This is a list of British television-related events from 1996.
Events January 1 January – The James Bond film Never Say Never Again is aired as part of BBC1's New Year's Day schedule, starring Sean Connery. 3 January – Debut on BBC1 of Hetty Wainthropp Investigates, starring Patricia Routledge. 7 January – The Herald (Glasgow) reports that STV has sold its shares in HTV to United News and Media. 8 January – Rainbow Days, a television programme for preschoolers and the replacement programme for the toy shop format of Rainbow, is launched on CITV at 3:30pm. 9 January – The American science-fiction series The X-Files makes its debut on BBC1 with the episode "Humbug". 12 January – Gaby Roslin presents her final edition of The Big Breakfast on Channel 4 after three years, weeping live on the air. 14 January – The network television premiere on ITV of Father of the Bride, starring Steve Martin and Diane Keaton. 15 January – Zoe Ball begins hosting The Big Breakfast on Channel 4. 15 January–11 March – Our Friends in the North, a nine-part drama spanning from the 1960s to the 1990s in the lives of four friends, begins airing on BBC2. 22 January – The Sci-Fi Channel begins airing episodes 109–150 of the BSB soap Jupiter Moon which were not televised during the series' original 1990 run. Two episodes are aired per day up to 19 February. 23 January – The network television premiere on ITV of Single White Female, starring Bridget Fonda and Jennifer Jason Leigh. 26 January – The findings of the judicial review into the ITC's decision to award the licence for a fifth UK television channel to Channel 5 Broadcasting Ltd are published. The review concludes that there was no illegality or unfairness in the process. January – L!VE TV introduces the News Bunny.
February 1 February – Channel One launches its second channel, in Bristol and Bath. 5 February – Breakfast News Extra is launched. The 20-minute programme, which airs at the end of the main edition of Breakfast News, is presented by Juliet Morris. 9 February – The entertainment show TFI Friday makes its debut on Channel 4, presented by Chris Evans. The show ran for six series over four and a half years until the year 2000. 11 February – Debut on BBC1 of the Irish-set drama series Ballykissangel. 18 February – The final episode of the long-running satirical puppet show Spitting Image airs on ITV. 19 February – At the 1996 BRIT Awards, aired by ITV, Pulp's lead singer Jarvis Cocker invades the stage during Michael Jackson's performance of "Earth Song". Jackson, surrounded by children, was dressed as a Christ-like figure, an image which Cocker found objectionable. 21 February – Debut on BBC1 of the crime drama Silent Witness, starring Amanda Burton. 24 February – BBC1 begins airing a four-part adaptation of Minette Walters' psychological thriller The Sculptress. The miniseries stars Pauline Quirke, Caroline Goodall and Christopher Fulford, and is shown over two consecutive weekends, on 24–25 February and 2–3 March.
March 1 March – The Media Authority of Berlin and Brandenburg (Medienanstalt Berlin-Brandenburg) awards a terrestrial television licence to BBC World, thought to be the first time a country has awarded a television frequency to a foreign broadcaster. 2 March – The network television premiere on ITV of The Marrying Man, starring Kim Basinger and Alec Baldwin. 8 March – Mersey Television boss and creator of Channel 4 soaps Brookside and Hollyoaks Phil Redmond predicts that every major soap on television will be aired five nights a week. 11 March – Launch of the business and financial news channel CNBC Europe, which is based in London. 13 March – In the wake of the Dunblane school massacre, ITV postpones the James Bond film Licence to Kill, which was due to be shown this evening. 14 March – Channel 4 is forced to apologise to viewers after an ident showing The Big Breakfast presenter Mark Little firing a gun at the camera is seen on screen the day after the Dunblane school massacre. 16 March Cable channel L!VE TV stages a live reconstruction of the Frank Bruno vs. Mike Tyson fight using lookalike boxers as a way of hitting back at pay-per-view television on which the actual fight is being shown. The network television premiere on ITV of A Few Good Men, starring Tom Cruise, Demi Moore and Jack Nicholson. Debut of the crime drama series Dalziel and Pascoe on BBC1. Launch of the pay-per-view service Sky Box Office. 18 March – Debut of the drama series This Life on BBC2. 19 March – Debut of And the Beat Goes On on Channel 4. 24 March ITV airs Coronation Street – The Cruise, something which proves to be controversial as the film had only been released on VHS a few months earlier to celebrate the show's 35th anniversary. The final episode of the long-running storytelling series Jackanory airs on BBC2, although it would be briefly revived in 2006. 26 March – Cadbury becomes the first company to sponsor Coronation Street after signing a deal with Granada. The sponsorship will begin in September. 30 March – The final episode of Saturday Disney airs on ITV. March – After two years of Pages from Ceefax Level 2 teletext graphics, they return to using the more basic Level 1 Teletext format.
