{"id":248269,"date":"2026-01-23T18:41:06","date_gmt":"2026-01-23T18:41:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/248269\/"},"modified":"2026-01-23T18:41:06","modified_gmt":"2026-01-23T18:41:06","slug":"from-attenboroughs-gorilla-mayhem-to-tvs-first-gay-kiss-the-100-biggest-moments-from-a-century-of-television-television","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/248269\/","title":{"rendered":"From Attenborough\u2019s gorilla mayhem to TV\u2019s first gay kiss: the 100 biggest moments from a century of television | Television"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">1: 1926 On 26 January John Logie Baird gives the first public demonstration of television to members of the Royal Institution, from his lab in Soho. The subject of the demonstration was Stooky Bill, Baird\u2019s ventriloquist dummy, because the lighting generated too much heat for a human to bear.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">2: 1930 Luigi Pirandello\u2019s play The Man With the Flower in His Mouth, about a man dying of cancer, becomes the first drama shown on British television, broadcast live by the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/media\/bbc\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">BBC<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">3: 1933 The first revue show, entitled Looking In, airs. In the 1990s, a recording of its first four minutes are discovered \u2013 featuring actors Iris Kirkwhite, Anona Winn and Veronica Brady, making it the oldest surviving recording of broadcast television.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">4: 1934 The first programme listed in the Radio Times \u2013 a show called Television: By the Baird Process \u2013 features an act called Cal McCord, The Comical, Cordial Cowboy.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">5: 1936 The BBC launches the world\u2019s first regular TV service, with government speeches followed by a variety show with singers and jugglers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">6: 1937 Children\u2019s television begins with For Your Children. An early episode is entitled George Queen\u2019s Pantomime Goose.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">7: 1937 The BBC\u2019s first televised coverage of Wimbledon. It lasts for about 30 minutes and is followed by programmes about gardening and puppets.<\/p>\n<p>Give us a wave \u2026 the BBC\u2019s mobile television unit record Arsenal for the first ever TV football. Photograph: Hudson\/Getty Images<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">8: 1937 Football is televised for the first time, with a programme called Football at the Arsenal, a match between Arsenal and Arsenal\u2019s reserve team.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">9: 1938 The first quiz show! Called Spelling Bee, each episode pitted two groups against each other, including \u2018under 16s v over 60s\u2019, \u2018regular viewers v television musicians\u2019 and \u2018Fleet Street v Rada\u2019.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">10: 1939 The outbreak of the second world war forces BBC television to shut down following a broadcast of Mickey\u2019s Gala Premiere, a Disney cartoon.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">11: 1946 BBC Television resumes with the exact same Mickey Mouse cartoon. \u201cGood afternoon everybody. How are you? Do you remember me?\u201d asks announcer Jasmine Bligh by way of reintroduction.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">12: 1946 Pinwright\u2019s Progress, the first sitcom about a shop owner with \u2018a pretty daughter and a hated rival\u2019 starts.<\/p>\n<p>Better off wed \u2026Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip wave to the crowd after their wedding. Photograph: AP<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">13: 1947 The wedding of Princess Elizabeth to Prince Philip necessitates a whole day of programming. The wedding is broadcast (without sound), as is a 15-minute cartoon entitled Up for the Wedding.<\/p>\n<p>Olympic undertaking \u2026 the opening ceremony of the 1948 Olympic Games at Wembley Stadium, London. Photograph: AP<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">14: 1948 The opening ceremony of the London Olympics is broadcast. It lasts for 35 minutes.<\/p>\n<p>Having a ball \u2026 Come Dancing\u2019s first ever episode, 1950. Photograph: BBC<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">15: 1950 Come Dancing, a knock-out competition between regional ballroom dancers, launches, first hosted by sports presenter Peter Dimmock.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">16: 1950 Richard Dimbleby presents the first live televised report of the General Election results, which lasts over two hours. Labour won, and crowds formed in Trafalgar Square to watch the results on huge screens.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">17: 1951 The Amos \u2019n\u2019 Andy Show, aired on CBS, becomes the first show with an all-Black cast. It immediately becomes controversial, with the NAACP calling for its cancellation, on the basis that it \u201ctends to strengthen the conclusion among uninformed and prejudiced people that Negroes are inferior, lazy, dumb and dishonest.