Compact

Compact 1962

3.00

Compact was a British television soap opera shown by the BBC between 1962 and 1965. The series was created by Hazel Adair and Peter Ling, who together went on to devise Crossroads. In contrast to the kitchen sink realism of Coronation Street, Compact was a distinctly middle-class serial, set in the more "sophisticated" arena of magazine publishing. An early "avarice" soap, it took the viewer into the business workplace, and aligned the professional lives of the characters with more personal storylines. The show was scheduled for broadcast on Tuesdays and Thursdays, thus avoiding a clash with ITV's Coronation Street on Mondays and Wednesdays. When Compact began, the editor was a woman, Joanne Minster, yet it was not long before she was replaced by Ian Harmon, the son of the magazine's owner. Despite being largely criticised by reviewers, Compact was popular with the general public, and in 1964 a regular omnibus edition was introduced, broadcast on Sundays. Morris Barry, a some-time actor and BBC director – he directed several Doctor Who stories in the 1960s – took over as producer and was given a brief to spice the series up in view of the criticism it had received from the national press. But the BBC, never comfortable with the concept of soap opera, quietly dropped the series in 1965.

1962

Torchwood

Torchwood 2006

7.30

The exploits of a team of people whose job is to investigate the unusual, the strange and the extraterrestrial.

2006

His Dark Materials

His Dark Materials 2019

7.85

Lyra is an orphan who lives in a parallel universe in which science, theology and magic are entwined. Her search for a kidnapped friend uncovers a sinister plot involving stolen children and turns into a quest to understand a mysterious phenomenon called Dust. She is later joined on her journey by Will, a boy who possesses a knife that can cut windows between worlds. As she learns the truth about her parents and her prophesied destiny, the two young people are caught up in a war against celestial powers that ranges across many worlds.

2019

Hustle

Hustle 2004

7.70

A motley group of London con artists pull of a series of daring and intricate stings.

2004

Absolutely Fabulous

Absolutely Fabulous 1992

7.55

Set in the world of fashion and PR, immature fun-loving mother Edina Monsoon and her best friend Patsy drive Eddie's sensible daughter, Saffron, up the wall with their constant drug abuse and outrageous selfishness. Numerous in-jokes and heavy doses of cruel humour have made this series a cult hit in the UK and abroad.

1992

Money for Nothing

Money for Nothing 2015

4.50

Entrepreneur Sarah Moore saves things from being dumped and transforms them into valuable pieces, making money for people who had no idea there was cash to be made from their trash.

2015

Blackadder

Blackadder 1983

7.97

Black Adder traces the deeply cynical and self-serving lineage of various Edmund Blackadders throughout British history, from the muck of the Middle Ages to the frontline of the First World War.

1983

Nationwide

Nationwide 1969

3.50

Nationwide was a BBC News and current affairs television programme which ran from 9 September 1969 to 5 August 1983. It was broadcast on BBC One each weekday following the early evening news. It followed a magazine format, combining political analysis and discussion with consumer affairs, light entertainment and sports reporting. It began on 9 September 1969, running between Tuesdays and Thursdays at 6.00pm, before being extended to five days a week in 1972. From 1976 until 1981 the start time was 5:55pm. The final edition was broadcast on 5 August 1983, and the following October it was replaced by Sixty Minutes. The long-running Watchdog programme began as a Nationwide feature. The light entertainment was quite similar in tone to That's Life!. Eccentric stories featured skateboarding ducks and men who claimed that they could walk on egg shells.. Richard Stilgoe performed topical songs.

1969

Only Fools and Horses

Only Fools and Horses 1981

8.05

Only Fools and Horses.... Is a British sitcom created and written by John Sullivan. Seven series were originally transmitted on BBC One from 1981 to 1991, with sixteen sporadic Christmas specials aired until 2003. In working-class Peckham in south-east London, ambitious market trader Derek 'Del Boy' Trotter and his younger half-brother Rodney, explore their highs and lows in life, in particular their attempts to get rich. Initially not an immediate hit and receiving little promotion early on, it later achieved consistently high ratings, and the 1996 episode "Time on Our Hands" (originally billed as the series finale) holds the record for the biggest UK audience for a sitcom episode, attracting 24.3 million viewers. The series bears a significant influence on British culture, contributing several words and phrases to the English language.

1981

Parkinson

Parkinson 1998

1

Michael Parkinson returns for a second run of his iconic talk show.

1998

Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg

Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg 2022

2.75

The big names behind the big stories. Laura Kuenssberg talks to those making the news, inside and outside politics.

2022

Poldark

Poldark 2015

7.74

Britain is in the grip of a chilling recession... falling wages, rising prices, civil unrest - only the bankers are smiling. It's 1783 and Ross Poldark returns from the American War of Independence to his beloved Cornwall to find his world in ruins: his father dead, the family mine long since closed, his house wrecked and his sweetheart pledged to marry his cousin. But Ross finds that hope and love can be found when you are least expecting it in the wild but beautiful Cornish landscape.

2015

Out of the Blue

Out of the Blue 2008

5.00

Set in Sydney beach suburb of Manly, New South Wales, Out of the Blue is a drama about a group of thirty-year-old friends returning home for a high school reunion, which is brought to an end when someone is murdered. An investigation follows as the group attempts to discover which one of them was the killer.

2008

Tomorrow's World

Tomorrow's World 1965

6.20

Tomorrow's World was a long-running BBC television series on new developments in science and technology. First transmitted on 7 July 1965 on BBC1, it ran for 38 years until it was cancelled at the beginning of 2003.

1965

Homes Under the Hammer

Homes Under the Hammer 2003

4.20

Homes Under the Hammer is a British renovation and auction series that originally screened on BBC One as part of the BBC's morning television schedule, the series has been running since 2003. Its main presenters are Lucy Alexander and Martin Roberts, although in series three Marc Woodward and Jasmine Birtles alternated presenting duties with Alexander and Roberts. The series is the BBC's most successful show in the 10:00am slot, regularly attaining a 30% market share for new episodes.

2003

Shaun the Sheep

Shaun the Sheep 2007

7.65

Shaun the Sheep thinks and acts like a person in a barnyard, which usually gets him into trouble. The farmer's sheepdog, Bitzer, tries to keep Shaun and his friends out of trouble. The farmer is oblivious to the humanlike features of his flock, who are like one big, happy family.

2007

All Creatures Great and Small

All Creatures Great and Small 1978

7.74

The trials and misadventures of the staff at a country veterinary office in Yorkshire. James Herriot, a young animal surgeon, moves to a small Yorkshire town to begin his first job.

1978

Robin Hood

Robin Hood 2006

6.85

An updated series following the life of Robin Hood and his Merry Men in Sherwood forest. Together they steal from the rich and give to the poor - all the while avoiding their enemies Sir Guy of Gisborne and the Sheriff of Nottingham.

2006

'Allo 'Allo!

'Allo 'Allo! 1984

7.79

The misadventures of hapless cafe owner René Artois and his escapades with the Resistance in occupied France.

1984