgow, becomes the 2021 Mastermind champion, and the youngest person to win the series.[107]
Channel 5 has stopped streaming an episode of its plastic surgery documentary series Celebrities: What Happened to Your Face? that aired on 22 April and discusses reality television star Charlotte Crosby following criticism from Crosby, who described it as "immoral" and warned about the show's potential effect on people's mental health.[108]
The BBC confirms the return of Blankety Blank for a new series, with Bradley Walsh as presenter. The decision follows the success of a one-off Christmas special, which features Walsh.[111]
ITV announces that it will not air the final episode of Viewpoint following allegations of sexual harassment against actor Noel Clarke. The episode will instead be broadcast on their on-demand platform ITV Hub "for a limited time". Sky suspends filming of the fourth series of Bulletproof, which features Clarke.[112]
BBC One airs the final episode in Series 6 of Line of Duty, with overnight figures indicating an average audience of 12.8 million, a record for the series.[114]
In a Daily Telegraph article, Ant and Dec criticise what they describe as the "London-centric" television industry that they feel is becoming increasingly inaccessible to young people hoping to work in it.[115]
At the age of 28, businessman Steven Bartlett is confirmed as the youngest dragon to appear on Dragons' Den; he replaces Tej Lalvani, who announced he was leaving the series earlier in the year.[119]
A spokesperson for Fox UK announces that it will cease broadcasting on 30 June, with its content moving to Star, a hub recently began streaming on Disney+ UK.
An inquiry into the 1995 Panoramainterview with Diana, Princess of Wales has found that the BBC fell short of "high standards of integrity and transparency" over the programme and that presenter Martin Bashir acted "deceitfully" by faking documents in order to secure an interview with the princess. A 1996 BBC inquiry into the programme is also found to be "woefully ineffective".[123]
Prime Minister Boris Johnson expresses his concern at the findings of the inquiry into the BBC's 1995 Panorama interview with Diana, Princess of Wales, and says the BBC should take "every possible step" to ensure a similar future incident does not happen.[125]
Sky officially axes Bulletproof after three series and following allegations of bullying against its star, Noel Clarke.[126]
Home Secretary Priti Patel describes the BBC's reputation as having been "highly damaged" by the controversy over the 1995 Panorama interview with Diana, Princess of Wales.[128]
Virgin Media has reached an agreement with O2 for a new merged brand, Virgin Media O2. Both of Virgin Media and O2 Households have retained unified as one, forming their new merged name and plans are yet to be announced for both their broadband, entertainment and mobile services later this year.
24
The BBC announces an investigation into its editorial practices and a review of the decision to hire Martin Bashir as religious affairs correspondent in 2016.[129]
The BBC has secured the rights to broadcast footage from the Live at Worthy Farm livestream concert held on 22 May. A behind-the-scenes documentary is also planned.[130]
27
Sky One broadcasts the British television premiere of Friends: The Reunion at 8pm, although the documentary is made available on Now TV from 8am to coincide with its release in the United States.[131]
O2 and Virgin Media merged to create VMED O2 UK Limited, branded as Virgin Media O2 and structured as a joint venture between Telefónica and Liberty Global.[133]
2
The BBC announces that Holby City is to end in March 2022 after 23 years.[134]
Television journalist Kay Burley returns to Sky News following a six-month absence imposed by her breach of Coronavirus restrictions while celebrating her 60th birthday in December 2020.[137]
8
BBC Breakfast presenter Louise Minchin announces she is to leave the programme after almost 20 years, and will depart "some time after the summer".[138]
9
Loki begins streaming on Disney+ every Wednesday, becoming the first Disney+ Original on the service not to stream on Fridays.
