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2009 in British television

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This is a list of events that took place in 2009 related to British television.

Events

January

DateEvent
1 January*Jonathan Creek* returns with a special episode, the first episode of the series since 2004.
"The Morning After", an episode of *The Bill*, airs on ITV1. It is a sequel to the series 20 episode "Dawn Morning Light".
2 JanuaryBBC 2W closes as part of plans to achieve 3% savings at BBC Cymru Wales. Consequently, the digital version becomes a simulcast of BBC Two on analogue with fewer Wales opt-outs.
*Celebrity Big Brother* returns to Channel 4 for the first time since 2007, following the racism controversy that dominated that year's show. Participants include La Toya Jackson, Verne Troyer and Ulrika Jonsson.
3 JanuaryThe BBC announce that 26-year-old Matt Smith is to replace David Tennant as The Doctor in sci-fi drama *Doctor Who*. Smith, who will take over in 2010, will be the youngest ever actor to play the title role.
12 JanuaryJeff Stelling and Rachel Riley host Countdown for the first time.
14 JanuaryLaunch of the BBC's Persian language news channel.
20 JanuaryBBC One airs live coverage of the inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States.
22 JanuaryThe Disasters Emergency Committee launches its Gaza Crisis Appeal following the recent conflict in the region. The BBC causes controversy by saying it will not be broadcasting the appeal as it would compromise its impartiality. Sky News join the BBC in deciding not to air the appeal, but it is screened by ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 on 26 January.
23 January*Friday Night with Jonathan Ross* returns after host Jonathan Ross finishes his 12-week suspension following his role in The Russell Brand Show prank telephone calls row.
Ulrika Jonsson wins the sixth series of *Celebrity Big Brother*.
26 JanuaryUKTV Documentary is rebranded as "Eden".
27 JanuaryITV confirms that five cast and crew from *Heartbeat* were injured in a tractor accident while filming on location in Grosmont, North Yorkshire.
31 JanuarySinger Jade Ewen is selected as the United Kingdom's entrant to the [2009 Eurovision Song Contest](2009-eurovision-song-contest) in the final episode of the BBC's selection programme Eurovision: Your Country Needs You. Ewen will sing 'It's My Time', by Andrew Lloyd Webber, a song written specially for the contest.

February

DateEvent
2 FebruaryA day of extreme snow in parts of Britain, the biggest in 18 years, causes many TV programmes to broadcast with limited presenters and live audience shortages as people are unable to reach the studios. In ratings terms, news coverage gets very high ratings with over seven million watching BBC News programmes.
4 FebruaryCarol Thatcher is axed from *The One Show* after she referred to a tennis player as a "golliwog" during a backstage conversation while filming for the programme.
A technical playout error during ITV1's coverage of the FA Cup Fourth Round replay between Everton and Liverpool results in coverage of the match being interrupted by an advertisement break towards the end of extra time, causing viewers to miss seeing Everton's winning goal as the feed is restored straight afterwards. ITV subsequently apologises for the error.
5 FebruaryTo coincide with the 20th anniversary of Sky's launch, at 6am *Sunrise* begins presenting from a new "multi-purpose" area of the Sky News Centre, formally known as the "shoebox".
7 Februaryurl= http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2009/02_february/06/iran.shtmltitle= Iran and the West: Saddam offered to "eliminate" Ayatollahwork= BBC Onlinedate= 6 February 2009access-date= 12 February 2009archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090213083408/http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2009/02_february/06/iran.shtmlarchive-date= 13 February 2009url-status= dead}}
9 FebruaryITV plc merges the ITV Thames Valley and ITV Meridian regions.
10 FebruaryGeorge McGhee announces he is stepping down as BBC Controller of Programme Acquisition after six years, and will take a career break. His role will be temporarily filled by Sue Deeks, the current Programme Acquisition Head of Series.
ITV airs an hour-long episode of *Emmerdale* showing the funeral of long-standing character Jack Sugden, who was killed off-screen due to the death of Clive Hornby, the actor who played him, the year before. The episode sees Sheila Mercier reprise her role as Jack's mother, Annie Sugden, who returns to the village of Emmerdale to attend his funeral, while the episode is dedicated to Hornby's memory.
12 FebruaryITV plc merges the ITV Anglia regions.
16 FebruaryFive US is rebranded as Five USA. Also on this day, ITV plc merges the ITV West and ITV Westcountry regions.
17 FebruaryUKTV People is rebranded as "Blighty".
19 FebruaryITV plc merges the ITV Yorkshire regions.
23 FebruaryITV plc merges the ITV Central regions.
Sky is criticised by Ofcom for allowing Domino's Pizza to sponsor *The Simpsons* because the deal breached the watchdog's rules banning the advertising of junk food while children's programmes are on air.
Corpus Christi College, Oxford wins the 2008–09 series of *University Challenge*, beating the University of Manchester 275–190. Corpis Christi are later disqualified after one of their team members is found to have no longer been a student, and the title awarded to Manchester.
24 FebruaryAn episode of *EastEnders* is screened consisting entirely of black actors, the first time an episode of the soap has featured an entirely black cast in its 23-year history.
25 FebruaryITV plc merges the ITV Border and ITV Tyne Tees regions.
26 FebruaryMat Follas wins the 2009 series of *MasterChef*.
FebruaryITV makes major cutbacks to its regional broadcasts in England. The separate sub-regional news programmes are merged into a pan-regional programme although more localised news continues to be broadcast as a brief opt-out during the early evening programme, and with the exception of a monthly political programme, all non-news regional programming in the English regions ends.
FebruaryUTV's mid-morning weekday and lunchtime weekend *UTV Live* bulletins are axed when the station is permitted to reduce their weekly news output from five hours and twenty minutes to four hours.

March

DateEvent
2 MarchUKTV History is rebranded as "Yesterday".
Corpus Christi College, Oxford are disqualified as champions of the 2009 series of *University Challenge* after one of their contestants, Sam Kay, was found to no longer be a student. The runners-up, the University of Manchester, are declared champions in their place.
ITV announces it is cutting 600 jobs after it reported a loss of £2.6 billion for 2008. The jobs will go from the company's Yorkshire studios in Leeds and from their headquarters in London.
*Emmerdale* announces the introduction of British soap's first regular blind character. Kitty McGeever will make her debut as wayward character Lizzie Lakely next month.
9 MarchFrom this week, ITV's *News at Ten* programme returns to being aired five nights a week (having previously aired Monday to Thursday only since its return, with an 11 pm bulletin on Fridays).
13 MarchHighlights of Comic Relief 2009 include a spoof of *Mamma Mia*, and a re-imagining of *The Office* as an opera. The telethon raises a record total in excess of £57 million at the climax of their telethon, surpassing the amount raised during the 2007 telethon by over £17 million.
16 March*Missing* was broadcast as the first British Daytime serial on the BBC since *Doctors* since 2000.
22 MarchRay Quinn and dance partner Maria Filippov win the fourth series of *Dancing on Ice*.
23 MarchSTV relaunches its on-screen presentation.
*Scotland Today* is relaunched as *STV News at Six*.
25 MarchITV announces that it will postpone the broadcast of the 2009 National Television Awards until January 2010, and will axe the National Movie Awards.
Fern Britton announces she is to quit *This Morning* after 10 years.

