Editing Timeline of the BBC (section)

== 1980s ==
* '''1980'''
** 28 January – ''[[Newsnight]]'' is launched.
** February – [[BBC Radio Deeside]] is launched as an opt-out service from [[BBC Radio Wales]]. 
** March – The very first in-vision [[Ceefax]] transmissions are broadcast. Three 30-minute transmissions are aired at various points during weekday daytime downtime.
** Summer – Due to the continued expansion of [[BBC Local Radio]], regional opt-out programming on [[BBC Radio 4]] ends, apart from in the south west as this is now the only part of England still without any BBC local station. 
** 6 September – [[BBC2]] launches a computer generated clock, probably the first of its kind in the world.<ref>[https://cleanfeed.thetvroom.com/2343/features/bbc-two-clock-goes-electronic/ BBC Two Clock Goes Electronic]</ref> 
** 8 September – ''[[Watchdog (TV series)|Watchdog]]'' is launched as a weekly slot on [[BBC1]]'s news magazine programme ''[[Nationwide (TV programme)|Nationwide]]''.
** 11 September – [[BBC Radio Norfolk]] launches.
** 19 September – Regional peak time continuity on BBC1 ends and with it the weeknight closedown regional news bulletin.
** 11 November – [[BBC Radio Lincolnshire]] launches.
** 21 November – The charity appeal [[Children in Need]] is launched.

* '''1981'''
** 17 May – ''[[Grandstand (TV series)|Sunday Grandstand]]'' launches. It broadcasts during the summer months on [[BBC2]].<ref>[http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/schedules/bbctwo/england/1981-05-17 BBC Genome Project – BBC2 listings 17 May 1981]</ref>
** 4 July – [[BBC Radio Lancashire|BBC Radio Blackburn]] expands to cover all of [[Lancashire]] and is renamed accordingly. 
** 29 July – The [[Wedding of Charles, Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer]] is produced by BBC Television & Radio with an audience of 750 million viewers and listeners in over 60 countries.  Welsh Actor [[Richard Burton]] and Scottish writer, actor & royal expert [[Tom Fleming (actor)|Tom Fleming]] are among the commentators.
** Autumn – [[BBC Micro]] is produced for [[BBC Computer Literacy Project]].
** 4 September – The final edition of the ''Midday News'' is broadcast.
** 5 September – The BBC1 Mirror globe changes colour from yellow on blue to green on blue.
** 7 September – ''[[News After Noon]]'' is launched as a 30-minute lunchtime news programme, replacing the much shorter ''Midday News''.
** October – BBC Radio Deeside is expanded to cover all of north east Wales and is renamed [[BBC Radio Clwyd]].
** 23 October – The last teatime block of [[Open University]] programmes are transmitted on BBC2. From the 1982 season, only a single Open University programme is aired at 5:10{{nbsp}}pm, ahead of the start of the channel's evening programmes.
** 23 November – BBC Radio Birmingham expands to cover the [[West Midlands (county)|West Midlands]], [[South Staffordshire]], north [[Worcestershire]] and [[north Warwickshire]] and is relaunched as [[BBC Radio WM]].

* '''1982'''
** March – The BBC proposes to launch a satellite television service following the Corporation being awarded two of the five DBS satellite channels.<ref>The Times, Friday, 5 March 1982; pg. 15; Joint UK satellite set up By Bill johnstone Electronics Correspondent.</ref>
** 15 and 16 March – [[BBC Local Radio]] starts broadcasting to the [[Channel Islands]] when [[BBC Radio Guernsey]] and [[BBC Radio Jersey]] launch.
** 1 May – [[BBC Radio Cambridgeshire]] launches.
** 25 May – [[BBC Radio Cumbria|BBC Radio Carlisle]] expands to cover all of [[Cumbria]] and is renamed accordingly and as part of the expansion, [[BBC Radio Cumbria|BBC Radio Furness]] launches as an opt-out service.
** 16 June - [[BBC Radio Northampton]] launches.
** 20 June – The BBC relaunches its Sunday morning programme for the Asian community when ''[[Asian Magazine]]'' replaces ''[[Apna Hi Ghar Samajhiye]]'' which had been on air since 1968.<ref>[https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/schedules/bbcone/london/1982-06-20 – BBC Genome Project – BBC1 listings 20 June 1982]</ref>
** September – The [[BBC World Service]] becomes available to UK listeners for the first time, albeit only in south east England.
** 10 September – After 32 years on air, ''[[Listen with Mother]]'' is broadcast on [[BBC Radio 4]] for the final time.
** 1 November – BBC-produced Welsh-language programming is transferred from [[BBC1]] to the new [[S4C]] channel.
** 23 December – ''[[Service Information]]'' is broadcast for the final time.
** 31 December – The last remaining opt-out regional programming on [[BBC Radio 4]] ends when the final edition of ''[[Morning Sou'West]]'' is broadcast, ahead of the launches of [[BBC Radio Devon]] and [[BBC Radio Cornwall]].

