The BBC is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. It is one of the oldest public broadcasters and the largest broadcaster in the world. It’s a symbol of British culture and soft power. Because the broadcaster has been around for so long it has produced countless programmes, and many have become hits or hold cultural significance. To celebrate this birthday let’s look at some of the corporation’s most impactful shows.
Blue Peter (1958 – present)
Blue Peter is a staple of British children’s television. It’s a magazine show that had a broad scope. It was a show that had factual segments about historical people or events, arts and crafts and cookery segments, celebrity interviews, and competitions. A couple of my neighbours won a competition back in the 1980s. Getting a Blue Peter badge was considered a triumph for children and an honour for adults. Many of the show’s presenters have gone on to have successful careers after their runs on Blue Peter like Konnie Huq, Simon Thomas, Matt Baker, and Helen Skelton.
Even though Blue Peter was a children’s show there were controversies. The most infamous was when Richard Bacon was fired for drug use, whilst another involved the rigging of a poll to name a cat. Since Blue Peter was broadcast live, it was prone to errors, like Lulu the Elephant causing havoc.
Doctor Who (1963 – 1989, 2005 – present)
First broadcast in 1963, Doctor Who, is one of the longest-running and popular sci-fi franchises and a Great British cultural export. Created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber, and Donald Wilson, Doctor Who quickly became a big hit in the UK. It entertained and terrorised generations of children. Even people who haven’t seen the show have known the iconic imagery, like the Police Box. The show gave audiences some of the most famous villains in sci-fi, like the Daleks, the Cybermen, and The Master.
The revival of Doctor Who in 2005 has become an international hit, especially in the United States. Russell T. Davies and Steven Moffatt are now known as some of British TV’s biggest talents, and many of the actors on Doctor Who have gone on to have successful careers. It has become a commercial juggernaut for the BBC and it’s unlikely the Corporation will cancel the show any time soon.
The show has been so successful because it has such a wide scope and the ability to constantly reinvent itself.
Top of the Pops (1964 – 2006)
Top of the Pops was the premier music programme in the UK. It was the show that many pop acts wanted to be on to promote their singles and it highlighted the Top 10 Singles Chant. Many famous musicians performed on the show, from Dusty Springfield, to David Bowie, to The Smiths, and many more. There have also many famous presenters like Noel Edmonds, Tony Blackburn, John Peel, Simon Mayo, and Jo Whiley. However, there are some presenters the BBC would like audiences to forget.
Match of the Day (1964 – present)
For any football fan Match of the Day is essential viewing. The concept is simple, Match of the Day is a highlight show of the top division matches in England. When the show was first broadcast it only showed highlights of a few key matches but now shows all the Premier League matches and provides analysis.
Match of the Day also shows major games in the UK. They share the rights for the World Cup and European Championships with ITV and show FA Cup games and Women’s football. They have shown some classic matches over the years.
Match of the Day has attracted some big-name presenters like Jimmy Hill, Des Lynam, and Gary Lineker, as well as many famous players as pundits. Alan Hansen has gone on to regard his prediction of “you can’t win anything with kids.”
Match of the Day holds the world record for being the longest-running football programme. It has one of the most iconic theme songs on British telly.
Dad’s Army (1968 – 1977)
The BBC has produced many great sitcoms. One of the most popular was Dad’s Army. This sitcom about the Home Guard during the war lasted for nine seasons and repeats of the show are still a regular fixture on British TV. Dad’s Army clearly has an appeal to have sustained this level of popularity. Dad’s Army does have some great characters like Captain Mainwaring, Sergeant Wilson, and Private Pike and there were many classic episodes and jokes. An episode I remember was the one where the unit had to guard a large number of Italian POWs, and one of the most memorable comedic set-pieces was when Mainwaring argued with a captured German U-Boat captain.
Monty Python’s Flying Circus (1969 – 1974)
The BBC has been the home to some of the greatest British comedies and gave many comedians their big break. Rowan Atkinson, Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmundson, and Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant were all examples of this. The Monty Python comedy troupe got their big break when the BBC broadcast Monty Python’s Flying Circus.
