Cultural highlights of 1969

Television: UK
New shows
• Callan (Thames/ITV), drama; Wednesdays at 9pm
• Civilisation (BBC), Sir Kenneth Clark's history of art documentary series; Sundays (from 23 February)
• The Dustbin Men (Granada/ITV), comedy; Tuesdays at 8.30pm
• Fraud Squad (ATV/ITV), crime drama; Tuesdays at 9pm
• In Loving Memory (Thames/ITV), one-off comedy [revived as a series 10 years later]
• The Liver Birds (BBC), sitcom; Fridays (from 18 July)
• The Main Chance (Yorkshire/ITV), legal drama; Wednesdays at 9pm
• Max (Thames/ITV), variety show starring Max Bygraves; Thursdays at 9pm
• Monty Python's Flying Circus (BBC2, from 5 October), comedy; Sundays at 11pm [not yet a hit]
• On the Buses (London Weekend/ITV), sitcom; Fridays at 8.30pm
• Pot Black (BBC2), snooker; Wednesdays (from 23 July) [devised to boost colour TV take-up: 'For those of you watching in black and white, the pink is behind the brown.']
• Royal Family (BBC), two-part documentary; Saturdays at 8pm
• Special Branch (Thames/ITV), crime drama; Wednesdays at 9pm
Continuing
• The Benny Hill Show (Thames/ITV), comedy; Wednesdays at 8pm [newly transferred from BBC]
• Coronation Street (Granada/ITV), soap; Mondays and Wednesdays at 7.30pm (all year).
Please Sir (London Weekend/ITV), comedy; Saturdays at 7pm
• The Power Game (ATV/ITV), business drama; Tuesdays at 9pm [final series]
• This is Your Life (Thames/ITV), biography; Wednesdays at 7pm [first series of revival on ITV]
• Till Death Us Do Part (BBC), sitcom (repeats); Saturdays at 9.45pm

Television: US
New shows
• Andy Williams Show (NBC), music/variety.
• Sesame Street (PBS, weekdays from November), children's learning.
Taken off
• Star Trek (NBC), boldly gone after 69 episodes since 1966.

...and Apollo 11's moon landing and Neil Armstrong's first footing.

 

Chronomedia 1969