This is a list of British television related events from 1984.
Events January 4 January – Pat Phoenix leaves Coronation Street for the second and final time as Elsie Tanner as she goes to live with old flame Bill Gregory in Portugal, having been in the show since its inception in 1960 (except for a three-year period between 1973 and 1976). The actress dies peacefully in her sleep at the age of 62 in September 1986. 8 January – BBC1 begins showing the romantic American miniseries The Thorn Birds, starring Richard Chamberlain, Rachel Ward and Christopher Plummer. 7 January Fraggle Rock makes its UK debut on ITV, nearly a year after airing in the US and Canada. The series is a co-production by TVS, CBC, HBO and Henson Associates. Daytime Ceefax transmissions are renamed Pages from Ceefax following the decision by Radio Times to begin listing daytime Ceefax broadcasts. 9 January British-made children's animated series Towser makes its debut on ABC in Australia, several months before debuting in the UK. Debut of the ITV British Raj period drama The Jewel in the Crown, based on Paul Scott's The Raj Quartet novels and starring Art Malik. 16 January – Satellite Television Limited is renamed Sky Channel. 19 January – The nature documentary series The Living Planet premieres on BBC1. 20 January – Grange Hill airs the episode in which the character of Jeremy Irvine dies in a swimming pool stunt gone wrong. 30 January – The BBC's Panorama documentary series airs "Maggie's Militant Tendency" which claims links between several Conservative MPs and far-right organisations both in Britain and Europe. Two of the MPs named, Neil Hamilton and Gerald Howarth, subsequently sue the BBC for slander. In 1986, after the BBC withdraws from the case, Hamilton is awarded £20,000 in damages. 31 January – The long-running comedy sketch show Alas Smith and Jones, starring Mel Smith and Griff Rhys Jones, makes its debut on BBC2.
February 6 February – The short-lived American action series Blue Thunder, based on the 1983 hit movie of the same name, makes its UK debut on BBC1. 14 February The first of six episodes of Tom Keating On Impressionism, a follow-up to the award-winning Tom Keating On Painters, is broadcast two days after Keating's death, from a heart attack, at age 66. An estimated 24 million viewers watch Torvill and Dean win gold at the 1984 Winter Olympics skating to Ravel's Boléro. 26 February – Debut of the long-running satirical puppet comedy series Spitting Image on ITV.
March 10 March – The American teenage science-fiction series Whiz Kids makes its UK debut on ITV, airing as a Saturday feature in most ITV regions. Exceptions are Ulster which airs the series on Sundays and TVS which airs it at a later date. 16 March – Peter Davison's last serial as the Fifth Doctor in Doctor Who, The Caves of Androzani, finishes; Colin Baker becomes the Sixth Doctor in the same episode. 22 March Colin Baker makes his first full appearance as the Sixth Doctor in the Doctor Who serial The Twin Dilemma. Horse racing is shown on Channel 4 for the first time. 24 March – Game show The Price Is Right makes its UK debut on ITV. It is produced by Central in association with Mark Goodson Productions and Talbot Television and is presented by Leslie Crowther. 26 March – Return of the 1950s panel game show What's My Line? after twenty years, with original host Eamonn Andrews in the chair, now on ITV. 29 March – The Entertainment Network, Music Box and Screensport launch on cable. 31 March – Pop group Matt Bianco appear on BBC1's Saturday Superstore, when a phone-in caller verbally abuses them by calling them "a bunch of wankers" live on air.
April 5 April – Industrial action by members of the Entertainments Trade Alliance results in all of today's BBC1 programmes being cancelled. 15 April – Comedian and magician Tommy Cooper dies from a heart attack on live television at the age of 63, during Live from Her Majesty's. 21 April ITV screens the 1983 television movie Return of the Man from U.N.C.L.E., with Robert Vaughn and David McCallum reprising their roles from the 1960s' spy series. The Saturday Picture Show replaces Get Set as the BBC's Summer Saturday morning magazine show. Its running time is extended, beginning earlier at 8:45am. 22 April – The network television premiere of Hugh Hudson's 1981 Oscar-winning biographical drama film Chariots of Fire on BBC1, starring Ben Cross, Ian Charleson, Nigel Davenport, John Gielgud, Patrick Magee, Nigel Havers, Ian Holm and Alice Krige. 27 April – The Wind in the Willows makes its debut as a full series on ITV; Ian Carmichael is now cast as narrator with Peter Sallis taking over the voice of Rat. 28 April – ITV airs the first episode of Robin of Sherwood, produced by HTV and starring Michael Praed as Robin Hood and featuring Ray Winstone, with music by the Irish celtic band Clannad.
May 4 May – A football match from England’s second tier is televised live for the first time as BBC’s Match Of The Day Live features the promotion battle between Manchester City and Chelsea. 5 May – ITV regions (except Central) screen Galactica 1980 (aka Conquest of the Earth), the second feature length TV movie sequel to Battlestar Galactica. The short-lived series itself isn't shown on ITV until 29 September 1984. 6 May – Debut of the long-running light entertainment series Surprise Surprise on ITV, presented by Cilla Black. 10 May – The five-part BBC Schools French language adventure series La Marée et ses Secrets (The Tide and its Secrets) is first broadcast which is repeated each year until 1993. The series continues on 14 June. 12 May – The short-lived American science-fiction series Automan makes its UK debut on BBC1, starring Desi Arnaz Jr., Chuck Wagner, Heather McNair and Robert Lansing. 16 May – ITV airs the network television premiere of the 1980 romantic time travel film drama Somewhere in Time, starring Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour. 28 May – BBC1 airs the network television premiere of Harold Ramis' 1980 American sports comedy film Caddyshack, starring Chevy Chase, Bill Murray, Michael O'Keefe, Cindy Morgan, Rodney Dangerfield and Ted Knight while ITV premiers the 1980 animated sports film Animalympics.