* '''1983'''
** January – BBC1 starts broadcasting a full afternoon service, consisting of regional programmes, repeats and old feature films.
** 17 January – 
*** ''[[BBC Breakfast Time|Breakfast Time]]'', the UK's first national breakfast television service, is launched, ahead of the [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] franchise [[TV-am]], which follows on 1 February. 
*** [[BBC Radio Devon]] and [[BBC Radio Cornwall]] launch. 
** late February/early March – [[BBC1]] begins broadcasting a 30-minute Ceefax slot prior to the start of ''[[BBC Breakfast Time|Breakfast Time]]''. It is called ''[[Ceefax AM]]''. It is first mentioned in the ''[[Radio Times]]'' on 21 March.<ref>[http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/schedules/bbcone/london/1983-03-21 BBC Genome Project – BBC1 listings 21 March 1983]</ref> 
** 11 April – BBC Radio Tweed launches as an opt-out from [[BBC Radio Scotland]].<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6gkZUWrzbM&ab_channel=TV%26RadioTimelines BBC Radio Timeline 1990s to date]</ref>
** 16 April – [[BBC Radio Solway]] launches as an opt-out from [[BBC Radio Scotland]].<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6gkZUWrzbM&ab_channel=TV%26RadioTimelines BBC Radio Timeline 1990s to date]</ref>
** 18 April – [[BBC Radio Gwent]] launches as an opt-out service from [[BBC Radio Wales]].<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6gkZUWrzbM&ab_channel=TV%26RadioTimelines BBC Radio Timeline 1990s to date]</ref>
** 2 May – From today ''[[Pages from Ceefax]]'' is broadcast during all daytime downtime although BBC2 continues to fully close down for four hours after ''[[Play School (British TV series)|Play School]]''. The broadcasts are still known as ''[[Ceefax in Vision]]'' and were not listed in the ''[[Radio Times]]'' until 7 January 1984 when they became known as ''[[Pages from Ceefax]]''.<ref>[http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/schedules/bbctwo/england/1984-01-07 BBC Genome Project – BBC2 listings 7 January 1984]</ref>
** 2 July – [[BBC Radio Kent|BBC Radio Medway]] is expanded to cover all of the county of [[Kent]] and is renamed accordingly.
** 4 July –  [[BBC Radio York]] launches on a permanent basis – the station had been on air briefly the previous May to cover the [[Pope John Paul II's visit to the United Kingdom|visit]] to [[York]] of [[Pope John Paul II]].
** 5 August – The final edition of ''[[Nationwide (TV programme)|Nationwide]]'' is broadcast.
** 16 September – BBC2 closes down during the day for the final time – all future daytime downtime is filled by ''Pages from Ceefax''.
** 19 September – Programmes for schools and colleges are transferred to [[BBC2]] and an all-day educational strand called ''[[Daytime on Two]]'' is launched. Consequently, the morning broadcast of ''[[Play School (British TV series)|Play School]]'' transfers to [[BBC1]].
** 22 October – [[BBC Radio Sussex|BBC Radio Brighton]] expands to cover all of [[Sussex]] and is renamed accordingly.
** 24 October – ''[[Sixty Minutes (British TV programme)|Sixty Minutes]]'' launches as the new evening news programme to replace ''[[Nationwide (TV programme)|Nationwide]]''.
** Autumn – Shortly after the [[Home Secretary]] announced that the three remaining satellite channels would be given to the [[Independent Broadcasting Authority]] (IBA) to allow the private sector to compete against the BBC, the BBC starts talking with the IBA about a joint project to help cover the cost. The Government subsequently gives permission and a consortium emerges consisting of the BBC, [[ITV Granada|Granada]], [[ITV Anglia|Anglia Television]], Virgin, [[Thorn-EMI]], [[Pearson Longman]] and [[Consolidated Satellite Broadcasting]]. The BBC holds a 50% stake in the consortium.

