1964 in television

For the American TV schedule, see: 1964–65 United States network television schedule.

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The year 1964 in television involved some significant events. Below is a list of television-related events which occurred in that year.

Events

• Most of NBC's programs are now broadcast in color.
• January 1 – The first Top of the Pops airs on BBC Television.
• January 3 – Footage of The Beatles performing a concert in Bournemouth, England is shown on The Jack Paar Show.
• January 4 – TV Tokyo launched in Japan.
• February 9, 16 and 23 – The Beatles appear on The Ed Sullivan Show, breaking television ratings records.
• April 20 – BBC2 starts broadcasting in the UK; the existing BBC channel is renamed BBC1.
• April 30 – Television sets manufactured as of this date are required to receive UHF channels.
• May 5 – The documentary film Seven Up! is broadcast on ITV in the UK, showing the lives of fourteen school children. Subsequent films in the series have seen them interviewed every seven years since.
• June 6 – The Rolling Stones make their American TV debut on The Hollywood Palace.
• July – The British Associated Television's series Emergency – Ward 10 shows the first kiss on television between black and white actors, Joan Hooley playing surgeon Louise Mahler and John White playing Dr. Giles Farmer.
• August 1 – The official launch of Melbourne's third commercial television station ATV-0, signalling the beginning of what is now Network Ten.
• October 10 – NBC, in the United States, airs the 1964 Summer Olympics opening ceremony at Tokyo, Japan, with first time of live Olympic telecast program by geostationary communication satellite Syncom 3. This telecast marks NBC's first Olympic broadcasting stint.
• October 18 – Jackie Mason appears on The Ed Sullivan Show and is subsequently banned after he seemingly gives Ed "the finger" on the air.
• October 25 – The Rolling Stones make their first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show. The next day, Mr. Sullivan insists that he'll never have them back.
• November 26 – Pakistan Television Corporation airs the first television broadcasts in Pakistan.
• December 6 – NBC debuts the Christmas special Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer. It will become a holiday tradition, moving to CBS in 1972.

Programs/Programmes

• American Bandstand (1952–1989)
• Armchair Theatre (UK) (1956–1968)
• As the World Turns (1956–2010)
• Ben Casey (1961–1966)
• Blue Peter (UK) (1958–present)
• Bonanza (1959–1973)
• Bozo the Clown (1949–present)
• Candid Camera (1948–2004)
• Captain Kangaroo (1955–1984)
• Combat! (1962–1967)
• Come Dancing (UK) (1949–1995)
• Coronation Street, UK (1960–present)
• Death Valley Days (1952–1975)
• Dixon of Dock Green (UK) (1955–1976)
• Doctor Who, UK (1963–1989, 1996, 2005–present)
• Face the Nation (1954–present)
• Four Corners, Australia (1961–present)
• General Hospital (1963–present)
• Grandstand (UK) (1958–2007)
• Gunsmoke (1955–1975)
• Hallmark Hall of Fame (1951–present)
• Hockey Night in Canada (1952–present)
• It's Academic (1961–present)
• Juke Box Jury (1959–1967, 1979, 1989–1990)
• Love of Life (1951–1980)
• Match Game (1962–1969, 1973–1984, 1990–1991, 1998–1999)
• Meet the Press (1947–present)
• Mister Ed (1961–1966)
• Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom (1963–1988, 2002–present)
• My Three Sons (1960–1972)
• Opportunity Knocks (UK) (1956–1978)
• Panorama (UK) (1953–present)
• Petticoat Junction (1963–1970)
• Ready Steady Go! (1963–1966)
• Search for Tomorrow (1951–1986)
• The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet (1952–1966)
• The Andy Griffith Show (1960–1968)
• The Avengers, UK (1961–1969)
• The Bell Telephone Hour (1959–1968)
• The Beverly Hillbillies (1962–1971)
• The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961–1966)
• The Doctors (1963–1982)
• The Donna Reed Show (1958–1966)
• The Ed Sullivan Show (1948–1971)
• The Edge of Night (1956–1984)
• The Flintstones (1960–1966)
• The Fulton Sheen Program (1961–1968)
• The Good Old Days (UK) (1953–1983)
• The Guiding Light (1952–2009)
• The Jack Benny Show (1950–1965)
• The Late Late Show, Ireland (1962–present)
• The Lawrence Welk Show (1955–1982)
• The Lucy Show (1962–1968)
• The Mike Douglas Show (1961–1981)
• The Milton Berle Show (1954–1967)
• The Patty Duke Show (1963–1966)
• The Price Is Right (1956–1965)
• The Saint, UK (1962–1969)
• The Secret Storm (1954–1974)
• The Sky at Night (UK) (1957–present)
• The Today Show (1952–present)
• The Tonight Show (1954–present)
• The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962–1992)
• This Is Your Life (UK) (1955–2003)
• Truth or Consequences (1950–1988)
• Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color (1961–69 with this title)
• What the Papers Say (UK) (1956–present)
• What's My Line (1950–1967)
• Wide World of Sports (1961–1997)
• Z-Cars, UK (1962–1978)