GB News goes live on air at 8pm, with its opening night beset by technical glitches. According to the TV industry magazine Broadcast it enjoys a peak audience of 336,000, surpassing the 100,000 viewers tuned in to the BBC News channel and the 46,000 watching Sky News.[141]
BBC iPlayer begins premiering boxsets of EastEnders prior to their broadcast on BBC One. EastEnders' executive producer Jon Sen states that due to inevitable scheduling conflicts that the UEFA European Championship annually causes to the soap, the network wanted to give fans of the programme a chance to watch a week's worth of episodes at their own pace.[143]ITV soaps Coronation Street and Emmerdale also begin to release boxsets on ITV Hub.[144]
Jackson Moyles and Tyrone Williams are named joint winners of BBC Four's Great British Photography Challenge.[145]
15
Prime Minister Boris Johnson condemns protestors who harassed journalist Nicholas Watt, the political editor of BBC Two's Newsnight, during an anti-lockdown demonstration outside Downing Street the previous day. Footage of the incident has been circulated online.[146]
Ikea, Octopus Energy and Kopparberg are among companies to withdraw advertising from GB News following its launch. Kopparberg says the ads ran without their knowledge and they are withdrawing them while they assess the channel's content, while Octopus says it will advertise with the news channel if its content proves to be impartial.[147]
16
It is reported Ofcom have received 373 complaints relating to an anti-government policy monologue on the Coronavirus lockdown in Britain that aired on GB News during the opening night's edition of Tonight Live with Dan Wootton.[148]
Part of the care protocols on ITV2's Love Island will include training for contestants on how to deal with the potentially negative impact of social media.[149]
During a heated debate on GB News about transgender issues, transgender news presenter India Willoughby announces she will no longer appear as a guest on the channel and accuses it of "demonising trans people at every opportunity".[152]
22
Channel 4 bosses warn of "a real risk" to some of the channel's programming if the UK government goes through with proposals for it to be privatised.[153]
23
The UK government publishes proposals to tighten regulations for streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime to bring them in line with broadcasters such as the BBC and ITV. A consultation on the privatisation of Channel 4 is also officially announced.[154]
24
Figures published by the BBC show that it received 6,417 complaints about the broadcast of the Denmark vs Finland Euro 2021 match during which Denmark player Christian Eriksen collapsed.[155]
BBC Two airs a 3-hour cut of Glastonbury's Live at Worthy Farm. The 5-hour cinematic concert, which featured performances from artists including Coldplay, Damon Albarn, HAIM, Jorja Smith, Michael Kiwanuka and George Ezra, was live-streamed online in May. The broadcast was preceded by a making-of documentary.
The BBC confirms the licence fee grace period for over-75s will end on 31 July; some 260,000 people in this group are yet to pay for a licence.[159]
England's Euro 2021 match against Germany, which sees England beat Germany 2–0, attracts an audience of 20.6 million for BBC One, with a further 6.5 million streams on BBC iPlayer. The match sets a new record for live streams on iPlayer of 5.6 million.[160]
30
After 17 years of broadcasting, Fox UK ceases broadcasting with most of its content moving to Star, Via Disney+ UK.[161]
July
Date
Event
1
Comedian Joe Lycett storms off an edition of Steph's Packed Lunch, then reveals the following day that it was a planned stunt to raise awareness of single use plastic.[162]
Ofcom says it will not investigate comments made by Dan Wootton on GB News during a debate about lockdown on 13 June. The watchdog had received 390 complaints about the comments in which Wootton called for restrictions to be lifted and for people to push back against "doomsday scientists".[164]
Channel 4 announces that 70% of its presenters for its coverage of the 2020 Paralympic Games will be disabled.[165]
Figures show that Ofcom has received a record number of complaints over its most recent 12-month period, with 142,660 complaints between 1 April 2020 and 31 March 2021, a 410% rise on the previous year and the largest number of complaints received by the watchdog over a year since it began in 2003.[167]
Audience figures for GB News on this date are subsequently reported as zero by the ratings measurement board BARB on at least two occasions, attributed to regular viewers boycotting the station after one of its presenters, Guto Harri, takes a knee on-air in solidarity with the England football team.[172]
Following a backlash from viewers, GB News says its presenter Guto Harri is unlikely to appear on screen again for the rest of the summer after he breached their regulations by taking the knee on air in support of England footballers during a debate on racism. GB News says it "let both sides of the argument down by oversimplifying a very complex issue".[174]
Guto Harri leaves his presenting position at GB News following a row over his taking the knee live on air.[178]
GB News have signed Talkradio presenter Mark Dolan to host Tonight Live with Mark Dolan, a weekend show on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings. Current weekend evening presenter Nana Akua will front a weekend afternoon show at 3pm, as well as The Great British Breakfast.[179]
The Only Way Is Essex announce that several cast members have been axed prior to the twenty-eighth series in a bid to focus on fewer cast members. They state that all former cast members will be able to receive welfare support from ITV.[181][182]
GB News is criticised as "vile" by some viewers after posting a video of Nigel Farage ahead of a report from him about migrants crossing the English Channel. In the footage Farage describes their boat as having "probably been stolen" and saying the migrants are having a "lovely day".[183]
At 10am, BBC Parliament begins simulcasting the BBC News Channel for the first time during a parliamentary recess.[186] Previously the channel had broadcast highlights from the previous Parliamentary term during all Parliamentary recesses.