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">18: 1953 The coronation of Queen Elizabeth II requires another full day of coverage. Between 1952 and 1954 the number of TV licences in the UK more than doubled; the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=f5ozTPS-ipY\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">coronation<\/a> is cited as the driving factor.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">19: 1954 The Grove Family, widely considered to be the first soap opera, debuts. It is committed to public service broadcast principles, with many storylines teaching the viewer how to secure their homes against burglars. Nevertheless, its catchphrase (\u201cI\u2019m weak from lack of nourishment\u201d) somehow catches on.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">20: 1955 ITV launches, bringing commercial television to the UK for the first time. Its first programme is a gala variety show from Guildhall.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">21: 1955 On the same night, the first commercial is broadcast on British TV, for Gibbs SR Toothpaste.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">22: 1955 The world\u2019s first televised interracial kiss is broadcast, during a BBC production of Othello, between US actor Gordon Heath and British actor Rosemary Harris.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019ll never catch on \u2026 Lys Assia win the Eurovision Song Contest for Switzerland in 1956 \u2013 with the UK not showing it. Photograph: Jacques Munch\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">23: 1956 The Eurovision Song Contest is televised, broadcast across Europe from Lugano, Switzerland. Switzerland wins. The UK does not enter, preferring to broadcast a rival competition called The Festival of British Popular Songs.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">24: 1957 The BBC begins broadcasting programmes for schools. Early episodes of For the Schools include programming about the Commonwealth, biology and horticulture.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">25: 1957 The Royal Christmas message is broadcast on television for the first time.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">26: 1958 Blue Peter debuts (\u2018Toys, model railways, games, stories, cartoons\u2019 according to the Radio Times), following a programme called Mainly for Women that includes a segment entitled \u2018What makes us fat?\u2019.<\/p>\n<p>27: 1960 Coronation Street starts. Its first episode primarily consists of everyone mocking Ken Barlow for being a snob.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">28: 1963 The assassination of John F Kennedy. It is claimed that 93% of all American households watched his funeral on television.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">29: 1963 Doctor Who debuts, with the episode An Unearthly Child. The show was almost cancelled immediately afterwards, due to a combination of high production costs and low ratings. Some things never change.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">30: 1964 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/media\/bbc2\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">BBC Two<\/a> launches disastrously, thanks to a power cut. Its opening programming is a news show that runs without audio for three minutes, before returning midway through an item about a bus conductress fired for using a racist epithet.<\/p>\n<p>Top of the mop tops \u2026 The Rolling Stones in 1964. Photograph: Michael Ochs Archives\/Getty Images<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">31: 1964 Top of the Pops debuts, and features a performance by the Rolling Stones.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">32: 1964 Match of the Day kicks off, with Kenneth Wolstenholme and Walley Barnes presenting a match between Liverpool and Arsenal.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">33: 1965 Theatre critic Kenneth Tynan becomes the first person to swear on television, after using the word \u201cfuck\u201d during a live broadcast of the satirical late-night show BBC-3. After threats of lawsuits \u2013 and one letter to the Queen stating that Tynan \u201cought to have his bottom smacked,\u201d the BBC apologises.<\/p>\n<p>They Think it\u2019s All Over \u2026 Geoff Hurst scores England\u2019s third goal in the 1966 World Cup final. Photograph: Hulton Archive\/Getty Images<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">34: 1966 The World Cup Final. A five-hour spectacular of previews, interviews, analysis then the match itself, which remains Britain\u2019s most-watched television event of all time with an audience of over 32 million.<\/p>\n<p>What a racket \u2026 Billie Jean King at Wimbledon in 1967, BBC Two\u2019s entry into regular colour broadcasts. Photograph: Keystone\/Hulton Archive\/Getty Images<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">35: 1967 BBC Two becomes the first channel in Europe to regularly broadcast in colour, starting with coverage of Wimbledon.