The BBC announces details of Just the Two of Us, a singing contest following the Strictly Come Dancing format that will air in February and March. Vernon Kay and Tess Daly will present the series which will pair celebrities with professional singers, who will then compete to become series champion.[7]
16 January
To coincide with the introduction of a new identity across ITV plc stations, UTV replaces its 2003 idents with a brand new set.[8] The new idents featured newly recorded films shot across Northern Ireland, again in the form of panoramas.[8] The landscape films used in these idents are updated in July 2007 and October 2008.
27 January
Chantelle Houghton, a model from Essex wins the fourth series of Celebrity Big Brother after entering the series as a "fake" celebrity. In order to remain as a contestant she was required to convince the other participants that she was a famous singer.[9]
February[]
Date
Event
8 February
Channel 4 confirms that its pay-per-view movie channel FilmFour will go Free-to-air from July, when it will launch on Freeview.[10]
10 February
The events of the 2006 Winter Olympics start broadcasting worldwide.
14 February
Coronation Street bosses defend their decision to film a storyline involving a car breaking down on Saddleworth Moor, scene of the 1960s Moors murders, saying the plot has nothing to do with the events that occurred there.[11]
15 February
BBC One debuts Davina, a chat show presented by Davina McCall. Guests on the first edition include Charlotte Church, Tess Daly and Vernon Kay.[12] The show proves to be a disaster, with The Guardian's Gareth Maclean noting that McCall "found herself floundering and foundering, struggling through [interviews], and exposing herself in a way from which even the hardiest flasher would recoil", while Jonathan Ross blames a poor guest line up. The 8 March edition gives BBC One its worst ever peak time ratings of 2.75 million.[13][14] By the time the show ends on 12 April ratings have fallen to below 2.5 million. It is axed shortly afterwards.[15][16]
19 February
Channel 4 airs the penultimate and final episode of Gene Simmons' Rock School where the band Hoax UK (formerly No Coment) opened for Judas Priest at Long Beach Arena. Members included the late Lil' Chris, Ellie Chapman, Samanie Warren-Close, Sammi Reeve, Lindsey Rose, Jess Reid and others.
The events of the 2006 Winter Olympics end broadcasting worldwide.
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.
March[]
Date
Event
2 March
Charlie Brooker's ...wipe series debuts on BBC4, starting with the first episode of Screenwipe which still is a rival to ITV's Harry Hill's TV Burp.
Actress Gaynor Faye and professional skating partner Daniel Whiston win the first series of Dancing on ice.[19]
Tony Blair becomes the first serving Prime Minister to be interviewed by Michael Parkinson on his chat show. Blair volunteers the information that he believes he will be judged by God for the Iraq War.[20]
ITV launches a CITV channel, which broadcasts during the downtime hours of ITV4, replacing the ITV News Channel.[22]
18 March
Christopher Napier, performing as George Formby wins the fourth and final junior series of Stars in Their Eyes. The programme continues with a number of special editions during 2006, before a final celebrity special on 23 December.
Coronation Street bosses dismiss as untrue media reports that the child actress who plays the soap's Amy Barlow is being replaced because her parents felt her storylines were "too harrowing", and her workload too heavy.[23]
24 March
ITV announces plans to air World of Chat, a show on ITV2 featuring the best from chatshows around the world.[24]
25–26 March
UKTV Gold presents its Mitchells Weekend to coincide with the return of Grant Mitchell (Ross Kemp) to EastEnders. The weekend includes The Mitchells – The Full Story, a documentary about the soap family presented by actress Kim Medcalf.[25]
April[]
Date
Event
3 April
Graham Norton will present How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?, a TV talent search for an actress to play Maria in a stage production of The Sound of Music, it is announced.[26]
7 April
12.6 million viewers watch long-running Coronation Street character Mike Baldwin die in the arms of his long-time rival, Ken Barlow. Baldwin, played by Johnny Briggs, had been in the show for 30 years.[27]
17 April
Peter Bayless wins the 2006 series of MasterChef Goes Large.
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
The Queen celebrates her 80th birthday at Windsor. The Prince of Wales makes a televised address in tribute.
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.
ITV secures the terrestrial television screening rights to Casino Royale, the new James Bond film that will be released in November.[28] The film receives its terrestrial television premiere on 19 September 2009.[29]
The BBC announces that Grandstand, its flagship sports TV programme, will be phased out within the next year after nearly 50 years on air.[30]
May[]
Date
Event
5 May
The BBC's local election coverage goes off air shortly before 3:00 am, 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
ITV1 broadcasts the network premiere of Peter Pan.
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.[31]
10 May
Former supermarket cashier Michelle Dewberry wins the second series of The Apprentice and a £100,000 a year job working for Sir Alan Sugar.[32]
14 May
Producers of Coronation Street confirm that Debra Stephenson, who plays Frankie Baldwin, will be leaving the soap at the end of the year.[33]
15 May
BBC High Definition Television Trial commences.
