2006 in British television

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The following is a list of British television related events from the year 2006.

Events

Date	Event
28 February	L!VE TV is moved to the adult section of Sky's EPG, and is rebranded as "Babeworld" two days later. This is because the channel has moved to broadcasting an increasingly adult themed content.
11 March	ITV launch a CITV channel, which broadcasts during the downtime hours of ITV4, replacing the ITV News Channel. [1]
7 April	12.34 million viewers watch long-running Coronation Street character Mike Baldwin die in the arms of his long-time rival, Ken Barlow.
19 April	ITV launch ITV Play, a new 24/7 participation TV channel, on Freeview in the United Kingdom. It will launch on other platforms later in the year.
21 April	Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her 80th birthday at Windsor. The Prince of Wales makes a televised address in tribute.
21 April	Denis Norden announces his retirement from his two ongoing ITV shows It'll Be Alright on the Night and spin-off show Denis Norden's Laughter File, after 30 years with ITV.
24 April	Cartoon Network Too and Nick Jr. 2 launched in the UK (2006–present)
25 April	The BBC announces that Grandstand, its flagship sports TV programme, will be phased out within the next year after nearly 50 years on air.
5 May	The BBC's local election coverage goes off air shortly before 3:00am, due to a power failure at their Millbank studios. For the next hour coverage relocates to The Counting House pub, with results being read out using handwritten pieces of paper.
6 May	The Place To Be Premiered.
8 May	Guy Goma, a graduate from the Congo who went to the BBC to attend a job interview, appears on BBC News 24 in place of an IT expert after a mix-up. Guy Kewney had been scheduled to comment on the subject of Apple Computer's court case with The Beatles' record label, Apple Corps, but a producer collected the wrong man from the wrong reception at BBC Television Centre.
15 May	BBC High Definition Television Trial commences.
20 May	Just minutes before the live Eurovision Song Contest final begins, BBC One's live National Lottery draw is invaded by Fathers 4 Justice protestors. The show is temporarily taken off air, leaving just a programme logo and announcer Alan Dedicoat's voice until the problems are resolved.
22 May	BSkyB launch High-definition television in the UK under the brand Sky HD.
27 May	The BBC's first scheduled HDTV broadcast on BBC HD.
30 May	Scottish and Grampian are rebranded as STV Central and STV North respectively.
6 June	ITV announces that Central News South's existence as a news region will end after 17 years when the eastern half of the region (the area served by the Oxford transmitter) merges its operations with Meridian West's output, forming a new news region named ITV Thames Valley.
9 June	They Think It's All Over comes to defunction after 11 years on air.
20 June	18.46 million watch England vs Sweden in the 2006 FIFA World Cup, the highest rated programme of the year.
11 July	It is announced that actress Wendy Richard will leave EastEnders at Christmas. She is one of the only remaining cast members from the show's 1985 launch.
16 July	Sarah Lang wins one million pounds in the final of the ITV1 gameshow PokerFace. As she had also won £32,500 on the BBC One gameshow In It to Win It the previous year, this makes her the biggest known female gameshow winner in UK television history, and second overall behind Ian Woodley.
21 July	James Dreyfus takes over from Ardal O'Hanlon as George Sunday AKA Thermoman in the sixth and final series of My Hero the series ended in September due to low viewing figures.
23 July	FilmFour is relaunched as a free-to-air channel. It had originally been a subscription service, but this had ended four days previously.
30 July	Top of the Pops axe weekly episodes before revival by Christmas.
6 August	While anchoring from Israel during the Israel-Lebanon war, Sky News presenter Anna Botting famously interviews the British MP, George Galloway about the conflict. During the nine minute heated discussion Galloway criticises Sky News, News Corporation, and even Botting herself for being biased towards Israel.
20 September	Top Gear presenter Richard Hammond is seriously injured after crashing a jet-powered car at 280 mph.
30 September	It is announced that Des Lynam will leave Countdown at the end of 2006.
5 October	QI publishes its first book: The Book of General Ignorance. The book becomes a No. 1 bestseller for amazon.co.uk.
7 October	After four and a half years, the BBC 'Rhythm & Movement' idents are shown for the final time on BBC One at 1:10am, as part of a special montage (2:55am on BBC One Northern Ireland). Their replacements, the 'Circle' idents, debut at 10am.
15 October	Five Life is launched.
16 October	Five US is launched.
13 November	BBC Parliament broadcasts in full screen format for the first time on the Freeview service, having previously only been available in quarter screen format. The BBC eventually found the bandwidth to make the channel full-screen after receiving "thousands of angry and perplexed e-mails and letters", not to mention questions asked by MPs in the Houses of Parliament itself.
28 November	ITV confirms that BBC chairman Michael Grade is to become its chief executive in early 2007.
November	Launch of 4 on demand, a service which allows some internet, Virgin Media Television, Tiscali TV and BT Vision users to view programming recently shown on Channel 4, E4 or More4, or from their archives.
3 December	The last edition of Central News South is aired. From tomorrow the Central South region will cease to exist. The east of the region including Oxford becomes part of ITV Thames Valley, the west half of the region, covering Cheltenham and Gloucester is absorbed into the ITV West region, while Herefordshire rejoins the Central West region.
4 December	The ITV Thames Valley region, a composite of the old Meridian West and eastern part of the Central South regions, goes on air with a new regional news programme Thames Valley Tonight.
23 December	Stars in Their Eyes is also axed.
25 December	The Godfather of soul James Brown dies at the age of 73 and Actress Wendy Richard makes her final appearance in EastEnders after her character, Pauline Fowler, is killed off in a dramatic storyline.