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">36: 1967 The second episode of Dutch experimental programme Hoepla contains what is thought to be the first televised instance of full-frontal nudity, with performer Phil Bloom reading a newspaper naked. The shot is followed by a screen showing the broadcaster\u2019s postal address, for viewers who wished to cancel their memberships.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">37: 1967 Our World airs. The first live multinational multi-satellite television production, it had content from 14 different nations with footage of shrimp farms, the world\u2019s first underwater cable car and a performance by The Beatles. It is watched by between 400 and 700 million people.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">38: 1968 The Forsyte Saga, a minor hit on BBC Two, moves to BBC One and becomes so huge that clergymen and pub landlords complain that TV is robbing them of business.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">39: 1969 Royal Family, a then-unprecedented documentary about the day-to-day lives of the Windsors, debuts. Spooked by how unvarnished it was, the Queen banned it from being shown on television, although it is now on YouTube.<\/p>\n<p>One small step \u2026 Buzz Aldrin stands on the moon. Photograph: Neil Armstrong\/NASA\/Reuters<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">40: 1969 The Apollo 11 moon landing, sometimes referred to as the single greatest moment in television history, is watched by a reported 650 million people worldwide. The BBC augments its coverage with a debate show about whether going to the moon is in man\u2019s best interests, and an astronomy programme called The Violent Universe. Meanwhile, ITV has David Frost\u2019s Moon Party, which features Cilla Black.<\/p>\n<p>Sealed with a kiss \u2026 Ian McKellen and James Laurenson in Edward II. Photograph: Donald Cooper\/Alamy<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">41: 1970 The first same-sex kiss is broadcast during a BBC production of Christopher Marlowe\u2019s Edward II, between Ian McKellen and James Laurenson. Three months later, the first female same-sex kiss follows, during a BBC adaptation of Jean-Paul Sartre\u2019s The Roads to Freedom, between Alison Fiske and Consuela Chapman.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">42: 1971 The Open University shows its first lecture, about maths.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">43: 1972 Ceefax, the world\u2019s first teletext information service, launches, offering viewers a chance to read weather reports, breaking news and TV listings. The technology would peak in 1993 with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/media\/channel4\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Channel 4<\/a> Teletext\u2019s daily Bamboozle quiz.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">44: 1973 BBC Two debuts Jacob Bronowski\u2019s epic documentary The Ascent of Man, a 13-parter tracking scientific advances from agriculture to human cloning.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">45: 1973 BBC Two debuts Open Door, a series that allows people and groups to discuss issues without editorial input from the BBC. In total, 253 episodes are broadcast over the course of a decade; the eighth \u2013 a discussion between four trans women \u2013 is thought to be the first time a show is dedicated to the trans community<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">46: 1974 The Rumble in the Jungle boxing match between George Foreman and Muhammad Ali forges the way for international sports coverage, being shown live in 50 countries and introducing viewers to the concept of pay-per-view.<\/p>\n<p>Basil! \u2026 Prunella Scales in Fawlty Towers. Photograph: BBC<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">47: 1975 Fawlty Towers starts on BBC Two. Now regarded as one of the finest sitcoms ever made, it nevertheless garnered a scathing review from The Spectator\u2019s Richard Ingrams. Incandescent, John Cleese would go on to write an episode where a Mr Ingrams would be caught with a blow-up doll.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">48: 1977 The Queen\u2019s silver jubilee. BBC One broadcasts Silver Jubilee Day of Celebration, including services, a nationwide outside broadcast and a Commonwealth address. ITV broadcasts Jubilee! A Right Royal Celebration, which isn\u2019t as fun as it sounds.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">49: 1977 Yorkshire Television and Tyne Tees Television run Good Morning Calendar and Good Morning North from 8.30am for nine weeks \u2013 the UK\u2019s first breakfast TV shows.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">50: 1979 BBC Two debuts the landmark wildlife series Life on Earth, in which David Attenborough tracks the evolution of life. It is best known for an unexpected encounter between Attenborough and a gorilla named Poppy.