April

DateEvent
1 AprilSix TV is defunct in Oxfordshire and Southampton after only 10 years of localised airing.
Trouble closes down after over 12 years of broadcasting and is replaced by Living +2.
Channel 4 airs the 1,000th edition of Deal or No Deal.
3 AprilThe BBC is fined £150,000 because of The Russell Brand Show prank telephone calls row. It is the biggest financial penalty ever imposed on the corporation for a single broadcast.
4 AprilThe BBC receives 1,477 complaints following a remark made by sports presenter Clare Balding to the winning jockey at the [2009 Grand National](2009-grand-national). Referring to Liam Treadwell's teeth she suggested that he could "get them done" with his prize fund. Balding and the BBC later issued an apology.
5 AprilBBC One moves its *Countryfile* programme to a 7 pm slot on Sunday evenings. The Sunday morning slot previously occupied by the show is taken over by a new outdoors activity show called *Country Tracks*.
6 AprilParamount Comedy 1 and Paramount Comedy 2 are rebranded to Comedy Central and Comedy Central Extra.
7 AprilBBC Two suffers its second worse peaktime viewing audience since 2001, with a share of 5.3%.
The BBC confirms that Danniella Westbrook will return to *EastEnders* as Sam Mitchell later in the year.
8 AprilThe BBC apologises after a link was accidentally posted on *The Apprentice* website revealing the identity of the candidate who would be fired in the evening's edition of the show.
8 April – 9 SeptemberAnalogue services are switched off in the Westcountry region.
10 AprilChannel 5 broadcasts Australian live action children's series *Hi-5* on their *Milkshake!* block for the final time after 6 years due to losing rights and constant presenter changes.
10–12 AprilTo celebrate its 21st birthday, three new episodes of the sci-fi sitcom *Red Dwarf* are broadcast on Dave. Entitled *Red Dwarf: Back to Earth*, they are the first new episodes of the show since 1999.
11 AprilUnemployed 47 year old Susan Boyle makes her *Britain's Got Talent* audition, performing "I Dreamed A Dream" out of the blue; her audition gains many YouTube views overnight.
23 AprilITV chief executive Michael Grade announces he will step down by the end of 2009 and will become non-executive chairman.
25 AprilSimon Amstell announces that he is to quit as host of *Never Mind the Buzzcocks* after acting as host since 2006.
27 AprilUTV launches a 30-minute late evening news and current affairs programme, *UTV Live Tonight*, which follows the *News at Ten* on weekday nights from Monday to Thursday. The programme incorporates the station's late news bulletin alongside extended political and business coverage.
30 Aprillast=Curtisfirst=Chrisurl=http://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/news/2009/03/uktv_to_unveil_home_and_really_channels.htmltitle=UKTV to unveil Home and Really channelsmagazine=Broadcastdate=24 March 2009access-date=24 March 2009archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090327110002/http://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/news/2009/03/uktv_to_unveil_home_and_really_channels.htmlarchive-date= 27 March 2009url-status= live}}

May

DateEvent
6 MayAfter five Gurkha veterans who had applied for UK residency receive letters telling them their appeals have been rejected, the actress Joanna Lumley, who is the face of the Gurkha Justice Campaign, confronted the Minister for Immigration Phil Woolas at the BBC Westminster studios about the issue. After she pursues him around the studio, the pair hold an impromptu press conference in which she pressures him into agreeing to further talks over the issue.
ITV announces that *The South Bank Show* is to end in 2010 after 32 years following Melvyn Bragg's retirement.
8 MayIt is announced that Richard and Judy's series on Watch, *Richard and Judy's New Position*, will end early due to poor ratings. The show launched in October 2008 with 100,000 viewers, but audiences have dropped as low as 8,000. The last episode will air on 3 July.
12 MayBBC News Channel presenter Carrie Gracie discloses details of her annual salary during a heated debate on the MPs expenses row with Lord Faulks. The revelation breaks with the BBC's protocol of not divulging how much individual members of staff are paid.
15 MayThree actors have been axed from *Coronation Street*, it is reported. Jonathan Dixon (Darryl Morton), Nikki Patel (Amber Kalirai) and Wanda Opalinska (Wiki Dankowska) will be leaving later in the year.
16 MayThe 2009 Eurovision Song Contest is held in Moscow, Russia, and sees Graham Norton taking on the role of presenter of the BBC's coverage following Terry Wogan's decision to step down in 2008. The contest is the first to have the result decided by a combination of panels of experts and televoting in order to reduce instances of countries voting for their neighbours. It is won by Norway's Alexander Rybak with "Fairytale".
17 MayActress Leslie Ash is to join the cast of *Holby City* as executive Vanessa Lytton, it is announced. The role sees her return to television five years after she contracted a hospital bug that left her partially paralysed. She will begin shooting her scenes in June and be seen on screen from October.
18 MayPortland TV is fined £27,500 by Ofcom for a programme broadcast by adult channel Television X2 in September 2008 that the watchdog deemed showed material equivalent to BBFC R18 content.
19 MayUKTV Gardens is replaced by Really.
20 MayDavid Tennant finishes filming his tenure of *Doctor Who* as the Tenth Doctor.
25 MayThe *Coach Trip* returns to Channel 4 after 3 years of absence.
27 MayHaving originally planned to leave the series at the end of the year, Gray O'Brien, who plays Tony Gordon in *Coronation Street* has extended his contract. He will take a break to appear in pantomime before returning to film a dramatic exit storyline.
28 May*EastEnders* is to feature a storyline in which a male Muslim character has a gay relationship, it is reported. Syed Masood (Marc Elliott) will also be seen sharing an on screen kiss with Christian Clarke (John Partridge) after falling for him.
BBC One airs *Tourettes: I Swear I Can't Help It*, a follow-up documentary to the 1989 *Q.E.D.* film *John's Not Mad*, dealing with people who have Tourette syndrome.
30 MayStreet dance troupe Diversity win the third series of *Britain's Got Talent*, beating bookies favourite Susan Boyle into second place.

June

DateEvent
5 JuneBen Bradshaw is appointed as Culture Secretary following a Cabinet reshuffle, while Sir Alan Sugar is to sit in the House of Lords as the Government's Enterprise Tsar. The appointment leads to conflict of interest concerns because of Sugar's role on *The Apprentice*, with Bradshaw's shadow, Jeremy Hunt raising the matter in the House of Commons on 8 June. Bradshaw does not believe there will be a problem as Sugar's BBC role is a non-political one.
7 JuneYasmina Siadatan wins the fifth series of *The Apprentice*.
12 JuneIt is announced that Peter Sissons, who is thought to be Britain's longest serving newsreader, will retire in the summer after 45 years.
15 JuneITV announces that it has axed the science fiction drama *Primeval* to concentrate on producing post-watershed drama. However, plans for two more series were revealed in September after ITV agreed a deal with UKTV.
16 JuneThe long-awaited Digital Britain report is published. It makes a number of recommendations with regard to Broadband access, Internet use and Public Service Broadcasting.
18 JuneAnalogue services in the Caldbeck, Cumbria, Dumfries & Galloway and the Isle of Man are switched off.
The BBC confirms that Sir Alan Sugar will keep his role with *The Apprentice* as it feels his role as Enterprise Tsar will not compromise the broadcaster's impartiality.
19 JuneAfter nearly 27 years, *Countdown* is filmed at The Leeds Studios for the last time. Subsequent series were filmed at Granada Studios in Manchester until 2013 when it switched to filming in dock10, MediaCityUK in Salford.
*EastEnders* begins airing a storyline in which Muslim character Syed Masood (Marc Elliott) begins a homosexual relationship with Christian Clarke (John Partridge).
22 JuneUKTV Food is rebranded as "Good Food". rebrands.
23 JuneSetanta Sports ceases broadcasting in the UK after going into administration.
25 JuneThe BBC publishes the expenses of some of its top executives. Among the information to be revealed is that the corporation's Director General Mark Thompson claimed over £2,000 after cutting short his holiday in October 2008 to deal with the row over The Russell Brand Show phone calls controversy.
Channel 4 feigns a power failure during the broadcast of an episode of TNT, starring Jack Whitehall and Holly Walsh, after a joke is made at the expense of Michael Jackson. At the time of broadcast, reports of Jackson's death were beginning to come through, so there had been no time to re-scrutinize any of the programming. Due to the time delay employed by many broadcasters, Channel 4 were able to, perhaps quite literally, pull the plug before the now-tasteless joke went public.