28
Sky announces its flagship channel Sky One will shut down on 1 September, to be replaced by two channels; Sky Showcase, showing a mixture of content from other Sky Channels, and Sky Max, showing Sky's original programming and entertainment previously shown on Sky One.[187]
The BBC confirms that Jodie Whittaker would be leaving Doctor Who in 2022, while Chris Chibnall will step down as the programme's writer and showrunner. Whittaker's exit will come in autumn 2022 following a trio of special episodes, with her final episode part of the BBC's centenary celebrations.[190]
American broadcaster NBC announces their streaming service, Peacock, will be launching to Sky and NOW platforms.[191]
The BBC announces that it will be relocating Top Gear production from London to Bristol in 2022.[193]
An edition of Love Island involving postcards that viewers felt could be misleading and potentially cause distress has attracted the most number of viewer complaints for the series so far, with Ofcom receiving 4,330 viewer complaints. Ofcom are deciding whether to launch an investigation.[194]
A fire at the Bilsdale transmitting station in North Yorkshire disrupts television and radio signals for around one million people. Although the fire is extinguished, fire officials express concern for the structure's safety and establish an exclusion zone around the tower.[197]
11
An episode of Love Island from 6 August featuring a confrontation between two contestants has attracted 24,763 complaints to Ofcom; the regulator is deciding whether to launch an inveatigation.[198]
Following the Bilsdale transmitter fire, mast operator Arqiva warn that households could face disruption for up to 14 days as they erect temporary masts to carry television and radio signals.[200]
Amazon Studios confirms that production of its new The Lord of the Rings television series is to move from New Zealand to the United Kingdom after 20 years.[201]
Speaking on Radio Cymru ahead of his 60th birthday, Huw Edwards says that he is considering his future as presenter of BBC News at Ten because presenting nightly news is "taxing", and he believes it is "fair" that viewers and colleagues have a change of presenter.[203]
Millie Court and Liam Reardon win Series 7 of Love Island.[206] The final is watched by an average audience of 2.8 million.[206]
24
As the 2021 Summer Paralympics begins in Tokyo, Channel 4 warns it would not be possible to provide "anything like" the coverage it does of the event if the channel were to be privatised.[207]
25
After the last series of Love Island received a record 35,500 complaints, ITV's head of programming, Kevin Lygo, rejects criticism of the programme and says the show is not failing in its duty of care.[208]
26
Ofcom has fined Chinese-state owned China Global Television Network (CGTN) £200,000 for breaches of rules regarding fairness and privacy; the fine comes six months after CGTN's UK licence was suspended.[209]
27
Footage of a 1973 interview with Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise for a student television station in Norwich has been unearthed. In the programme they describe how they are "bored stiff" by Monty Python.[210]
BBC Northern Ireland secures a three-year deal with Ulster's United Rugby Championship (URC) to screen home matches, and will air six games over the 2021–22 season.[211]
28
Viewers unable to receive television signals for more than a month following the Bilsdale transmitter fire are to be offered a partial refund of their television licence. The majority of the 400,000 homes affected by the fire have had their signal restored, but a legal wrangle has delayed the completion of the work, scheduled to finish on this date.[212]
30
Transport for London agrees to remove an advert from the side of its buses promoting the Channel 4 game show Naked Attraction following concerns the ads could place passengers at risk of sexual assault.[213]
31
BBC journalist Sarah Rainsford returns to the UK after being permanently expelled from Russia for "the protection of the security of Russia".[214]
GB News have hired Isabel Oakeshott, a former journalist with the Sunday Times and Daily Mail to present its daily political programme, The Briefing. Her signing comes in the same week that GB News also announced that veteran Sky News home affairs and crime correspondent Mark White will join the fledgling news channel.[221]
The BBC announces that Fran Unsworth, Director, News & Current Affairs for BBC News, is to leave in 2022 after 40 years.[223]
8
Channel 4 announce that Married at First Sight contestant Nikita Jasmine has been removed from the programme for "unacceptable behaviour".[224]
9