<\/p>\n<p>Who shot JR? \u2026 Larry Hagman as John Ross  Ewing Jr in Dallas. Photograph: CBS Photo Archive\/Getty Images<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">51: 1980 Dallas reveals who shot JR, and 350 million globally tune in (spoiler: it was Kristin Shepard).<\/p>\n<p>Shaken, not stirred \u2026 Gloria Hendry, Roger Moore and Jane Seymour in Live and Let Die. Photograph: Moviestore Collection Ltd\/Alamy<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">52: 1980 ITV broadcasts the James Bond film Live and Let Die, and more people watch it than any other film in the entire history of British TV.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">53: 1981 The wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana. Both BBC One and ITV dedicate much of the day to the ceremony, drawing 28.4 million \u2013 the seventh biggest British audience of all time.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">54: 1982 SATV, Europe\u2019s first-ever satellite channel, launches regular transmission. It mainly consists of old ITV shows like Within These Walls and Please Sir!<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">55: 1982 Channel 4 launches with Countdown, Brookside and a \u2018film on Four\u2019 called Walter, starring Ian McKellen.<\/p>\n<p>Breakfast show wars \u2026 Roland Rat. Photograph: Shaun Higson colour\/Alamy<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">56: 1983 The breakfast show wars begin in earnest. On 17 January, the BBC debuts Breakfast Time with Frank Bough, Selina Scott and The Green Goddess. On 1 February, ITV debuts TV-am, with David Frost, Anna Ford and, later, Roland Rat.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">57: 1984 BBC Two shows the landmark anti-war film Threads. It is called \u2018one of the most terrifying programmes ever shown on British television.\u2019<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">58: 1985 EastEnders debuts on BBC One with a storyline about a heroin addict beating up a pensioner and visibly less home security advice than had been seen on The Grove Family.<\/p>\n<p>The Best \u2026 Tina Turner and Mick Jagger perform at Live Aid. Photograph: Amy Sancetta\/AP<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">59: 1985 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/music\/live-aid\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Live Aid<\/a>, a 16-hour transatlantic charity concert, is watched by 1.5 billion worldwide.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">60: 1986 On Christmas Day, Den serves Angie with divorce papers on EastEnders and, discounting sports and special events, nobody in the UK has ever watched anything in greater numbers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">61: 1989 The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/from-the-archive-blog\/2019\/oct\/30\/the-fall-of-the-berlin-wall-archive-november-1989\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">fall of the Berlin Wall<\/a> is broadcast live by NBC.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">62: 1989 Television cameras are allowed to film inside the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/politics\/houseofcommons\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">House of Commons<\/a> for the first time. The first televised speech was by Eastbourne MP Ian Gow, who used the opportunity to complain about all the cameras.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">63: 1989 Doctor Who comes to an end after a 26-year run, with the episode Survival: Part Three, due to waning interest.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">64: 1990 The BBC debuts MasterChef, a competition where home cooks are given two and a half hours to create a winning meal.<\/p>\n<p>Meet The Simpsons \u2026 the longest-running TV cartoon ever debuted in 1990. Photograph: Channel 4<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">65: 1990 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/tv-and-radio\/the-simpsons\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">The Simpsons<\/a> is first shown in the UK. Starting a tradition that would frustrate British fans, it begins with the last episode of season one, not the first. The tale of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie is now the longest-running cartoon in the history of television, and has been highly influential in the fields of comedy, animation and people not thinking things are as funny any more.<\/p>\n<p>Never again \u2026 spoof documentary Ghostwatch, was only ever shown once due to the fallout. Photograph: BBC<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">66: 1992 BBC airs <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/tv-and-radio\/2020\/oct\/26\/how-we-made-bbc-mockumentary-ghostwatch\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Ghostwatch<\/a>, a one-off Halloween docudrama about a haunted house. Because it was presented as unscripted, and starred big BBC names like Michael Parkinson and Sarah Greene, it fooled many viewers into thinking it was real. The fallout was so huge \u2013 a suicide and two cases of PTSD were blamed on the show \u2013 that it has never been repeated.