July

DateEvent
5 JulyReece Dinsdale, who plays Joe McIntyre in *Coronation Street*, has quit the soap because he did not wish to be typecast, the *News of the World* reports.
6 JulyMecia Simson wins Cycle 5 of *Britain's Next Top Model*.
7 JulyA memorial service for the singer Michael Jackson, who died on 25 June, is broadcast live around the world, with an estimated audience of one billion.
9 JulyIt is announced that Alesha Dixon will replace Arlene Phillips as one of the judges when Strictly Come Dancing returns for its seventh series later in the year.
10 JulyJayne Middlemiss wins the 2009 series of *Celebrity MasterChef*.
14 JulyBBC Trust chairman Sir Michael Lyons announces that bonuses for the 10 most senior BBC executives will be suspended indefinitely.
16 JulyITV repeats Martin Bashir's 2003 documentary *Living with Michael Jackson*. The programme draws 3.64m viewers (a 15.4% share of the audience).
ITV announces that its news and information Teletext service will be discontinued within the next six months as a result of mounting losses and the inability to find a viable business model to continue.
17 JulyFern Britton presents her last edition of This Morning after 10 years.
It is announced that Teletext games magazine GameCentral will cease broadcasting in December, along with all other Teletext editorial content.
22 JulyThe Caldbeck group of transmitters have their final analogue signals turned off, completing the digital switchover of the Border Television region.
23 JulyITV moves *Coronation Street* from its long-standing Wednesday evening slot to Thursday at 8:30. There is also a second episode of *Emmerdale* replacing the Tuesday hour long episode, which reverts to 30 minutes. *The Bill* is also moved to a post-9pm slot to allow for more hard-hitting storylines. The changes are part of an overhaul of ITV's scheduling to make way for football coverage on Wednesdays.
28 JulyTV presenter Esther Rantzen confirms that she will run for Parliament in the Luton South constituency at the [next general election](2010-united-kingdom-general-election).
JulySTV announces that it is withdrawing more ITV programmes from its schedules, such as *The Bill*, *Doc Martin*, *Midsomer Murders*, *Poirot*, *Lewis*, instead preferring to concentrate on programming made within Scotland.

August

DateEvent
3 AugustESPN UK Launches in place of Setanta Sports
5 AugustChannel 4 announces that it will axe its lunchtime news bulletin as part of a cost-cutting exercise as from December. The 8:00 pm More4 bulletin will also be scrapped.
6 AugustITV sells its stake in the Friends Reunited website for £25m, having paid £125m for it in 2005. The sale occurs as the company announces losses of £105m in the first half of 2009 and a record decline in advertising revenue.
12 AugustAnalogue services are switched off in the HTV Wales region.
26 AugustChannel 4 announces that *Big Brother* will end in 2010 after series 11.
27 AugustMass production of televisions in the UK comes to an end after the last set rolls off the production line at Toshiba's plant in Plymouth.
28 AugustAt the Edinburgh International Television Festival News Corporation Chairman James Murdoch delivers the MacTaggart Memorial Lecture in which he launches an attack on the BBC and UK media regulator Ofcom.
31 AugustJetix rebrands as Disney XD after the full purchase of Jetix Europe by The Walt Disney Company.

September

DateEvent
4 SeptemberSophie Reade wins series nine of *Big Brother*.
9 SeptemberWestcountry Television completes the digital switchover process with the turning off of all analogue signals from the Caradon Hill transmitter
19 SeptemberBritish television premiere of the James Bond film *Casino Royale* on ITV1.
20 SeptemberJimmy Mulville, the head of Hat Trick Productions, announced that a pilot for an American version of the long-running satirical panel game *Have I Got News for You* was to be made.
21 SeptemberA week after Danniella Westbrook's return to *EastEnders*, a spokesman for the soap confirms she will be leaving the series again at the end of the year, her character, Sam Mitchell, having been brought back for a few months as part of a specific storyline.
22 SeptemberITV plc launches legal proceedings against STV (its Channel 3 counterpart in Scotland) for a quoted unpaid debt of £38 million from network programming contributions, following STV's practice of dropping a number of network programmes on the STV franchise. At the same time, STV claims it is also following procedures against ITV plc, for up to £40 million owed to STV under its advertising sales agreements.{{cite news
29 SeptemberITV announces that it has struck a deal between Watch, Impossible Pictures, German broadcaster Pro7 and BBC Worldwide to produce two new series of Primeval for transmission in 2011.
30 SeptemberThe Freeview service is upgraded requiring 18 million households to retune their television sets. The changes lead to several hundred complaints from people who have lost channels as a result of retuning their equipment.

October

DateEvent
1 OctoberLondon mayor Boris Johnson makes a cameo appearance in BBC One soap EastEnders. The episode is watched by 8 million viewers.
2 October*Mock the Week* announces that two new series are being made, but Frankie Boyle will no longer appear on the show.
Channel TV is fined £80,000 by Ofcom over their part in the television phone-in scandal involving the British Comedy Awards.
10 OctoberIt is confirmed that *Red Dwarf* will be commissioned a full series following the success of *Red Dwarf: Back to Earth*. It will be recorded in 2010 for Dave.
11 OctoberIt is announced that there are plans to adapt the Douglas Adams *Dirk Gently* novels for television.
12 OctoberFollowing its direct-to-DVD special, *Hero of the Rails*, children's TV show, *Thomas & Friends* transforms into full CGI animation instead of the usual toy models that were used from 1984 to 2008.
13 OctoberTeletext Ltd confirms that GameCentral will continue as a website and mobile service after it is dropped from the television service in December.
14 OctoberAndrew Newman, head of entertainment and comedy at Channel 4 leaves his job to go to work for Objective Productions after working for the TV channel for over 10 years.
19 OctoberAlison King makes her return to *Coronation Street* as Carla Connor.
22 OctoberBritish National Party leader Nick Griffin makes a controversial first appearance on *Question Time* after being invited onto the show by the BBC. The edition attracts eight million viewers, twice the programme's usual audience. The programme also results in a large number of complaints to the BBC, while Griffin himself makes a formal complaint to the corporation for the way he believes he was treated on the show.
Steve Groves wins the second series of BBC Two's *MasterChef: The Professionals*.
ITV announces plans to drop the "bongs" of Big Ben from the opening credits of *News at Ten*. Also confirmed are plans to relaunch the *Tonight* programme in January 2010 with Julie Etchingham as its new presenter.
26 OctoberThe second and final series of *Numberjacks* begins on CBeebies.
28 OctoberIt is announced by the BBC that Barbara Windsor is to leave EastEnders in 2010 after 16 years.

