
On This Day...
1st April
Channels
2022
The Oneness presentation package airs for the final time at 6pm on BBC One. The network announcer is Peter Offer.
England, Scotland and Wales used the Dog Walkers ident whilst Northern Ireland used Canoeists.
The Lens presentation package debuted in the 7pm junction. This package was originally intended to launch on 20th October 2021 but was postponed pending a review of the new idents.
Miscellaneous
1958
The BBC Radiophonic Workshop is founded.
1986
All the BBC's commercial activities - including BBC Publications - are brought together under BBC Enterprises Ltd.
Programmes
1956
The final episode of Jesus of Nazareth airs on BBC Television.
Starring Tom Fleming.
1961
The first edition of Thank Your Lucky Stars airs on ITV.
1968
The first edition of Reporting Scotland airs on BBC One Scotland, replacing A Quick Look Round.
1969
The final episode of The Power Game airs on ITV.
1972
The first episode of Tarbuck's Luck airs on BBC One.
With Jimmy Tarbuck. Pilot aired in May 1970.
1973
The character Norman Stanley Fletcher (played by Ronnie Barker) first appears in Prisoner and Escort within the Seven of One season, on BBC Two.
1974
The final episode of Colditz airs on BBC One.
1975
The first episode of Edward the Seventh airs on ITV.
1976
The first episode of Garnock Way airs on ITV (STV region).
Scottish soap opera. Only four other ITV regions – Southern TV, HTV, Border TV and Ulster TV - later aired the series.
1985
The first episode of Bertha airs on BBC One.
1985
The final episode of Are You Being Served? airs on BBC One.
1988
The final episode of Gems airs on ITV.
1989
The first episode of Saturday Night at the Movies airs on ITV.
1995
The first edition of Confessions airs on BBC One.
Presented by Simon Mayo.
1995
The first episode of Bugs airs on BBC One.
2004
The first episode of New Tricks airs on BBC One.
2016
The first episode of Two Doors Down airs on BBC Two.
2022
The first edition of Open House: The Great Sex Experiment airs on Channel 4.
2023
The first episode of Magpie Murders airs on BBC One.
Murder mystery. Dramatised by Anthony Horowitz from his own novel.
Starring Lesley Manville and Tim McMullan. Previously streamed on BritBox.
2024
The final edition of Anton and Giovanni's Adventures in Spain airs on BBC One.
2025
The first edition of Stacey and Joe airs on BBC One.
Reality series. Charting the domestic life of TV presenters Stacey Soloman and Joe Swash and their young family.
Test Card/Teletext In-Vision Music
1976
BBC One tape Tavern in the Town airs for the first time.
Test Cards
1950
BBC Test Card C modified to 4:3 aspect ratio.

On This Day...
1st April
Births
1921
Former composer and TV presenter, Steve Race.
1934
Former TV presenter,
Bob Wellings.
1940
Former radio/TV presenter, Anne Nightingale.
1950
Former TV reporter/presenter, Chris Rogers (TSW/BBC South West).
1962
TV presenter, Phillip Schofield.
1966
Radio/TV presenter, Chris Evans.
1970
Former TV presenter, Simeon Courtie.
1970
TV presenter, Ginny Buckley.
1977
TV weather presenter, Lucy Kite.
1982
TV presenter, Gemma Hunt.
Events
1957
Richard Dimbleby narrates the famous April Fools spaghetti tree hoax on Panorama.
1963
Vera McKechnie presents
Studio E (BBC TV) for the first time.
1989
Members of the Grandstand (BBC One) team stage a mock fight behind presenter Des Lynam, as an April Fools joke.
Research for On This Day in TV History is by Paul R. Jackson.
Details about test card/teletext in-vision music and BBC trade test films are available as a result of decades of research and logging by members of the Test Card Circle.