Monty Python’s Flying Circus has been considered one of the greatest sketch shows ever made. It certainly had some of the most memorable. My favourite is “The Lumberjack Song.” Other popular sketches were “The Spanish Inquisition,” “Dead Parrot,” and “The Ministry of Silly Walks.”
The Monty Python trope went off to make three successful films and performed in live shows. The members of the trope have gone on to have successful careers as individuals, both in front of and behind the camera. Sketch shows have been a popular format on the BBC.
Fawlty Towers (1975-1979)
Created by John Cleese and Connie Booth, Fawlty Towers is often considered one of the greatest British sitcoms. It placed first on the BFI TV 100’s list in 2000 and was named the greatest-ever British sitcom by the Radio Times in 2019. It’s hard to argue against since it was a show that had some of the great British comedy moments like ‘don’t mention the war’ and when Basil Fawlty tried to smash up a car with a tree branch.
Fawlty Towers only lasted for two seasons and there were only 12 episodes. It started a precedent for other British sitcoms choosing to only have two seasons, like The Young Ones and The Office. If anyone has a bad experience at a hotel in the UK then it will be compared to Fawlty Towers.
Top Gear (1977-2001, 2002-present)
Top Gear was the silly little motoring show that conquered the world and became one of the BBC’s biggest hits. Top Gear started out as a magazine show that offered consumer advise. Yet it was the 2002 reboot that made Top Gear into the international success fans have come to know and love.
The reason for Top Gear’s success was simple: the chemistry between Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May. It’s something that cannot be faked. This trio was highly entertaining as they annoyed and pranked each other, whilst also being experienced motoring journalists.
The 2002 reboot saw the show pivot from factual programming to entertainment. It saw the trio test high-end sports cars, race across cities, countries and continents, altered cars for ‘how hard can it be?’ challenges, and cheap car challenges. The Christmas Specials became a tradition.
Top Gear was also one of the BBC’s most controversial shows because of the un-PC humour and Clarkson’s behaviour. Yet when Clarkson was fired the BBC tried to keep the show on life support. Clarkson, Hammond, and May have had a lot of success on Amazon.
Only Fools and Horses (1981-2003)
Only Fools and Horses has often been voted as one of Britain’s greatest sitcoms, so it would be amiss to not include it on this list. Created by John Sullivan, Only Fools and Horses follows the Trotter brothers as they attempt to get rich with whatever shady scheme they can think of.
Only Fools and Horses was a long-running show that lasted for 22 years which was remarkable for a live-action sitcom. It had memorable characters across the board, not just the leads and it had so many classic episodes that it would be hard to list them. Some personal favourites were “The Russians Are Coming,” “To Hull and Back,” “The Jolly Boys’ Outing,” “Mother Nature’s Son” and “Time in Our Hands.” The show had long specials that took the Trotters to Amsterdam, Miami, and Margate.
Only Fools and Horses was a show that was able to reinvent itself. Sometimes it was for creative reasons, like with the introduction of Raquel and Cassandra, other times it was out of necessity, like when Lennard Pearce died during the middle of a season. The show was willing to explore dramatic material, like when Cassandra suffered a miscarriage. “Time on Our Hands” holds the record for the highest UK audience for a sitcom episode.
The show was so popular that David Jason and Nicholas Lyndhurst did reprise their roles for a Sport Relief Special with David Beckham in 2014. The show spawned two spin-offs, The Green Green Grass and Rock and Chips and a stage musical.
Blackadder (1983-1989)
Another Great British Sitcom to make this list is Blackadder. Created by Richard Curtis and Rowan Atkinson and later worked on by Ben Elton, Blackadder has been a staple of British comedy. This sitcom saw different versions of Edmund Blackadder as he navigated the corridors of power and fought in the Trenches on the Western Front. Blackadder had a particular appeal to any history buffs and was a brilliantly written show, Series Two to Four were top-tier comedies and even the maligned first season had its moments. It was a show that mixed witty lines, political and social commentary and satirising historical figures and events. Season Four was my favourite and I consider “Goodbyeee” as one of the greatest season finales for any show.