November

DateEvent
4 NovemberAnalogue BBC2 switched off in the Granada Television region.
5 NovemberGraham Cole makes his final appearance as Tony Stamp in The Bill.
10 NovemberThe BBC confirms that the next series of *The Apprentice* will be delayed from Spring 2010 to avoid clashing with the [general election](2010-united-kingdom-general-election).
18 NovemberFormer Asda chief executive Archie Norman is appointed as chairman of ITV from January 2010.
20 NovemberThe Peter Kay's All Star Animated Band music video made its debut on that year's Children in Need, featuring over 50 children's TV characters past and present. It took 2 years to create the finished result.
21 NovemberAthlete Jade Johnson pulled out of Strictly Come Dancing due to a knee injury she suffered in the previous week's dress rehearsal where she was given a bye to that night and chose to withdraw.
24 Novemberurl=http://pressoffice.virginmedia.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=205406&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1359213&highlight=title=Virgin Media Selects Tivo For Next Generation Tv Platformpublisher=Virgin Mediadate=24 November 2009}}
UK airdate of the *Ugly Betty* episode "In the Stars" which features a cameo appearance from English singer Adele. The episode airs on E4 first, before being shown on Channel 4 on 30 November.
26 NovemberITV takes full ownership of the breakfast TV service GMTV after purchasing Disney's 25% share in the channel.

December

DateEvent
2 DecemberThe Winter Hill transmitter has its remaining analogue signals turned off, completing the digital switchover process in the Granada Television region. Freeview HD begins transmission marking the worldwide operational debut of the DVB-T2 standard.
4 DecemberTV chef Gino D'Acampo wins the ninth series of *I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!*. It is later reported that D'Acampo and fellow contestant Stuart Manning will face criminal charges after they captured, killed and cooked a rat, while ITV apologises for the incident and says it will tighten up security on the show. Charges against the pair, who turned to the rodent as a source of food to give themselves more protein after being put on reduced rations of rice and beans, are later dropped because production staff gave them permission to eat it. In February 2010, ITV are fined A$3,000 over the incident by a Court in New South Wales.
8 DecemberActor Mark Eden, who played *Coronation Street* villain Alan Bradley returns to Blackpool to unveil a plaque marking the 20th anniversary of the character's demise. Alan was killed off on 8 December 1989 in a storyline that saw him being hit by a Blackpool tram outside the town's The Strand Hotel.
11 DecemberCBeebies airs the last ever episode of *Numberjacks*.
13 DecemberBBC One airs an interview Fern Britton recorded with Tony Blair as part of her *Fern Britton Meets...* series. During the programme, the former Prime Minister says that it would have been right to remove Iraqi president Saddam Hussein even without evidence he had weapons of mass destruction.
Footballer Ryan Giggs is named this year's BBC Sports Personality of the Year.
Joe McElderry wins the sixth series of *The X Factor*.
16 DecemberITV closes its news and information service on Teletext, leaving the ITV channel(s) without such a service for the first time in 35 years.
19 DecemberBBC sports presenter Chris Hollins and his dancing partner Ola Jordan win the seventh series of *Strictly Come Dancing*.
23 DecemberSinger Boy George loses a High Court battle to overturn a ruling by the Probation Service that he could not appear on the final series of *Celebrity Big Brother*.
25 December*The Royle Family* returns for another Christmas special, attracting an audience of 10.2 million. The most watched show of the day is *EastEnders*, which overnight figures suggest is seen by 10.9 million.
26 DecemberBBC Two airs a television film adaptation of *Hamlet*, starring David Tennant in the eponymous role.

Debuts

BBC

DateDebutChannel
2 January*The Legend of Dick and Dom*CBBC
*Around the World in 80 Faiths*BBC Two
3 January*A History of Scotland*
*Richard Hammond's Blast Lab*CBBC
*Eurovision: Your Country Needs You*BBC One
*Total Wipeout*
5 January*Half Moon Investigations*
*The Diary of Anne Frank*
*Scoop*CBBC
6 January*Paradise Cafe*
*Grow Your Own Drugs*BBC Two
*Oz and James Drink to Britain*
8 January*Life of Riley*BBC One
*Victorian Farm*BBC Two
9 January*The Oracle with Max Keiser*BBC World News
12 January*Million Dollar Traders*BBC Two
14 January*The City Uncovered*
*The Secret Life of Elephants*BBC One
15 January*Undercover Princes*BBC Three
18 January*Hunter*BBC One
20 January*Cowards*BBC Four
23 January*LifeSpam*BBC Three
25 January*Being Human*
27 January*Naked*
30 January*The Site*
31 January*The Old Guys*BBC One
1 February*Charles Darwin and the Tree of Life*BBC One & BBC Two
2 February*Moses Jones*BBC Two
7 February*Iran and the West*
8 February*Victorian Farm*
10 February*Grandpa in My Pocket*CBeebies
11 February*Nature's Great Events*BBC One
12 February*We Need Answers*BBC Four
14 February*The Bottom Line*BBC News
15 February*The Victorians*BBC One
19 February*Britain's Best Drives*BBC Four
26 February*Margaret*BBC Two
6 March*Rocket Science*BBC One
12 March*I've Never Seen Star Wars*BBC Four
*Baroque! From St Peter's to St Paul's*
14 March*The Lost World of Communism*BBC Two
15 March*Yellowstone*
16 March*Missing*BBC One
*A Question of Genius*BBC Two
*Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle*
20 March*Genius*
27 March*The Real Swiss Family Robinson*BBC One
31 March*All the Small Things*
5 April*Five Minutes of Heaven*BBC Two
6 April*Timmy Time*Cbeebies
7 April*The Speaker*BBC Two
16 April*Horrible Histories*CBBC
18 April*Winging It*BBC Two
*Tonight's the Night*BBC One
24 April*Reggie Perrin*
26 April*Best: His Mother's Son*BBC Two
4 May*Martha Speaks*CBBC
10 May*South Pacific*BBC Two
10 May*The Incredible Human Journey*BBC Two
11 May*Propertywatch*BBC Two
*Waybuloo*CBeebies
16 May*Transmission Impossible with Ed & Oucho*CBBC
18 May*Moving On*BBC One
31 May*Empire of Cricket*BBC Two
2 June*Mary Queen of Charity Shops*
6 June*Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow*BBC One
*Totally Saturday*
7 June*Hope Springs*
16 June*Occupation*
*Personal Affairs*BBC Three
18 Juneurl= http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/tv_and_radio/article6381267.ecearchive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110617005946/http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/tv_and_radio/article6381267.eceurl-status= deadarchive-date= 17 June 2011title= The League of Gentlemen launch Psychovillenewspaper= Times Onlinefirst= Stephenlast= Armstrongdate= 31 May 2009access-date= 8 June 2009location=London}}BBC Two
8 July*Taking the Flak*
*Getting On*BBC Four
13 July*League of Super Evil*CBBC
14 July*Freefall*BBC Two
17 July*As Seen on TV*BBC One
18 July*How to Be a Composer*BBC Four
19 July*Young, Dumb and Living Off Mum*BBC Three
21 July*The Truth About Crime*BBC One
*Desperate Romantics*BBC Two
23 July*The Rat Pack*BBC One
27 July*Bang Goes the Theory*
*Knowitalls*BBC Two
29 July*Breaking The Mould*BBC Four
30 July*We Are Klang*BBC Three
*My Life as an Animal*
5 August*Roy*CBBC
6 August*The Funny Side Of...*BBC Two
8 August*The Football League Show*BBC One
15 August*Walk on the Wild Side*
20 August*Tough Guy or Chicken?*BBC Three
24 August*Pointless*BBC Two
4 September*Happy Hollidays*BBC One
5 September*My Almost Famous Family*CBBC
6 September*Last Chance to See*BBC Two
7 September*Dennis & Gnasher*CBBC
*Gigglebiz*CBeebies
*Land Girls*BBC One
8 September*Lost Land of the Volcano*
9 September*Crash*
10 September*Off the Hook*BBC Three
*Lunch Monkeys*
14 September*Home Time*BBC Two
*The Cut*
19 September*Merlin: Secrets and Magic*BBC Three
27 September*By Any Means 2*BBC Two
29 September*Electric Dreams*BBC Four
4 October*Emma*BBC One
6 October*It's Only a Theory*BBC Four
8 October*Micro Men*
10 October*The Well*BBC Two
12 October*Life*BBC One
13 October*Around the World in 80 Days*
*Inside Life*CBBC
21 October*Gary: Tank Commander*BBC Two
*Defying Gravity*
22 October*Russell Howard's Good News*BBC Three
28 October*Andrew Marr's The Making of Modern Britain*BBC Two
31 October*The Impressions Show with Culshaw and Stephenson*BBC One
1 November*Garrow's Law*
2 November*Into the Storm*BBC Two
9 November*Miranda*
16 November*Enid*BBC Four
23 November*Mouth to Mouth*BBC Three
*Paradox*BBC One
29 November*Fern Britton Meets...*
30 November*Rip Off Britain*
*Margot*BBC Four
2 December*Big Top*BBC One
14 December*Move Like Michael Jackson*BBC Three
20 December*Return to Cranford*BBC One
23 December*Victoria Wood's Mid Life Christmas*
28 December*The Day of the Triffids*
30 December*The Turn of the Screw*