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">67: 1994 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/tv-and-radio\/friends\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Friends<\/a> debuts on NBC, and becomes the 15th most-watched television show of the week.<\/p>\n<p>You plonkers \u2026 Del Boy and Rodney as Batman and Robin in the 1996 Only Fools And Horses Christmas special. Photograph: taken from picture library<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">68: 1996 Only Fools and Horses bows out (for the first time) with the Christmas special Time On Our Hands, which is watched by 24.3 million people.<\/p>\n<p>All things nice \u2026 Channel 5 launches with a performance from Spice Girls. Photograph: Julian Makey\/Rex\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">69: 1997 Channel 5 launches, with a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/music\/2018\/mar\/10\/we-caught-the-zeitgeist-how-the-spice-girls-revolutionised-pop\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Spice Girls<\/a> performance, the soap Family Affairs and a one-off medical comedy entitled Hospital! And Prisoner: Cell Block H.<\/p>\n<p>The people\u2019s princess \u2026 some of the flowers  placed outside Kensington Palace, following Diana\u2019s death. Photograph: Paul Vicente\/EPA<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">70: 1997 The death of Princess Diana. The announcement of her death, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/uk-news\/2017\/aug\/31\/death-of-diana-the-week-that-rocked-britain\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">subsequent coverage<\/a>, would dominate television for the following week. Commercial channels dropped advertising for much of the day of her funeral, which would become the second most-watched broadcast in all of British television.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">71: 1998 Come Dancing ends after 48 years, due to waning interest.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">72: 1999 Bhutan becomes the last country on Earth to get television, following a government ban. Three years later, the country\u2019s crime rate had spiked, with some commentators linking the two events.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">73: 2000 A year after the original version aired in the Netherlands, the British <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/tv-and-radio\/big-brother\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Big Brother <\/a>airs on Channel 4, giving us reality television, Nasty Nick and the Craig Phillips Christmas song At This Time of Year in one fell swoop.<\/p>\n<p>Twin towers \u2026 the World Trade Center is engulfed in flame after being hit by two planes. Photograph: Allsport UK\/Allsport<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">74: 2001 9\/11. It has been reported that a billion people worldwide either saw the attacks live or through television news.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">75: 2001 Pop Idol debuts on ITV. American Idol, X Factor, Fame Academy, The Voice, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/tv-and-radio\/2020\/jan\/14\/silly-naff-unmissable-the-masked-singer-is-a-truly-terrible-delight\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">The Masked Singer<\/a> and countless imitators would soon follow.<\/p>\n<p>Brass Neck \u2026 Chris Morris\u2019s \u2018Paedogeddon\u2019 special which prompted controversy. Photograph: BBC<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">76: 2001 Brass Eye\u2019s Paedogeddon special \u2013 which satirised media coverage of child abuse stories \u2013 is met with complaints, ministerial intervention and a tabloid campaign against the show\u2019s creator <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/culture\/chris-morris\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Chris Morris<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">77: 2001 MasterChef ends after 11 years, due to waning interest.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">78: 2002 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/media\/channelfive\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Channel 5<\/a> changes its name to Five. To save further entries, it subsequently changes its name back to Channel 5, then just 5.<\/p>\n<p>Wardrobe malfunction \u2026 Janet Jackson and surprise guest Justin Timberlake perform during the 2004 Super Bowl. Photograph: Frank Micelotta\/Getty Images<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">79: 2004 Janet Jackson\u2019s Super Bowl <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/sport\/blog\/2017\/jan\/31\/the-joy-of-six-super-bowl-scandals-nfl\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">halftime performance<\/a> \u2013 in which her right breast was accidentally exposed for less than a second \u2013 led to broadcaster CBS being fined $550,000 by the Federal Communications Commission.