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On This Day...17th April
Programmes
1961
The first edition of Heddiw airs on BBC TV Wales. News programme in the Welsh language.
1962
The first episode of Brothers in Law airs on BBC TV.
1968
The final episode of Man in a Suitcase airs on ITV.
1970
Coverage of the Apollo 13 splashdown airs on BBC One/ITV. It is the fifth most-watched special event in UK TV history.
1976
The final edition of Cilla airs on BBC One. Starring Cilla Black with guest stars Alfred Marks, John Inman and special guest Johnny Mathis.
1978
It is announced that the Blue Peter garden has been vandalised.
1980
The first episode of US series Taxi airs on BBC One.
1983
The first episode of Tell the Truth airs on Channel 4.
1989
The first episode of The Reluctant Cook airs on BBC Two.
1990
The first edition of Matchpoint airs on BBC One.
1991
The final edition of Vic Reeves Big Night Out airs on Channel 4.
1993
The final edition of Going Live! airs on BBC One.
1996
The first episode of Madson airs on BBC One.
1997
The first episode of Keeping Mum airs on BBC One.
2001
It is announced that the Blue Peter dog, Bonnie, has died.
2011
The first episode of The Hotel airs on Channel 4.
2017
The final episode of Broadchurch airs on ITV.
2022
The first episode of The Thief, His Wife and the Canoe airs on ITV. Drama. Based on the true-life story of canoe man John Darwin and his wife Anne. Written by Chris Lang. Starring Eddie Marsan and Monica Dolan.
Test Card/Teletext In-Vision Music
1962
BBC TV tape Gay Paris by Night airs for the final time.
On This Day...17th April
Births
1926
Former actor and TV presenter, Gordon Rollings.
1932
TV presenter and writer, Tony Bilbow.
1955
TV announcer/presenter, Richard Rees.
1966
TV news presenter, Anna Jones.
Deaths
2015
Former artist and TV presenter, Keith Shackleton.
Events
1978
Anna Ford and Alastair Burnet join ITN's News at Ten presenting team, working alongside Reginald Bosanquet and Sandy Gall. The programme also revealed a new set today.
1980
Sarah Greene makes her first appearance on Blue Peter (BBC One), to promote the new BBC One Sunday classic serial The Swish of the Curtain.
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.
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.
TV Pres has been created to promote our partnership of independent television presentation sites. These feature high-quality, curated video content that documents the history of TV ephemera such as idents, promotions, advertisements, programme graphics and set design.
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