ITV

DateDebutChannel
3 January*Demons*ITV
4 January*Above Suspicion*
29 January*Paris Hilton's British Best Friend*ITV2
31 January*The Feelgood Factor*ITV
*Good Arrows*ITV4
2 February*Whitechapel*ITV
3 February*Ladies of Letters*ITV3
21 February*The Colour of Money*ITV
22 February*Piers Morgan's Life Stories*
23 February*Law & Order: UK*
25 February*FM*ITV2
27 February*Al Murray's Multiple Personality Disorder*ITV
2 March*Bookaboo*CITV
16 March*Taste the Nation*ITV
19 March*The Justin Lee Collins Show*ITV2
1 May*Boy Meets Girl*ITV
4 May*Compulsion*
18 May*Divided*
26 May*The Hour*
30 May*Mumbai Calling*
29 June*The Chase*
12 July*Monday Monday*
13 July*The Fuse*
23 July*Made in Scotland*STV
26 July*Whatever It Takes*ITV
17 August*Peter Andre: Going It Alone*ITV2
22 August*The Cube*ITV
27 August*What Katie Did Next*ITV2
30 August*Wuthering Heights*ITV
20 September*Trinity*ITV2
19 October*Murderland*ITV
9 November*Collision*
11 December*Mister Eleven*
20 December*The Fattest Man in Britain*
31 December*Sleep with Me*

Channel 4

DateDebutChannel
13 February*Free Agents*Channel 4
5 March*Red Riding*
22 March*Chris Moyles' Quiz Night*
6 April*Henry VIII: The Mind of a Tyrant*
4 May*Endgame*
11 May*Find Me a Family*
17 May*The Unloved*
25 May*The Operation: Surgery Live*
7 July*You Have Been Watching*
17 July*True Blood*
9 September*Derren Brown: The Events*
30 September*Ruth Watson's Hotel Rescue*
7 October*When Boris Met Dave*More4
6 November*Campus*Channel 4
9 November*The Execution of Gary Glitter*
12 November*Misfits*E4
13 November*PhoneShop*Channel 4
24 November*Cast Offs*
27 November*The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret*
29 November*The Queen*

Five

DateDebutChannel
23 March*Wordplay*Five
6 April*Ben & Holly's Little Kingdom*
7 August*You're Nicked!*
7 September*Joshua Jones*
Disney
14 September*Live from Studio Five*
5 September*Angelina Ballerina: The Next Steps*
28 October*Britain's Best Brain*

Other channels

DateDebutChannel
5 February*No Signal!*FX
16 February*Oops TV*Sky 1
9 March*Toyboize*Dave
12 April*Skellig*Sky 1
*Olivia Lee: Dirty, Sexy, Funny*Comedy Central
10 May*Fawlty Towers: Re-Opened*G.O.L.D.
31 May*The Take*Sky 1
6 July*Four Weddings*Living
7 September*Blues and Twos*Really
7 September*[999](999-british-tv-series)*Really
7 September*Rescue Heroes*Really
7 September*Raw Blues*Really
7 September*The Rockford Files*Alibi
7 September*Chopper Coppers*Really
7 September*Ambulance*Really
28 September*Jungle Junction*Playhouse Disney
1 October*Industrial Junkie*Quest
4 October*Tarrant Lets the Kids Loose*Watch
21 October*Grouchy Young Men*Comedy Central
25 October*Nanoboy*Pop
Undated*Bunny Maloney*Kix
*Clang Invasion*Pop
*Magi-Nation*Pop
*Toopy and Binoo*Tiny Pop
*Lab Rats Challenge*Pop
*SamSam*Pop
*G2G*Pop Girl

Channels

New channels

DateChannel
20 JanuaryInvestigation Discovery
5 FebruaryLiving2 +1
16 FebruaryITV West Country
25 FebruaryITV Tyne Tees & Border
20 MarchDiscovery Shed
19 MayReally
1 JulyWedding TV Asia
1 AugustNicktoons Replay
3 AugustESPN
ESPN HD
True Entertainment
30 SeptemberQuest
26 OctoberViva
16 NovemberCBS Action
CBS Drama
CBS Reality
14 DecemberE4 HD

Defunct channels

Main article: List of former TV channels in the United Kingdom#2009

DateChannel
2 JanuaryBBC 2W
5 FebruaryTrouble +1
8 FebruaryITV Thames Valley
15 FebruaryWestcountry Television
25 FebruaryBorder Television
1 AprilSix TV (Oxford & Southampton)
Trouble
Real Estate TV
19 MayUKTV Gardens
15 JuneSimply Movies
23 JuneSetanta Sports News
Setanta Golf
Rangers TV
Celtic TV
31 JulyNicktoonsters
3 AugustShowcase TV
7 AugustArsenal TV
26 OctoberTMF
16 NovemberZone Reality
Zone Romantica
Zone Thriller

