This is a list of British television related events from 1994.
Events January 1 January – In the early hours of the morning, BBC2 airs the first Hootenanny which began late the previous evening. The annual New Year's Eve music show is hosted by Jools Holland and the first edition includes performances from Sting, the Gipsy Kings and Sly and Robbie. 2 January – BBC2 begins a repeat run of the 1960s US series The Fugitive. 3 January TCI acquires a 60.4% stake in Flextech. This gives the company a 25% stake in UK Gold. The network television premiere on ITV of the 1989 James Bond film Licence to Kill, starring Timothy Dalton. 4 January Sky One moves E Street back to the 6:30pm weekday timeslot with the afternoon repeat shown the following day at 12:30pm, while Paradise Beach moves to 6pm and 12pm, thus creating an "Aussie Soap Hour" on the channel. Debut of the military comedy-drama All Quiet on the Preston Front on BBC1. The children's animated series Budgie the Little Helicopter, based upon a series of books by Sarah, Duchess of York, makes its debut on CITV. 5 January – "The Empath", an episode of the US sci-fi series Star Trek, is shown for the first time in the UK on BBC2, having not been seen on British television since the series original run on BBC1. 7 January The Times reports that merger talks between Yorkshire Television and Tyne Tees have collapsed because it has proved impossible to reach an agreement on a suitable structure for the new company. Also, Anglia have withdrawn from the proposed alliance with London Weekend Television, making an LWT take over of YTV impossible.Susan Gilchrist "Collapse of merger talks puts LWT under pressure", The Times, 7 January 1994, p.23 ZZZap! returns for a new series on ITV with a new character called Daisy Dares You, played by Deborah McCallum; the part of Tricky Dicky and Smart Arty's segments have been updated with him using a magic pen to draw pictures that come to life. 8 January The US sci-fi series The New Adventures of Superman makes its UK debut on BBC1, starring Dean Cain and Teri Hatcher. BBC2 shows the network television premiere of the cult Japanese science-fiction animated film Akira. 10 January The Welsh language soap opera Pobol y Cwm makes its debut in the rest of the UK when BBC2 begins airing episodes daily from Mondays to Thursdays. The series, shown with English subtitles, airs on BBC2 for three months, and on an experimental basis. The classic children's series Rainbow is relaunched with a new format, made by Tetra Films by for HTV. However, the new series is not well received and is axed a year later and subsequently replaced by Rainbow Days. American animated series The Ren & Stimpy Show makes its UK debut on BBC 2. Each episode is shown twice a week: first on Monday evenings as part of "yoof TV" strand DEF II; and as a regular programme on Friday nights. 12 January – Terror Towers debuts as a new Halloween-Themed game show on CITV before broadcasting the final series of Knightmare. 13 January – David Dimbleby takes over as host of Question Time on BBC1. He will continue to 2018 in the role. 14 January An episode of the Channel 4 soap Brookside shows a lesbian kiss between two of its characters. Fantasy Football League, hosted by David Baddiel and Frank Skinner, debuts on BBC 2. 15 January – Debut of the US police procedural series NYPD Blue on Channel 4, starring Dennis Franz, James McDaniel, Amy Brenneman and Nicholas Turturro. 16 January – The first episode of the archaeology series Time Team is broadcast on Channel 4, presented by Tony Robinson. 19 January Whom Gods Destroy, an episode of the US sci-fi TV series Star Trek, is shown on BBC2 for the first time in the UK having not been seen on British television since the series original run on BBC1. BBC2 debuts The Day Today, a comedy television show that parodies news, current affairs and various documentaries created by Armando Iannucci and Chris Morris, also starring Doon Mackichan, Patrick Marber, David Schneider, Rebecca Front and Steve Coogan (including his Alan Partridge character). Each episode is presented as a mock news programme, relying on a combination of ludicrous fictitious stories covered with a serious pseudo-professional attitude. The series ends on 23 February. 20 January – BBC1 airs an edition of Question Time from Birmingham which includes a confrontation between Jeffrey Archer and David Starkey over the age of homosexual consent. 27 January – The popular sitcom Absolutely Fabulous returns for a second series, now being shown on BBC1.
