List of years in British radio

The following is a list of years related to the indexing of British radio. Each year is annotated as a reference point.

1920s 1920 in British radio – January - The first informal and spasmodic broadcasts in the United Kingdom are made by the Marconi Company from Chelmsford in England. These broadcasts include both speech and music.The Shell Book of Firsts 1983. pp. 145–8. 1921 in British radio – 1922 in British radio – The British Broadcasting Company is formed and on 14 November, the UK's first BBC broadcasts from London (station 2LO) take place. 1923 in British radio – First outside broadcast, the British National Opera Company's production of The Magic Flute from Covent Garden. 1924 in British radio – 1925 in British radio – First broadcasts from the long wave Daventry transmitting station and station 5XX becomes the first British radio station to achieve near national coverage: the first step in the establishment of the BBC National Programme. 1926 in British radio – 1927 in British radio – The British Broadcasting Company becomes the British Broadcasting Corporation, when it is granted a Royal Charter; First live sports broadcast on the BBC, a rugby union international. The first football commentary takes place a week later. 1928 in British radio – The first edition of The Daily Service is broadcast. It was originally called A Short Religious Service but was renamed The Daily Service later in the year 1929 in British radio – First broadcast of Week in Westminster.

1930s 1930 in British radio – The majority of the BBC's existing radio stations are regrouped to form the BBC National Programme and the BBC Regional Programme. 1931 in British radio – 1932 in British radio – The Empire Service (precursor of the World Service) launches, broadcasting on shortwave from Daventry's Borough Hill; King George V becomes the first monarch to deliver a Christmas Day message by radio. 1933 in British radio – 1934 in British radio – The new high-power longwave transmitter at Droitwich takes over from Daventry 5XX as the main station radiating the BBC National Programme. 1935 in British radio – 1936 in British radio – The Lisnagarvey transmitter begins service, broadcasting the Northern Ireland Regional Programme of the BBC. 1937 in British radio – The BBC makes its first outside broadcast when it covers the Coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth at Westminster Abbey in London; Following the alteration of frequencies at the BBC's Washford transmitter to enable it to radiate separate regional services for Wales and the West of England, a new Welsh Regional Programme begins. 1938 in British radio – 1939 in British radio – The BBC Home Service starts broadcasting at the outbreak of the Second World War.

1940s 1940 in British radio – The BBC Forces Programme launches; First broadcast of Sunday Half Hour. 1941 in British radio – 1942 in British radio – First broadcast of Desert Island Discs. 1943 in British radio – Forces Broadcasting Service begins broadcasting. 1944 in British radio – 1945 in British radio – The BBC Light Programme starts broadcasting; First broadcast of Today in Parliament. 1946 in British radio – The BBC Third Programme launches and the BBC General Forces Programme closes; First broadcast of Down Your Way, Letter from America and Woman's Hour. 1947 in British radio – First broadcast of Round Britain Quiz. 1948 in British radio – First broadcast of Any Questions? and Sports Report. 1949 in British radio – First broadcast of A Book at Bedtime.

1950s 1950 in British radio – First broadcast of The Archers and Listen with Mother. 1951 in British radio – 1952 in British radio – All UK radio stations enter obituary mode following the death of King George VI. 1953 in British radio – The Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II is broadcast on the BBC Home Service and BBC Light Programme, with seven hours of coverage provided.BBC Genome Project - BBC Home Service listings 2 June 1953 1954 in British radio – First broadcast of Children's Favourites. 1955 in British radio – Opening of the UK's first VHF/FM transmitter; first broadcast of From Our Own Correspondent. 1956 in British radio – 1957 in British radio – First broadcast of The Today Programme and Test Match Special. 1958 in British radio – 1959 in British radio – First broadcast of The Navy Lark, Sing Something Simple and Your Hundred Best Tunes.

1960s 1960 in British radio – First broadcast of Farming Today. 1961 in British radio – 1962 in British radio – First broadcast of The Men from the Ministry . 1963 in British radio – 1964 in British radio – The off-shore pirate station Radio Caroline goes on air as does Manx Radio, the Isle of Man's national radio station; first broadcast of I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again. 1965 in British radio – First broadcast of The World at One, Petticoat Line and Round the Horne. 1966 in British radio – Terry Wogan makes his UK broadcasting debut on BBC Light Programme; the first regular stereo radio transmissions begin; Pirate station Swinging Radio England goes on air. 1967 in British radio – The UK Parliament passes the Marine Broadcasting Offences Act 1967 making it illegal for a British subject to be associated with off-shore pirate radio; the BBC's national stations are relaunched and BBC Radio 1 starts broadcasting; BBC Local Radio launches in Leicester; first broadcast of The Official Chart, The Radio 2 Breakfast Show and Just a Minute. 1968 in British radio – BBC Radio Nottingham hosts the UK's first ever radio phone-in.; First broadcast of The Living World. 1969 in British radio – Annie Nightingale makes her debut on BBC Radio 1 and is the station's first female presenter; first broadcast of Waggoners' Walk and The Organist Entertains.