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">80: 2004 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/tv-and-radio\/strictly-come-dancing\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Strictly Come Dancing<\/a>, a revamped version of Come Dancing with better production values, launches in the hope that it will find a younger and larger audience.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">81: 2005 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/tv-and-radio\/doctor-who\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Doctor Who<\/a>, a revamped version of Doctor Who with better production values, launches in the hope that it will find a younger and larger audience.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">82: 2005 MasterChef Goes Large, a revamped version of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/tv-and-radio\/masterchef\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">MasterChef<\/a> with better production values, launches in the hope that it will find a younger and larger audience.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">83: 2005 YouTube launches. The first video uploaded is of one of the creators at his local zoo; an innocuous start for a platform that would eventually kill traditional television.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">84: 2006 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/media\/2023\/aug\/27\/man-in-viral-2006-bbc-interview-mixup-says-he-will-sue-for-royalties\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Guy Goma<\/a>, a French-Congolese man hoping for a job in the BBC\u2019s IT department, is inadvertently interviewed live on BBC News 24 after being mistaken for a technology journalist. His bewildered reaction instantly goes viral on YouTube.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">85: 2007 British TV becomes engulfed in a call-in scandal, in which viewers were encouraged to call premium-rate telephone numbers to take part in competitions they couldn\u2019t win and votes they could no longer influence. Shows sanctioned by Ofcom included Blue Peter, GMTV, Richard &amp; Judy, Children in Need and I\u2019m A Celebrity \u2026 Get Me Out of Here!<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">86: 2007 The BBC launches iPlayer, a digital streaming service designed to free audiences from the tyranny of scheduled television. Other channels would quickly follow suit.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">87: 2007 Niche rental service Netflix, famous for sending DVDs to subscribers by post, launches a video streaming service.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">88: 2009 Susan Boyle, an ordinary-looking Scottish woman, wows the audience of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/tv-and-radio\/britains-got-talent\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Britain\u2019s Got Talent<\/a> with her unexpectedly powerful singing voice. Her audition goes viral on YouTube.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">89: 2011 Dystopian sci-fi drama <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/tv-and-radio\/black-mirror\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Black Mirror<\/a> debuts on Channel 4, with an episode about the prime minister being forced to have sexual intercourse with a pig (an act that former prime minister David Cameron would be accused of apeing). When it is dropped after a handful of episodes, Netflix picks it up and transforms it into a global success.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">90: 2012 The opening ceremony of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/sport\/olympics-2012\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">London Olympics<\/a> is broadcast. It lasts for almost four hours.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">91: 2013 Netflix wins its first Emmy, for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/tv-and-radio\/house-of-cards\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">House of Cards<\/a>. It is the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/tv-and-radio\/2013\/jul\/18\/emmys-nominations-netflix-house-of-cards\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">first time<\/a> an online-only television series has ever won an Emmy.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">92: 2020 Prime Minister <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/politics\/boris-johnson\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Boris Johnson<\/a> gives a televised statement announcing that the UK is being put into Covid lockdown. Simulcast across the bulk of terrestrial and news channels, it becomes the ninth most-watched event in British television history.<\/p>\n<p>Record breaker \u2026 the Good Morning Britain episode that got the most Ofcom complaints ever. Photograph: ITV\/REX\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">93: 2021 An episode of Good Morning Britain, in which Piers Morgan reacts to Meghan Markle\u2019s claims that she has been the subject of racism from the royal family, breaks the record for complaints received by Ofcom. In total 58,000 complaints were received, although they were all rejected.