February 4 February Following a review of the broadcasting ban on Irish terrorist-related organizations conducted by Heritage Secretary Peter Brooke, the Major government decides to maintain the status quo. The US sitcom Home Improvement debuts in the UK on Channel 4, two years and five months after its American debut. 7 February – Granada Television increases its takeover bid for London Weekend Television to £774 million. However, the LWT board once again rejects the offer.Martin Waller "LWT rejects Granada's final bid after talks fail", The Times, 9 February 1994, p.27 12 February BBC1 airs Tunnel Vision: Le Walk, a special live coverage event presented by Mike Smith, Anthea Turner and Juliet Morris explores the 31-mile charity walk through the Channel Tunnel from France during the last eight hours led by Daley Thompson, Kriss Akabusi, Graham Gooch, Todd Carty and Nicholas Witchell, with Mr Blobby leading the celebration committee for those who have made it to England. The light entertainment series Don't Forget Your Toothbrush makes its debut on Channel 4, presented by Chris Evans. 12–27 February – The BBC provides live and recorded coverage of the 1994 Winter Olympic Games from Norway. The majority of the coverage is shown on BBC2. 17 February – Series 9 of The Cook Report was due to premier on this day but it was pushed to the 12th of May due to Roger Cook sustaining injuries in a car accident on January 16. 18 February – Flextech buys a 20% stake in HTV, thereby clearing the company's debts. 19 February – The Independent reports that Anglia has been bought by MAI (owners of Meridian). MAI subsequently merges with United Newspapers to form United News and Media. 20 February Debut of the children's consumer affairs series Short Change on BBC1. The network television premiere of David S. Ward's 1991 American comedy King Ralph on BBC1, starring John Goodman, Peter O'Toole, Richard Griffiths, Joely Richardson and John Hurt. 25 February – LWT accepts a £770 million takeover bid from Granada, resulting in the departure of Greg Dyke and Sir Christopher Bland from the broadcaster.Martin Waller "LWT succumbs to £770 million Granada takeover bid", The Times 26 February 1994, p.21 28 February HTV's main evening news programme Wales at Six is replaced by Wales Tonight. The game show Talking Telephone Numbers makes its debut on ITV, presented by Phillip Schofield and Emma Forbes. February The ITC decides to readvertise the Channel 5 broadcasting licence, but must first seek confirmation that the frequencies it planned to allocate to the channel are still available. Pages from Ceefax broadcasts adopt the Level 2 teletext graphics. The change sees a significant expansion to the number of pages shown and title pages for each section return. However, the new expanded Pages from Ceefax broadcasts are confined to the 15 minutes prior to the start of programmes which often is insufficient time to show the entire sequence which is now between 40 and 50 pages in length.
March 4 March – The network television premiere on BBC2 of Laurel Avenue, the acclaimed US miniseries that tells the story of an eventful weekend in the lives of an extended African American family living in St. Paul, Minnesota. The second part is shown on 6 March. 5 March – The network television premiere of David Cronenberg's 1986 horror remake The Fly on ITV, starring Jeff Goldblum, Geena Davis and John Getz. 17 March – Robbie Williams and Mark Owen of Take That present an edition of Top of the Pops, becoming the first in a line of celebrities to guest present the show between 1994 and 1996 under the banner of "the golden mic". 18 March – The game show Play Your Cards Right returns to ITV after a seven-year break, with returning host Bruce Forsyth. 19 March – ITV airs the network television premiere of Paul Verhoeven's 1987 American science fiction thriller RoboCop, starring Peter Weller, Nancy Allen, Ronny Cox, Kurtwood Smith and Miguel Ferrer. 25 March – Lynne Perrie makes her final appearance as Coronation Street battleaxe Ivy Tilsley. The press later speculates that Perrie's decision to have plastic surgery without consulting her bosses was the reason for her departure, though Perrie denied this, insisting that she felt that her character had simply run its course. Ivy's death occurs off-screen the following year. 26 March – ITV's darts-based game show Bullseye is moved from Sunday afternoons to Saturday evenings.
April 2 April – Chris Evans opens the Saturday before Easter edition of Don't Forget Your Toothbrush with the words "It's that time of the year again when we remembered Jesus was crucified and it's that time of the week when we remember that Spurs probably have been too". The comments attract a complaint to the Broadcasting Standards Commission, which is subsequently upheld by the watchdog. 4 April – The network television premiere of David Zucker's 1991 American crime comedy sequel The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear on BBC1, starring Leslie Nielsen, Priscilla Presley, O. J. Simpson and George Kennedy. 7 April – BBC Scotland makes history by televising a criminal trial as part of its Focal Point strand. 9 April – The three-part adaptation of the Reginald Hill novel A Pinch of Snuff makes its debut on ITV, starring Gareth Hale and Norman Pace in the roles of detectives Dalziel and Pascoe. The series is shown over three consecutive Saturdays, but Hill is reported to be unhappy with the programme and prevents ITV from making any further series. In 1996, the BBC approaches Hill to make its own Dalziel and Pascoe series with Warren Clarke and Colin Buchanan in the leading roles, something to which Hill agrees. 10 April – The network television premiere of Martin Scorsese's 1990 American gangster thriller Goodfellas on Channel 4, starring Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci, Lorraine Bracco and Paul Sorvino. 11 April – BBC1 introduces a third weekly episode of EastEnders which airs on Mondays at 8pm. At the same time, a re-recorded version of the original theme tune is debuted to replace the "jazz" version which had been used since the previous May. 12 April – Paula Tilbrook makes her debut in Emmerdale as long-serving character Betty Eagleton. 14 April – American rock singer Meat Loaf guest presents an edition of Top of the Pops. 16 April – BBC2 celebrates its 30th birthday four days early with an evening of programmes selected and introduced by former controller David Attenborough. Among them are episodes of Elizabeth R and The Barry Humphries Show, a 1967 documentary about politics in India and a new episode of Call My Bluff. 18 April – The game show Blockbusters is relaunched on Sky One. 20 April – The popular US sitcom Frasier makes its UK debut on Channel 4, starring Kelsey Grammer, David Hyde Pierce, Jane Leeves, Peri Gilpin and John Mahoney. 25 April – ITV airs the Mr. Bean episode, Mind the Baby, Mr. Bean. It had originally been scheduled to air the previous February, but was pulled out of respect for the family of murdered toddler James Bulger prior to its originally planned transmission date. 30 April – Ireland's Paul Harrington and Charlie McGettigan win the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest (staged in Dublin) with "Rock 'n' Roll Kids".
May