The 26th National Television Awards are held in London, at which Ant and Dec win their 20th consecutive Best Television Presenter Award. The Awards also see Kate Garraway win the new Authored Documentary Award for her film Finding Derek which tells the story of her husband, Derek Draper's battle with COVID-19.[225]
Scottish Comedian Janey Godley is dropped from a Scottish Government health campaign urging people to wear face coverings and take lateral flow tests after historic tweets were published in which she made derogatory comments about a number of black performers.[227]
An episode of Hollyoaks starring, written and produced exclusively by Black talent airs on Channel 4 as part of the network's "Black to Front" day, marking Hollyoaks as the first soap opera to air an all-Black episode. Clothing, music and an original score for the episode were also sourced from Black creators.[229]
13
Andrew Neil resigns as chairman and lead presenter of GB News.[230] He subsequently tells BBC One's Question Time he left the channel because he felt he was in a "minority of one".[231]
The BBC announces that school drama Waterloo Road is set to return with a new series, six years after being cancelled by the network. The revival forms part of BBC's previously announced plans to better represent the United Kingdom.[240]
24
The BBC announces that Russell T Davies is to return as showrunner of Doctor Who, after the departure of Chris Chibnall, for the programme's 60th anniversary in 2023 and beyond. Davies previously served as showrunner from 2005 to 2009.[241]
E4 apologises to its viewers after broadcasting the previous day's episode of Married at First Sight instead of the series finale. The channel blames "ongoing technical problems" from a distribution centre fire the previous weekend and says it will reschedule the episode.[245]
After more than 23 years on air, ITV Nightscreen is broadcast for the final time. It is replaced the following day by Unwind with ITV (branded as Unwind with STV on STV in Central Scotland and North of Scotland).[247]
3
As Songs of Praise celebrates its 60th anniversary, The Queen sends a personal message congratulating "all those involved" in the programme.[248]
Sky announces its new service Sky Glass, the world's first streaming television service. It is also Sky's first service that does not require a satellite dish. Sky Glass will be launched on 18 October.[250]
Comedian and actress Rosie Jones, who has cerebral palsy, appears as a panellist on BBC One's Question Time. She later says that she has received a lot of online abuse about her appearance and speech after the programme is aired.[251]
8
The BBC announces that it will be relocating production of Dragons' Den from Manchester to Glasgow.[252]
Welsh language channel S4C confirms there will be no free-to-air coverage of Wales's Autumn Internationals rugby matches. The channel had been in talks with Amazon Prime to show a Welsh language version of the games, but will now show only highlights.[255]
Newsreader George Alagiah is to take a break from television following "a further spread of cancer", his agent says.[262]
Sky launches its new service Sky Glass and the world's first streaming television service. It is also Sky's first service without the requirement of a satellite dish.[250]
GB News introduce hourly and half-hourly news bulletins following criticism the channel was "one long Jeremy Vine Show" or "Loose Women with Politics".[263]
19
The BBC's Director of Distribution & Business Development Kieran Clifton, announces that a phased roll out of BBC One in HD across English regions in line with Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Completed by the end of 2022. In a statement This will make for a better viewing experience and mean the end of having to switch over to a standard definition channel to watch regional programming. Instead, you'll be able to stay on BBC One HD to watch programmes like the evening news bulletins from your local area. in the following months, BBC iPlayer will also switch from standard definition to high definition for the regional versions of BBC One in England.[264]
More than 500 people have complained to Ofcom about an outage of subtitles and audio description on Channel 4 programmes, which began three weeks ago following technical problems. Channel 4 says the problem is not likely to be resolved until mid-November.[265]
20
The BBC rebrands for the first time since 1997 where the new logo is launched. It retained the basic form of the existing logo as predecessor, but with the blocks having more space between them and largely smaller lettering, and the lettering's typeface are changed from Gill Sans to the BBC's corporate font "Reith".[266] BBC One, Two, Alba, and Scotland retained their respective idents with new logo, while BBC Three redesigned the graphics and BBC Four launched the first new idents for 16 years.