* '''1984'''
** The BBC conducts five trials of citywide community stations in [[Greater Manchester]]. Each trial lasts for a few weeks and was on air for a few hours each day, opting out of [[BBC Radio Manchester]].<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6gkZUWrzbM&ab_channel=TV%26RadioTimelines BBC Radio Timeline 1990s to date]</ref> The experiment has not been repeated.
** 7 June – The first edition of ''[[Crimewatch|Crimewatch UK]]'' is broadcast on BBC1.<ref name="genome.ch.bbc.co.uk">[https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/schedules/service_bbc_one_london/1984-06-07 BBC Programme Index BBC1 7 June 1984]</ref>
** 27 July – The final edition of ''[[Sixty Minutes (British TV programme)|Sixty Minutes]]'' is broadcast.
** 3 September – First broadcast of the ''[[BBC News at Six|Six O'Clock News]]'' on [[BBC1]]. The programme continues to this day.
** October – BBC2 launches a full afternoon service, consisting of repeats of ''[[Dallas (TV series)|Dallas]]'' and old feature films.
** 5 October – The last teatime [[Open University]] programme is broadcast on BBC2. However Open University programmes continue to be shown on BBC2 on weekday lunchtimes on an ad-hoc basis until 1988.
** 18 November – The BBC launches its first Sunday lunchtime political interview show, called ''This Week, Next Week''. It is replaced in 1988 by ''[[On the Record (British TV programme)|On the Record]]''.
** December – BBC1 stops broadcasting a late night news summary.

* '''1985'''
** 3 January – The last day of transmission using the [[405-line television system|405 lines]] system.
** 7 January – The BBC ends its experiment with afternoon broadcasting and from this date afternoon ''[[Pages from Ceefax]]'' is shown on BBC1 between the end of lunchtime programmes and the start of children's programmes, and on BBC2 Ceefax pages are shown continuously between 9{{nbsp}}am and 5:25{{nbsp}}pm apart from when ''[[Daytime on Two]]'' is in season and when sporting events are being shown.
** 23 January – Television coverage of proceedings in the [[House of Lords]] begins.<ref>[https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/schedules/bbcone/london/1985-01-23 BC Genome Project – BBC1 listings 23 January 1985]</ref>
** 18 February – BBC1 is given a major relaunch, along with the introduction of a new [[television ident|ident]], the COW (Computer Originated World). Also, computerised weather maps were used for the first time for all weather forecasts – prior to this date computerised maps had only been used during ''[[BBC Breakfast Time|Breakfast Time]]''.
** 19 February – ''[[EastEnders]]'' premieres on [[BBC1]].
** March – The charity appeal [[Comic Relief]] is launched.
** 23 April – [[BBC Radio Shropshire]] launches.
** May – The consortium which has been planning to launch satellite television in the UK, of which the BBC is part, collapses on costs grounds.<ref>The Times, Saturday, 15 June 1985; pg. 3; British satellite TV project collapses By Bill Johnstone Technology Correspondent.</ref>
** 24 June – [[BBC Three Counties Radio|BBC Radio Bedfordshire]] launches.
** 13 July – [[Live Aid]] is broadcast to the world on [[BBC1]] and [[BBC Radio 1]], the first broadcast of its kind.
** 2 September – A regional news bulletin following the ''[[BBC Nine O'Clock News|Nine O'Clock News]]'' is launched.
** 9 September – The weekday afternoon block of children's programming is rebranded as [[CBBC (TV channel)|Children's BBC]], and for the first time the children's block has dedicated idents and an in-vision presenter. Previously children's programming had been introduced by BBC1's team of regular duty announcers.
** 1 October – [[BBC Radio nan Gàidheal]] launches.

