2002 in British television

This is a list of British television related events from 2002.

Events January 1 January Provisional viewing figures released by the Broadcasters' Audience Research Board indicate that on average, BBC One had more viewers than ITV through 2001. This is the first time this has happened. New Year's Day highlights on BBC One include the films Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Small Soldiers, Shakespeare in Love and 'Til There Was You. 4 January – It is reported that three Coronation Street actors Stephen Beckett (Dr Matt Ramsden), Clare McGlinn (Charlie Ramsden) and Naomi Russell (Bobbi Lewis) are to leave the series in the Spring. 7 January The Independent Television Commission rejects 129 viewer complaints about WHSmith's Fat Geordies Christmas advertising campaign, saying the humour was acceptable and would not have caused widespread offence, but the watchdog does express its concerns about the stereotyping of overweight people, suggesting this could be harmful. Sky News content becomes available on terrestrial television for the first time in a decade as Channel 5 begins simulcasting part of the breakfast news programme Sunrise with Sky's news channel. 8 January – EastEnders character Angie Watts is set to be killed off-screen from cirrhosis of the liver due to alcoholism. The character was last seen in May 1988 and her death would air in April 2002. 11 January – Coronation Street bosses confirm that Jacqueline Chadwyck who plays Linda Sykes has left the series and will not return to film any exit scenes. It is also confirmed that comedian Roy Hudd will join the soap to play a lighthearted character, an undertaker named Archie Shuttleworth. 20 January – Bloody Sunday, a television drama based on the events of the controversial Bloody Sunday incident in Northern Ireland in 1972 airs on ITV. The film, and Channel 4's Sunday (airing eight days later and dealing with the same topic), attract several complaints to the Independent Television Commission over their impartiality because of an ongoing inquiry into the incident. But the Commission rules in April that neither film was biased. 22 January – UTV2 closes and is replaced by ITV2. 23 January – At a meeting of the Scottish Affairs Committee in Westminster, BBC governor Sir Robert Smith tells the committee that the possibility of a Six O'Clock News bulletin for Scotland will be considered again following next year's Scottish Parliament election. 24 January – Hear'Say, the band formed by ITV's Popstars, confirm that Kym Marsh has left the group, but say they intend to continue. The following day auditions are announced for a new band member to replace Marsh. 25 January – UK Today ends after all of the BBC's regional centres are upgraded for digital broadcasting. However, due to cost considerations, the BBC decides not to create separate regional services for BBC Two in England. Despite this, the weekday afternoon regional bulletin continues on BBC Two and digital viewers see BBC London News rather than their own regional news bulletin. 27 January – Sid Owen and Patsy Palmer are reprising their EastEnders roles as Ricky Butcher and Bianca Jackson after filming a one-off special that will air later in the year. 28 January – Beginning of a week of EastEnders episodes set in Spain which see the return of the character Sam Mitchell. Sam's return sees actress Kim Medcalf make her television acting debut, having taken over the role from Danniella Westbrook after the part was recast. Medcalf goes on to play Sam until 2005 when the character is written out of the series in a storyline that sees her fleeing to Brazil after becoming a murder suspect. Westbrook then returns to the role of Sam in 2009, before Medcalf once again reprises the role in 2022. 29 January – The Sun reports that Cat Deeley will leave SM:TV in March after being offered other projects. ITV subsequently confirms her departure from the programme. 30 January – Channel 4's controversial Brass Eye spoof documentary on paedophiles is among the winners at the annual Broadcast Magazine Awards held in London, picking up a comedy award despite causing controversy when it aired the previous year. 31 January The BBC children's series Teletubbies has been sold to China where it will be aired on the state owned channel CCTV1. The last titled episode of The Bill, "Set in Stone", is broadcast. This is followed by a six-part untitled story after which the series switches to a serial format. January – BBC Worldwide relaunches its commercially funded website beeb.com as a sponsored shopping guide.