Debuts

• January 1 – Top of the Pops on BBC television (1964–2006)
• January 4 – The Hollywood Palace on ABC (1964–1970)
• January 10 – That Was The Week That Was (TW3) on NBC-TV as a half-hour satirical revue broadcast live from New York after a successful hour-long special on November 10, 1963. The show, based on the BBC program of the same name, ran through May 4, 1965. It was revived as a one-time ABC special in 1985, and as a segment on ABC's Primetime Live ca. 2004–05.
• March 30 – The game show Jeopardy! on NBC daytime TV (1964–75, 1978–79, 1984–)
• May 4 – The American soap opera Another World on NBC at 3:00 p.m. ET, as a half-hour show (1964–99)
• September 14 – Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea on ABC (1964–1968)
• September 15 – Peyton Place on ABC (1964–1969)
• September 16 – Shindig! on ABC (1964–1966)
• September 17 – Bewitched on ABC (1964–1972)
• September 18
  • The Addams Family on ABC (1964–1966)
  • Jonny Quest on ABC (1964–1965)
• September 19 – Flipper on NBC (1964–1967)
• September 22 – The Man from U.N.C.L.E. on NBC (1964–1968)
• September 24
  • Daniel Boone on NBC (1964–1970)
  • The Munsters on CBS (1964–1966)
• September 25 – Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. on CBS (1964–1969)
• September 26 – Gilligan's Island on CBS (1964–1967)
• October 3 – Underdog on NBC (1964–1967)
• October 4 – This Hour Has Seven Days on CBC (1964–66)
• October 13 – Danger Man returns to ITV after being canceled in 1961; It would later air on CBS as Secret Agent (1960–61, 1964–66)
• October 28 – The Wednesday Play on BBC1 (1964–1970)
• November 2 – Crossroads on ITV (1964–1988, 2001–2003)
• The Mavis Bramston Show on ATN-7 in Australia (1964–1968)
• Spokoynoy nochi, malyshi! (Спокойной ночи, малыши!, "Good Night, Little Ones!") in the Soviet Union (1964–present)

Ending this year

Date	Show	Debut
March 29	The Judy Garland Show	1963
June 19	Mack & Myer for Hire
	The Twilight Zone	1959
	Zoo Quest (UK)	1954
Unknown	Sing Along with Mitch	1961
	To Tell the Truth	1962

Births

Date	Name	Notability
January 1	Clare Holman	British actress (Inspector Morse)
February 15	Chris Farley	Actor and comedian (Saturday Night Live) (d. 1997)
February 20	French Stewart	Actor (3rd Rock from the Sun)
April 7	Russell Crowe	New Zealander actor
April 25	Hank Azaria	Actor (The Simpsons)
May 11	Katie Wagner	American presenter
June 15	Courteney Cox	Actress (Friends)
June 17	Erin Murphy	Actress (Tabitha Stephens on Bewitched)
June 23	Joss Whedon	Writer, director, producer (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
July 3	Yeardley Smith	Voice actress (Lisa Simpson on The Simpsons)
July 22	David Spade	Actor and comedian (Saturday Night Live)
	John Leguizamo	Actor
September 2	Keanu Reeves
November 4	Kurt Krakowian
November 11	Calista Flockhart	Actress (Ally McBeal, Supergirl)
November 14	Bill Hemmer	US news anchor
November 21	Liza Tarbuck	English actress and presenter (Watching)
December 8	Teri Hatcher	Actress (Desperate Housewives)
December 18	Stone Cold Steve Austin	WWE wrestler

Deaths

Date	Name	Age	Notability
August 28	Gracie Allen	69	Actress/comedian (The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show)