17 January 1983 at 06:30, and television history was made – Breakfast Time, Europe's first regular morning television service was launched. Presenters Frank Bough and Selina Scott combined news and sport with astrology from Russell Grant, keep fit segments from the Green Goddess Diana Moran, and cookery from Michael Smith and Glynn Christian.
The programme was an easy going and relaxed affair, and came as a surprise to its commercial rival TV-AM which launched a few weeks later. Critics instinctively thought that the BBC offering would be a heavy-weight news programme, the TV equivalent of Radio 4's Today programme. However, with red leather sofas, and jugs of coffee and orange juice casually mingled around the living room style set, the effect was homey yet stylish, with a sprinkling of news.
After the programme the BBC received thousands of calls from well-wishers expressing how much they had enjoyed the first edition.
Today Breakfast is a news-based programme, presented from Salford by Naga Munchetty and Charlie Stayt amongst others.
January anniversaries
The Six Wives of Henry VIII
1 January 1970
The Brains Trust
1 January 1941
The Archers
1 January 1951
Z Cars
2 January 1962
Trumpton
3 January 1967
Open University
3 January 1971
Camberwick Green
3 January 1966
Final edition of The Listener published
3 January 1991
Gardeners' World
5 January 1968
A Question of Sport
5 January 1970
Forces Programme
7 January 1940
Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit
10 January 1990
First in-vision television weather forecaster
11 January 1954
The League of Gentlemen
11 January 1999
Goodness Gracious Me
12 January 1998
Listen with Mother
16 January 1950
Life On Earth
16 January 1979
First episode of BBC Breakfast Time
17 January 1983
Blankety Blank
18 January 1979
The Week's Good Cause
24 January 1926
Under Milk Wood
25 January 1954
Television Dancing Club
27 January 1948
Desert Island Discs
29 January 1942
Newsnight
30 January 1980
The State Funeral of Sir Winston Churchill
30 January 1965
Alas Smith and Jones
31 January 1984