April 1 April Sir Christopher Bland succeeds Marmaduke Hussey as Chairman of the BBC. All BBC commercial activities, including BBC Publications, are merged into BBC Enterprises Ltd. 2 April – The comic strip character from The Beano Dennis the Menace is brought to life with a new animated series on BBC1 as part of the CBBC lineup. 5 April – BBC1 airs Eskimo Day, Jack Rosenthal's poignant comedy about parents letting go of their children when they make their way in the world. 11 April – Channel 4 trials an overnight sports programme. Airing for six weeks, Nightsports mixes comment and live action from America. 13 April Channel 4 airs the first of ten editions of The Gaby Roslin Show, a chat show presented by Gaby Roslin which aims to recapture the atmosphere of 1970s series such as Parkinson. Ratings for the show quickly fall from 3 million to less than a million and it is panned by viewers and critics alike. Andi Peters and Emma Forbes present their final edition of Live & Kicking on BBC1. 15 April – ITV airs Episode 4000 of Coronation Street. 18 April The ITC confirms the awarding of the Channel 5 licence to Channel 5 Broadcasting Ltd, setting out its broadcasting remit. 50% of programming must be original, while there are quotas for the amount of public service programming that must be aired. Marketing (magazine) reports that Midland Bank will sponsor ITV Drama Premieres, starting on 1 May with the latest series of Sharpe. 21 April – The BBC Arabic television service closes down when the Saudi backer pulls out following a row over coverage of the execution of a princess accused of adultery. 23 April – Debut of Edward on Edward, a documentary produced for ITV by Prince Edward's company Ardent Productions and is presented by the Prince himself. It tells the story of the Abdication of Edward VIII. 27 April – Bob Monkhouse presented his 1st edition of The National Lottery Live. 27 April – Granada confirms that O. J. Simpson has been booked to appear on the first edition of Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan's new series, Tonight with Richard and Judy, scheduled to air on 13 May. The former football star will be paid a nominal fee of £1 for his first interview since being cleared of murder in 1995, though Granada will also pay for his travel expenses. The interview proves to be controversial, with both Madeley and Finnigan attracting media criticism for what is deemed to be their "candyfloss" questioning of Simpson. Ultimately, the show airs for just one series. April – The BBC becomes the world's first digital terrestrial broadcaster after conducting a test transmission.
May 1 May – Imperial College London wins the 1995–96 series of University Challenge on BBC2, beating the London School of Economics 275–220. 2 May – Debut on BBC1 of Airport, a fly-on-the-wall documentary series about London's Heathrow Airport. 6 May – BBC1 airs the first episode of a new series of The Liver Birds, which catches up with Beryl (Polly James) and Sandra (Nerys Hughes), two decades on from the original series. 9 May – The BBC announces its plans for digital television. They include a free-to-air news channel, widescreen versions of BBC1 and BBC2, "side channels" which will broadcast extra programmes related to what is on the main channels and several paid-for channels featuring programming from the BBC archives.BBC News – BBC unveils plans for Digital Services 13 May – After an eight year absence, the game show Call My Bluff returns to BBC1, presented by Bob Holness. 18 May – Ireland's Eimear Quinn wins the 1996 Eurovision Song Contest with "The Voice". 21 May – Bill Treacher makes his final appearance as EastEnders character Arthur Fowler. Having left the series in December 1995, he briefly returned to the role of Arthur to film scenes in which his character is killed off. 24 May – The final edition of Good Morning with Anne and Nick airs on BBC1. 25 May Paul Doody wins the seventh series of Stars in Their Eyes on ITV, performing as Marti Pellow. He is the second Grand Final winner to portray the singer. Debut of the golf-based game show Full Swing on BBC1, presented by Jimmy Tarbuck. However, the series is not a success and is axed after eight episodes on 27 July. 27 May – Doctor Who, an American television film continuation of the British series of the same name, airs on BBC1. It is regarded as being a part of the same story as the original series and is an unsuccessful pilot for a new, American co-produced series. This marks the end of Sylvester McCoy's era as the Seventh Doctor. Paul McGann stars as the Eighth Doctor. Doctor Who would return for a full series when it was revived in 2005.
June 1 June – Darren Day succeeds Matthew Kelly as the presenter of You Bet! on ITV. He is joined on the show by Diane Youdale, best known for appearing as Jet on Gladiators, who presents the challenges filmed on location. 5 June – Channel 4 beginning showing the American horror series American Gothic, starring Gary Cole. 7 June – The BBC is restructured by the Director-General John Birt. In the new structure, BBC Broadcast will commission programmes and BBC Production will make them. 8–30 June – The BBC and ITV broadcast live coverage of Euro 96 which is held in England. 8 June – The final edition of International Gladiators aired on ITV, the series 2 grand final also marked the final appearance for the female Gladiator Jet. 10 June – For the Summer period, the late afternoon block of children's programmes aired on BBC1 are transferred to BBC2. 14 June – After thirty-two years, excluding six months in 1973 and one month in 1974, Top of the Pops moves from Thursdays to Fridays on BBC1. 21 June – Debut of the children's game show To Me... To You... on BBC2 and later on BBC1, presented by the Chuckle Brothers. 26 June – The BBC and ITV broadcast live coverage of the England v. Germany semi-final match of Euro 96 that is collectively watched by twenty-six million viewers. 30 June – Neil Haidar wins the 1996 series of MasterChef on BBC1.
July 7 July – BBC1 airs Killing Me Softly, a Screen One film about the Sara Thornton case that stars Maggie O'Neill and Peter Howitt. 9 July – The final episode of the game show Going for Gold airs on BBC1, although it would make a brief return to Channel 5 in 2008. 11 July BBC2 airs South African President Nelson Mandela's address to the Houses of Parliament. The programme is introduced by Michael Buerk. ITV announces a deal with Doritos sponsoring ITV Movies with the premieres of Demolition Man, Unforgiven, The Fugitive, The Pelican Brief, In the Line of Fire, A Few Good Men, Groundhog Day and Sleepless in Seattle, the sponsorship will begin on 17 August.