This is a list of events that took place in 2010 related to British television.

Events

January Date Event1 JanuaryDavid Tennant makes his final regular appearance as the Tenth Doctor in the second part of the Doctor Who festive special "The End of Time", the final episode to be written by Russell T Davies, until 2023. The episode also sees the debut of the Eleventh Doctor played by Matt Smith and was watched by 10.4 million viewers.3 JanuaryCelebrity Big Brother returns for its final series on Channel 4.5 JanuaryFilming of Coronation Street and Emmerdale are halted because of heavy snowfall.7 JanuaryJonathan Ross announces he will leave the BBC when his contract expires in July.20 JanuaryITV broadcasts the postponed 2009 National Television Awards. The venue was also switched from the Royal Albert Hall to The O2 Arena and was watched by 7.4 million viewers – a 30% share of the audience.21 JanuaryThe rapper and former Celebrity Big Brother contestant Lady Sovereign is scheduled to appear on BBC One's political magazine programme, This Week to discuss the laws regarding self-defence for householders. She is shown backstage early in the show, waving to camera in anticipation of her appearance, but has disappeared by the time the segment begins. Presenter Andrew Neil apologises to viewers, explaining she has "done a runner" and instead discussed the topic with regular contributors Michael Portillo and Diane Abbott. In a subsequent interview with The Guardians Rich Pelley, the rapper says she had a panic attack. "My hands went stiff and I started hyperventilating. I didn't want to do it hours before but I went anyway, then I just changed my mind at the last minute, I guess."CBeebies aired the last re-run of series 3 & 4 of Balamory, due to rights issues. Re-runs of the first 2 series continued until 2016.24 January The 1960s-set Only Fools and Horses prequel and miniseries Rock & Chips makes its debut on BBC One. The prequel features a teenage version of Del Boy, portrayed by The Inbetweeners actor James Buckley.25 JanuaryLong running children's television series and giant children's favourite Thomas and Friends is back on Channel 5 with a brand new series brought to life with fully CGI animation by Vancouver-based animation studio Nitrogen Studios.28 JanuaryRoyal Mail boss Adam Crozier is appointed as ITV plc's new chief executive.29 JanuaryWhile giving evidence to the Iraq Inquiry, former Prime Minister Tony Blair addresses the interview he gave to Fern Britton in December, telling the hearing it was a mistake to say he would have got rid of Saddam Hussein regardless of whether or not the Iraqi leader had weapons of mass destruction. The inquiry is also told the interview had been recorded in July 2009, some months before the hearing was convened.Cage fighter Alex Reid wins the seventh series of Celebrity Big Brother, the final one to air on Channel 4.31 JanuaryBSkyB becomes the first broadcaster in the world to show a live sports event in 3D when Sky Sports screens a football match between Manchester United and Arsenal to a public audience in several selected pubs.JanuaryCoverage of proceedings from the National Assembly for Wales are moved from S4C2 to the new BBC Democracy Live website.

February Date Event5 FebruaryChannel 5 airs Episode 5000 of Home and Away.9 FebruarySupernanny presenter Jo Frost returns to Channel 4 with a new series, Jo Frost Extreme Parental Guidance. Soap bosses confirm that Shane Richie and Jessie Wallace will reprise their roles as Alfie and Kat Moon in EastEnders, having last been seen on screen together in 2005. 10 February – 10 MarchAnalogue is switched off in the Blaenplwyf area10 FebruaryChannel 4's deal with Warner Brothers International Television to show episodes of Friends on Channel 4 and E4 will end from Autumn 2011 meaning the series will disappear from the network's schedules.12 FebruaryThe events of the 2010 Winter Olympics start broadcasting worldwide. 13 FebruaryCharlie Bruce wins series one of So You Think You Can Dance.15 FebruaryFiona Armstrong and Julia Somerville join the BBC News Channel as regular presenters. They will be joined by Zeinab Badawi and Carole Walker as the BBC seeks to fight accusations that it has an ageist policy.On an edition of the BBC's regional Inside Out programme, broadcaster Ray Gosling claims to have killed a former lover who had AIDS. He is arrested on suspicion of murder by Nottinghamshire Police two days later. The confession is later deemed to have been false. Gosling is charged with wasting police time, and given a 90-day suspended sentence at Nottingham Magistrates Court on 14 September.19 FebruaryBBC One soap EastEnders celebrates its 25th anniversary with a live episode. The episode, watched by 16.6 million viewers sees the culmination of the storyline concerning who killed the character Archie Mitchell (played by Larry Lamb), revealing that the deed was done by Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner).24 FebruaryNews at Ten presenter Julie Etchingham is named as Presenter of the Year at the Royal Television Society Awards, the first woman to win the accolade.28 FebruaryThe events of the 2010 Winter Olympics end broadcasting worldwide.

