Sixties City - Cult Television

Muriel Young - Sixties City Cult Television Shows

The Sixties, if they must be labelled, were undoubtedly the decade of the sit-com. Many of the what are now considered to be comedy classics started life humbly as one-off features in the outstanding 'Comedy Playhouse' series and are still the subject of extremely popular re-runs nearly forty years later. A number of programmes originally produced in the Fifties were (and still are!) also continued enjoying regular broadcasting, particularly westerns and historical action series which made a significant enough impression on my own viewing memories of the Sixties to be included here. The change in the quality and quantity of programmes produced was quite pronounced with the introduction of colour television, higher resolution transmission and the increasing tendency of the regional independent television companies to produce their own programmes. Technological advances and improvements in the speed and ease of international travel brought the world into our living rooms as never before, particularly in the field of current events reporting.

These pages are now mainly completed with listings, pictures, website links and information on hundreds of 60s television programmes. I will revisit these pages and make additions from time to time as there are already a long list of programmes which I have come across which have brought back even more memories. Domestic UK-produced programmes and series are listed by year first transmitted. Imported programmes are a little more difficult to verify so, where I haven't got specific information I have listed them as shown in the U.K. two years after first transmission in the country of origin, which seems to be about right.

There is also a Pre-60s page on various programmes that were either made or first shown in the Fifties (now including 'Swashbucklers'!) which were still popular and widely televised in the Sixties ( in many cases still being shown today ). I consider these to be very much a part of the Sixties television scene as they certainly form a significant part of my own Sixties memories, hence their inclusion here. As always, I have tried to give accurate information but this is often difficult to verify.
If I get it wrong, I'm sure that I can always rely on you to let me know. This is such a broad subject that it is difficult to know where to stop, especially as there are so many excellent web sites which specialise on television programmes.
Let me know your own favourites and also of any programmes which may have slipped my memory. As is my intention throughout Sixties City, I hope these bring back some good memories for you.

Sixties television programmes, listed by year, including images, information and TV audience ratings

Choose a year to view

Also see the following Sixties City pages dedicated to specific television programmes

The Man From U.N.C.L.E. The Sixties films, plus images and episode listings from both 'The 'Man From U.N.C.L.E.' and 'The Girl From U.N.C.L.E.' TV series starring Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuryakin	Pop and Music Television Images and information on hundreds of the music-based entertainment shows and series that exploded onto your television screens during the Sixties	Star Trek - The Original Series A complete page by page episode synopsis of this classic original series with storylines, pictures, production information and cast lists. There is also an image gallery	Batman Images, info, cast and episode listings. Could this be the end for the caped crusaders? Tune in tomorrow night, same Bat-time, same Bat-channel!
Gerry Anderson Production History Anything can happen in the next half hour.... A Gerry Anderson film and television history including all the Sixties shows and films, plus images and some soundtracks	Dr Who 1963 - 1969, Covering the first two Doctors' production and episode details. General information, plus screen shots and images of Who companions etc.	Thank Your Lucky Stars 1961 - 1966, Cult Pop Television programme featuring 'Oi'll give it foive' girl, Janice Nicholls and the first major TV appearances by The Beatles and The Rolling Stones	Top Of The Pops It's January 1964 - It's No 1 - It's Top Of The Pops! How it started and the Sixties years of the ultimate Pop TV music chart show - with information and images
Juke Box Jury 1959 - 1967 The cult pop programme hosted by DJ David Jacobs and featuring a panel jury voting on a HIT or MISS. General information, trivia and images from the show	Ready Steady Go! 1963 - 1966 The cult Pop Television programme hosted by Keith Fordyce and the legendary mod queen, Cathy McGowan. The weekend starts here.....	The Royal Command Performance Pictures and information from the annual Royal 'knees-up' invitation gala events which, in the Sixties, were still actually quite entertaining and carried a large variety of acts.....	The Eurovision Song Contest Like it or loathe it, it was still compulsive viewing before every tin-pot 'invented' country got involved. All the 60s results in full, plus other information and images
U.F.O. Gerry Anderson's first all live action television series set in a future where Earth, and S.H.A.D.O. is defending itself against alien attack and human abductions	The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe Robert Hoffmann starred in this series that is considered to be the definitive version of Defoe's classic novel, best remembered for its haunting theme tune	Swashbucklers Knights, Outlaws, Pirates, Myths and Legends - historical action/adventure television series of the 1950s and 60s - and some that survived well into the 1960s and are still being shown today	Western 'Cowboy' Series Many 'western' series were produced in the 60s and earlier, many of which were still being screened then and still are today. Around 150 listed here with images and sounds
Bill Harry's Sixties More than 150 articles by Bill Harry about the people, culture, films, music and events of the Sixties including articles on many cult television programmes	Carry On Television and Films The 'Carry-On Team' made four festive one-hour 'Christmas Specials' for Thames Television. The first of them was loosely based on Charles Dickens' 'A Christmas Carol'	Quiz, Panel, Prize and Game Shows Some of the quiz, panel and prize shows and competitions that could be seen on TV - many during the Fifties and Seventies as well. A lot of these shows were short-lived or erased	Television Recording and Archiving Prior to about 1978 many episodes of programmes, or even complete series, are missing from television archives as a result of destruction of unwanted film or a policy of 'wiping'

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