The adventures of The Doctor, a time-traveling humanoid alien known as a Time Lord. He explores the universe in his TARDIS, a sentient time-traveling spaceship. Its exterior appears as a blue British police box, which was a common sight in Britain in 1963 when the series first aired. Along with a succession of companions, The Doctor faces a variety of foes while working to save civilizations, help ordinary people, and right many wrongs.
The World's Greatest Classical Music Festival. The BBC Proms is a classical music festival held every summer at the Royal Albert Hall in London, and in recent years has explored an innovative series of Proms around the UK with concerts in all four nations. Its aim: to bring the best in classical music to the widest possible audience, which remains true to founder-conductor Henry Wood’s original vision in 1895. Whether you are a classical connoisseur or think classical music isn’t for you, there is something for everyone in the eight-week stretch of concerts.
The Sooty Show is a British children's Puppet series which aired on the BBC from 1955 to 1967 and ITV from 1968 to 1992. It follows the adventures and comedic day to day life of puppets Sooty, Sweep and Soo with their owner Harry Corbett, and in later years, his son Matthew.
BBC anthology drama series that ran over four seasons and replaced the previous BBC Sunday Night Theatre series.
A fun-packed and informative magazine show for younger viewers with information and reports from around the world.
Live performances from much-loved music stars, alongside the BBC Concert Orchestra, at the BBC's Maida Vale Studios.
A for Andromeda is a British television science fiction drama serial produced and broadcast by the BBC. Written by cosmologist Fred Hoyle, in conjunction with author and television producer John Elliot, the series aired in seven parts from 3 October to 14 November 1961. In the not-too-distant future of 1970, a mysterious signal from space arrives with instructions to build a powerful super-computer. Once completed, the evice's motives provokes discourse between scientists John Fleming and Madeleine Dawnay as further instructions are to create a living organism, which Dawnay develops. The entity compels lab assistant Christine to commit suicide, and, upon manifestation, adopts her form, now known as Andromeda. The first major role for actress Julie Christie (Christine/Andromeda), only one episode survives, along with extracts from other episodes. It has been remade twice: by RAI in 1972 and by the BBC in 2006. A sequel, The Andromeda Breakthrough, aired in 1962.
Crackerjack was a British children's comedy/variety BBC television series. It started on 14 September 1955 and ran for over 400 shows, first in black and white and later in colour, until 21 December 1984. It was revived in 2020 on CBBC.
Anthology series telling suspenseful tales.
Set in the near future against the background of a British space programme, the story of the first crewed flight into space, supervised by Professor Bernard Quatermass of the British Experimental Rocket Group.
Playbox was a British children's television show that ran on BBC from 1955 to 1964. Presenters who appeared on it included Eamonn Andrews, Rolf Harris, Tony Hart, Cliff Michelmore and Johnny Morris
Studio 4 is a BBC drama anthology series, filmed at the BBC TV Centre's Studio Four, and screening over two seasons in 1962. The series was envisaged as a sequel to Storyboard, an anthology series which had been transmitted the previous year.
The first BBC TV version was presented as an 8 part x 30mins. serial between 6 Feb 1951 and 27 Mar 1951. The original production was broadcast live from the Children's TV studio at Lime Grove. There was one transmission during the week with a live repeat, often with a totally different crew, on Sundays. In those days, the amount of telecine (film inserts) was relatively small, so there was great pressure on the actors and the camera crews.
...Not very long ago, in the top left-hand corner of Wales, there was a railway. It wasn't a very long railway or a very important railway, but it was called The Merioneth and Llantisilly Rail Traction Company Limited, and it was all there was. And in a shed, in a siding at the end of the railway, lives the Locomotive of the Merioneth and Llantisilly Rail Traction Company Limited, which was a long name for a little engine so his friends just called him Ivor..." ...And that was how it began, back in 1959: one of Oliver Postgate's most loved creations, Ivor the Engine. It was a series about the Welsh adventures of a little green railway engine and his many friends. But Ivor wasn't an ordinary steam engine. He pretty much wished he was a person and ended up doing things like singing in a choir and swimming in the sea! One season of six, 10 minute, Black and White films was made for and screened by Associated-Red.
An adaptation of the novel The Three Hostages by John Buchan.
Marie-Hélène Ronsin, a young French teenager, is on her first trip to England as an au pair. Speaking some English, but very shy, she lives with a family in Brighton, and faces the challenges of culture shock.
Starlight was an early British television programme, one of the first regular series to be broadcast by the BBC Television Service during the 1930s. Its first edition was broadcast on 3 November 1936 – the day after the service had officially begun – and it continued to be broadcast until the suspension of television for the duration of the Second World War during 1939. After the resumption of BBC television during 1946, Starlight was one of the few pre-war programmes to be reinstated, and it was broadcast for a further three years until 1949. A variety show, the programmes would feature comedians, singers, dancers and various other entertainment acts. One notable edition of the 1930s gave popular singer Gracie Fields her first ever television appearance. As with all other BBC programmes of the time, Starlight was transmitted live from the studios at Alexandra Palace. The shows were not recorded, and no material other than still photographs exists for the series now.
Family Affairs was the first television serial broadcast by BBC Television.
Based on the diaries of the naval adiminister Samuel Pepys, it portrays life at the court of Charles II during the 1660s.
A BBC television series of forty-five-minute excerpts from stage plays running in London.