* '''1986'''
** 30 March – BBC2 receives a new look with the word TWO. BBC2's "TWO" logo features the red, green and blue coloured pieces two years and two months ahead of the BBC's corporate logo adding underlines.
** 1 April – All commercial activities of the BBC are now handled by BBC Enterprises Ltd.
** 9 June – BBC Television broadcasts its first Parliamentary review programme when the first edition of ''The Lords This Week'' is broadcast on BBC2.
** 24 October – The final edition of ''[[News After Noon]]'' is broadcast.
** 27 October – [[BBC1]] starts a full daytime television service. Among the new programmes is a new lunchtime news bulletin – the ''[[BBC News at One|One O'Clock News]]''. The programme continues to this day. Before today, excluding sport and special events coverage, BBC1 had closed down at times during weekday daytime, broadcasting trade test transmissions and, from May 1983, ''[[Pages from Ceefax]]''. [[BBC2]] also expands its programming hours, providing a full afternoon service but it wasn't until the end of the decade that BBC2 was on air all day every day.
** 5 November – [[BBC Essex]] launches.
** 8 December – Six weeks after launching its daytime service, BBC TV starts broadcasting hourly [[BBC News Summary|news summaries]]. Morning bulletins are shown on BBC1 and early afternoon summaries (at 2{{nbsp}}pm, 3{{nbsp}}pm and 3:50{{nbsp}}pm) are shown on BBC2. Each bulletin is followed by a weather forecast.
**28 December – After more than 20 years, BBC radio's national programme for the Asian community, ''[[Apna Hi Ghar Samajhiye]]'' (Make Yourself at Home), and broadcast on Sunday morning on [[BBC Radio 4]], ends.

* '''1987'''
** The [[BBC World Service]] launches ''[[BBC 648]]'' from the [[Orfordness transmitting station]]. The service provides a tailor-made service for northern Europe featuring some French and German programming programmes interwoven with the main output in English.<ref>{{cite web|url = http://kimelli.nfshost.com/index.php?id=10687 |author =Kim Andrew Elliott|date = 13 February 2011|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120331051929/http://kimelli.nfshost.com/index.php?id=10687|archive-date = 31 March 2012|title = BBC World Service ends its version of border radio. MW 648 kHz will sign off 27 March.}}</ref>
**28 April – BBC television programming in Hindi and Urdu ends after more than 20 years.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/schedules/bbcone/london/1987-04-26|title=BBC One London – 26 April 1987 – BBC Genome|website=genome.ch.bbc.co.uk|access-date=4 August 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/schedules/bbctwo/england/1987-04-28|title=BBC Two England – 28 April 1987 – BBC Genome|website=genome.ch.bbc.co.uk|access-date=4 August 2018}}</ref> Three months later, on 25 July, a new English language programme for the Asian community launches.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/schedules/bbctwo/england/1987-07-25|title=BBC Two England – 25 July 1987 – BBC Genome|website=genome.ch.bbc.co.uk|access-date=4 August 2018}}</ref>
** 4 June – [[BBC TV Europe|BBC 1/2 Mix]], is launched as a subscription-funded television service, serving [[continental Europe]], initially serving [[Scandinavia]].<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=YFKHDAAAQBAJ&dq=%22BBC+TV+Europe%22+1987+Denmark&pg=PA107 ''Reinventing Public Service Communication: European Broadcasters and Beyond''], Petros Iosifidis
Palgrave Macmillan, 2010, page 107</ref>
** 22 June – The BBC's lunchtime children's programme moves from BBC1 to BBC2. It is shown slightly earlier, at 1:20{{nbsp}}pm.
** 31 October – [[BBC Radio 1]] starts broadcasting on VHF in London.<ref>[http://www.transdiffusion.org/rmc/features/width.asp The quality and the width – Radio – Transdiffusion Broadcasting System] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040822182804/http://www.transdiffusion.org/rmc/features/width.asp |date=22 August 2004 }}. Transdiffusion.org. Retrieved on 10 May 2012.</ref>