<\/p>\n<p>Red Light, Green Light \u2026 Netflix\u2019s Squid Game. Photograph: Netflix<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">94: 2021 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/tv-and-radio\/2021\/sep\/28\/squid-game-the-hellish-horrorshow-taking-the-whole-world-by-storm\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Korean drama<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/tv-and-radio\/squid-game\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Squid Game<\/a> becomes Netflix\u2019s most-watched show ever, a record it still holds.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">95: 2022 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/uk-news\/gallery\/2022\/jun\/02\/red-arrows-and-chelsea-pensioners-platinum-jubilee-in-pictures\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">The Queen\u2019s platinum jubilee celebrations<\/a> are shown, with the BBC\u2019s blanket coverage including concerts and specials, and ITV\u2019s including a horse show called A Gallop Through History.<\/p>\n<p>Coffin bearers \u2026 Queen Elizabeth II\u2019s funeral. Photograph: Victoria Jones\/PA<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">96: 2022 Four months later the Queen dies, and her <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/uk-news\/gallery\/2022\/sep\/14\/queen-elizabeth-iis-coffin-procession-in-pictures\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">state funeral<\/a> becomes one of the most-watched events in television history.<\/p>\n<p>What\u2019s occurin\u2019? \u2026 Gavin &amp; Stacey\u2019s last Christmas special. Photograph: Tom Jackson\/Toffee International \/BBC\/PA Wire<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">97: 2024 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/tv-and-radio\/gavin-and-stacey\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Gavin &amp; Stacey<\/a>, a BBC Three sitcom that began in 2007, bows out on BBC One with a special that draws 19.11 million viewers, making it the most-watched comedy in 17 years.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">98: 2025 YouTube becomes the most-watched streaming service in the world.<\/p>\n<p>99: 2025 Netflix reveals that it has used generative AI to create special effects for its Argentinian sci-fi series The Eternaut, in a bid to make production faster and cheaper. It is a first for the platform.<\/p>\n<p>Probably not the last \u2026 the AI-generated host of Dispatches: Will AI Take My Job? Photograph: Channel 4\/PA<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">100: 2025 Channel 4 airs a Dispatches episode entitled Will AI Take My Job? It is presented by Aisha Gaban, the UK\u2019s first (but probably not last) host to be created with generative AI.<\/p>\n<p>Share your favourite TV moment of all time<\/p>\n<p>You can tell us your best moment from 100 years of TV using this form.<\/p>\n<p>Your responses, which can be anonymous, are secure as the form is encrypted and only the Guardian has access to your contributions. We will only use the data you provide us for the purpose of the feature and we will delete any personal data when we no longer require it for this purpose. For alternative ways to get in touch securely please see our <a data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/tips\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">tips guide<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Tell us your all time best TV moment, and why <\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-t4ab9u\">Please include as much detail as possible. <\/p>\n<p>If you are happy to, please upload a photo of yourself here Optional<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-14g8jkp\">Please note, the maximum file size is 5.7 MB.<\/p>\n<p>Choose file<\/p>\n<p>Can we publish your response? <\/p>\n<p>You can add more information here Optional<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-t4ab9u\">If you include other people&#8217;s names please ask them first.<\/p>\n<p>Would you be interested in speaking to our audio and\/or video teams? <\/p>\n<p>By submitting your response, you are agreeing to share your details with us for this feature.<\/p>\n<p>Submit<\/p>\n<p>Show more<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"1: 1926 On 26 January John Logie Baird gives the first public demonstration of television to members of&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":248270,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[111,139,69,147,406],"class_list":{"0":"post-248269","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-wildlife","8":"tag-new-zealand","9":"tag-newzealand","10":"tag-nz","11":"tag-science","12":"tag-wildlife"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/248269","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=248269"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/248269\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/248270"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=248269"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=248269"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=248269"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}