1970 in British television

Events

January

February

  • 15 February – BBC1 airs the Ken Russell film Dance of the Seven Veils as part of its Omnibus strand. The film, about German composer Richard Strauss, attracts complaints because of its sex scenes, and controversy by depicting Strauss as a Nazi sympathiser. Strauss's family subsequently withdraw their permission for the use of his music, meaning the film cannot be shown again until the copyright on his work has expired. It is not until 2020 that the film is given a second airing, at that year's Keswick Film Festival.[1][2]

March

  • No events.

April

  • 6 April – HTV starts broadcasting in colour from the Wenvoe transmitting station and from this day, the station becomes known on air as HTV rather than Harlech Television.

May

  • No events.

June

  • No events.

July

  • 8 July – Jack Walker dies off-screen of a heart attack in Coronation Street as a result of the death of actor Arthur Leslie. Jack becomes the first major character to be written out due to the death of an actor.
  • 16-25 July — The BBC covers of the 1970 Commonwealth Games with the afternoon events broadcast live, resulting in approximately three hours a day of live coverage each day plus a highlights programme broadcast at 8pm during the week.
  • 17 July — Tyne Tees Television starts broadcasting in colour from the Pontop Pike transmitting station.

August

September

  • 14 September –
    • Ulster Television launches a colour service, but only from the Divis transmitting station. To mark the change, the logo is redesigned.
    • The first colour edition of Blue Peter is aired on BBC1, but the last black and white edition will be transmitted on 24 June 1974. The programme alternates between colour and black and white depending on studio allocation.
    • The Nine O'Clock News is first broadcast on BBC1. The programme airs until 13 October 2000 when the station's main evening bulletin is switched to 10:00pm.
  • 18 September – London Weekend Television launches its famous river ident.[4]

October

November

  • 7 November – Felix Dennis becomes the first person to use the word "cunt" on British television during a live broadcast of The Frost Programme.
  • 13 November – The Colour Strike begins when ITV staff refuse to work with colour television equipment following a dispute over pay with their management.
  • 23 November – The first edition of Engineering Announcements is broadcast on ITV.

December

Debuts

BBC1

BBC2

  • 1 January – The Six Wives of Henry VIII (1970)
  • 5 January – Barry Humphries' Scandals (1970)
  • 19 January – Germinal (1970)
  • 15 February – The Woodlanders (1970)
  • 15 March – Daniel Deronda (1970)
  • 22 March – Charley's Grants (1970)
  • 7 April – Codename (1970)
  • 26 April – The Spoils of Poynton (1970)
  • 31 May – Villette (1970)
  • 9 August – Sentimental Education (1970)
  • 22 September – The Roads to Freedom (1970)
  • 27 September – Oh in Colour (1970)
  • 29 September – Menace (1970–1973)
  • 8 November – The Goodies (1970–1982)
  • 1 December - Deep Sea Dick (1970)

ITV

Television shows

Returning this year after a break of one year or longer

Continuing television shows

1920s

  • BBC Wimbledon (1927–1939, 1946–2019, 2021–2024)

1930s

  • The Boat Race (1938–1939, 1946–2019)
  • BBC Cricket (1939, 1946–1999, 2020–2024)

1940s

1950s

1960s

Ending this year

Births

Deaths

See also

References

  1. "Omnibus: Dance of the Seven Veils – BBC One – 15 February 1970". BBC Genome. BBC. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
  2. "Banned Dance of the Seven Veils gets second airing". BBC News. BBC. 29 February 2020. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
  3. "LGBTQ+ Timeline". History of the BBC. BBC. Retrieved 2020-02-24.
  4. Ident Central” LWT 1970–1986
  5. Mark Duguid "Armchair Theatre (1956–74)", BFI screenonline
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