Debuts (including scheduled)

BBC One

Date	Debut
9 January	Life on Mars
19 January	Hotel Babylon
9 March	Waterloo Road
5 May	Home Again
16 September	TMi
7 October	Robin Hood, a new family drama series made by Tiger Aspect Productions.

BBC Two

Date	Debut
11 January	Hyperdrive
12 February	Petrolheads
8 October	Something for the Weekend

ITV

Date	Debut
14 January	Dancing on Ice
23 January	Northern Lights
29 January	Lewis, a spin-off from Inspector Morse.

Channel 4

Date	Debut
3 February	The IT Crowd

Five

Date	Debut
27 April	Suburban Shootout

BBC Three

Date	Debut
22 October	Torchwood, the first full series spin-off from Doctor Who

Channels debuts

New channels

Date	Channel
11 March	CITV
	ITV4
19 April	ITV Play
15 May	BBC HD
22 May	Sky HD
15 October	Five Life
16 October	Five US
November	Channel 4 on Demand (Internet Only)

Changes of network affiliation

Show	Moved from	Moved to
The Paul O'Grady Show	ITV	Channel 4
Thomas & Friends	ITV	Five
Lost	Channel 4	Sky One
Family Guy	BBC2 (first run rights)	BBC Three

Television shows

Returning this year after a break of one year or longer

Programme	Date(s) of original removal	Original channel	Date(s) of return	New channel(s)
Family Fortunes	7 June 1985 6 December 2002	ITV1	27 June 1987 28 October 2006	N/A (Same channel as original)
Bullseye	1995	ITV1	2006	Challenge
Jackanory	1996	CBBC	2006	N/A (Same channel as original)
Finders Keepers	1 March 1985 6 August 1996	CITV	12 April 1991 6 January 2006	N/A (Same channel as original)
Born to Be Different	2004	Channel 4	2006	N/A (Same channel as original)

1950s

• Panorama (1953–present).
• What the Papers Say (1956–2008).
• The Sky at Night (1957–present).
• Blue Peter (1958–present).
• Grandstand (1958–2007).

1960s

• Coronation Street (1960–present).
• Songs of Praise (1961–present).
• Doctor Who (1963–1989, 1996, 2005–present).
• Match of the Day (1964–present).
• The Money Programme (1966–present).

1970s

• Emmerdale (1972–present).
• Newsround (1972–present).
• Last of the Summer Wine (1973–2010).
• Arena (1975–present).
• Top Gear (1977–2001, 2002–present).
• Grange Hill (1978–2008).
• Antiques Roadshow (1979–present).
• Question Time (1979–present)

1980s

• Postman Pat (1981, 1991, 1996, 2004–present)
• Timewatch (1982–present)
• The Bill (1984–2010)
• Thomas & Friends (1984–present)
• EastEnders (1985–present)
• Comic Relief (1986–present)
• Casualty (1986–present)
• ChuckleVision (1987–present)
• Fireman Sam (1987–1994, 2005–present)
• This Morning (1988–present)

1990s

• Have I Got News for You (1990–present)
• Hollyoaks (1995–present)
• Silent Witness (1996–present)
• Midsomer Murders (1997–present)
• Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? (1998–present)
• Bob The Builder (1998–present).
• Bremner, Bird and Fortune (1999–present)

2000s

• The Weakest Link (2000–2012)
• Popworld (2001–2007)
• Real Crime (2001–present)
• I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here! (2002–present)
• Harry Hill's TV Burp (2002–2012)
• Spooks (2002–present)
• Top Gear (2002–present)
• The Daily Politics (2003–present)
• Peep Show (2003–present)
• The Politics Show (2003–present)
• QI (2003–present)
• The Royal (2003–2011)
• This Week (2003–present)
• Strictly Come Dancing (2004–present)
• Sea of Souls (2004–2007)
• Supernanny (2004–2008, 2010–present)
• Shameless (2004–present)
• The X Factor (2004–present)
• More4 News (2005—2009)
• Love Soup (2005–2008)
• Deal or No Deal (2005–present)
• Sunday AM (2005–present)

Ending this year

Date(s)	Show	Channel(s)	Debut(s)
Unknown	Muffin the Mule	CBeebies	1946 & 2005
11 March	Dick and Dom in da Bungalow	CBBC	2002
14 April	Finders Keepers	CBBC & CITV	1981, 1991 & 2006
	Footballers' Wives	ITV	2002
9 June	They Think It's All Over	BBC	1995
30 June	Coach Trip	Channel 4	2005
30 July & 25 December	Top of the Pops	BBC	1964
10 September	My Hero	BBC	2000
22 November	Afterlife	ITV	2005
23 December	Stars in Their Eyes	ITV	1990
27 December	The Biggest Loser	Sky	2005

Deaths

• 28 January - Henry McGee, 76, actor (The Benny Hill Show)
• 24 March - Lynne Perrie, 75, actress (Ivy Tilsley in Coronation Street)
• 25 June - Kenneth Griffith, 84, actor and documentary film-maker
• 8 July - Peter Hawkins, 82, actor and voice artist (Doctor Who)
• 5 September -
  • Hilary Mason, 89, actress (Maid Marian and her Merry Men)
  • Anne Gregg, 66, travel writer and television presenter
• 16 October - Ross Davidson, 57, actor (Andy O'Brien in EastEnders)

References

Years in television: 2006
Template:TV countries/2006

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