March Date Event3 MarchITV announces a pre-tax profit of £25m for 2009, compared with a loss of £2.7bn in 2008.3–31 MarchAnalogue is switched off in the Wenvoe area.4 MarchPenny Smith announces she is to leave GMTV after 17 years to pursue other projects.Carol Vorderman appears as a panellist on BBC One's Question Time. Her performance is subsequently described by the New Statesmans James Macintyre as "one of the worst by any panel member I have ever seen" because of her "clichéd, shrill, pub-boring, parochial approach" and because "she trotted out sluggish conventional wisdom at every turn".13 MarchITV announces that This Morning will air seven days a week, with two new one-hour shows being broadcast on Saturdays and Sundays from Saturday 20 March. Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby will present the extra shows.18 MarchA debate on The Alan Titchmarsh Show in which the actress Julie Peasgood emphasises the negative effects of violent video games attracts criticism due to her contribution to the 2000 release Martian Gothic: Unification, and because her arguments were based on a single unfavourable report on the subject.24 March – 7 AprilAnalogue is switched off in the Mendip area.26 MarchPrimary school programming is shown during the day on BBC Two for the final time.The final schools programming on BBC Two – 26.03.2010 From next term, primary schools broadcasts become part of the overnight BBC Learning Zone with series shown as a back-to-back set rather than over several weeks.Doctors celebrates its 10th anniversary.Due to a drop in ratings, ITV announced its intention to cancel its long running police drama The Bill from autumn 2010, saying that the decision was made as it reflects the "changing tastes" of viewers.Channel 4 quiz show Countdown celebrates its 5000th edition with a letter of congratulations from The Queen.28 MarchGray O'Brien begins filming new scenes as Coronation Street villain Tony Gordon, who will break out of prison brandishing a gun after faking a heart attack.Actress Hayley Tamaddon and skating partner Daniel Whiston win the fifth series of Dancing on Ice.29 MarchClaudia Winkleman is confirmed as Jonathan Ross's replacement as host of Film 2010 when Ross leaves the show later in the year.The financial debate, the first of the 2010 election debates between Chancellor Alistair Darling, shadow Chancellor George Osborne and Liberal Democrat financial affairs spokesman Vince Cable is held on Channel 4.31 MarchThe last analogue television services are switched off in Wales, making it the first part of the UK to have a fully digital service.S4C begins broadcasting solely in Welsh.BSkyB is told by the broadcasting regulator Ofcom that it must cut the price it charges rival cable, terrestrial and internet broadcasters to show its premium sports channels. Sky says that it will appeal against the ruling.

April Date Event2 AprilITV1 HD is launched as a full-time service, offering a high definition simulcast of ITV1, with some programmes aired in upscaled HD until they are able to be filmed in full HD. On the same day, the ITV1 logo is slightly refreshed with the addition of a gradient effect and four new idents are introduced with a different soundtrack compared to the existing set of idents, which are retained but also updated to feature the refreshed ITV1 logo.3 AprilDoctor Who begins a new season (technically its 31st) with new leading actor Matt Smith. The first episode is watched by 8.4 million viewers.5 AprilEmmanuel College, Cambridge wins the 2009–10 series of University Challenge, beating St John's College, Oxford 315–100.7 AprilDhruv Baker wins the 2010 series of MasterChef.9 AprilLong-running Coronation Street actor Bill Tarmey quits the soap after 31 years playing Jack Duckworth.10 AprilITV airs the British terrestrial television premiere of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix; the film is watched by 5.726 million viewers (25.7% of the audience share).11 AprilCoronation Street begins airing its first lesbian storyline, involving Sophie Webster (Brooke Vincent) and Sian Powers (Sacha Parkinson).13 AprilBBC One airs the 500th episode of its hospital drama Holby City.15 AprilITV airs the first of three election debates between Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Nick Clegg ahead of the 2010 General Election.19 AprilAdrian Chiles quits the BBC to join ITV and GMTV in a new four-year deal.Five launches a contest to find an aspiring British actress to appear in Neighbours to celebrate the soap's 25th anniversary.21 AprilBen Shephard announces he is to quit GMTV after five years.ITV newsreader Katie Derham is to join the BBC. She will be given an arts brief, including fronting the coverage of the Proms for BBC Two and BBC Radio 3.22 AprilThe second election debate is aired by Sky News, and is viewed by an audience of 3.355 million, giving the channel its largest ever peak time audience. The debate is also shown on Sky Three and the BBC News Channel, and collectively attracts a viewership of 4.1 million.29 AprilBBC News hosts the final leaders debate before the election.Rachel Leskovac, who plays hairdresser Natasha Blakeman in Coronation Street is to leave the soap.30 AprilAdrian Chiles presents his final edition of The One Show.

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