* '''1988'''
** 11 April – [[BBC Somerset|BBC Somerset Sound]] launches as an opt-out station from [[BBC Radio Bristol]].
** 9 May – The BBC launches a youth strand on BBC2 called [[DEF II]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/schedules/bbctwo/england/1988-05-09 |title=BBC Two England – 9 May 1988 |work=BBC Genome |publisher=Genome.ch.bbc.co.uk |access-date=26 October 2016}}</ref>
** 1 September – 
*** BBC External Services is renamed the World Service.
*** Radio 1 starts regular broadcasts on VHF/FM in [https://web.archive.org/web/20040616182006/http://www.radiorewind.co.uk/sounds/New_Tmitter_88_LQ.wma Scotland], [https://web.archive.org/web/20050417052213/http://www.vintagebroadcasting.org.uk/audio/35.mp3 northern England], the Midlands, and south Wales, Avon and Somerset.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.vintagebroadcasting.org.uk/r1vhf.htm |title=Radio One Comes to VHF – Vintage Broadcasting |access-date=2004-08-25 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040815044908/http://www.vintagebroadcasting.org.uk/r1vhf.htm |archive-date=15 August 2004 }}</ref> FM coverage is rolled out across the rest of the UK in stages over the next few years.
** 20 September – The [[Radio Data System]] (RDS) launches, allowing car radios to automatically retune, display station identifiers and switch to local travel news.
** 3 October – [[BBC Radio Gloucestershire]] launches.
** 7 October – [[BBC Radio London]] stops broadcasting and is replaced on 25 October by BBC GLR.
** 30 October – 
***[[BBC Asian Network|The Asian Network]] launches as a 70 hours-a-week service on the MW transmitters of [[BBC Radio Leicester]] and [[BBC Radio WM]].
***[[BBC Radio Manchester]] is relaunched as BBC GMR.
** Autumn – The BBC takes its first tentative steps into later closedowns – previously weekday programmes ended no later than 12:15{{nbsp}}am and weekend broadcasting had finished by 1:30{{nbsp}}am.
** Regular late evening weeknight programming starts to appear on [[BBC Local Radio]]. The programming tends to be regional rather than local with the same programme networked on several local stations. Consequently, stations are now starting to provide local/regional programming on weeknights until midnight. Previously stations had ended local programming by mid-evening, handing over to [[BBC Radio 2]] until the following morning.

* '''1989'''
** 16 January – The BBC launches ''[[The Late Show (BBC TV series)|The Late Show]]'', Britain's first daily television arts programme. It is broadcast four nights a week on [[BBC Two|BBC 2]] directly after ''[[Newsnight]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/56ea7cc1148e4d9ca1e7043efce97522 |title=The Late Show – BBC Two England – 16 January 1989 |date=16 January 1989 |publisher=BBC Genome |access-date=15 January 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/schedules/bbctwo/england/1989-01-16 |title=BBC Two England – 16 January 1989 |publisher=BBC Genome |access-date=15 January 2017}}</ref>
** 14 February – [[BBC Hereford and Worcester]] launches.
** 4 March – [[BBC Radio Wiltshire|BBC Wiltshire Sound]] launches.
** 1 April – BBC 1/2 Mix is relaunched as [[BBC TV Europe]].<ref>[http://www.sat-net.com/listserver/ts-news/msg00098.html''Transponder News''] TeleSat News, 21 July 1996</ref> The service also now becomes available to other parts of Europe.
** May – The [[BBC Night Network]] is launched on the BBC's six local radio stations in Yorkshire and north east England. The service broadcasts seven nights a week from 6:05{{nbsp}}pm (6{{nbsp}}pm at the weekend) until 12midnight. Two years later the service is expanded to include the BBC's four stations in the north west.
** 19 June – For the first time, BBC2 broadcasts during the morning when not showing ''[[Daytime on 2]]''. Programmes begin at 10{{nbsp}}am, as opposed to lunchtime.
** 29 September – The final edition of ''[[Breakfast Time (British TV programme)|Breakfast Time]]'' is broadcast.
** 2 October – The first edition of ''[[BBC Breakfast News]]'' is broadcast.
** 21 November – Television coverage of proceedings in the [[British House of Commons|House of Commons]] begins.