1949 in British television

This is a list of British television related events from 1949.

Events[]

January – June[]

• No events.

July[]

• July – BBC Television revives the regular televised weather forecast.^[1]

August[]

• No events.

September[]

• 29 September – The BBC Television Service first broadcasts Come Dancing, a TV ballroom dancing competition show.

October[]

• 26 October – How Do You View?, the first comedy series on British television, starring Terry-Thomas, is first broadcast.

November[]

• No events.

December[]

• 17 December – The Sutton Coldfield television transmitter is opened in the Midlands, making it the first part of the UK outside London to receive the BBC Television Service.
• 31 December – BBC television ends the day with a brief live broadcast of 20 sleeping babies in St Thomas' Hospital, London.^[2]

Debuts[]

• 29 September – Come Dancing (1949–1998)
• 26 October – How Do You View? (1949–1953)

Continuing television shows[]

1920s[]

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

1930s[]

• Picture Page (1936–1939, 1946–1952).
• For the Children (1937–1939, 1946–1950)
• The Boat Race (1938–1939, 1946–2019)
• BBC Cricket (1939, 1946–1999, 2020–2024)

1940s[]

• Kaleidoscope (1946–1953)
• Muffin the Mule (1946–1955, 2005–2006)
• Café Continental (1947–1953)
• Television Newsreel (1948–1954)

Births[]

• 13 March – David Neilson, actor
• 30 March – Sue Cook, broadcaster and author
• 29 April – Anita Dobson, actress
• 2 May – Alan Titchmarsh, gardener and television presenter
• 13 May – Zoë Wanamaker, American-born actress
• 21 May – Andrew Neil, Scottish journalist and broadcaster
• 22 May – Cheryl Campbell, film, television and stage actor
• 5 July – Sue Robbie, television presenter
• 16 August – John McArdle, actor
• 25 August – Ross Davidson, actor (died 2006)
• 2 September – Moira Stuart, broadcast presenter
• 10 September – Freddy Marks, actor, singer and musician (died 2021)
• 19 September – Twiggy, model and television presenter
• 23 September – Floella Benjamin, Trinidad-born children's tv presenter and actress
• 6 October – Sarah Cullen, television and radio journalist (died 2012)
• 20 October – Jane Tucker, actress, singer and musician
• 12 December – Bill Nighy, actor
• 13 December – Robert Lindsay, actor
• David Stafford, writer and broadcaster

Deaths[]

• 10 June – Sir Frederick Ogilvie, Director General of the BBC, 57

See also[]

• 1949 in British music
• 1949 in the United Kingdom
• List of British films of 1949

References[]