This is a list of events that took place in 2008 related to British television.
Events
January
February
Date |
Event |
6 February |
BBC announces that children's drama Grange Hill is to be axed after exactly 30 years on air. |
7 February |
In an address to the Royal Television Society, the comedian Lenny Henry criticises the lack of ethnic diversity in the media.[6] |
8 February |
After 22 years Neighbours is shown on BBC One for the last time. |
11 February |
Australian soap opera Neighbours debuts in its new home on Five. |
12 February |
The BBC Three "Blobs" are played out for the last time at 4 am. A new set of idents debuted the same day, this is the channels first ever rebrand since launching in early 2003. |
18 February |
Natasha Kaplinsky makes her Five News debut as Britain's highest paid newsreader, on a reported annual salary of £1 million.[7] |
20 February |
It is announced that music video channel The Hits will be replaced by 4Music later in the year. |
25 February |
BBC One soap EastEnders is reprimanded by Ofcom for the level of violence in an episode aired in November 2007 which saw a gang attack on a pub. The scenes, which showed a sustained level of violence, were deemed to be inappropriate for a pre-watershed audience.[8] |
27 February |
Launch of the black entertainment channel BET International. |
28 February |
James Nathan wins the 2008 series of MasterChef.[9] |
March
April
May
Date |
Event |
6 May |
Freesat officially launches. ITV HD launches its full service. |
19 May |
Kix! was launched in the UK for the first time. |
22 May |
Scotsport airs for the last time on Scottish television. By the time it ended it was recognised as the world's longest running sports television magazine. |
24 May |
After Britain's entry in the 2008 Eurovision Song Contest comes last, Sir Terry Wogan suggests he may step down as the BBC's Eurovision commentator because the contest is "no longer a music contest". Andy Abraham receives 14 points for the United Kingdom with "Even If", while the contest is won by Russia's Dima Bilan with "Believe", which scores 292 points. The result is partially due to the number of former Soviet states giving Russia the maximum 12 points, prompting Wogan to tell viewers that "Russia were going to be the political winners from the beginning" and to suggest "western European participants have to decide whether they want to take part from here on in because their prospects are poor".[19] |
29 May |
It is announced that What the Papers Say, the second longest running programme on British television after Panorama, is to be axed by the BBC. |
30 May |
Several newspapers report that George Galloway, MP has issued legal proceedings against The Bill for defamation after a storyline aired in November 2007 that featured a corrupt MP who smuggled antiques out of Iraq before the war, which Galloway alleges was a portrayal of him.[20][21][22] |
ITV airs the 5000th episode of Emmerdale.[23] |
31 May |
Jodie Prenger will play the role of Nancy in the West End musical Oliver! after winning BBC One's I'd Do Anything.[24] |
Break dancer George Sampson wins the second series of Britain's Got Talent, netting a £100,000 prize and a chance to perform at the Royal Variety Performance.[25] |
June
Date |
Event |
3 June |
All Virgin Media channels including Bravo (also Bravo 2), Living (also Living2), Challenge, Trouble and Virgin 1 switch to widescreen. |
4 June |
MTV UK and several other MTV Networks Europe channels are fined £255,000 by Ofcom for "widespread and persistent" breaches of the broadcasting code, including breaking the pre-watershed content ban. |
5 June |
The Big Brother 9 launch night proves to be not as good as Channel 4 had hoped with the loss of around 1 million viewers who had watched the previous year's launch night |
6 June |
Sharon Osbourne quits as a judge on the ITV series The X Factor shortly before filming is due to begin on a new series.[26] |
7–29 June |
Euro 2008 are held in Austria and Switzerland. |
9 June |
Channel 4 apologises after broadcasting an episode of The Simpsons that included the use of the word "wankers" at 6.00 pm on 15 April. The incident, blamed on an administrative error, led to 31 viewers complaining to Ofcom that such language was unacceptable at a time when children would be watching.[27] |
10 June |
Girls Aloud singer Cheryl Cole is revealed as Sharon Osbourne's replacement as a judge on The X Factor.[28] |
11 June |
Lee McQueen wins the fourth series of The Apprentice.[29] |
17 June |