Rebranded channels

DateOld NameNew Name
26 JanuaryUKTV DocumentaryEden
UKTV Documentary +1Eden +1
16 FebruaryFive US[Five USA](5usa)
Five US +1Five USA +1
17 FebruaryUKTV PeopleBlighty
24 FebruaryDave +1Dave ja vu
2 MarchUKTV HistoryYesterday
UKTV History +1Yesterday +1
16 MarchChannel UChannel AKA
FizzStarz TV
6 AprilParamount Comedy 1Comedy Central
Paramount Comedy 2Comedy Central Extra
30 AprilUKTV StyleHome
UKTV Style +1Home +1
22 JuneUKTV FoodGood Food
UKTV Food +1Good Food +1
1 JulyMTV OneMTV
MTV One +1MTV +1
31 AugustJetixDisney XD
Jetix +1Disney XD +1
30 NovemberLiving2Livingit
Living2 +1Livingit +1

Television shows

Changes of network affiliation

ProgrammeMoved fromMoved to
*Harry & Paul*BBC OneBBC Two
*The Thick of It*BBC Four
*Fun House*ITV1Challenge
*Formula One*BBC One
*Gavin & Stacey*BBC Three
*The Graham Norton Show*BBC Two
*Torchwood*
*Masterchef*
*Out of the Blue*[Fiver](5)
*The Biggest Loser*LivingITV1
*Classic EastEnders*UKTV GoldWatch
*Hi-5*Channel 5 & Cartoonito (Australian version)Cartoonito & CITV (UK version)
*House*FiveSky1
*Blues and Twos*BravoReally
*Fireman Sam*FiveCITV
*King of the Hill*Channel 4 **&** Sky1E4

Returning this year after a break of one year or longer

ProgrammeDate(s) of original removalOriginal channelDate of returnNew channel(s)
*The Krypton Factor*20 November 1995ITV1 January 2009N/A (Same channel as original)
*Minder*10 March 19944 February 2009Five
*Grand Prix Highlights*13 October 1996BBC One
BBC Two27 March 2009BBC Three
*Red Dwarf*5 April 1999BBC Two10 April 2009Dave
*The Biggest Loser*27 December 2006Living27 April 2009ITV
*Blues and Twos*22 November 1993ITV7 September 2009Really
*Born to Be Different*2004
13 September 2007Channel 428 April 2009N/A (Same channel as original)
*The Chart Show*22 August 1998ITV10 May 2009Channel 4
*Coach Trip*30 June 2006Channel 425 May 2009N/A (Same channel as original)
*Shooting Stars* new series15 December 2002BBC Choice26 August 2009BBC Two

Continuing television shows

1920s

ProgrammeDate
*BBC Wimbledon*1927–1939, 1946–2019, 2021–present

1930s

ProgrammeDate
Trooping the Colour1937–1939, 1946–2019, 2023–present
The Boat Race1938–1939, 1946–2019, 2021–present

1950s

ProgrammeDate
*Panorama*1953–present
*The Sky at Night*1957–present
*Blue Peter*1958–present

1960s

ProgrammeDate
*Coronation Street*1960–present
*Songs of Praise*1961–present
*University Challenge*1962–1987, 1994–present
*Doctor Who*1963–1989, 1996, 2005–present
*Match of the Day*1964–present
*The Money Programme*1966–2010

1970s

ProgrammeDate
*Emmerdale*1972–present
*Mastermind*
*Newsround*
*Last of the Summer Wine*1973–2010
*Arena*1975–present
*One Man and His Dog*1976–present
*The Krypton Factor*1977–1995, 2009–2010
*Top Gear*1977–present
*Ski Sunday*1978–present
*Antiques Roadshow*1979–present
*Question Time*

1980s

ProgrammeDate
*Children in Need*1980–present
*Timewatch*1982–present
*The Bill*1984–2010
*Channel 4 Racing*1984–2016
*Thomas & Friends*1984–present
*EastEnders*1985–present
*Comic Relief*
*Casualty*1986–present
*Fireman Sam*1987–1994, 2005–2013
*ChuckleVision*1987–2009
*This Morning*1988–present
*Red Dwarf*1988–1999, 2009, 2012–present
*The Simpsons*1989–present

1990s

ProgrammeDate
*Have I Got News for You*1990–present
*Heartbeat*1992–2010
*A Touch of Frost*
*ITV News Meridian*1993–present
*Shooting Stars*1993–2002, 2009–2011
*Time Team*1994–2013
*The National Lottery Draws*1994–2017
*Top of the Pops 2*1994–2017
*Hollyoaks*1995–present
*Never Mind the Buzzcocks*1996–2015
*Silent Witness*1996–present
*Y Clwb Rygbi*, Wales1997–present
*Midsomer Murders*
*Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?*1998–2014
*Bob the Builder*1998–present
*Bremner, Bird and Fortune*1999–2010
*British Soap Awards*1999–2019, 2022–present
*Holby City*1999–2022

2000s

ProgrammeDate
*The Weakest Link*2000–2012, 2017–present
*Big Brother*2000–2018
*Real Crime*2001–2011
*I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!*2002–present
*Harry Hill's TV Burp*2002–2012
*Spooks*2002–2011
*Daily Politics*2003–2018
*QI*2003–present
*New Tricks*2003–2015
*Peep Show*
*Politics Show*2003–2011
*The Royal*
*This Week*2003–2019
*Doc Martin*2004–2022
*Hustle*2004–2012
*Shameless*2004–2013
*Strictly Come Dancing*2004–present
*The X Factor*2004–2018
*The Andrew Marr Show*2005–2021
*Come Dine with Me*2005–present
*It's Me or the Dog*2005–2012
*Deal or No Deal*2005–2016
*Dancing on Ice*2006–2014
*Hotel Babylon*2006–2009
*Numberjacks*
*Robin Hood*
*That Mitchell and Webb Look*2006–2010
*Torchwood*2006–2011
*Waterloo Road*2006–2015
*Gavin & Stacey*2007–2010
*The Sarah Jane Adventures*2007–2011
*Would I Lie to You?*2007–present
*M.I. High*2007–2014
*Outnumbered*
*The Tudors*2007–2010
*Trapped*
*Skins*2007–2013
*Britain's Got Talent*2007–present
*Ashes to Ashes*2008–2010
*The Inbetweeners*
*Merlin*2008–2012
*Only Connect*2008–present
*Survivors*2008–2010
*Wallander*2008–2016