1970s 1970 in British radio – United Biscuits launches its own radio station, United Biscuits Network, which is broadcast round the clock to the company's four factories; First broadcast of PM, The World Tonight and You and Yours. 1971 in British radio – The Open University begins broadcasts on the BBC; First broadcast of Lines from My Grandfather's Forehead. 1972 in British radio – The Independent Broadcasting Authority is formed, paving the way for the launch of Independent Local Radio; A decision by the government to restrict the BBC to twenty local radio stations, the corporation closes BBC Radio Durham and its resources are transferred to Carlisle where BBC Radio Carlisle, later BBC Radio Cumbria, is launched; First broadcast of Milligna (or Your Favourite Spike) and I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue. 1973 in British radio – The first commercial radio stations start broadcasting, with London's LBC the first to go on air on 8 October, followed eight days later by the launch of Capital Radio; First broadcast of The Foundation Trilogy, Kaleidoscope, Newsbeat and Hello Cheeky. 1974 in British radio – Independent Local radio expands into mote areas with the launches of BRMB, Piccadilly Radio, Metro Radio, Swansea Sound, Radio Hallam, Radio City; Regular programmes for the Black and Asian communities launch on BBC Local radio stations in London and Leicester respectively. 1975 in British radio – BBC Radio Ulster begins broadcasting; First broadcast of The News Huddlines and Good Morning Ulster. 1976 in British radio – Independent Local Radio begins in Northern Ireland when Downtown Radio, begins broadcasting to the Belfast area; First broadcast of Quote... Unquote and The Burkiss Way. 1977 in British radio – BBC Radio Cymru begins broadcasting; First broadcast of Money Box, The News Quiz and Sport on Four. 1978 in British radio – BBC Radio Wales and BBC Radio Scotland begin broadcasting, the BBC's national radio stations change their MW and LW frequencies; First broadcast of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Good Morning Wales and Good Morning Scotland. 1979 in British radio – BBC Radio 2 starts 24-hour broadcasting, having previously closed down between 2am and 5am; United Biscuits Network closes after nine years on air; First broadcast of Science in Action, Feedback, The Food Programme, Breakaway.

1980s 1980 in British radio – CBC in Cardiff becomes the first of the second tranche of Independent Local Radio stations to start broadcasting and is the first new ILR station since 1976; First broadcast of Radio Active. 1981 in British radio – First broadcast of Steve Wright in the Afternoon. 1982 in British radio – Regional programming on BBC Radio 4 ends; Last broadcast of Listen with Mother and Junior Choice. 1983 in British radio – First broadcast of In Business and Sounds of the 60s. 1984 in British radio – The BBC conducts five trials of community stations in Greater Manchester. Each trial, which covers a specific area of Greater Manchester, lasts for a few weeks; First broadcast of Delve Special. 1985 in British radio – Ranking Miss P becomes Radio 1's first black presenter; First broadcast of After Henry and Pirate Radio Four. 1986 in British radio – The Home Office sanctions six experiments of split programming on Independent Local Radio; First broadcast of Loose Ends and Last broadcast of Pirate Radio Four. 1987 in British radio – BBC Radio 1 starts broadcasting on FM in London; First broadcast of Flying the Flag and Citizens and Last broadcast of Radio Active and Delve Special. 1988 in British radio – BBC Radio 1 starts broadcasting on FM in many areas of the UK; local commercial stations start introducing gold services on their MW frequencies; Launch of the Radio Data System; First broadcast of The Big Fun Show, Whose Line Is It Anyway?, Saturday Night Fry and The Beeb's Lost Beatles Tapes. 1989 in British radio – BBC Radio Wiltshire launches, First broadcast of The Mary Whitehouse Experience and Last broadcast of After Henry.

1990s 1990 in British radio – Launch of BBC Radio 5 using the MW frequencies of BBC Radio 2, which thereby becomes the first national station in the UK broadcast only on FM; First broadcast of And Now in Colour, Jazz Parade, Flywheel, Shyster, and Flywheel, The Moral Maze and Formula Five. 1991 in British radio – The Radio Authority succeeds the Independent Broadcasting Authority as the UK's commercial radio regulator; Radio 4 News FM provides rolling news coverage throughout the Gulf War; Radio 1 becomes a 24-hour station, having previously closed down overnight; First broadcast of Essential Selection, On the Hour and 6-0-6. 1992 in British radio – The UK's first national commercial radio station, Classic FM, starts broadcasting, BBC Radio 3 stops broadcasting on MW; First broadcast of No Commitments, Room 101, The Mark Steel Solution and Knowing Me Knowing You with Alan Partridge and Last broadcast of Down Your Way, Flying the Flag, Flywheel, Shyster, and Flywheel and On the Hour. 1993 in British radio – Virgin 1215 starts broadcasting; First broadcast of Wake Up to Wogan, The Masterson Inheritance, The Pepsi Chart, Essential Mix and Harry Hill's Fruit Corner and Last broadcast of Jazz Parade and Knowing Me Knowing You with Alan Partridge; final broadcast of Steve Wright in the Afternoon on Radio 1. 1994 in British radio – BBC Radio 5 is relaunched as BBC Radio 5 Live, the first regional commercial stations start broadcasting; Radio 1 stops broadcasting on mediumwave; First broadcast of Wake Up to Money, Up All Night, Collins and Maconie's Hit Parade, Julie Enfield Investigates, Lee and Herring and Alan's Big One and Last broadcast of Room 101 and Formula Five; Steve Wright begins presenting The Radio 1 Breakfast Show. 1995 in British radio – The UK's first national commercial speech station Talk Radio starts broadcasting; First broadcast of Private Passions, Sunday Night at 10 and Change at Oglethorpe and Last broadcast of The Masterson Inheritance, Lee and Herring and Alan's Big One; Chris Evans succeeds Steve Wright as presenter of The Radio 1 Breakfast Show.