1986 in British Television - Events

Events

• 4 January – Televised football returns to British television after the contractual dispute from the previous year is resolved.
• 28 January – NASA's Space Shuttle Challenger spacecraft disintegrates. Pictures from CNN in the United States are aired in countries around the world.
• 19 February – BBC1 airs Round Britain Whizz, an edition of the science series Q.E.D.. The 30 minute programme consists of a speeded up flight around the coastline of Great Britain with guest appearances from geologists and TV personalities including Patrick Moore, David Bellamy and Terry Wogan telling the viewer about the geology and natural history of certain areas.
• 10 March – The first advert for a sanitary towel is broadcast on British television, on Channel 4.
• 1 April – All commercial activities of the BBC are now handled by BBC Enterprises Ltd.
• 16 April - The last episode of children's cartoon series Bananaman is broadcast.
• 18 June – In the British soap opera Coronation Street the Rovers Return pub is gutted by fire with landlady Bet Lynch (Julie Goodyear) trapped inside.
• 23 July – In London, Prince Andrew, Duke of York marries Sarah Ferguson at Westminster Abbey. The event receives significant television coverage both in the UK and around the world.
• 9 August – The Yorkshire Television ITV region becomes the first UK terrestrial channel to broadcast 24 hours a day, initially simulcasting the cable and satellite music video channel Music Box throughout the night. The other ITV regions gradually switch to 24 hour television over the next two years.
• 6 September – Part One of The Trial of a Time Lord is broadcast on BBC1, marking the return to air of Doctor Who after an 18-month hiatus.
• 12 October - "Every Loser Wins" performed by the actor Nick Berry begins a three week run at the top of the UK Singles Chart after featuring in recent episodes of EastEnders. The song was an instant hit on release and went on to win its writers an Ivor Novello Award.
• 27 October – The Australian soap Neighbours makes its British television debut on BBC1, a year after it was first aired in its homeland.
• 27 October – BBC One starts a full daytime television service. Before today, excluding special events coverage, BBC One had closed down at times during weekday mornings and afternoons broadcasting trade test transmissions and, from May 1983, Pages From Ceefax.
• 16 November – Dennis Potter's critically acclaimed television serial The Singing Detective makes its debut on BBC1.
• 7 December – Jack Rosenthal's original two hour TV movie of London's Burning, directed by Les Blair is broadcast on ITV. It returns for a full series in February 1988.
• 23 December – Ringo Starr narrates his last ever Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends episode, the second series finale, "Thomas & the Missing Christmas Tree".
• 24 December – The Rainbow 30 minute Christmas special, The Colours of the Rainbow is the highest ever rating episode of the show. It was thought that Rainbow would end following this episode, but Thames Television renewed the contract after good ratings.
• 25 December – 30.15 million tune in to watch "Dirty" Dennis Watts hand wife Angie her divorce papers in EastEnders, making it the highest rated episode of any drama in British television history.