Ending this year

DateProgrammeChannel(s)Debut(s)
6 February*Plus One*Channel 42007
7 February*Demons*ITV2009
12 February*Victorian Farm*BBC Two
26 February*Get 100*BBC One, BBC Two & CBBC2007
5 March*The Green Green Grass*BBC One2005
6 March*In the Night Garden...*BBC Two & CBeebies2007
11 March*Minder*Five1979, 1991 & 2009
20 March*Going for Gold*BBC One & Five1987 & 2008
29 March*Yellowstone*BBC Two2009
1 April*FM*ITV
3 April*Moving Wallpaper*2008
11 April*The Colour of Money*2009
12 April*Al Murray's Multiple Personality Disorder*
*Gladiators*ITV & Sky 11992 & 2008
27 April*Hell's Kitchen*ITV2004
5 May*Born to Be Different*Channel 42003, 2006 & 2009
10 May*Shipwrecked*Channel 41999 & 2006
17 May*Pulling*BBC Three2006
21 May*The Justin Lee Collins Show*ITV22009
22 May*Boy Meets Girl*ITV
25 May*The Omid Djalili Show*BBC One2007
31 May*Beat the Star*ITV2008
27 June*Robin Hood*BBC One2006
3 July*Richard & Judy's New Position*Watch2008
9 July*Katie & Peter*ITV22007
12 July*Kingdom*ITV
24 July*The Fuse*2009
26 July*Hope Springs*BBC One
4 August*The Truth About Crime*
9 August*Don't Forget the Lyrics!*Sky 12008
14 August*Hotel Babylon*BBC One2006
17 August*The Street*
23 August*Jam & Jerusalem*
25 August*Desperate Romantics*BBC Two2009
31 August*Wuthering Heights*ITV
22 September*Lost Land of the Volcano*BBC One
12 October*Blue Murder*ITV2004
15 October*Katy Brand's Big Ass Show*ITV22007
25 October*Emma*BBC One2009
31 October*The Well*BBC Two
2 November*Murderland*ITV
8 November*By Any Means 2*BBC Two
12 November*Wife Swap*Channel 42003
*How Clean Is Your House?*
13 November*Collision*ITV2009
17 November*Around the World in 80 Days*BBC One
24 November*It's Only a Theory*BBC Four
11 December*Numberjacks*BBC Two & CBeebies2006
12 December*Hole in the Wall*BBC One2008
14 December*Life*2009
18 December*Golden Balls*ITV2007
*The Paul O'Grady Show*ITV & Channel 42004
*Trisha Goddard*ITV & Five1998
*More4 News*date=5 August 2009url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2009/aug/05/channel-4-news-at-noon-more4-news-cutstitle=The Guardian – Channel 4 to axe News at Noon and More4 News
27 December*Return to Cranford*BBC One2009
29 December*The Day of the Triffids*
30 December*Big Top*

Births

DateNameCinematic Credibility
16 March

Deaths

DateNameAgeBroadcast credibility
1 JanuaryEdmund Purdom84Actor
11 JanuaryDavid Vine73Sports presenter
13 JanuaryPatrick McGoohan80Actor (*The Prisoner*, *Danger Man*, *Columbo*)
16 JanuaryJohn Mortimer85Barrister, writer, novelist and dramatist (*Rumpole of the Bailey*)
18 JanuaryTony Hart83Children's TV presenter
Kathleen Byron88Actress (*Black Narcissus*, *A Matter of Life and Death*, *The House in the Square*)
24 JanuaryDiane Holland78Actress (*Hi-de-Hi!*)
Reg Gutteridge84Boxing commentator
26 FebruaryWendy Richard65Actress (*EastEnders*, *Are You Being Served?*) aka Pauline Fowler
27 FebruarySharat Sardana40Comedy scriptwriter (*Goodness Gracious Me*)
10 MarchDerek Benfield82Actor (*The Brothers*, *Hetty Wainthropp Investigates*, *First of the Summer Wine*)
14 MarchTerence Edmond69Actor (*Z-Cars*)
18 MarchNatasha Richardson45Actress
22 MarchJade Goody27Reality TV star (*Big Brother*)
24 Marchurl=http://www.bexhillobserver.net/latest-south-east-news/Exbroadcaster-and-MP-Brinton-dies.5101976.jptitle=Ex-broadcaster and MP Brinton dieswork=Bexhill Observerdate=24 March 2009access-date=27 March 2009archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090328222742/http://www.bexhillobserver.net/latest-south-east-news/Exbroadcaster-and-MP-Brinton-dies.5101976.jparchive-date=28 March 2009url-status=dead }}79British broadcaster and Conservative Party politician
8 AprilLennie Bennett70Comedian and game show host (*Punchlines*)
18 AprilStephanie Parker22Actress (*Belonging*)
20 MayLucy Gordon28Actress
28 MayTerence Alexander86Actor
31 MayDanny La Rue81Entertainer
20 JuneColin Bean83Actor (*Dad's Army*)
22 JuneSteve Race88Pianist and television presenter (*My Music*)
1 JulyMollie Sugden86Comedy actress (*Are You Being Served?*, *Grace & Favour*, *The Liver Birds*, *Coronation Street*)
12 JulyDonald MacCormick70Broadcast journalist and presenter (*Newsnight*)
13 JulyVince Powell80Sitcom writer (*Love Thy Neighbour*)
24 JulyHarry Towb83Actor
16 AugustLaurie Rowley68Comedy writer (*The Two Ronnies*, *Not the Nine O'Clock News*)
29 AugustSimon Dee74Television interviewer and radio disc jockey
13 SeptemberFelix Bowness87Actor (*Hi-de-Hi!*)
14 SeptemberKeith Floyd65Chef (*Saturday Kitchen*)
15 SeptemberTroy Kennedy Martin77Screenwriter (*Z-Cars*, *Edge of Darkness*)
16 SeptemberBrian Barron69BBC journalist and war correspondent
18 SeptemberPeter Denyer62Actor (*Please Sir!*)
30 SeptemberRobert S. Baker87Producer (*The Saint*)
16 NovemberEdward Woodward79Actor (*Callan*, *The Equalizer*)
2 DecemberMaggie Jones75Actress (*Coronation Street*) aka Blanche Hunt
5 DecemberGarfield Morgan78Actor (*The Sweeney*)
24 DecemberGeorge Cowling89Britain television's first weather presenter