Channel 4 confirms that subtitles will return to Sky, Virgin Media and Freeview, with The Great British Bake Off and The Last Leg the first programmes to regain their subtitles.[270]
28
Sky and Apple have confirmed a long-term agreement for Apple TV+ to become available on Sky Q and Sky Glass in mid-2022.[271]
29
The BBC unveils a ten-point plan to make itself more impartial.[272]
30
Jeff Stelling announces that he will be standing down as presenter of the Sky Sports football results show Soccer Saturday in May next year after 25 years in the role.[273]
November
Date
Event
5
Actress Sarah Jayne Dunn speaks of how she is "shocked and disappointed" to be dropped from the cast of Hollyoaks after she uploaded pictures of herself to the adult website OnlyFans. Dunn says she did so after seeing photographs of herself used elsewhere and wanted to take back control.[274]
BBC One airs a special edition of Countryfile focusing on the topic of climate change. The programme does not go down well with some viewers though, who take to social media to describe it as "woke".[277]
8
Comedians Simon Evans and Dominic Frisby join GB News to present Headliners, a late-night show offering a light-hearted take on the following day's newspaper headlines.[278]Tonight Live with Dan Wootton is also rebranded as Dan Wootton Tonight and shortened to two hours.[279]
10
Adam Boulton confirms he is leaving Sky News at the end of the year after being with the network since its launch in 1989.[280]
NBCUniversal's streaming service, Peacock, launches on Sky and Now. The service will begin with a "soft launch" in the UK and Ireland coming at no additional cost for Sky TV customers and NOW Entertainment Members.[283]
The BBC publishes details of special programmes to celebrate its centenary in 2022. They include a three-part documentary series titled David Dimbleby's BBC: A Very British History, Here's One I Made Earlier celebrating 100 years of children's programming presented by Konnie Huq, and a programme presented by Harry Enfield and Paul Whitehouse titled The Love Box in Your Living Room that takes a humorous look at the BBC's history.[287]
19
A security company reveals that as many as six million Sky routers had a significant software bug that could have allowed hackers to take control of home networks. The glitch, which is now fixed, existed for around 18 months and had the potential to affect anyone who did not change their router's default password.[288]
News UK Broadcasting makes two senior appointments ahead of the launch of talkTV in 2022; Vivek Sharma, former Deputy Editor of This Morning and Series Editor of Steph's Packed Lunch, who becomes Executive Producer, News UK Broadcasting, with responsibility for talkTV's output; and Ben Briscoe, Assistant Editor at Good Morning Britain, who becomes Series Editor for News UK's Piers Morgan Show.[291]
It is revealed that Emmerdale actors Isobel Hodgins and Matthew Wolfenden have not appeared on for several months following a "race row". The actors are accused of mocking the accent of a mixed race actress, as well as making an "inappropriate comment".[294]
GB News have signed Sky News presenter Stephen Dixon to present a show on the channel from December.[296]
24
Channel 4 announces it has reached a deal with the Rugby Football League to show 10 live Super League matches per season, including two end of season play-off matches. The deal will come into effect from the 2022 season, with its first live match being Leeds Rhinos vs Warrington Wolves on Saturday 12 February 2022.[297]
25
Ofcom confirms BBC Three will return as a television channel from February 2022.[298]
Conservative MP Nick Fletcher claims men turning to crime is linked to women playing traditional male roles, such as The Doctor in Doctor Who, arguing that "female replacements" are robbing boys of good role models and leaving them with only criminals and gangsters.[299]
Television journalist and presenter Richard Madeley withdraws from I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! after being admitted to hospital due to an unspecified illness, resulting in him breaking the show's Coronavirus safety bubble.[300]
26