Comedian Joan Rivers is asked to leave the ITV afternoon talk show Loose Women after swearing live on air. She was removed during the commercial break, and said that she didn't realise the show was going out live and thought her comments would be bleeped.[30] |
23 June |
An EastEnders storyline involving the live burial of a character that aired over Easter is criticised as "offensive" by Ofcom. The scenes, which saw Tanya Branning getting revenge against her unfaithful husband Max by drugging and burying him, attracted 116 complaints from viewers. Ofcom says the episodes had "a seriously disturbing element to them".[31] |
July
Date |
Event |
5 July |
The finale of the fourth series of Doctor Who is watched by 9.4 million viewers, this is the first time since the series' revival in 2005 that Doctor Who has the largest audience share in its timeslot. |
22 July |
BBC Two Controller Roly Keating is appointed as the BBC's first director of archive content. He will take up the role in the autumn.[32] |
23 July |
Des O'Connor announces that he will step down as presenter of Countdown.[33] |
Portland Enterprises, owners of Television X: The Fantasy Channel are fined £25,000 by Ofcom for broadcasting "highly explicit sex material" after showing an R18 rated adult film in June 2007, something that broke Ofcom rules on the broadcast of adult content.[34] |
Former Spice Girl Emma Bunton is named as a temporary co-presenter of Richard & Judy, presenting the show alongside Richard Madeley for a few days while his wife, Judy Finnigan recovers from a knee operation.[35] Bunton is succeeded by Myleene Klass, who also takes on Finnegan's role for a few days.[36] |
25 July |
Carol Vorderman announces that she will quit as host of Countdown, two days after Des O'Connor announced his intention to leave the programme. Vorderman's manager said that she did not think she could go through the process of bonding with another co-presenter.[37] |
Liz McClarnon wins the 2008 series of Celebrity MasterChef.[38] |
August
September
Date |
Event |
1 September |
Selina Scott is suing Five for age discrimination, it is reported, after she was considered but overlooked as a temporary replacement for Five News presenter Natasha Kaplinsky during her maternity leave.[40] |
5 September |
Rachel Rice wins series nine of Big Brother.[41] |
8 September |
A report by the Scottish Broadcasting Commission recommends that up to £75 million of public funds should be used to create a high quality Scottish television channel.[42] |
18 September |
BBC One screens its controversial documentary The Undercover Soldier that alleges instances of bullying in the British Army.[43][44] The show attracts relatively low ratings and the BBC is criticised by serving soldiers for the way the investigation was conducted.[45] |
19 September |
BBC Alba, a Scottish Gaelic language digital television channel, is launched through a partnership between the BBC and MG Alba. |
October
November
Date |
Event |
4 November |
It is announced that an agreement has been struck for Sky's Basic channels – including Sky1, Sky2, Sky3, Sky News, Sky Sports News, Sky Arts 1, Sky Arts 2, Sky Real Lives and Sky Real Lives 2 – to return to Virgin Media from 13 November 2008 until 12 June 2011. In exchange Sky will be provide continued carriage of Virgin Media Television's channels – Living, Living2, Bravo, Bravo +1, Trouble, Challenge and Virgin1 for the same period.[48] However, Trouble closed down on April 2009 and Sky brought Virgin Media Television (later Living TV Group) two years later. Bravo, Bravo 2, Challenge Jackpot and Channel One closed down on 1 January and 1 February 2011 respectively, along with the rebrandings of Living (now Sky Living), Livingit (then Livingit, now Sky Livingit), Living Loves (now Sky Living Loves) and Challenge's new slot on Freeview on 1 February 2011, which finally ended Living TV Group and extended the agreement as a permanent deal. |
5 November |
A BBC Two Newsnight special on the election of Barack Obama in which presenter Jeremy Paxman famously addresses the rapper Dizzee Rascal as "Mr Rascal".[49][50] |
6 November |
The digital switchover continues when the Scottish Borders region's analogue service is switched off. People served by the Selkirk transmitter will be the first substantial area to go fully digital. |
12–13 November |
ITV airs Proof of Life, a two-part episode of The Bill to celebrate the series' 25th anniversary. The storyline features a crrossover with the German police procedural SOKO Leipzig, and is aired on both UK and German television. |
13 November |
BSkyB basic channels such as Sky 1 and Sky News return to Virgin Media TV. |