The University of Manchester wins the 2005–06 series of University Challenge, beating Trinity Hall, Cambridge 160–150.
18 May
Channel 4 airs the first ever Big Brother episode to be shot in 16:9 widescreen.
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.[34]
Finland's Lordi win the 2006 Eurovision Song Contest with "Hard Rock Hallelujah".
ITV airs The Princes' Trust 30th Birthday Concert Live which was a 4 hour fundraiser telethon that included an outdoor concert, royal interviews and studio-based sketches.
22 May
BSkyB launch High-definition television in the UK under the brand Sky HD.
26 May
UTV changes its registered company name from 'Ulster Television plc' to 'UTV plc', the company's belief being that the existing name no longer reflected the full scope of the company's business.[35]
27 May
The BBC's first scheduled HDTV broadcast on BBC HD.
28 May
It was announced that the traditional live Saturday morning kids' programmes was to be axed after 38 years on either channels, ending on July 1. This is because children had more choice to digital multichannels and ITV would rival Saturday Kitchen with Saturday Cooks!.
30 May
Scottish and Grampian are rebranded as STV Central and STV North respectively.
June[]
Date
Event
4 June
Coronation Street confirms that Richard Fleeshman, who plays Craig Harris, will be leaving the soap to follow a singing career.[36]
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–9 July
Live coverage of the 2006 FIFA World Cup is aired by the BBC and ITV.
15 June
The BBC announces that Billie Piper will leave her role as Rose Tyler on Doctor Who at the end of the second series the following month.[38]
19 June
BBC One Controller Peter Fincham announces that They Think It's All Over will not be recommissioned for a new series, ending a run of eleven years on air.[39]
20 June
The BBC announces that Top of the Pops will be axed, the final show airing on 30 July.[40]
18.46 million watch England vs Sweden in the 2006 FIFA World Cup, the highest rated programme of the year.
24 June
James Martin presented his first edition of Saturday Kitchen, taking over from Antony Worrall Thompson who had moved to ITV with rival show Saturday Cooks!.
26 June–9 July
Live coverage of the Wimbledon 2006 is aired by the BBC with the first Wimbledon season to be shot in 16:9 widescreen.
July[]
Date
Event
1 July
The last live Saturday morning regular-based children's show Holly and Stephens Saturday Showdown was aired for the very last time after 38 years of broadcasting Saturday morning kids' shows on both channels. They have been replaced by cookery programmes ever since.
5 July
Actress Freema Agyeman is announced as the new Doctor Who companion Martha Jones replacing Billie Piper's Rose Tyler.[41][42]
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.[43]
16 July
Sarah Lang wins one million pounds in the final of the ITV1 gameshow PokerFace.[44] 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.
Pete Bennett wins series seven of Big Brother.[48]
23 August
ITV secures a deal to sell its 45% stake in Ireland's TV3 for £70m.[49]
Central Tonight presenter Joanne Malin apologises after swearing during a live broadcast from Trentham Gardens in Stoke-on-Trent. Central subsequently claims to have received no viewer complaints as a result of her description of the inclement weather, but Trentham says several people contact them offering the presenter their support.[50]
28 August
Bianca Gascoigne and model Calum Best win the second and final series of Love Island.
September[]
Date
Event
1 September
BBC Entertainment replaces BBC Prime in global markets.
4 September
ITV Lunchtime News now moves to 1.30pm and now returns to run for 30 minutes.
13 September
Ingram Wilcox, a civil servant and quiz show fanatic, has become the fifth person to win the £1 million prize on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, it is reported. The episode showing his win, the first in two and a half years, is aired on 16 September.[51]
16 September
Connie Fisher wins BBC One's How Do You Solve a Problems Like Maria?. She will make her debut in the role in a revival of The Sound of Music at London's Palladium Theatre on 14 November.[52]
18 September
Loose Women now broadcasts weekdays at 12.30pm.
20 September
Top Gear presenter Richard Hammond is seriously injured after crashing a jet-powered car at 280 mph.[53]
BBC One's daytime soap Doctors celebrates its 1000th episode with a one-hour special.[54]
Matt Dawson wins the 2006 series of Celebrity MasterChef.
30 September
1 vs. 100, the National Lottery game show debuts on BBC One.
October[]
Date
Event
5 October
QI publishes its first book: The Book of General Ignorance. The book becomes a No. 1 best-seller for amazon.co.uk.
6 October
The BBC defends presenter Graham Norton after he admits to having taken recreational drugs, including ecstasy in an interview for Marie Claire magazine. Of Norton's revelation the broadcaster says: "The issues that Graham discusses in this interview are aimed at an adult audience and reflect the frank and open nature of his personality".[56]
7 October
After four and a half years, the BBC 'Rhythm & Movement' idents are shown for the final time on BBC One at 1:10 am, as part of a special montage (2:55 am on BBC One Northern Ireland). Their replacements, the 'Circle' idents, debut at 10 am.
