Jean Seaton - Pinkoes and Traitors: The BBC and the nation, 1974–1987

Date

Events

BBC

1922

BBC founded as British Broadcasting Company Ltd under John Reith

1927

BBC incorporated under Royal Charter, with the motto: Nation shall speak peace unto nation

1932

Empire Service begins; forerunner of World Service

1933

Informal vetting of BBC staff by Security Service begins

1937

First TV outside broadcast: George VIs coronation

1938

Arabic is first foreign language to be broadcast

1939

World War II begins

Empire Service renamed Overseas Service

1945

World War II ends

Womans Hour first broadcast

1954

David Attenborough first presents Zoo Quest

1956

Suez crisis

Alasdair Milne produces crucial interview with Anthony Eden as prime minister

1957

BBC Natural History Department founded in Bristol

1958

Radiophonic Workshop founded

1960

Margaret Thatcher first writes to the BBC as backbench MP

Sir Hugh Carleton Green becomes director-general

1962

Cuban missile crisis

Prime minister Harold Macmillan alerted to Russia climbdown by BBC Monitoring report while chairing war cabinet in Admiralty House.

1964

Play School is first programme broadcast on new BBC2 channel;

Top of the Pops starts

1965

David Attenborough becomes controller of BBC2; Overseas Service renamed World Service;

World at One begins

1967

Paul Fox becomes controller of BBC1; colour television starts

1968

First civil rights march in Londonderry televised

Alasdair Milne becomes controller of Scotland

1969

Charles Curran becomes director-general; David Attenborough becomes director of Programmes;

Civilisation, by Kenneth Clark

1970

Conservatives win election

Listening to the BBC World Service becomes an offence punishable by prison in Pakistan

1971

Yesterdays Men;

The Old Grey Whistle Test;

first World Music Prom

1972

First British soldiers on the streets of Northern Ireland;

30 January: Bloody Sunday;

William Whitelaw is first secretary of state for Northern Ireland

Largest number of complaints received about violence of coverage of Northern Ireland, leading to new guidelines;

Ways of Seeing, by John Berger;

Newsround

1973

Sunningdale agreement proposes power-sharing for Northern Ireland; commercial radio begins

Margaret Thatcher suggests Michael Swann as replacement for Charles Hill as chairman; Alasdair Milne becomes director of Programmes; first report on women in top jobs in BBC;

Thats Life begins long run

1974

Labour win election; responsibility for broadcasting moved to Home Office;

Roy Jenkins becomes home secretary;

Merlyn Rees becomes Northern Ireland secretary; Protestant workers strike wrecks Sunningdale agreement;

Portuguese revolution

Bryan Cowgill becomes controller of BBC1; Porridge

1975

Sex Discrimination Act;

Employment Protection Act

A Guardian journalist describes the BBCs god-like authority on both sides of the Vietnam conflict.

1976

Inflation at 26 per cent;

IMF called in;

Harold Wilson resigns as prime minister, to be replaced by James Callaghan;

Merlyn Rees becomes home secretary;

Roy Mason becomes Northern Ireland secretary

John Birt and Peter Jay publish report suggesting a bias against understanding in TV news reporting;

Alastair Hetherington (former Guardian editor) becomes controller of Scotland;

When the Boat Comes in;

Brimstone and Treacle;

Multi-Coloured Swap Shop;

I, Claudius

1977

Royal Jubilee

First of three short-term licence fee increases imposed;

Bill Cotton becomes controller of BBC1;

Ian Trethowan become director-general;

Annan Report

1978

Winter of discontent;

The Times ceases publication for a year

Second of three short-term licence fee increases imposed;

Georgi Markov of the Bulgarian Service dies after poison attack on Waterloo Bridge;

Young Musician of the Year first broadcast