14 November |
Children in Need 2008 is broadcast on BBC One, hosted by Terry Wogan, Tess Daly and Fearne Cotton. Raising £20,991,216 by the end of the broadcast. |
19 November |
Journalist John Sergeant pulls out of BBC One's Strictly Come Dancing contest following controversy over his participation in the show. Sergeant has been consistently supported by the public despite receiving the lowest scores from the programme's panel of judges. Announcing his decision, Sergeant says winning would be "a joke too far". The BBC says it will refund anyone who voted for Sergeant while he was taking part.[51] |
20 November |
Sir Trevor McDonald presents his last News at Ten after only 11 months at helm. Mark Austin takes over as head anchor. |
QI broadcasts its last episode to be originally shown on BBC Two, as part of Children in Need. The series moves to BBC One during Christmas. |
21 November |
It is announced that Sky Sports presenter Jeff Stelling and Oxford graduate Rachel Riley will replace Des O'Connor and Carol Vorderman as hosts of the next series of Countdown. Riley beat 1,000 applicants to win the role.[52] |
The BBC Trust criticises another incident involving Jonathan Ross and bad language. The Trust rules that a remark made by Ross on an edition of Friday Night with Jonathan Ross aired in May in which he told the actress Gwyneth Paltrow he "would fuck her" was "gratuitous and unnecessarily offensive".[53] |
STV announces its intention to opt out of ITV programmes they claim are not performing well in their broadcast region. These include series such as Sharpe's Peril, Al Murray's Happy Hour, Moving Wallpaper, Benidorm and The Alan Titchmarsh Show. ITV's coverage of the FA Cup is also dropped. |
December
Date |
Event |
5 December |
Selina Scott has reached a settlement with Five after suing the channel for age discrimination, it is reported.[54] |
Actor Joe Swash wins the eighth series of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!.[55] |
It is announced that Graham Norton will take over from Terry Wogan as the presenter of the Eurovision Song Contest after Wogan, who has presented the BBC's coverage of the contest for 30 years, decided to relinquish the role.[56] |
12 December |
Des O'Connor presents his last Countdown episode after over a year of presenting and Carol Vorderman also presents her last Countdown episode after 26 years of co-presenting. |
13 December |
Alexandra Burke wins the fifth series of The X Factor.[57] |
14 December |
Cyclist Chris Hoy is named as this year's BBC Sports Personality of the Year.[58] |
20 December |
Tom Chambers and dancing partner Camilla Dallerup win the sixth series of Strictly Come Dancing.[59] |
25 December |
The Royle Family returns for a Christmas Special, attracting an audience of 11 million. The most watched show of the day is a new Wallace and Gromit adventure, A Matter of Loaf and Death, which airs on BBC One, and is seen by 14.4 million viewers.[60] |
30 December |
Shooting Stars returns with a Christmas special and a clip show, the first new episodes since 2002 and Rab C. Nesbitt returns with a Christmas special, the another new episode since 1999.[61] |
31 December |
ITV airs Elton's New Year's Eve party, a live concert by Elton John from London's O2 Arena. Channel 5 airs an evening of programming dedicated to Bruce Forsyth, including An Audience with Bruce Forsyth.[62] |
Debuts
BBC One
BBC Two
BBC Three
BBC Four
ITV (1/2/3/4/CITV)
Channel 4
Five
E4
Sky1
Watch
Dave
FX
Changes of network affiliation
- ^1 It later moved to CITV in early 2009 for brand newer series and then in late 2012 back to Channel 5.
Channels
New channels
Defunct channels
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Rebranding channels
Date |
Old Name |
New Name |
28 April |
Five Life |
Fiver |
31 August |
Sky One |
Sky 1 |
Sky Two |
Sky 2 |
Sky Three |
Sky3 |
7 October |
UKTV Drama |
Alibi |
UKTV Drama +1 |
Alibi +1 |
UKTV Gold |
G.O.L.D. |
UKTV Gold +1 |
G.O.L.D. +1 |
Television shows
Returning this year after a break of one year or longer
1950s
1960s
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000s
Ending this year
Deaths
Date |
Name |
Age |
Cinematic Credibility |
3 January |
Natasha Collins |
31 |
Presenter |
Jack Aranson |
83 |
Actor |
5 January |
Rowan Ayers |
85 |
Television Producer (Late Night Line-Up, Old Grey Whistle Test, Points of View) |
17 January |
Carole Lynne |
89 |
Actress, widow of Baron Delfont |
22 January |
Diane Chenery-Wickens |
48 |
Television make-up artist |
Kevin Stoney |
86 |
Actor |
26 January |
John Ardagh |
79 |
journalist and author |