June 4 June The hit animated series Danger Mouse is broadcast on children's cable network Nickelodeon in the US, becoming the first British cartoon to air on that channel and one of the earliest to be in syndication there. The short-lived American fantasy series Manimal makes its UK debut on BBC1, starring Simon MacCorkindale. 7 June – The first edition of Crimewatch UK is broadcast on BBC1.BBC Programme Index BBC1 7th June 1984 The first case to be featured on the show is the murder of Colette Aram which had occurred the previous year. A man is finally charged with the murder in 2009 and is sentenced to life imprisonment in January 2010 after pleading guilty. 12–27 June – Live coverage of the 1984 European Championship is shown only on the BBC, with ITV coverage restricted to highlights on World Of Sport and same night highlights of a semi-final (which is scheduled as a last minute programme change). Only two matches are shown live – a group game and the final. 19 June – The final episode of Ben Elton's anarchic comedy series The Young Ones is broadcast on BBC2 in spectacular fashion by blowing up the entire cast after briefly surviving a bus crash. 23 June – ITV airs the rock concert New Brighton Rock recorded at the event staged in the seaside resort of New Brighton, Merseyside over two days on 21 and 22 May.
July 27 July – The final edition of Sixty Minutes is broadcast on BBC1, ending less than a year after it first went on the air. 28–29 July – BBC2 hosts Jazz on a Summer's Day, a weekend of programmes devoted to jazz music. 28 July–12 August – The BBC airs the 1984 Summer Olympic Games. Due to the Games taking place in Los Angeles, BBC1 stays on the air into the night to provide live coverage of the major events. 30 July BBC1's teatime news programme reverts to its original name of Evening News and to its original broadcast time of 5:40pm. The regional news programmes follow broadcasting for 20 minutes from 5:55pm. This is a stop-gap measure and continues for five weeks until the launch of BBC1's new teatime newshour. ITV begins airing Kenneth Johnson's American science-fiction miniseries "V" and "V" The Final Battle. The alien invasion drama starring Marc Singer, Faye Grant, Jane Badler and Robert Englund is shown over five consecutive nights.
August 4–13 August – During the second week of the 1984 Summer Olympic Games, the BBC extends its live coverage until around 4am. Rather than closing down, they fill the gap with Ceefax Olympics AM which provides news from the Games to fill the gap between the end of live coverage and the start of Olympic Breakfast Time.BBC Genome Project – BBC1 listings 3 August 1984 This is the first time that Ceefax pages are broadcast overnight. 6 August – ITV screens the UK terrestrial premiere of the 1979 horror film The Amityville Horror, starring James Brolin and Margot Kidder. 25 August – ITV shows the 1978 action comedy film Every Which Way but Loose, starring Clint Eastwood as a bare-knuckle brawler, accompanied by Clyde, his pet orangutan. 25–26 August – For the second time, BBC2 Rocks Around the Clock. 27 August The network television premiere of the 1979 gangster film The Long Good Friday on ITV, starring Bob Hoskins and Helen Mirren. Technicians at Thames walk out on strike over the use of new cameras and editing equipment along with overtime payments for transmission staff. The strike lasts for two weeks but the station is off the air for just one day over the August Bank Holiday weekend. Management and administration staff take over their roles, broadcasting a skeleton service. 31 August – ITV begins airing the French/American children's cartoon series Inspector Gadget.
September 1 September The Children's Channel and Premiere launch on cable. Debut of the game show Bob's Full House on BBC1, presented by Bob Monkhouse. 2 September – The two-part American miniseries Lace makes its debut on ITV, starring Phoebe Cates. 3 September BBC1's teatime news hour is relaunched and now runs from 6pm until 7pm. A new 30-minute long news programme the Six O'Clock News is launched and this is followed by a longer regional news magazine which is expanded to 25 minutes. The network television premiere of the 1979 science fiction adventure film Star Trek: The Motion Picture on ITV, starring William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley and Persis Khambatta. 5 September – ITV begins showing the horror-themed anthology series Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense. 7 September – Les Dawson becomes the new host of Blankety Blank on BBC1. 10 September – BBC1 begins showing the American fantasy adventure cartoon series Dungeons & Dragons. 11 September – After making its debut in Australia, British-made animation Towser finally makes its debut on ITV. 18 September – The network television premiere of Mel Brooks' 1974 horror comedy film Young Frankenstein on BBC2, starring Gene Wilder and Marty Feldman. 23 September – Barry Hines's acclaimed Threads airs on BBC2. Produced by the BBC and Nine Network Australia, the one-off TV drama depicting the impact of a nuclear war in Britain will go on to win four BAFTA awards, including Best Single Drama.
October 4 October – The BBC Radio 4 consumer show Checkpoint begins a 4-episode TV mini-series hosted by Roger Cook 5 October The first programme in the trilogy to be produced by Maddocks Cartoon Productions, The Family-Ness, makes its debut on BBC1. BBC2 broadcasts an Open University programme at teatime for the final time. 6 October – TV Times Magazine is rebranded back to its original TV Times name. 7 October–December – "Pirate" television station Thameside TV broadcasts illicitly from south London. 8 October