Strictly Come Dancing judge Motsi Mabuse will miss the upcoming weekend's edition of the show after coming into close contact with a person who tested positive for Coronavirus.[301]
I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! abandons the live element of that day's edition because of weather warnings issued by the Met Office ahead of Storm Arwen.[302]
ITV announces that two episodes of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! have been cancelled because of weather conditions caused by Storm Arwen; the show's contestants are also removed from Gwrych Castle.[304][305]
29
ITV confirms that live episodes of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! will return from the following day after damage caused by Storm Arwen is repaired.[306]
Technical problems result in Freeview customers in London and Manchester losing their ITV and Channel 4 signals.[309]
3
ITV confirms that two intruders were removed from the set of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! during Storm Arwen, the second time the set has been breached during the current series. The show's contestants were present at the time, having been removed due to the storm.[310]
Further technical problems lead to Channel 4 pulling the day's edition of Countdown and Moneybags at the last minute; they were replaced by Find It, Fix It, Flog It[311] and Location, Location, Location.
7
UK broadcasters commit to avoiding the use of the acronym BAME in favour of more specific terms "wherever possible".[312]
9
Channel 4 reaches an agreement with Sky Sports to broadcast the final race of the Formula 1 season, the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, free to air. The race features the much anticipated title decider between Britain's Lewis Hamilton and his main rival Max Verstappen, who begin the race level on points in the standings.[313]
The BFI announce that a record £4bn recovery was spent on television production in the UK. TV production slumped during the Impact of the Coronavirus pandemic on TV. The £4bn in 2021 was compared to the £2.3bn figures spent in the same period between 2018 and 2019.[317]
14
GB News have signed Conservative commentator Darren Grimes to present a weekend show titled Real Britain with Darren Grimes starting in 2022.[318]
A technical glitch forces GB News off air for three hours, from 6.16am to 9.17am, during which the channel plays trailers and pre-recorded interviews.[324]
Emmerdale actor Aaron Anthony is reported to have quit the soap following a "race row" in November 2021 which left him feeling "angry" about the incident.[325]
20
The BBC confirms Laura Kuenssberg will step down as its political editor from Easter 2022 to take on a number of other roles in the organisation.[326]
ITV confirms that Good Morning Britain will go on hiatus over the Christmas period as a result of rapid increase in the Omicron variant cases. A special edition of the programme is planned for Christmas Day, but editions scheduled for 29, 30 and 31 December will not go ahead.[327][328]
21
GB News have hired former TV-am presenter Anne Diamond to co-present their weekend breakfast programme alongside Stephen Dixon from Saturday 8 January.[329]
BBC Two airs a lost edition of The Morecambe and Wise Show from Christmas 1970. The programme was thought to be lost after being deleted by the BBC so as to reuse expensive tape, but was found by Eric Morecambe's son, Gary.[331]
26
Overnight viewing figures indicate the Queen's Christmas Message was the most watched programme on Christmas Day with 8.96 million viewers. The Christmas specials of Strictly Come Dancing and Call the Midwife are second and third, giving BBC One prime position in the Christmas Day ratings battle.[332]
30
The BBC says an interview with lawyer Alan Dershowitz that was aired following the previous day's conviction of Ghislaine Maxwell for helping to groom underage girls for Jeffrey Epstein did not meet its editorial standards for impartiality.[333]
^Writer: Linda Thompson; Director: Peter Fearon; Producer: Caroline Slater (8 February 2021). "Values". Doctors. BBC. BBC One. Archived from the original on 20 March 2021. Retrieved 30 January 2021.