30 January |
Jeremy Beadle |
59 |
Presenter (Game for a Laugh, Beadle's About, Chain Letters, You've Been Framed) |
2 February |
Barry Morse |
89 |
Actor (The Fugitive, Space: 1999) |
Edward Wilson |
60 |
Actor (When the Boat Comes In) director of the National Youth Theatre |
19 February |
David Watkin |
82 |
Cinematographer |
Emily Perry |
100 |
Actress |
8 March |
Carol Barnes |
63 |
Former ITN newscaster |
16 March |
John Hewer |
86 |
Actor |
19 March |
Paul Scofield |
20 March |
Brian Wilde |
80 |
Actor (Last of the Summer Wine, Porridge) |
25 March |
Tony Church |
77 |
Actor |
27 March |
Ronnie Letham |
58 |
2 April |
Sir Geoffrey Cox |
97 |
Founder of ITN News at Ten |
7 April |
Mark Speight |
42 |
Presenter (SMart, Scratchy & Co) |
10 April |
Francis Coleman |
84 |
Canadian-born British conductor, television producer and director |
11 April |
Willoughby Goddard |
81 |
Actor |
15 April |
Hazel Court |
82 |
Actress (The Masque of the Red Death, The Raven) |
24 April |
Tristram Cary |
82 |
Film and television composer |
25 April |
Humphrey Lyttelton |
86 |
Jazz musician, broadcaster (Host of I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue) |
1 May |
Bernard Archard |
91 |
Actor |
Terry Duggan |
76 |
Comedian and actor |
13 May |
Jill Adams |
77 |
Actress |
14 May |
Frith Banbury |
96 |
Stage director and actor |
16 May |
David Mitton |
69 |
British TV animator/producer and director (Thomas & Friends) |
17 May |
Wilfrid Mellers |
94 |
Composer and author |
John Fitzsimmons |
68 |
Roman Catholic priest and broadcaster |
20 May |
Iona Banks |
87 |
Actress |
Margot Boyd |
94 |
Actress (Marjorie Antrobus on The Archers) |
23 May |
Alan Brien |
83 |
Journalist and critic |
24 May |
Rob Knox |
18 |
Actor |
Alan Towers[63] |
73 |
Journalist and television presenter (Midlands Today) |
30 May |
Chris Morgan |
55 |
Journalist |
Mike Scott |
75 |
Television Producer, Presenter (The Time, The Place) |
4 June |
Jonathan Routh |
80 |
Co-star (Candid Camera) |
5 June |
Angus Calder |
66 |
Historian and writer |
10 June |
David Brierly |
73 |
Actor (Voice of K-9 on Doctor Who) |
26 June |
Tony Melody |
85 |
Actor |
2 July |
Elizabeth Spriggs |
78 |
Stage, Television and Film Actress (Sense and Sensibility, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone) |
3 July |
Clive Hornby |
63 |
Actor (Emmerdale) |
4 July |
Charles Wheeler |
85 |
Journalist, longest serving BBC foreign correspondent |
7 July |
Hugh Mendl |
88 |
Record producer |
14 July |
Hugh Lloyd |
85 |
Actor (Hancock's Half Hour) |
Bryan Cowgill |
81 |
Executive |
27 July |
Bob Crampsey |
78 |
Sportscaster |
30 July |
Peter Coke |
95 |
Actor and Playwright (Paul Temple) |
Jon Miller |
87 |
Television presenter |
6 August |
Jennifer Hilary |
65 |
Actress |
7 August |
Simon Gray |
71 |
Playwright |
10 August |
Terence Rigby |
Actor |
John Esmonde |
British scriptwriter (The Good Life) |
11 August |
Bill Cotton |
80 |
BBC Television executive |
18 August |
Bob Humphrys |
56 |
Sports presenter (BBC Cymru Wales), Brother of John Humphrys |
29 August |
Geoffrey Perkins |
55 |
Producer |
31 August |
Ken Campbell |
66 |
Actor |
8 September |
Celia Gregory |
58 |
Actress |
19 September |
David Jones |
74 |
Theatre and Film director |
20 September |
William Fox |
97 |
Actor |
1 October |
Ian Collier |
87 |
Actor and Singer |
4 October |
Peter Vansittart |
88 |
Writer |
7 October |
Peter Copley |
93 |
Actor |
8 October |
Bob Friend |
70 |
Sky News presenter |
11 October |
Mark Shivas |
Film and television producer |
Russ Hamilton |
76 |
Singer |
18 October |
Peter Gordeno |
69 |
Actor, Singer and Dancer |
20 October |
John Ringham |
80 |
Actor |
22 October |
David Lloyd Meredith |
74 |
25 October |
John Axon |
48 |
31 October |
John Daly |
71 |
Film producer |
11 November |
Jack Scott |
85 |
BBC Weatherman |
16 November |
Reg Varney |
92 |
Actor (On the Buses, The Rag Trade) |
25 November |
Dudley Savage |
88 |
Radio Presenter |
8 December |
Bob Spiers |
63 |
Television director |
Oliver Postgate |
83 |
Animator |
13 December |
Kathy Staff |
80 |
Actress (Last of the Summer Wine, Crossroads) |
18 December |
Jack Douglas |
81 |
Actor |
Top 10 highest viewed programmes
Notes
- A Matter of Loaf and Death is the highest viewed non-sporting event since an episode of Coronation Street in 2004 had 16.33 million.
- Coronation Street's audience was boosted due to the death of long running and popular character Vera Duckworth.
- The results shows of The X Factor and Britain's Got Talent are counted as separate programmes.
References
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