February 1 February – It is reported that The Saturday Show presenter Dani Behr has been reprimanded by her BBC bosses after giving a sexually explicit interview to lads' magazine Maxim. 3 February – 3,000 hopefuls travel to London to attend auditions to replace Kym Marsh in Hear'Say. Johnny Shentall is introduced as the band's new member two days later. Fans and the media later dismiss the process as a stunt because Shentall is a former member of the pop group Boom!, accusations that prompt Hear'Say to issue a statement denying it was fixed. 7 February – BBC Director-General Greg Dyke launches his "cut the crap, make it happen" initiative, designed to cut red tape and inertia at the corporation. 8–22 February – The BBC provides coverage of the 2002 Winter Olympic Games. 9 February Following the announcement of the death of Princess Margaret, the younger sister of Elizabeth II, some radio and television schedules are changed to make room for tribute programmes. Will Young wins the first series of Pop Idol. 10 February – ITV1 begins airing the fifth and final series of the Michael Barrymore fronted gameshow My Kind of Music. Twelve episodes are recorded, but only five are ultimately shown, as some regions prefer to continue airing their own local programmes within the Sunday early evening slot. 11 February Two new BBC children's channels, CBeebies, aimed at children under 6 and CBBC, aimed at children aged 6–12, launch. The channels broadcast within the downtime of the BBC's established digital channels, with CBBC sharing its multiplex space with BBC Choice and CBeebies sharing its space with BBC Knowledge. The Teletubbies spin-off "Teletubbies Everywhere" premieres alongside the launch of CBeebies. It is set in coloured backgrounds instead of the usual Teletubbyland.https://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2002/02_february/11/cbbcdigital.shtml ITV Digital launches a test card based on the BBC's Test Card F to be aired when its channels are off air. The card features the characters Al and Monkey playing a game of noughts and crosses. 12 February – Figures released by ITV Digital indicate that one in four of its subscribers are cancelling their subscription, a figure the company hopes will begin to improve. 14 February – In EastEnders, one of the soap's longest running characters, Dot Cotton, played by June Brown marries Jim Branning (John Bardon) in a Valentine's Day ceremony. 16 February – F1 Digital+ launches on Sky Digital. 18 February – The BBC loses the rights to air The Simpsons, being outbid by Channel 4. However, the broadcasting rights are held until 2006, eventually ending in May 2004. 21 February Channel 5 has secured the rights to show the UK television premiere of Steven Spielberg's World War II epic Saving Private Ryan after signing a deal with Paramount Pictures, it is reported. The deal also includes the rights to several other films, including Fatal Attraction, The General's Daughter and An Officer and a Gentleman. 22 February A peak audience of 5.6 million viewers watch late into the night on BBC Two as the Great Britain women's curling team win the gold medal at the 2002 Winter Olympics; it is Britain's first gold medal at a Winter Olympics since 1984. Sarah Baxendale makes her debut as the Hollyoaks character Ellie Hunter. Five airs the 3000th episode of Home and Away. 25 February – Release date of Will Young's debut single, the double-A side CD "Evergreen"/"Anything is Possible". With advanced sales of more than a million, the single is set to debut at number one in the UK Singles Chart and make chart history as the UK's biggest selling debut single. 27 February – BBC One airs The Boy Can't Help It, a follow-up documentary to the 1989 Q.E.D. programme, John's Not Mad which deals with sufferers of Tourette syndrome. 28 February – The Bill switches to a serial format.

March 1 March – Martin Kemp makes his last appearance as Steve Owen in EastEnders when he is killed off in a fireball car explosion. 2 March BBC Knowledge ceases transmission in the early hours (the first BBC channel to permanently close) with BBC Four launching to replace it at 7pm. The opening night is simulcast on BBC Two. The animated series of Mr. Bean premieres on ITV1 based on the original live-action series of the same title and Rowan Atkinson's Mr. Bean. 3 March Will Young's debut single tops the charts, having accrued calculated sales of 1,108,269. It remains at the number one position for three weeks, before being replaced on 24 March by Pop Idol runner-up Gareth Gates, with his version of "Unchained Melody". The acclaimed US spy drama 24, starring Kiefer Sutherland as agent Jack Bauer makes its British television debut on BBC Two. 11 March – Somerville College, Oxford wins the 2001–02 series of University Challenge, beating Imperial College London 200–185. 12 March – A report conducted for the Independent Television Commission and Broadcasting Standards Commission indicates that for the first time at least half of television viewers have access to multi channel television, i.e., channels other than the main five terrestrial channels. 13 March – A report by the Independent Television Commission indicates that viewer dissatisfaction with the quality of television stood at 64% in 2001, an 18% rise on the previous year. However, the authors of the report attribute the dramatic increase to the time at which their survey was conducted, shortly after the controversial Channel 4 spoof Brass Eye was broadcast. 15 March – Former Coronation Street actress Jane Danson will join ITV's The Bill as the series first lesbian police officer, it is reported. Her character, Gemma Osbourne, will be seen on screen in the Summer. 19 March – The Office of Communications Act 2002 receives Royal Assent, enabling the establishment of Ofcom. 21 March – Theo Paphitis and Neil Doncaster, the respective chairmen of Millwall and Norwich City football clubs, warn of serious financial consequences for their teams if ITV are allowed to renegotiate the £315 million agreement they signed to screen Football League matches. 26 March – BBC One announces that the current hot-air balloon idents are to be axed and be replaced by a new set called Rhythm & Movement on 29 March. 27 March – ITV Digital is placed into administration after failing to reach an agreement with the Football League over the £315 million three-year deal to air league matches. The company still owes £180 million which it says it cannot pay after its revenue was not as good as forecasts had predicted. Services will continue while negotiations to resolve the issue continue. 28 March – ITV announces the removal of Night and Day from its weekday teatime slot from 11 April, although late night episodes will continue to air on Thursdays, as well as a Sunday omnibus on ITV2. This is in response to the series attracting a relatively low audience of 1.5 million. 29 March At 2:10am (in Northern Ireland at 2:50am), the last Balloon ident is shown on BBC One and with it, the last time the globe is used as the channel's symbol, having been used since 1963. Its replacement, the 'Rhythm & Movement' idents, premiere at 9am. Channel 4's The Big Breakfast ends after almost a decade on the air. My Kind of Music airs on ITV1 for the final time after five years. Although a further seven episodes from its final series have been recorded, these were ultimately not aired.