Eastenders (1985-present)
Eastenders is one of the biggest soap operas in the UK. It’s a two-horse race between Eastenders and Coronation Street for the soap top spot. Eastenders was first broadcast in 1985 and it has become a staple of British TV. The show was able to gain over 30 million viewers on Christmas day in 1986.
Eastenders had produced iconic characters like the Mitchell family, Dirty Den, Dot Cotton, and the Slaters. It has also produced some famous moments on British TV like Dirty Den giving his wife divorce papers, Kat Slater revealing to Zoe she was her real mother, and the Old Vic hearing that Phil Mitchell and Sharon Watts were having an affair.
Eastenders has tackled serious issues like domestic abuse, sexual grooming, and the HIV pandemic. But it also led to some controversy like when Janine took drugs, Tanya attempted to bury her husband alive and insulted the whole nation of Ireland with the 1997 Ireland episodes.
The Office (2001-2003)
One of the biggest British comedies of the early 21st century was The Office. It’s a show that doesn’t need much of an introduction since it is known as the workplace sitcom set in Slough. What made the show so popular was the mockumentary style, memorable characters, and frank approach to comedy. David Brent particularly became one of the most popular British sitcom characters in recent memory.
The show has had a massive impact. Many of the actors have gone on to have successful careers, the mockumentary style has become popular in Britain, leading to shows like People Just Do Nothing and This Country, and the American remake became a popular sitcom in its own right.
The Blue Planet (2001)
The BBC is known for making some of the best nature documentaries. There have been many series made by the corporation, yet The Blue Planet was the series that was an international hit, won numerous awards, and highlighted David Attenborough as a national treasure. The Blue Planet was such a big hit that it was edited into a documentary film in 2003, a sequel series was broadcast in 2017, and there was a live concert tour around the UK.
Sherlock (2010 – 2017)
There have been many films and TV shows based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s most famous character and one of the most famous adaptations was the 2010 show Sherlock. Sherlock was created by the Doctor Who pairing of Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss and the concept was simple, update Sherlock Holmes to a contemporary setting. Sherlock quickly became a hit because of its acting and stylish presentation. The show made Benedict Cumberbatch and Andrew Scott stars and increased Martin Freeman’s profile.
Sherlock was made at a time when there was a boom in Sherlock Holmes adaptations. Sherlock was arguably the most popular which was quite a feat considering the competition which was the Robert Downey Jr. led films and CBS’ Elementary.
Line of Duty (2012 – present)
The BBC has produced many police procedural shows. There are many worthy candidates to be on this list like Silent Witness, Luther, and Happy Valley. However, the honour goes to Line of Duty, one of the BBC’s biggest hits of the 2010s. Line of Duty originally premiered on BBC Two and transferred to BBC One for its fourth season due to its growing popularity.
Line of Duty focused on the anti-corruption unit in a big city police force and showed how they would bring down the corrupt police officers. What made the show so special was its clever and complex writing as the officers of AC-12 slowly unravelled a web of corrupt cops that controlled organised crime in the city. Line of Duty was a tense and exciting series as it showed AC-12 engaged in a battle of wits.
The show usually got a guest lead for each season. This included Keeley Hawes, Thandiwe Newton, Stephen Graham, and Kelly Macdonald. Other British shows clung onto Line of Duty’s coattails, like Bodyguard, Virgil, and Trigger Point.
Peaky Blinders (2013-2022)
The most recent show to make this list is Peaky Blinders. Created by Steven Knight and starring Cillian Murphy, Peaky Blinders was a historic crime series that spanned from 1919 to 1933 that followed the Selby crime family. Peaky Blinders was a lavish production and saw many big-name actors get attached to the show like Tom Hardy, Sam Neill, Sam Claflin, and Anya Taylor-Joy, whilst Joe Cole has gone on to have a successful career after appearing in the show. It was the British equivalent of Boardwalk Empire and it became a pop culture phenomenon in the UK. It was Birmingham’s greatest cultural export since J.R.R. Tolkien.