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  118. (18 November 2009). "Hotel to unveil plaque where Street'S Alan Bradley died". Johnston Press.
  119. Steel, Helen. (5 April 2010). "Blackpool: A love affair with the nation's favourite street". Johnston Press.
  120. (12 December 2009). "Removing Saddam was right, even without WMD – Blair". BBC.
  121. (13 December 2009). "Ryan Giggs wins 2009 BBC Sports Personality award". BBC.
  122. (13 December 2009). "Joe McElderry wins X Factor crown". BBC.
  123. (19 December 2009). "Chris Hollins wins Strictly Come Dancing 2009". BBC.
  124. (19 December 2009). "Chris Hollins, Ola Jordan win 'Strictly'".
  125. (23 December 2009). "Judge bars Boy George from Celebrity Big Brother". The Press Association.
  126. (26 December 2009). "EastEnders tops 2009 Christmas Day ratings". BBC.
  127. "Hamlet – BBC Two – 26 December 2009". BBC.
  128. Orr, Deborah. (5 January 2009). "The Weekend's Television". The Independent.
  129. "Richard Hammond's Blast lab". BBC Programmes.
  130. "Yor Country Nneeds You". BBC Programmes.
  131. "Half Moon Investigations – Episode 1". BBC Programmes.
  132. "Diary of Anne Frank – Episode 1". BBC Programmes.
  133. (19 March 2008). "Two brand new sitcoms from BBC Scotland – Life of Riley and The Old Guys". BBC Press Office.
  134. "The Secret Life of Elephants – Episode 1". BBC Programmes.
  135. "Cowards (The TV Version)". British Comedy Guide.
  136. "LifeSpam: My Child Is French". British Comedy Guide.
  137. "Being Human – Episode 1". BBC Programmes.
  138. "The Site". British Comedy Guide.
  139. "The Old Guys – Episode Guide". British Comedy Guide.
  140. "We Need Answers (Episode Guide)". British Comedy Guide.
  141. Holmwood, Leigh. (16 February 2009). "TV ratings: Paxman's Victorians launches with more than 4m". [[The Guardian]].
  142. White, Michael. (17 February 2009). "The lady's not for turning off: Drama shows the chinks in Thatcher's armour". The Guardian.
  143. "I've Never Seen Star Wars (The TV series) – Episode Guide". British Comedy Guide.
  144. Fischer, Kerstin. (13 March 2009). "My lost world of Communism". BBC News.
  145. Horspool, David. (13 March 2009). "TV Review: The No1 Ladies' Detective Agency (BBC One) and Yellowstone (BBC One)". Telegraph.
  146. Wolf, Ian. "Genius". British Comedy Guide.
  147. (24 March 2009). "Neeson and Nesbitt star in Sundance award-winning drama, Five Minutes of Heaven".
  148. Shepherd, Robert. (31 March 2009). "BBC2 orders improv comedy series".
  149. "Reggie Perrin". British Comedy Guide.
  150. "CBBC - Martha Speaks, Martha Speaks".
  151. (7 May 2009). "BBC – Press Office". BBC.
  152. Armstrong, Stephen. (31 May 2009). "The League of Gentlemen launch Psychoville". Times Online.
  153. "''Taking the Flak'' – Production Details, Plus Regular Cast and Crew". [[British Comedy Guide]].
  154. "Getting On – Episode Guide". [[British Comedy Guide]].
  155. "We Are Klang – Production Details, Plus Regular Cast and Crew". [[British Comedy Guide]].
  156. Walker, Matt. (6 September 2009). "Enter a 'lost land of the weird'". BBC News.
  157. (3 April 2009). "Andy Hamilton and Reginald D Hunter claim It's Only A Theory". BBC Press Office.
  158. Shepherd, Robert. (1 April 2009). "BBC1 pilot for Dead Ringers star".
  159. (18 June 2009). "Miranda starts filming with an all-star cast for her new sitcom on BBC Two". BBC Press Office.
  160. Newman, Kim. (3 January 2009). "Philip Glenister stars in Demons". The Times.
  161. (8 October 2008). "Chris Tarrant signs £1million deal to front new ITV quiz The Colour of Money". Daily Mirror.
  162. (30 May 2008). "Piers Morgan signs ITV deal". Broadcast.
  163. (9 February 2009). "Law & Order: UK". ITV Press Office.
  164. "Al Murray's Multiple Personality Disorder". British Comedy Guide.
  165. "Boy Meets Girl". British Comedy Guide.
  166. Chater, David. (16 May 2009). "Sunday's Top TV". Times Online.
  167. Shaw, Vicky. (13 May 2009). "Cut! Surgeons carry out live TV operations". The Independent.
  168. "''You Have Been Watching'' – Production Details, Plus Regular Cast and Crew". [[British Comedy Guide]].
  169. Parker, Robin. (23 September 2009). "Harry and Paul moves to BBC2".
  170. (20 March 2008). "Formula One to return to BBC TV". BBC Sport.
  171. (26 August 2008). "Filming under way for new series of Torchwood". BBC Press Office.
  172. Green, Kris (30 October 2008). "[http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/soaps/a134006/fiver-acquires-rights-to-out-of-the-blue.html Fiver acquires rights to 'Out of the Blue']", ''[[Digital Spy]]''. Retrieved on 29 January 2009.
  173. (26 September 2008). "Comeback for Krypton Factor quiz". BBC.
  174. Sherwin}}{{dead link, Adam. (4 February 2009). "Shane Richie: Grease is the path to Minder life". Times Online.
  175. Thompson, Jody. (28 August 2008). "Exclusive: Amy Winehouse, Big Brother & more in Mirror.co.uk's Thursday gossip round-up". [[Daily Mirror]].
  176. (29 March 2022). "Holby City - an oral history by the show's stars and creators".
  177. Holmwood, Leigh. (19 June 2009). "ITV deals killer blow to Demons". The Guardian.
  178. Holmwood, Leigh. (2 October 2008). "BBC3 axes Pulling after two series". The Guardian.
  179. (3 July 2009). "BBC kills off Robin Hood series". BBC News.
  180. (8 May 2009). "Richard and Judy chatshow dropped".
  181. (9 October 2009). "ITV axes Kingdom".
  182. Bergan, Ronald. (5 January 2009). "Edmund Purdom: British character actor famed for his roles in The Student Prince and The Egyptian". The Guardian.
  183. (12 January 2009). "BBC sports host David Vine dies". BBC News.
  184. (15 January 2009). "Prisoner star McGoohan dies at 80". BBC News.
  185. (16 January 2009). "Rumpole's creator Mortimer dies". BBC News.
  186. (18 January 2009). "Tony Hart dies". Hotmail News.
  187. (20 January 2009). "Kathleen Byron: Actress who played Sister Ruth in "Black Narcissus"". [[The Independent]].
  188. (17 February 2009). "Hi-de-Hi!'s Yvonne dies aged 78". BBC.
  189. (26 February 2009). "Actress Wendy Richard dies at 68". BBC.
  190. (2009-01-31). "Goodness Gracious Me writer dies". BBC News.
  191. (27 May 2009). "Derek Benfield: Character actor whose career encompassed 'The Brothers' and 'Hetty Wainthrop Investigates'". The Independent.
  192. (20 March 2009). "Z-Cars actor Edmond dies, aged 69". BBC.
  193. (19 March 2009). "Natasha Richardson dies aged 45". BBC News.
  194. (22 March 2009). "Reality TV star Jade Goody dies". BBC News.
  195. (24 March 2009). "Ex-broadcaster and MP Brinton dies". Bexhill Observer.
  196. (10 April 2009). "TV host Lennie Bennett dies at 70". BBC News.
  197. (19 April 2009). "Belonging actress is found dead". BBC News.
  198. Samuel, Henry. (21 May 2009). "British actress Lucy Gordon found dead in Paris flat". [[The Daily Telegraph]].
  199. (3 June 2009). "Terence Alexander: actor in Bergerac". Times Online.
  200. (1 June 2009). "Stage legend La Rue dies at 81". BBC News.
  201. (22 June 2009). "Dad's Army veteran dies aged 82". BBC.
  202. (22 June 2009). "Steve Race". [[The Daily Telegraph]].
  203. (1 July 2009). "Actress Mollie Sugden dies at 86". BBC News.
  204. (12 July 2009). "Veteran BBC newsman dies aged 70". BBC News.
  205. (24 July 2009). "Vince Powell: comedy writer of Love Thy Neighbour". Times Online.
  206. (25 July 2009). "Harry Towb dies of cancer". BBC News.
  207. Anderson, Clive. (11 September 2009). "Laurie Rowley". [[The Guardian]].
  208. (14 September 2009). "Hi-de-Hi actor Bowness dies at 87". BBC.
  209. (15 September 2009). "Celebrity chef Keith Floyd dies". BBC.
  210. (16 September 2009). "Troy Kennedy Martin". Daily Telegraph.
  211. (16 September 2009). "BBC reporter Barrow dies aged 69". BBC.
  212. Hemley, Matthew. (22 September 2009). "Please Sir actor Peter Denyer dies". [[The Stage]].
  213. Bergan, Ronald. (2 October 2009). "Robert S Baker obituary". [[The Guardian]].
  214. (16 November 2009). "Woodward found fame playing tough-guy roles". The Independent.
  215. (2 December 2009). "Coronation Street actress Maggie Jones dies". BBC News.
  216. (30 December 2009). "Garfield Morgan: Actor best known for playing Jack Regan's boss in 'The Sweeney'". The Independent.
  217. (26 December 2009). "First BBC television weatherman George Cowling dies". BBC News.
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