12 October
ITV announce that Where the Heart Is will not be commissioned for a new series.[57]
Numberjacks, the 3D children's educational show debuts on CBeebies.
26 October
ITV confirms the axing of its prison drama, Bad Girls after eight series.[59]
29 October
After a six-year absence from television, The Royle Family returns for what is billed as its final episode, an hour-long show titled "The Queen of Sheba".[60]
30 October
In the Grid, a 70-part primetime game show premieres on Five.
31 October
Pop star Madonna appears on Newsnight, where she gives her first British television interview about her controversial adoption of an African baby.[61]
Long running animated series for children Horrid Henry begins on CITV.
November[]
Date
Event
8 November
Virgin Media comes into being when NTL Telewest does a deal to license the Virgin name.[62]
BBC Parliament broadcasts in full screen format for the first time on the Freeview service, having previously only been available in quarter screen format.[63] The BBC eventually found the bandwidth to make the channel full-screen after receiving "thousands of angry and perplexed e-mails and letters",[64] not to mention questions asked by MPs in the Houses of Parliament itself.
14 November
Cadbury announces its intention to end its £10m a year sponsorship deal with Coronation Street after a decade. The current sponsorship contract is due to expire at the end of 2007, but Cadbury says it would end the deal earlier if another sponsor is found.[65]
17 November
Episode eight of Series D of QI is a Children in Need special with Alan Davies, Rich Hall, Jonathan Ross and Phill Jupitus, who discuss the topic of Descendants with presenter Stephen Fry.[66]
24 November
ITV summer tropical reality series Love Island is axed after 2 series, due to poor ratings. The programme would see a successful return in 2015 on ITV2.
27 November
The BBC confirms that the long-running Holiday Programme is being axed after 37 years on air.[67]
28 November
ITV confirms that BBC chairman Michael Grade is to become its chief executive in early 2007.[68]
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.
29 November
After seven and a half years on air, Jungle Run airs its last episode.
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.
Equestrian Zara Phillips is named as this year's BBC Sports Personality of the Year, following her mother, Anne, Princess Royal, who won the title in 1971.[70]
13 December
The Berwick-upon-Tweed transmitter transfers from Border to Tyne Tees as part of the preparations for the digital switchover of the Border region in 2008.[71]
16 December
At 5.30am BBC Two airs the final Open University course-related television broadcast. With Open University course content now available through media such as podcasts and DVDs it is no longer necessary for the programmes to be aired on television and radio. However, the Open University continues to make programming for a broader audience, with series including Coast, Child of Our Time and .[72][73]
Leona Lewis wins the third civilian series of The X Factor, becoming the ITV show's first female winner. It was also the last edition to be presented by Kate Thornton who was replaced by Dermot O'Leary the following year.[74]
19 December
Following the success of How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?, BBC One announces plans for Any Dream Will Do, a follow up series that will search for someone to play Joseph in the West End musical, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat.[75]
22 December
Desmond Lynam presents his last Channel 4's Countdown after over a year of presenting
Cricketer Mark Ramprakash and his dancing partner Karen Hardy win the fourth series of Strictly Come Dancing.[76]
Stars in Their Eyes ends, with the last special celebrity episode presented by Cat Deeley; it was due to the fact that she had moved to the USA by that point. The show was revived in 2015, fronted by Harry Hill.
24 December
Christmas Eve highlights on BBC One include Calendar Girls, a film starring Helen Mirren and Julie Walters along with an ensemble cast.[77]
25 December
Actress Wendy Richard makes her final appearance in EastEnders after her character, Pauline Fowler, is killed off in a dramatic storyline. She had been in the show since its inception in 1985.[78]
Launch of Emmerdale's whodunit storyline involving the murder of Tom King (played by Ken Farrington). Tom is hit over the head and falls through a window to his death on his wedding day.[79][80]
26 December
Casper is aired on BBC One for the last time. Boxing Day highlights on BBC One include the films Freaky Friday and Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. ITV airs a one-off dramatisation of After Thomas, with Keeley Hawes, Ben Miles, Sheila Hancock, Asa Butterfield and Andrew Byrne. It was produced by Beryl Vertue and Elaine Cameron, directed by Simon Shore, and written by Lindsey Hill. The film centres on the severely autistic child Kyle Graham and the progress he makes when his parents adopt a golden retriever named Thomas. It is based on the true story of Scottish child Dale Gardner and his dog Henry.
Actor and voice artist (Doctor Who, Rainbow, Captain Pugwash)
13 August
Tony Jay
73
Actor, voice actor and singer (Mighty Ducks, ReBoot, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain, Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver, Beauty and the Beast)
^"Comedy: A Royle tribute". The Independent. Independent Print Limited. 28 October 2006. Archived from the original on 30 December 2012. Retrieved 14 June 2014.