Editing Timeline of the BBC (section)

== 1940s ==
* '''1940'''
** 7 January – Start of the [[BBC Forces Programme]] on radio, precursor of the post-war Light Programme.
** 11 May – The BBC starts a news service in [[Hindi]].

* '''1941'''
** The [[BBC World Service|BBC European Service]] moves to [[Bush House]] in Central London.

* '''1942'''
**29 January – The first edition of ''[[Desert Island Discs]]'' is broadcast on the [[BBC Forces Programme]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/9045319/Desert-Island-Discs-Britains-longest-running-radio-show.html|title=Desert Island Discs: Britain's longest-running radio show |work=The Telegraph|date=29 January 2012 |location=London |first=Neil |last=Midgley}}</ref>

* '''1943'''
**23 November – [[British Forces Broadcasting Service]] begins operation.

* '''1944'''
** 27 February – [[BBC General Forces Programme]] replaces the BBC Forces Programme (also broadcast on shortwave).

* '''1945'''
** 29 July – Regional radio programming resumes on the Home Service (on the same medium-wave frequencies as used pre-war by the Regional Programme), while on the same day a new [[BBC Light Programme|Light Programme]] begins, using the long-wave frequency of the pre-war National Programme.
** 9 October – The first edition of ''[[Today in Parliament]]'' is broadcast.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-34554669|title=Today in Parliament at 70: Britain's 'longest-running soap opera'|date=18 October 2015 |publisher=BBC News}}</ref>

[[File:BBC 1946.svg|thumb]]
* '''1946'''
** 7 June – BBC Television broadcasts ([[405-line television system|405 lines]]) resume after the war including the coverages of [[cricket (sport)|cricket]] and [[The Championships, Wimbledon|Wimbledon Tennis]]. One of the first programmes shown is the same exact Mickey Mouse cartoon from its television service suspension in 1939.
** 29 September – The [[BBC Third Programme|Third Programme]] starts broadcasting on radio.
** 7 October – ''[[Woman's Hour]]'' launches, covering issues about women.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=1940s |url=https://www.bbc.com/historyofthebbc/timelines/1940s |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241008044634/https://www.bbc.com/historyofthebbc/timelines/1940s |archive-date=2024-10-08 |access-date=2025-01-19 |website=www.bbc.com |language=en}}</ref>
** October – For The Children is launched, the first ever Children block for the BBC.<ref name=":1" />

* '''1947'''
** 7 October – [[Adelaide Hall]] singing at a RadiOlympia variety show is the oldest surviving [[telerecording|telerecorded]] programme in Britain.<ref name=Shagawat>{{cite web|last=Shagawat|first=Robert|title=Television recording – The origins and earliest surviving live TV broadcast recordings|url=http://www.earlytelevision.org/tv_recordings_the_origins.html|work=Early Electronic Television|publisher=Early Television Museum|access-date=20 April 2011}}</ref>
** 9 November – First use of telerecording of an outside broadcast: the Service of Remembrance from the Cenotaph is televised live, and a telerecording shown that evening.<ref name=Shagawat />
** 20 November – The [[wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Philip Mountbatten, Duke of Edinburgh]] is televised by the BBC.<ref name=Shagawat /> It is watched by an estimated 400,000 viewers.

* '''1948'''
** January – The first ever news program, Newsreel is launched.<ref name=":1" />
** 29 July – The [[1948 Summer Olympics|London Olympic Games]] is televised.<ref name=":1" />
** 26 December – The first [[Reith Lectures|Reith Lecture]] is broadcast on radio.

* '''1949'''
** July - The revived BBC weather forecast was relaunched. The format would not change until 1954.<ref name=":1" />
** "Briefe ohne Unterschrift" begins broadcast (1949–1974) Austin Harrison reads and comments letters by East Germans.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000b1h0 |title=BBC Four – London Calling: Cold War Letters |publisher=BBC |year=2019 |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref name="sch">{{Cite book |title=Briefe ohne Unterschrift: wie eine BBC-Sendung die DDR herausforderte |last=Schädlich |first=Susanne |year = 2017|isbn=978-3-8135-0749-2 |edition=1. Auflage |location=München |publisher=Knaus |oclc=982125900}}</ref>
** 17 December – For the first time television extends beyond London when the [[Sutton Coldfield transmitting station|Sutton Coldfield transmitter]] starts broadcasting, providing television reception across the Midlands.